Fantasy Waiver Wire Week 12: Isaiah Likely, Ty Chandler among top pickups & free agent adds

Matt Lutovsky

Fantasy Waiver Wire Week 12: Isaiah Likely, Ty Chandler among top pickups & free agent adds image

It was an injury-filled week across the league, but there are only a handful of "must-adds" among the top Week 12 fantasy waiver wire pickups and free agent adds. Of course, at this point in the season, there will still be plenty of activity both before and after waivers clear around 4-5 a.m. ET on Wednesday mornings in most ESPN and Yahoo leagues.

Our full waivers list features several impact players for Week 12 and beyond, starting with injury replacements Zach Charbonnet and Isaiah Likely. There are also interesting stashes at RB (Ty ChandlerRoschon Johnson) and WR (Jayden ReedOdell Beckham Jr.Demario DouglasJosh Downs, Khalil Shakir). Of course, we also have a slew of potential Week 12 streamers at QB, TE, and D/ST who can upgrade your lineup even in a week with no byes. Our streamer suggestions can be found at the end of this list

Charbonnet is worthy of the top waiver claim in all leagues where he's available. It sounds like Kenneth Walker III (oblique) will miss multiple games, so if you've been saving a top-three claim for weeks, now's the time to cash it in. Likely might also be worth a fairly high claim if you're struggling at TE, but if you have a decent starter, there's no need to invest in him.

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Other than Charbonnet and Likely, it's unclear if any players deserve a waiver claim this week, never mind a high one. Chances are, at least a few owners in your league will put in claims for receivers like Reed, Beckham Jr., and Douglas, and if you need a WR, that's more than warranted. However, in most cases, you can wait until free agency to pick between several similar players. You should also be active in free agency to plan ahead for future byes, bad matchups, and injury worries.

WEEK 12 FANTASY: Full waivers list | FAAB budget planner

Top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 12

Unless otherwise noted, only players owned in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues are considered.

Isaiah Likely, TE, Chargers. Likely disappointed after replacing Mark Andrews (ankle) last Thursday, failing to catch either of his targets. However, in the three games last year that Andrews missed all or a significant part of, Likely hauled in 15-of-25 targets for 204 yards and two TDs. He posted at least 9.4 PPR points in each game, so both the floor and ceiling are solid. With Andrews expected to miss most of the remaining fantasy season, Likely is a potential TE1 the rest of the way, especially in Week 12 against a Chargers' defense allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game to TEs.

WEEK 12 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

Ty Chandler, RB, Vikings. Chandler had his best game of the season on Sunday night (110 total yards on 14 touches), but the most important development was Alexander Mattison losing another key fumble. The Vikings likely aren't going to bench Mattison outright, but Chandler has earned more playing time over the past couple of weeks. He's worth grabbing for the stretch run, especially with a favorable matchup against the Bears on deck. 

Demario Douglas, WR, Patriots. It's easy to forget about Douglas after the Patriots' bye, but he was one of the few bright spots in their offense over the previous four games. In that span, Douglas averaged five catches and over seven targets per outing, and he's coming off his best game of the season (six catches, 84 yards). Regardless of who's under center for New England this week, he can build off that against the Giants' below-average WR defense. He's a solid PPR flex almost every week.

WEEK 12 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

Josh Downs, WR, Colts. Downs is similar to Douglas in that he's coming off a bye, but he's been on the downswing the past couple of weeks. A nagging knee injury is the main culprit, but either way, Downs' ownership has dropped to around 50 percent in Yahoo leagues. Assuming he's healthy, that number will shoot up in a hurry, especially after a Week 12 title against Tampa's 31st-ranked pass defense. In the four games before his injury, Downs posted 23 catches, 315 yards, and two TDs. He's a great bench option for the stretch run.

Justin Watson, WR, Chiefs. Watson came out of nowhere to score and lead the Chiefs in targets (11) and receiving yards (53) on Monday night. This might be nothing more than a one-game aberration based on the matchup, but after Marquez Valdes-Scantling had a crucial drop and Skyy Moore (two targets) and Kadarius Toney (two targets) again failed to get involved, someone has to step up other than Travis Kelce (nine targets) and Rashee Rice (five targets). Watson is worth a deep-league add given his quarterback and offense. 

For additional waiver/free agent suggestions, including top pickups Zach Charbonnet, Jayden ReedOdell Beckham Jr., and more, check out our full Week 12 list.

Matt Lutovsky

Matt Lutovsky Photo

Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.