Thomason: Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 12
By Jack Thomason--
(CBS) Here are my top 10 waiver adds for 10- and 12-member fantasy football leagues with Week 12 upon us.
1. Samaje Perine (RB, Washington Redskins) – Not only did Perine have a great game Sunday, but the Redskins lost Chris Thompson the week after losing Rob Kelley, so he's last running back standing. Perine will now look to take advantage of heavy volume and a Redskins' offensive line that's getting healthy. He showed Sunday he can play in the NFL, totaling 24 touches, 126 yards and a score. Next up for the Redskins are the Giants, who provide a juicy matchup for running backs.
2. Corey Coleman (WR, Cleveland Browns) – Coleman had a great first game back returning from injury, racking up 80 yards on six receptions against the tough Jaguars. Coleman led the team with 11 targets and will be the favorite for targets going forward. People may have forgotten how explosive and how talented he is, as he was the No. 15 pick in 2016 and his best comparable player from playerprofiler.com is Odell Beckham. Let that sink in.
3. Josh Doctson (WR,Washington Redskins) – I'm not quite sure why Doctson still isn't owned in so many leagues, but he's the No. 1 receiver for the Redskins and seeing ample deep opportunities and red-zone targets. On Sunday, he caught four balls for 81 yards and just missed on a potential diving touchdown reception. He was second on the team with seven targets, and he's going to get more chances going forward. Doctson is the future at receiver for Washington and as long as the Redskins can't stop anyone defensively, balls will be flying his way. HIs target share has risen the last four weeks from eight percent to 22 percent.
4. Kenny Stills (WR, Miami Dolphins) – Stills has been performing with and without DeVante Parker in the lineup. On Sunday, he recorded seven catches for 180 yards and a score as Parker had just four receptions for 26 yards after recently being called out for not playing with an edge. Look for Stills to continue to be a solid fantasy presence on a team that often plays from behind.
5. Danny Woodhead (RB, Baltimore Ravens) – Woodhead saw only six touches, five of them being receptions, and played 22 percent of the snaps Sunday. But he's a player to monitor and have on your bench given this was only his first game back and the Ravens had no use to extend his usage in a blowout win. While Alex Collins is playing good football, Woodhead could emerge at any moment. He's a proven player, and the Ravens aren't a team that plays with a large lead often, meaning Woodhead will be more involved going forward.
6. Devontae Booker (RB, Denver Broncos) – Booker's snaps have been increasing weekly, and he serves as the main pass-receiving back for the Broncos. Add in the fact that he's been logging close to the same number of snaps as C.J. Anderson and that he out-touched Anderson on Sunday, and we have a recipe for a waiver addition. Booker isn't going to be reliable game to game, but he has some standalone value and if anything happens to Anderson, he will be first man up to replace his touches. That's evident by his team-leading 19 touches for 98 yards and a 59-percent snap share Sunday.
7. Dede Westbrook (WR, Jacksonville Jaguars) – A former Biletnikoff winner Westbrook was second on Jacksonville with six targets. He caught just three balls for 35 yards, but that was to be expected in a garbage weather game and first back from injury. As Westbrook gets his legs under him, more deep shots will ensue, and he'll be producing better yardage numbers. He was terrific in the preseason, tallying 13 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns, for whatever that's worth.
8. Austin Ekeler (RB, Los Angeles Chargers) – Ekeler scored for a second week in a row, and he's getting a fair amount of snaps and producing with them as he spells Melvin Gordon. Ekeler had 58 yards on eight touches and will be a factor going forward as the Chargers give Gordon a little less of a load. If anything happens to Gordon, Ekeler will be next in line for the bulk of the work. Ekeler played 38 percent of the snaps the last two weeks, including 43 percent last week, but do keep in mind that Sunday's game was a blowout.
9. Greg Olsen (TE, Carolina Panthers) – With the way the Panthers' offense has been playing of late, you're going to want a piece of it. What better way than through their No. 1 receiver in Olsen. While Devin Funchess is playing well, Olsen has always been Cam Newton's safety blanket. I'd look for Olsen to be reinserted as a key cog in this unit.
10. Bruce Ellington (WR, Houston Texans) – In the last three games with Tom Savage at quarterback, Ellington has seen at least seven targets in each. He's scored a touchdown in one of them and had at least four receptions in two of the three. He's not a player who's going to remake your fantasy team, but he can be a decent contributor given his explosiveness. He'll remain relevant as long as Will Fuller is out with injury.
Just missed: Tyrod Taylor, Blaine Gabbert, Corey Clement, Chris Ivory, T.J. Yeldon, Charcandrick West, Josh Gordon, Zay Jones, Mike Wallace and Tyler Kroft.
Jack Thomason is 670 The Score's fantasy football expert and co-host of "Chicago's Fantasy Football Today," which can be heard every Sunday during football season from 8-9 a.m. CT on WSCR-670 and 670thescore.com/listen. Follow him on Twitter @jthomason77 and feel free to ask fantasy questions.