Fantasy Football 2021 Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice

Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com

Quarterbacks

Matt Ryan, Falcons (50% Rostered): Ryan has been an abject disaster for two weeks in a row, but that’s to be expected. He’s past the point of being an every-week starter, and has settled into a player you can fire up in a good matchup. Jacksonville, while frisky at times, is an excellent matchup. Ryan should be able to sling it on the Jaguars, and possibly the following week against the Buccaneers too if they can’t get some able bodies in their secondary. The floor is low, but if desperate, he has some juice.

Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers (33% Rostered): Garoppolo’s ceiling has been pretty low this year, as he hasn’t thrown for more than two touchdowns in any game, but he has quite the favorable slate on the horizon. This week he faces the Vikings, who actually have a Top 10 defense this year, but also have an offense that can force the 49ers to throw the ball a bunch. And even though this defense is above average, Garoppolo’s full complement of weapons – George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk – is among the most impressive in football. I don’t think he’s a Top 5 upside guy, but he should be a bottom half QB1 in a bunch of these games rest of season. If you’ve been streaming all year, this is your guy.

Running Backs

Ty Johnson, Jets (20% Rostered): It’s ugly out there if you need skill position help, so hopefully your trade deadline hasn’t passed. Johnson might turn into a volume play depending on the severity of Michael Carter’s ankle injury. Tevin Coleman lurks, and will see work, but Johnson is the more versatile threat, and he was next in line when Carter was healthy. I wouldn’t ever be excited to play him, but the Jets’ options are limited, and if they bring back rookie QB Zach Wilson, they’ll be running the football as much as possible.

Latavius Murray, Ravens (36% Rostered): Murray returned to the Ravens offense and saw 10 carries and two targets, turning it into a meager 33 scoreless yards from scrimmage. Better days lie ahead for the Ravens, who were without Lamar Jackson and Marquise Brown in this one, but Devonta Freeman out-touched Murray in this one and was far better as a receiver. This could’ve been a backfield dominated by Murray before his injury, but it looks like an even split between the two vets. Murray will still be a solid option for touchdowns, but he has a pretty low weekly ceiling, and isn’t more than a FLEX play.

Rashaad Penny, Seahawks (15% Rostered): Penny rushed one time for 18 yards before hurting his hamstring and seeing only one more carry the rest of the game. Penny is one of the most snake bitten players I have ever seen in all my years of watching football, but opportunity is here for him. Chris Carson’s season is over, and Alex Collins has been brutal since assuming the lead role. Should Penny ever get healthy, he can be a difference-maker down the stretch for fantasy rosters. The problem, however, is that health. I wouldn’t spend up on him, but a dollar or two should get the job done. In a week of awful waiver options, Penny has the best chance to matter.

Sony Michel, Rams (28% Rostered): The Rams were off, so there’s nothing new to add for Michel. He is simply a clear handcuff in a high-powered offense, who is free now but would require a major FAAB investment if Darrell Henderson got hurt. Henderson managers who don’t have Michel are playing with fire.

Ronald Jones, Buccaneers (20% Rostered): Jones got a series in the second quarter and reminded everyone of his explosiveness by promptly scoring a touchdown. He finished the night with 33 yards on eight carries, and remains nothing more than a handcuff to Leonard Fournette. Should Fournette go down, Jones is also not quite in line for a three-down role, because he’s not trusted in pass protection. Still, should a Fournette injury occur, Jones will get a lot of early down carries, and he has proven he can be efficient with them.

Wide Receivers

Tim Patrick, Broncos (27% Rostered): Patrick just got a new contract, so the Broncos are seeing what fantasy managers aren’t, which is that he’s a quality receiver deserving of some love. His targets aren’t exactly through the roof, and it looks like Jerry Jeudy is going to lead the Broncos pass-catchers in volume, but more often than not, he is going to have either 60+ yards or a touchdown. He’s not a must-play by any means, but he’s safer than a lot of players who are far more heavily rostered.

Tre’Quan Smith, Saints (4% Rostered): Saints receivers aren’t fun to play, but Smith is seeing healthy targets over the past two weeks from Trevor Siemian, who appears locked into the starting job. The production isn’t incredible – 4.5 receptions, 54 yards on average across the last two games – but he scored in Week 10 vs. the Titans, and has the best chance of any Saints pass-catcher to score in any given week. As a receiver currently less reliant on deep strikes than Deonte Harris or Marquez Callaway, he’d be the one to roster from this receiver corps.

Robby Anderson, Panthers (49% Rostered): Anderson’s play is still a far cry from his breakout 2020 season, but he has seen six targets in each of the last two games, and scored in Week 10 vs. the Cardinals. Cam Newton is still one of the worst pure throwers at this point among starting NFL QBs, but he’s an upgrade on Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker, and it’s once again conceivable that Anderson can strike big on a single play using his elite speed. Anderson is still going to be frightening any time he’s in your lineup, but it is looking more and more like he could produce a bit.

Cedrick Wilson, Cowboys (2% Rostered): Wilson had a game to forget vs. the Chiefs, but if you can get past his ugly drops, he saw seven targets with Amari Cooper out with COVID, and Cee Dee Lamb done at halftime due to a concussion. Both receivers could miss Week 12 with the short turnaround as they’re playing on Thanksgiving, and the Raiders’ arrow is pointing down. They had the NFL’s 22nd-best Weighted DVOA per Football Outsiders entering Week 11, and didn’t look great against the Bengals. Wilson should see heavy volume if both Dallas’ stars miss the game, and might be a week-winning add.

Tight Ends

Dan Arnold, Jaguars (42% Rostered): Arnold’s roster % is going to fall off a cliff after this inexplicable doughnut. Arnold went the entire game on Sunday without seeing a single target, a shocker considering he’s averaged 7.6 targets per game since Week 5. This happens to TEs all the time, however, and the 49ers have been tough on the position all season. Better times lie ahead, as Arnold’s next few games are vs. Atlanta, at the Rams and at Tennessee. The Rams allow 8.6 points per game to TEs, the second-worst mark in the NFL, and Tennessee isn’t far behind at 8.1.