Week 12 Waiver Wire: Shots of Jameson (On Me)

I am not the type to toot my own horn, but beep beep…my Week 11 Waiver Wire Add of the Week, Christian Watson significantly exceeded even this Packers fans’ expectations.  The Watson recommendation certainly makes up for the Week 10 recommendation of Mecole Hardman who has not suited up since I lauded his accomplishments.  Our guy Watson added another two TDs against the tough Titans D and looked damn good if I do show my Green Bay homer’ism. 

The question for Week 12 is, ‘Who is this week’s Watson?’  For this week, I am diving deep for a guy that has not taken a snap in 2022.  I have been recommending him as an add for a few weeks hoping you would stash him for your final push for the playoffs and, ultimately, for your league championship.  Ladies and gentlemen, my deep, home-run swing, Week 12 Waiver Wire Add of the Week is WR Jameson Williams (DET, 22% rostered).  As of Monday, Williams has been designated for a return from the reserve/NFI list. 

Temper your Week 12 expectations as he may not play on Thanksgiving and, if he does, may not be the difference maker we want moving forward.  You may want to allow for one ‘prove-it’ week from Williams.  He will need some time, no doubt, to acclimate to the speed of the NFL game and to connect with Goff in a real NFL contest.  Though Williams may not be the dessert you want after a turkey and fixin’s feast, he could quickly turn into that guy down the stretch.

Let me be honest and transparent, I am not here to continue to roll out the same names every week.  With the check mark in the Week 11 box (Watson), I can take a leap here.  I have a little fantasy street cred at this point and so trust me about Williams.  To show I back my writing with action, I have owned Williams in my two most important leagues and am ready to run him out there as early as Week 12, but more likely Week 13.    

Keep reading to find some additional names to help you through the injury bug and Week 12 byes.

NOTE: Rostered percentages and scoring system is based on Yahoo! PPR league scoring.

QB: Ryan Tannehill (TEN, 16% rostered) – Any QB that can make Treylon Burks and 2022 version Robert Woods look like NFL caliber WRs is one that I will happily roster.  In fact, he is currently slated in as my QB1 in RazzBowl (Bo Jackson Division) and he will compete for my attention in Week 12 with Brady being my other option to start.  Did you know until the very end of the morning games, Tannehill was the actual fantasy QB1?  He was overtaken by Burrow and then I stopped paying attention to the rankings.  Will Tannehill continue to throw for 300+ yards?  Man, I do not think so, but with so much attention afforded Henry, I will not be surprised to see him throwing more than in the past.  You can do worse, much worse, than Tannehill at this point.

QB:  Taylor Heinicke (WAS, 14% rostered) – He did not look great against the awful Texans D, but this guy loves to throw the ball.  If you watched the game, and I did, it was strange all around. It had the feel of a bad junior varsity game and was pretty much over when Davis Mills threw the early Pick 6.  Brian Robinson was not good in this SMASH spot.  Dameon Pierce looked awful.  The Commanders’ WRs looked out of sorts.  It was just an odd game.  Now, with the news that Washington may not want to pay Wentz his snaps bonus, it appears as if Heinicke is the starter moving forward unless he absolutely tanks.  I think he has a short leash but is probably guaranteed at least one more start.  Use him with caution and only if you have a hole to fill. 

Honorable Mention: Matt Ryan (IND, 16% rostered), Kenny Pickett (PIT, 11% rostered), Jacoby Brissett (CLE, 10% rostered)

RB: Isiah Pacheco (KC; 64% rostered) – The rookie 7th-rounder out of Rutgers just logged his first 100-yard game in the NFL!  He did so on only 15 carries so the math equates to 7.13 YPC.  That is something you must pay attention to.  Pacheco will not help in the passing game and will probably max out at 1-2 targets in any regular game action.  Where you will benefit is from a TD and raw yardage.  He is much more valuable in a standard league though I feel he needs to be 100% owned with the CEH injury from Sunday night.

RB: Samaje Perine (CIN, 40% rostered) – Perine would be an easy Add of the Week, but we do not know the status of Mixon and his concussion.  Is this a ‘we had to pull him because of the nature of the hit to the head’ or ‘he is truly suffering significant concussion symptoms?  We do not know at this point.  If Mixon is out, and my home league prays he is not, then Perine is a SMASH add/start except for the fact he is playing at Tennessee.  You need volume and you need starters.  Perine, if Mixon is out, checks both of those blocks.  Do not get cute.  Add him if you own Mixon or if you have a hole on your roster to fill.  Do not expect huge rushing numbers, but you can feel confident he will make up for those points as a receiver.

RB: Latavius Murray (DEN, 25% rostered) – Finally,  it happened.  Finally, the Broncos released Melvin Gordon III.  Finally, after all the back and forth, they have finally admitted it is time to move on.  This discussion should have happened a long time ago and was equally frustrating when Javonte Williams was splitting or losing carries to MGIII.  If you do not feel comfortable using FAAB on Perine, I recommend you zig while others zag and take the sure thing versus chasing three TDs from Perine.  Mike Boone can come off the IR after this week and should take a little time to get back into game form.  I do not see Murray losing many carries to Marlon Mack, so add him where you need him.

Honorable Mention: Damien Harris (NE, 63% rostered), Gus Edwards (BAL, 59% rostered), James Cook (BUF, 17% rostered)

WR: Treylon Burks (TEN; 20% rostered) – Well, the Titans gave Tannehill the keys and he made Burks (and Woods) look like they should actually accept a game check in 2022.  Burks went for 21 PPR points against my Packers’ defense that just looks lost at this point in the season.  The Titans get a tough Bengals D in Week 12.  I expect a high-scoring tilt with Cincinnati attempting to fill the box to stop Henry while requiring Tannehill to beat them.  If this is the process and the Bengals cannot perform better than the Packers utilizing the same plan, then look for Burks to get off again.

WR: Donovan Peoples-Jones (CLE; 45% rostered) – I told you to pick up DPJ for Week 11.  I picked him up for Week 11 and started him with Waddle on bye.  What did he do, you ask?  He cashed in for 17 PPR points culminating with a TD and notching his best fantasy game of 2022.  His roster percentage when up 10% during Week 11 and that needs to go up exponentially at this point.  He is a must-add and a borderline must-start at this point.  Just do it and move on.  No need to think about it.  Just make it happen and thank me later.

WR: Josh Palmer (LAC, 59% rostered) – If some other owner made the mistake of trusting Big Game Mike Williams, then you need to pounce on the said mistake and reap the benefits.  I will not tell you anything you do not already know about Palmer here.  You know what he has done and should continue to do.  Add him with confidence.

Honorable Mentions: Jarvis Landry (NO, 22% rostered), Demarcus Robinson (BAL, 5% rostered), Kendall Hinton (DEN, 1% rostered)

TE: Juwan Johnson (NO; 30% rostered) – He keeps producing and fantasy owners just keep ignoring him.  Johnson has been in this column a number of times and is still sitting at less than 50% and it’s not close.  Johnson has double digits (PPR) in three straight and four of his last five with five TD in that span.  Those are TE1 numbers in all leagues especially in this atrocious year for TEs.  The Red Rifle seems to love him, especially in the red zone, so take advantage of that and add him for your final run at a title.

Honorable Mention:  Logan Thomas (WAS, 6% rostered), Isaiah Likely (BAL, 23% rostered), Noah Fant (SEA, 10% rostered)

Now is the time to tighten up your roster.  You should not be married to any middle-of-the-pack players at this point.  Now is the time to grab guys to get you by for the one-week bye and/or stash players that can truly make a difference heading into the playoffs.  I implore you…Pay attention to your kicker and defense during the bye weeks.  You certainly do not want to lose because you failed to address a bye at one of those positions. 

Best of luck heading into Week 10 and may the wire be with you!