Thomason: Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 12
By Jack Thomason--
(CBS) Today's go-to advice is easy. You must own the top handcuffs whether you have the starting running back or not!
You saw it again over the weekend with Falcons running back Devonta Freeman going down with a concussion, Ravens running back Justin Forsett breaking his arm and Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch sitting out with a possible sports hernia that could potentially cost him the season. Injuries are going to take place, and you better have a backup plan heading into the playoffs. Most trade deadlines have passed, so now its do or die with injuries.
Here are my top 10 waiver adds for 10- and 12-team leagues.
1. Thomas Rawls (RB, Seattle Seahawks) – Don't get cute. Rawls already has two games with more than 160 yards rushing; Lynch has one in his career, for perspective. After rumbling for 255 total yards and two scores, Rawls has shown he can produce RB1 numbers and handle the full workload (33 touches). While Rawls won't be playing San Francisco weekly, there's a chance Lynch misses the rest of the regular season due to a sports hernia. If that is the case, Rawls may be a key contributor to championship teams.
2. Javorius Allen (RB, Baltimore Ravens) – This is similar to the Rawls situation. Forsett broke his arm Sunday, and Allen carried the load from then on. He saw 27 touches and totaled 115 yards. He'll be the horse going forward. Expectations should be limited in some regard, as the Ravens aren't a good team, don't have an explosive offense and just lost Joe Flacco for the year to a torn ACL. That being said, the volume can't be ignored, and he gets Cleveland next Monday night.
3. Spencer Ware (RB, Kansas City Chiefs) – Charcandrick West was supposed to be one of the best starters last week, but he disappointed on multiple fronts. Outside of his 48-yard reception early in the game, West provided little in a dream matchup before exiting with a hamstring injury. Ware took over and didn't look back, tallying 12 touches, 101 yards and two scores. Kansas City is as hot a team as any right now, and if West is to be hampered by this injury long term, Ware is the guy you want to own. One slight caution is where Knile Davis fits in and whether he will get a chance.
4. Vincent Jackson (WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Jameis Winston continues to perform well in his rookie campaign, and in Vincent Jackson's first game back from injury, Winston threw for five scores. One went to Jackson, who saw six targets, caught four of them and racked up 56 yards. He will be a major part of an improving offense down the stretch, and we know Jackson can provide fantasy goodness.
5. Devin Funchess (WR, Carolina Panthers) – On Sunday, Cam Newton threw for a career-high five touchdown passes. One of them went to Funchess, who also was tied for the team lead in targets (eight) and led the team in receiving yards with 64. Funchess seems to be hitting his stride and giving Newton another viable target outside Greg Olsen. He's worth adding as a WR3 on an undefeated Carolina team that's scoring points. He can be their big-play receiver down the stretch and a red-zone threat with his size.
6. Tevin Coleman (RB, Atlanta Falcons) – Coleman didn't do anything exciting with his volume, but the touches were there and that matters in fantasy. At this point, early news is positive for Freeman, but whether he gets cleared for next week, Coleman needs to be owned. He's an automatic RB2 if anything happens to Freeman moving forward, and we know concussions can linger.
7. Shaun Draughn (RB, San Francisco 49ers) – How about Draughn being signed off the streets a couple weeks back and being nothing but a pleasant surprise as a RB3! In his two games as the 49ers starter, he has totaled 40 touches and 173 yards. He isn't going to get into the end zone much, but the 49ers offense has been respectable since Blaine Gabbert took over. Yeah, I said it.
8. Ahmad Bradshaw (RB, Indianapolis Colts) – Frank Gore spent the later parts of last week's game on the sideline with a quad injury, and Bradshaw was doing the work while he was out. Bradshaw had a solid day because of his two scores, but he chipped in 13 touches and 52 yards, which was nice to see. Given that Matt Hasselbeck is 41 years old and expected to start multiple games while Andrew Luck is out, one would have to assume both Gore and Bradshaw will be heavily involved moving forward. The Colts are tied for first place in the AFC South, and they're going to try to run their way into the playoffs and only throw when necessary.
9. Robert Turbin (RB, Dallas Cowboys) – We know Darren McFadden's injury history, and I will be the first to give him credit for looking great and handling a monster load, but he did pop up on this week's injury report with a groin issue. That's where Turbin comes in. He was the clear backup, handling all eight touches to a running back not named McFadden. Turbin looked spry and gave the Cowboys a spark on a couple occasions. If McFadden were to go down, Turbin is the handcuff. Add him.
10. Keshawn Martin (WR, New England Patriots) – If Danny Amendola's injury is serious, it will be next man up in the Patriots' offense like normal. The Patriots are going to need additional help no matter what, and Martin has been mentioned by Tom Brady on a few occasions now as someone who could really help pick up the slack. He's a quick, shifty receiver and someone the Patriots targeted earlier in the year via trade from the Houston Texans. While he was inactive Monday night due to a hamstring injury, I'd be proactive in adding him this week rather than waiting for him to pop and fighting the masses.
Just missed: Brock Osweiler, Jay Cutler, James White, Bilal Powell, Knile Davis, Rueben Randle, Terrence Williams, Cecil Shorts, Keshawn Martin, JJ Nelson, Leonard Hankerson, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and all key handcuffs.
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@jthomason77and feel free to ask fantasy questions.
