If you are paying attention, and I know you are, you will notice Mitch Staniger is no longer writing this column. Transparency from me here…I used that handle as my pen name when I started with Razzball as a baseball writer. It is a play on Mitch Haniger, former OF for my beloved Seattle Mariners. I have been going back and forth about changing to my actual name and finally made that decision mid-week last week.
Welcome to a new beginning for me at Razzball, though nothing other than my name is changing. RIP Mitch. It was a good run.
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I digress. There are no byes in Week 12, so you should have a full complement of players to choose from this week. Please remember there are games on Turkey Day and another on Black Friday. We just need to get through the early-week waivers to start discussing Start/Sit options. No Week 12 byes does not mean you can ignore byes altogether. I say that because Week 13 brings us six teams on bye. That means you need to ensure you have adequate coverage as you move toward your fantasy playoffs. Now is the time to insulate your roster, as the Ravens, Bills, Bears, Raiders, Vikings, and Giants will all be away for Week 13.
Moving back to this week, it is possible we need to replace some injured players. Week 11 saw a handful of fantasy relevant players bit by the injury bug: Aaron Jones (lower leg; MRI on Monday), Joe Burrow (wrist; done for the season), Mark Andrews (appears to be done for the season), D’Onta Foreman (ankle; Khalil Herbert szn incoming?), Cooper Kupp (ankle; I hope you held Puka Nacua), Devon Achane (knee; did not return), Kenneth Walker III (oblique; Zach Charbonnet time?), Geno Smith (elbow; came back late in the game but keep an eye on his status this week), Sam Howell (cleared concussion protocol, but we need to watch this situation early in the week) and Zach Wilson (who cares, right?).
Remember to check in with the @Razzball NFL team of writers as we host our Sunday Morning Start/Sit podcast every week, starting two hours before kickoff all the way up to the official start of the early games. We have also created a new Tuesday evening show where we hit on waivers, trades, and trends for the upcoming week. Join @BobbyLaMarco, @SkyGuasco, The Lineup Builder @Derek_Favret, and me, Matt Stiles @stiles08, at 9 pm EST/6 pm PST for the show as we will be answering all your questions to help you win your weekly matchups. Come for the analysis, and stay for the laughs!
Add of the Week: Zach Charbonnet, RB, SEA: I have been pushing Charbonnet (44% rostered) for at least a month as a necessary handcuff for Walker III. It appears KWIII is in line to miss some time propelling Charbonnet to the RB1 for Seattle, who has one of the best end-of-season fantasy schedules for RB. We are looking at Week 12, so I hope you have saved some FAAB or have the top waiver priority because now is the time to break the bank for a potential league winner.
WAIVERS:
QB: Five weeks ago, the Broncos were just about dead and buried, and many of the pundits wanted them to be sellers at the deadline. Denver held their players and trusted the Sean Payton process. They have now won five in a row behind a revived Russell Wilson (54% rostered). His stats have not lit up the scoreboard, but if you lost Burrow or are concerned about Geno, you could do worse than acquiring Wilson.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Derek Carr, NO: Coming off his bye and has a top three end-of-season fantasy QB schedule.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, CLE: Appears to be the starter until Joe Flacco takes over for the Browns. He might win NFL games but may not be a stud fantasy QB. SuperFlex add only.
Jake Browning, CIN: SuperFlex add only, and you will have to be extremely desperate to make this move. Remember the weapons around Browning if you need a silver lining.
RB: I am doubling down on my call for the addition of Keaton Mitchell, BAL. I think Mitchell is the best RB for the Ravens, but Gus Edwards is the guy who continues to find the end zone. The Ravens appear to be good with using the committee approach and will probably continue to do so unless and until Edwards cannot get it done at the goal line.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
RB: Khalil Herbert, CHI: Foreman suffered an injury to his ankle, so Herbert looks to be headed in the direction of RB1 for the Bears again. Roschon Johnson had six touches for 30 yards, whereas Herbert had 18 touches for a lackluster 41 total yards. I am not sold on any Bears RB to your savior, but if you need a filler, Herbert is the name I recommend.
AJ Dillon, GB: Dillon has not been great this season. You could say the same about most of the Packers offense, but we need to ensure we are rostering players with volume trending in the right direction. Dillon will be featured for Green Bay with the Jones injury, which I expect to be multiple weeks.
Ty Chandler, MIN: Chandler passed the eye test for me, and I will go on record stating I think he looked better than Alexander Mattison in Week 11. The stats say I am right, as Chandler almost doubled the Mattison output while appearing to have more burst and a more prominent role in the passing game. If you play in a PPR League (the only league that matters to me), then Chandler feels like the better option. I do not think the Vikings will hand over the RB1 duties to Chandler, but his role is certainly trending north.
WR: Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, GB: Please do not point out that I am a Packers homer because I have been fading this squad for several weeks. I prefer the higher draft pick over the 2023 season wins. With all that being said, it is past due that we roster and consider starting both Doubs (54% rostered) and Reed (36% rostered) at FLEX. If Jones misses multiple weeks, and I think he will, Reed becomes the more interesting play for me as there are scripted runs on the play sheet for him.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Jameson Williams, DET: I have been passing on Williams all season. I am not sure that Week 11 has me back propping up Williams as an add, but we need to at least understand he continues to have a role in the offense. Two catches mean he is not near the top of the offensive pecking order, but if you are down a few WRs, then consider Williams.
Odell Beckham Jr., BAL: From Week 10’s column, “Do not do it! You know better!” Is it possible I was wrong? Does Lamar Jackson love OBJ? I think love might be a little too much, but it is clear Odell is more involved than I thought he would. I prefer him as an add over Jameson Williams, if that helps you at all.
TE: Isaiah Likely, BAL: Season-ending injury to Mark Andrews means Likely is the guy in Baltimore. He has not excelled as TE2, but when called upon to be the starter in 2002, he performed quite well. I much prefer Likely over any of the retreads streamer TEs we have talked about for months that reside on your waiver wire.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Donald Parham, LAC
Tanner Hudson, CIN
Luke Musgrave, GB
Follow me @stiles08 on Twitter/X and send questions and comments at the bottom of this article. Make sure you jump around the Razzball site for all your fantasy football needs.
-Matt-
