NFL Waiver Wire: Week 12 Pickups

I want to start this week addressing the white elephant in the room: Audric Estime. I recommended him to a lot of fantasy managers last week and, of course, he finishes with 5.9 fantasy points. Broncos coach Sean Payton said Estime was going to get more work after he had 14 carries in Week 10. Apparently this was a ploy to motivate Javonte Williams, who took the lead back role while Estime primarily got work in garbage time.

Unfortunately, these things happen in fantasy football. Not all coaches can be taken at their word, and who knows what happened later in the week that might have landed Estime in the doghouse. Hopefully, this won't happen again in the future but the fact of the matter is it will.

This column is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please adjust for your league based on both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and remaining budget. Players featured are typically lower than 50 percent rostered. Questions on players not mentioned can be asked about in the comments below.

Quarterback

PRIMARY TARGETS

Anthony Richardson, IND - Richardson's first game back was more than successful as he had a season-high 32.8 fantasy points in a win over the Jets. His ability to use his legs (10 rushes, 32 yards, two touchdowns) is what sets him apart from most quarterbacks and he has a solid set of receivers led by Michael Pittman and Josh Downs. He's rostered in 48 percent of Yahoo leagues. FAAB: $10-$20 — higher if you need a quarterback and are flush with FAAB.

SECONDARY TARGETS

Tommy DeVito, NYG - I was pretty high on Daniel Jones given the addition of Malik Nabers and the improvement with the offensive line. Jones has also had fantasy success only two seasons ago, throwing for more than 3,200 yards and 27 touchdowns with more than 700 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. This season it has been a different story and now the Giants will turn to Tommy DeVito, in part to keep from having to pay Jones should he get hurt. DeVito had a couple good games last season and should run more than your average quarterback. The schedule is extremely favorable as well with five of his next six starts against teams ranked 25th or worse against quarterbacks. FAAB: $8-$12

STILL AVAILABLE

These quarterbacks have been mentioned multiple times in recent weeks but are still widely available. Here they are again simply as a reminder:

Derek Carr has been great the last two games, and he's done it without Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. He also has an outstanding schedule down the stretch, facing teams ranked 10th or worse against quarterbacks. The problem is the Saints have a bye this week. 

Jameis Winston has been great his last three starts and is past his bye. The problem is he has three bad matchups upcoming, facing the Steelers twice and going to Denver.

Bo Nix had his second-best fantasy game of the season Sunday with 31.9 fantasy points. He has a  nice schedule sandwiched around a Week 14 bye. He's rostered in 49 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Running Back

SECONDARY TARGETS

Trey Benson, ARI - Benson could be flying under the radar coming off his bye week and some might have forgotten he had nine and 12 touches the two games before last week. Benson also plays behind James Conner who hasn't had the greatest history with injuries. If anything happens to Conner, Benson has the skill set to handle all three downs and goal-line work. FAAB: $8-$12

Gus Edwards, LAC - Edward is never going to be involved heavily in the passing game, but he has received 16 carries the last two games and would get the bulk of the carries if anything happened to J.K. Dobbins. It wouldn't be surprising if Dobbins lets Edwards get a goal-line carry this weekend in their "revenge" game at home against the Ravens. FAAB: $8-$12

HAIL MARY

Roschon Johnson, CHI - Johnson had a nice game Sunday, scoring his fifth touchdown of the season and getting double-digit touches for the second time in his last three games. The problem  is he could go back to five or fewer carries as he's done in three of his last five games. Another concern is that the Bears face the Vikings and Lions twice in their next five games and both teams are excellent at stopping the run. FAAB: $6-$10

Wide Receiver

PRIMARY TARGETS

Quentin Johnston, LAC - Johnston scored in his third consecutive game Sunday night and is on pace for double-digit scores this season. The only red flag is he's scored 6.8, 2.3 and 5.2 fantasy points in the three games he hasn't scored, giving him a low floor with his touchdown dependence. The bright side is that his remaining games are outstanding matchups for a wide receiver — four of his next six game are against teams ranked 23rd or worse vs. wide receivers. FAAB: $10-$15

SECONDARY TARGETS

Christian Watson, GB - Watson is coming off a season-high 19 fantasy points and I'd love to be higher on him except he plays for the Packers. No, Green Bay is not a bad real-life team, but there's a lot of mouths to feed in this offense. Jayden Reed has been the most consistent fantasy receiver while Romeo Doubs has more yardage and the same number of touchdowns as Watson (2). Tucker Kraft (28-376-5) has emerged as a reliable option at tight end (Sunday's game notwithstanding) further clouding which of the receivers to use on a weekly basis. FAAB: $8-$12

Keon Coleman, BUF - I fully expect Coleman to be back for the Bills' Week 13 tilt against the 49ers and now would be the time to get him for at least half of whatever the FAAB will be next week. Bills receivers have a good schedule the final few games and Coleman was coming on before the injury with 16.5 and 18 fantasy points in the two full games he played. FAAB: $8-$12

Jalen McMillan, TB - Getting a week off came at the right time for McMillan, who was active Week 10 but didn't play a single snap because of his hamstring injury. If he's back — check practice reports this week — he should see a healthy amount of targets with Chris Godwin out for the season. The return of Mike Evans, who was at practice Monday, shouldn't affect McMillan's target considering the attention he should command. FAAB: $8-$12

HAIL MARY

DeMario Douglas, NE - Douglas has been consistent with 10.5, 9.0 and 10.9 PPR points his last three games. The issue is he has a tough matchup in Miami this week and has a bye Week 14. This is a pickup for those in deep leagues. FAAB: $6-$8

Tight End

PRIMARY TARGETS

Will Dissly, LAC - I'd love to be higher on Dissly, who has 37 receptions for 352 yards but only just caught his first TD pass Sunday night. He's been primarily used as a blocker in the red zone, which has resulted in only five touchdowns in his last 56 games. The upside is his next four games are against teams ranked 23rd or worse against tight ends, so he should be able to immediately help your team. FAAB: $12-$15

SECONDARY TARGETS

Jonnu Smith, MIA - Smith feels like the older version of Kyle Pitts as he was expected to be one of the top tight ends in the league years ago when he was with the Titans. That never really materialized (he did have a season of eight touchdowns but didn't have 500 receiving yards that season). He's getting another chance with Dolphins this season and it makes sense given the coverage Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill get. Smith is averaging more than six targets in his last six games, and Sunday was his second game topping 20 fantasy points. FAAB: $10-$12

Taysom Hill, NO - I'm pretty sure his 45.7 fantasy points Sunday were easily the most by a player at the position (Brock Bowers had 31.3) and he has games of 14.4 and 16 points in two out of his six other games. As mentioned, the Saints have their bye this week but have a fantasy-friendly schedule down the stretch. He's one of the few players with whom you can ignore the opposing team's defensive rank against the position. FAAB: $10-$12