If the trade deadline in your fantasy football league has not yet passed, Week 12 is likely when that passes – which makes your Week 12 waiver wire pickups the sole way to add talent to your roster. It is coming down to crunch time for making the playoffs, so ensure you have the right pieces to make that climb.
Players like Joshua Palmer, Christian Watson, George Pickens, and Parris Campbell are all just on the other side of the 50 percent threshold that this waiver wire pickups list focuses on, but you should still go after them on the wire if they are available. All four wide receivers have solid floors to build off of on a weekly basis, and especially for both Watson and Pickens, these two rookies are coming into their own for teams that likely will need to throw the ball more often.
As always, the following list includes players that are rostered on fewer than 50 percent of rosters, increasing the odds that you are able to put in a few claims.
Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups
10. Darius Slayton – WR
21.5% Rostered
New York Giants
After the playing surface in East Rutherford claimed another victim in Wan’Dale Robinson, the New York Giants have even less talent at the wide receiver position, something that does not seem to be bothering Daniel Jones one bit.
Darius Slayton looks to be the next man up for New York, and he already has developed a rapport with Jones this season, so a WR3 ceiling is a very realistic output for Slayton over the rest of the year.
9. Taylor Heinicke – QB
23.7% Rostered
Washington Commanders
Unless you still have a starting QB that has a bye week yet to happen, needing to scavenge for a QB in your waiver wire pickups is not a great omen for how your season has probably gone. Regardless, can we interest you in a Taylor Heinicke?
Named the starter moving forward for the Commanders, Heinicke has been a much better option than whatever Carson Wentz provided, and he likely will continue to receive a sustained workload, especially with Washington likely needing to rely on throwing the ball.
8. Juwan Johnson – TE
19.2% Rostered
New Orleans Saints
An unexpected diamond in the rough that is the TE position, Juwan Johnson has worked his way into potentially being a weekly starter, especially after his three consecutive weeks of scoring a TD. The Saints are not very good, thus needing to throw the ball fairly often – as long as Andy Dalton remains the starter, Johnson may actually have some relevance for your fantasy football team.
7. Cam Akers – RB
43.1% Rostered
Los Angeles Rams
The addiction we just cannot give up in the fantasy football community – welcome back Cam Akers to relevancy, sort of.
With Darrell Henderson earning the start but barely playing, Akers was the most successful option out of the backfield for the Rams, even if the word ‘successful’ is used loosely here. You can do much worse than Akers when ironing out your RB depth, but don’t expect a ton.
6. Latavius Murray – RB
34.2% Rostered
Denver Broncos
The journeyman Latavius Murray could quite literally be a weekly top-20 option for the rest of the season, especially with Melvin Gordon III being released and Chase Edmonds going on the shelf with an injury. Being excited to add a member of the Denver offense is not something to really be proud of, but Murray should be an RB2/3 for your team moving forward.
5. Donovan Peoples-Jones – WR
38.5% Rostered
Cleveland Browns
Consistency is the name of the game for your fantasy football roster, and Donovan Peoples-Jones has embodied that as of late for the Cleveland Browns. If you need a solid but unspectacular WR option to help give you some depth, DPJ is the right choice for you.
Betting on the Browns to produce consistently on the offensive side of the ball is not always a given, but Peoples-Jones looks to be one of the three trustable options for your fantasy football roster from the Browns.
4. Samaje Perine – RB
3.8% Rostered
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon was lost to a concussion Sunday against the Steelers, and all that Samaje Perine did was put up a 3-TD day. Granted, he did vulture some of those scores from Mixon when he was still in the game, but a 3-TD game is still a 3-TD game.
Perine is a veteran that has been with Cincinnati for long enough to understand the entire offense, so he can easily jump into the starting role and take on a large share of work if Mixon is forced to miss time.
3. Treylon Burks – WR
22.7% Rostered
Tennessee Titans
The second half of the 2022 NFL season has been filled with heralded rookies breaking out – first, it was Christian Watson and his five TDs over two consecutive games, and now it was Treylon Burks in his return from the injured list. As the Tennessee Titans struggle at times to throw the ball, Burks looked like the missing component for a team that surprisingly moved the ball well through the air in Week 11.
Burks can easily become a solid WR2 for the rest of the season, and there really is no one standing in his way on the depth chart.
2. Rachaad White – RB
34.4% Rostered
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The affection we have towards running backs finally earning the share of touches they deserve is what brings this fantasy football community together every season, and Rachaad White fits that bill perfectly.
Having earned more and more work as the season has progressed, White looks to be taking over slowly but surely a large portion of the backfield touches from Leonard Fournette. With the Buccaneers determining a bit of an offensive identity, White has been a big part of that and likely will continue to as the season progresses.
1. Isiah Pacheco – RB
43.7% Rostered
Kansas City Chiefs
Even before Clyde Edward-Helaire’s injury suffered against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football, Isiah Pacheco was earning the main share of touches out of the backfield. As the Kansas City Chiefs look to overcome their wide receiver depth being challenged due to health issues, Pacheco looks to be in a great spot.
If you need a league-winning running back to be a part of your Week 12 waiver wire pickups, both Pacheco and White are those options for you. Spend up on your FAAB budget if you can – he certainly can be that guy for you moving forward.
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