Let’s take a look at some waiver wire options to consider in fantasy football ahead of Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season.
Quarterback
Anthony Richardson
Rostered: 43.6% on ESPN, 48% on Yahoo
Entering the season, Anthony Richardson was viewed as having the potential to be a top-five fantasy quarterback after the high-upside, dual-threat ability that he showed off in his 2023 rookie season. But Richardson’s passing woes led to the Indianapolis Colts desperately turning to 39-year-old Joe Flacco at quarterback in-season, before returning to Richardson as the starter for Week 11.
Richardson made the most of his opportunity on Sunday, completing 20-of-30 passes for 272 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions, while adding 10 carries for 32 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-27 road win over the New York Jets. His 28.0 fantasy points were good for fourth among quarterbacks in Week 11.
While Richardson still has a long way to go as a quarterback, he can turn in some huge fantasy weeks with his pass/run mix. He needs to be owned in all leagues and could perform like a top-10 fantasy quarterback the rest of the way.
Bo Nix
Rostered: 69% on ESPN, 49% on Yahoo
Nix was among our quarterback recommendations on the waiver wire ahead of Week 11, but he’s still available in plenty of leagues, especially on Yahoo.
Fantasy PPG this season:
Jayden Daniels – 18.8 PPG
Kyler Murray – 18.2 PPG
Bo Nix – 18.2 PPG— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) November 18, 2024
And on Sunday, he went on to light up the Atlanta Falcons, completing 84.9% of his passes and throwing for 307 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 38-6 Denver Broncos win. His 28.7 fantasy points ranked third among quarterbacks in Week 11, and he’s put together fantasy performances of at least 16 points in six of his last seven games.
Drake Maye
Rostered: 17.7% on ESPN, 14% on Yahoo
Another recommendation of ours last week, Maye was very impressive on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.
The rookie out of North Carolina completed 30-of-40 passes for 282 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, while also having three carries for 27 yards. He has double-digit fantasy performances in all six of his starts and is showing improvements as a quarterback each week.
Running Back
Tank Bigsby
Rostered: 42.3% on ESPN, 47% on Yahoo
Bigsby was inactive in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ embarrassing 52-6 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday due to an ankle injury, and the Jaguars are on a bye in Week 12.
But Bigsby is worth stashing now regardless. This Jaguars team is going nowhere fast, and Travis Etienne has produced inconsistent results at running back; on Sunday, he had 12 carries for 27 yards, and three receptions for six yards. It makes sense for the 22-year-old Bigsby — averaging 5.5 yards per carry — to get a bigger look as the season deepens.
Roschon Johnson
Rostered: 14.2% on ESPN, 7% on Yahoo
In Thomas Brown’s first game as the Chicago Bears’ offensive coordinator, Johnson had 10 carries — tying a season-high — for 33 yards and a touchdown, to go with one reception for eight yards in a 20-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He was a prominent part of the Bears’ attack.
in the bears first game w/o shane waldron, roschon johnson saw:
• 88% of short down-and-distance snaps
• 82% of long down-and-distance snaps
• 67% of inside-the-5 snaps
• 100% of 2-minute-drill snaps
• saw 10 carries for the first time since WK 5data per (@MBFantasyLife)
— nick ercolano (@nickercolano) November 18, 2024
The second-year running back has five rushing touchdowns on the season and should see touches at a higher rate than he did with Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator.
Trey Benson
Rostered: 17.3% on ESPN, 21% on Yahoo
The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a bye week, but Benson was far more effective in Week 10 against the New York Jets than starting running back James Conner was. Benson had 10 carries for 62 yards; Conner had 12 carries for 32 yards and a touchdown.
Conner is likely to remain the starting back for Arizona, but it’s easy to see Benson — a third-round pick in this year’s draft — carving out a larger role as the season goes on.
Wide Receiver
Quentin Johnston
Rostered: 50.6% on ESPN, 41% on Yahoo
As we said last week: “It’s likely to be a boom-or-bust experience on a week-to-week basis, but Johnston offers a high ceiling when it comes to waiver-wire options. And perhaps he puts it together on a more consistent basis as the season goes on.”
Johnston scored a touchdown for the third straight game in the Los Angeles Chargers’ wild win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football. He now has six touchdowns on the season and is always a threat to hit a home run with rocket-armed Justin Herbert at quarterback.
In dynasty formats, Johnston — a first-round pick in 2023 — is particularly intriguing going forward.
Christian Watson
Rostered: 48.4% on ESPN, 45% on Yahoo
Watson is another classic boom-or-bust player, and one that is frequently banged-up. But he showed off his big-play skills in the Green Bay Packers’ victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, reeling in all four targets from Jordan Love for 150 yards.
If you’re looking for reliability and a safe eight-plus points in a given week, Watson is not your guy. But if you’re hoping for some upside of a big performance, better options are hard to find on the waiver wire.
Rome Odunze
Rostered: 57.0% on ESPN, 64% on Yahoo
Odunze is probably not available in your league, but if he is, now is the time to pounce.
The No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft led the Bears in yards (65) and targets (10) in Thomas Brown’s first game calling plays for Chicago. Odunze also has two games of 100-plus yards under his belt this season.
And frankly, Odunze looks much better on film than 32-year-old Keenan Allen does at this point. It’s easy to see Odunze getting more snaps over Allen in two-receiver sets opposite D.J. Moore the rest of the way, and he should continue to develop a better connection with fellow rookie Caleb Williams.
Tight End
Will Dissly
Rostered: 13.9% on ESPN, 24% on Yahoo
Dissly had four receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers’ win over the Bengals. He’s been targeted at least six times by Justin Herbert in four of the last five Chargers games.
The quality options at tight end are razor-thin, and Dissly finds himself in the conversation for top-10 fantasy plays at the position in Week 12.
Jonnu Smith
Rostered: 31.7% on ESPN, 54% on Yahoo
Smith went off for six catches, 101 yards, and two touchdowns in the Miami Dolphins’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The veteran tight end is having a solid season with 39 receptions, 449 yards, and three touchdowns. And he gets another favorable matchup in Week 12 when Miami hosts the New England Patriots.
Taysom Hill
Rostered: 46.2% on ESPN, 54% on Yahoo
Hill went nuclear in Week 11 with seven carries for 138 yards and three touchdowns. The Swiss Army knife is also eligible at quarterback in Yahoo leagues, giving him versatility that could come in handy (especially for those desperate for help in two-quarterback/Superflex leagues).
The New Orleans Saints are off in Week 12, but Hill is a worthwhile add now if your roster situation allows for it.
