Week 11 of the NFL regular season has come and gone, and while there are no bye weeks going into Week 12, last week started off with a couple of gut-punching injuries to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, who are out for the season. There were also a few major injuries across the board on Sunday, including Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker, Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones, Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp…the list goes on. Even if you’re not experiencing the bye week blues, if you lost one of these guys, you may be looking for help on the waiver wire to get you to the fantasy football playoffs and bring home a championship.

We only have three more weeks of the regular season before the playoffs in most leagues, so every win and loss counts. You also want to get ahead of Week 13 as there are SIX teams on bye and your FAAB dollars may be getting a little low! This is the time of year you can’t afford to slack. I’ve dug in deep to look at some of the players who may be available on the waiver wire in your leagues. 

 

Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

(Available in 49% of ESPN leagues, 53% of Yahoo leagues, and 51% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 1-3% of total budget

While Baker Mayfield had a little bit of a rough outing against a stout San Francisco 49ers defense in Week 11, he’s been one of the safer floor options throughout the season. His schedule gets much easier going forward with a matchup against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12, followed by the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons. With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at his disposal, along with the emergence of tight end Cade Otton, he could be a safe and even solid option going into the finale of the regular fantasy football season.

Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints 

(Available in 79% of ESPN leagues, 59% of Yahoo leagues, and 60% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 1-3% of total budget

Much like Baker Mayfield, Carr hasn’t put together a huge season, but aside from injuries, he has been consistent. Even with Michael Thomas out with a knee injury, he should continue throwing at a high rate (even if it is to Alvin Kamara), and he’s also been very safe with the ball. He doesn’t have a super high ceiling, but at this point in the season, there isn’t really anyone out there who does. As long as he remains healthy, he’s a safe floor play.

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers 

(Available in 56% of ESPN leagues, 54% of Yahoo leagues, and 53% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 1-2% of total budget

Jordan Love has had his ups and downs this season, but he is coming off a 300+ yard passing performance, albeit against the Los Angeles Chargers. On a short week against the Detroit Lions with no Aaron Jones, he may be forced to pass more, and the Lions haven’t been the stout defensive unit that they were to start the season. Young receivers Jayden Reed and Dontavion Wicks have also helped to open up the passing game, so he could have another good day. The schedule gets a bit tougher against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13, but then they get the New York Giants in Week 14.

Waiver Wire Running Backs

Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks 

(Available in 68% of ESPN leagues, 56% of Yahoo leagues, and 49% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 15-20%

If you follow this article on a weekly basis, you know I’ve been telling you guys about Charbonnet for a month now. His snap share is slowly creeping up, and with Kenneth Walker dealing with an oblique injury, he’s primed to take over this backfield. He also has HUGE value in the passing game, finishing with six receptions on six targets in Week 11 for 22 yards. Charbonnet is averaging 4.92 yards per carry on the season, and even though he has a tougher matchup against the San Francisco 49ers next week, the volume alone should give him plenty of value.

Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings 

(Available in 50% of ESPN leagues, 56% of Yahoo leagues, and 52% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 10-12%

Much like Charbonnet, I’ve been telling you about Chandler for weeks, still he’s somehow only rostered in 50ish percent of fantasy leagues. Alexander Mattison handled the bulk of the rushing work, but when Chandler got the ball, he was highly efficient, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. With Cam Akers out for the season and no one really else to speak of in the Vikings backfield, Chandler should see a decent number of touches going forward against a very favorable schedule featuring the Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, and Cincinnati Bengals.

Jeff Wilson, Miami Dolphins 

(Available in 80% of ESPN leagues, 89% of Yahoo leagues, and 84% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-8%

While Wilson was a healthy scratch in Week 11, the Miami Dolphins will need him this week with both De’Von Achane and Salvon Ahmed out with injuries. He hasn’t played much this season, but Wilson does know Mike McDaniel’s system and has succeeded in it before, so even if Raheem Mostert is the main back, Wilson could see some goal line or change-of-pace work that gives him some fantasy value. The next few weeks are against the New York Jets, Washington Commanders, and Tennessee Titans, games which could be heavily in favor of the Dolphins, tilting the snap share in Wilson’s favor.

Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys 

(Available in 90% of ESPN leagues, 84% of Yahoo leagues, and 75% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-8%

This is still Tony Pollard’s backfield, but Dowdle has been able to sprinkle in here and there in positive game scripts, seeing eight carries to Pollard’s 12 in Week 11. However, that’s exactly what Dallas could see next week against the Washington Commanders that have been soft against the run as of late. Dowdle wasn’t efficient against the Panthers, only averaging 2.9 yards per carry, but he is averaging 4.5 yards per carry on the season, so if you’re in a deeper league where the waiver wire is thin, he could be an option for Week 12.

Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Jayden Reed/Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers 

(Available in 81% and 99% of ESPN leagues, 64% and 100% of Yahoo leagues, and 57% and 99% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 7-10%

I’m grouping these two together because they are basically filling in the same role. Reed saw more snaps in Week 11, but when the Packers run more 12 personnel, the two rotate in and out of the lineup working out of the slot. Both Reed and Wicks saw five targets against the Los Angeles Chargers, but Reed also had some value in the rushing game, tacking on three carries. With Aaron Jones out, the Packers may rely on Reed more with some designed runs with Wicks taking his spot in the receiving game. Now, Wicks did show up on the injury report Monday with a concussion/knee issue, so he may just be a stash for later in the season, but don’t be afraid to get ahead of the curve.

Odell Beckham., Baltimore Ravens 

(Available in 56% of ESPN leagues, 71% of Yahoo leagues, and 59% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-8%

With tight end Mark Andrews likely out for the season, Odell Beckham is due to see an increased role in this offense. The target share hasn’t been great this year, but over the past three games, he’s either scored a touchdown or had over 100 receiving yards. He also suffered an injury on Thursday night’s matchup against the Bengals, but it isn’t thought to be serious, so he should be good to go. In a Week 12 matchup against the porous Los Angeles Chargers pass defense, he should be on your radar.

Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills 

(Available in 95% of ESPN leagues, 89% of Yahoo leagues, and 79% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-8%

Gabe Davis may technically be listed as the number two wide receiver in this offense, but it’s been Shakir making an impact in the box score. He was tied for third on the team in targets against the New York Jets, but one of those targets turned into an 81-yard touchdown. With Dawson Knox still on injured reserve, the Bills have shifted to playing a much higher rate of 11 personnel, giving Shakir an increased number of snaps, in turn, leading to more targets. In a Week 12 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Shakir is in line to have another big week.

Tutu Atwell/Austin Trammell, Los Angeles Rams 

(Available in 75% and 100% of ESPN leagues, 74% and 100%of Yahoo leagues, and 75% and 100% of Sleeper leagues) 

FAAB Bid: 5-8%

We’ll know more about the value of these two options as more news about Cooper Kupp’s injury comes out, but in his absence, both saw an increased workload. Atwell was more of the deep threat, with Trammell actually seeing more targets manning the slot. I don’t expect that to be the case going forward, with Atwell already proving he has value in Kupp’s absence, but if you’re in a deep league with few options, give Trammell a look.

Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns 

(Available in 64% of ESPN leagues, 58% of Yahoo leagues, and 54% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 3-5%

Elijah Moore ends up at the end of the list simply because of the uncertainty of the quarterback situation in Cleveland. However, in Week 11, he did see an increase in targets since Donovan Peoples-Jones is no longer on the roster, leading the team in receiving. The Browns have a matchup in Week 12 against the Denver Broncos, and although their defense has improved, they still rank dead last in nearly every defensive metric. I just don’t know how much I want to trust a rookie quarterback on the road.

Waiver Wire Tight Ends

Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens 

(Available in 99% of ESPN leagues, 96% of Yahoo leagues, and 95% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 8-10%

In case you haven’t heard, Mark Andrews is likely out for the season with a leg injury, leaving Isaiah Likely as the top tight end on the roster. While he didn’t do much in Andrews’ absence in Week 11, only seeing one target, he ran the second-most routes on the team, leaving room for improvement in future weeks. With games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, he could be set up for a larger workload.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

(Available in 73% of ESPN leagues, 80% of Yahoo leagues, and 73% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 3-5%

Otton has had some tough matchups the past two weeks, but his usage has been there, running the most routes of anyone on the team, including the wide receivers, against the San Francisco 49ers. It gets easier in the next two weeks against the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons, so he should finally start seeing some production out of all those routes. As Andrew Cooper always preaches, routes are the avenue to fantasy production for tight ends, and Otton has that in spades.