Week 12 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers to Grab on Waiver Wire
As fantasy football managers enter the final playoff push, they may face several difficult lineup situations in Week 12. Some may even need to fill multiple slots via the waiver wire.
Top fantasy defenses like the Chicago Bears (fewest fantasy points allowed to QBs), Kansas City Chiefs (fewest allowed to RBs), Denver Broncos (WRs) and New York Giants (TEs) will be in action this week.
Six teams—the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets—will be on bye. This means that stars like Bijan Robinson, Ja'Marr Chase and Taysom Hill won't be available.
Here, you'll find a look at some deep sleepers who may still be available on the waiver wire, along with updated point-per-reception (PPR) flex rankings.
Week 12 PPR Flex Rankings
1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
2. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
3. Joe Mixon, RB, Houston Texans
4. De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
6. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
7. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
8. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
9. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
10. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans
11. James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
12. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
13. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
14. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
15. Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers
16. Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
17. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders
18. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
19. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
20. George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
21. Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
22. Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
23. Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants
24. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
25. Aaron Jones, RB, Minnesota Vikings
26. Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders
27. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
28. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
29. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
30. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
31. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
32. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
33. David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions
34. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
35. Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
36. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
37. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
38. Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers
39. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals
40. Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix isn't exactly readily available, but he might be unclaimed in your league. He's rostered in 69 percent of ESPN leagues but only 33 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Nix is also the only viable waiver target with a truly favorable matchup in Week 12. Denver will face the rival Las Vegas Raiders, who have surrendered the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.
The rookie signal-caller has grown throughout the 2024 season and has had strong fantasy outings in back-to-back weeks—with six touchdowns in that span. While Nix hasn't run as much recently, he is a capable scrambler who may add a few bonus points on the ground.
Other QBs to consider on the waiver wire include:
- Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
- Jameis Winston, Cleveland Browns
- Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Managers simply aren't going to find high-volume running backs on the wire this late in the week, this late in the season. However, Arizona Cardinals rookie third-round pick Trey Benson is worth a flier.
James Conner still leads Arizona's backfield committee, but the Cardinals may look to work in Benson more regularly as the season goes on. Benson saw at least nine touches in each of his last two games, and he had 87 scrimmage yards and two receptions in his last outing.
This week's matchup isn't bad, as the Seattle Seahawks have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points (tied) to opposing running backs. Benson won't seen an every-down workload , but he should see enough touches to pull through, especially if Arizona wants to manage Conner ahead of the playoff push.
Other RBs to consider include:
- Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers
- Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams
- Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins
Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston should not be available this late in Week 12. There's a good chance that he is, though, as the second-year wideout is rostered in 51 percent of ESPN leagues and 41 percent of Yahoo leagues.
That's a surprisingly low roster percentage, considering Johnston has caught touchdown passes in each of his last three games and has a favorable matchup this week. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing receivers than the Baltimore Ravens.
Rookie Ladd McConkey has become Justin Herbert's go-to target and will likely draw most of the defensive attention from Baltimore. That should provide opportunities for Johnston, who is a big play and scoring threat. He had just two catches in Week 11 but still produced 48 yards and a score.
Other WRs to consider include:
- Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
- Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers
- Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers
Will Dissly, TE, Los Angeles Chargers
Chargers tight end Will Dissly has become a fairly prominent part of the passing game in recent weeks. Over his past six games, he's caught fewer than four passes only once. He's been targeted an average of 6.3 times per game during that span.
Against the Cincinnati Bengals last week, Dissly caught four of six targets for 80 yards and a touchdown.
While the Ravens defense hasn't been quite as friendly to opposing tight ends as it has to receivers, this is still a favorable matchup for Dissly. Baltimore has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to the position in 2024.
Other tight ends to consider on this week's wire include:
- Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
- Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
- Theo Johnson, New York Giants
*Fantasy scoring and roster information from FantasyPros.