Note on FAAB Leagues: We don’t recommend spending much on any position outside of RB. There are usually decent options out there every week, and they don’t hold nearly as much trade value as RBs. It’s also much trickier to have a mid-level WR on your bench because there’s rarely a clear time to use them, whereas it’s quite simple for RBs when the other members of their backfield are out. For that reason, we aren’t going to suggest high bid amounts for any position other than RB. You know if you desperately need a QB, WR, or TE. If you do, then it makes sense to bid 8-12% of your budget to take care of that need. If you’re adding those positions to keep them on your bench, then we would bid 1% or 0 if that’s allowed. We like to see if we can get those guys for free, but we save our budget for RBs. Lastly, you never NEED a defense or kicker. We stream them every week and never bid more than $1. Just put in claims for the top 6 options, and surely you’ll get one that’s good enough. These are not predictable enough positions that getting the “best” option is worth much, and they hold no trade value.
Note on Start/Sit Questions: Our team is available to you in Discord nearly 24/7, but we ask that you check the projections before asking us who you should start or sit. The FanDuel projections can be used for Half-PPR leagues, and DraftKings for Full-PPR. If you’re choosing between two guys and one projects a full point better than the other, you don’t need to ask us who we’d start. If it’s really close or there’s more nuance to the strategy, we’re happy to discuss it with you.
Note on late-season acquisitions: As we get later into the season, the FAAB budget becomes less valuable, so firing it all on one of the last good players is acceptable. You’ll notice we’ll raise the budget we’re willing to use on waiver claims as the regular season winds down. Early on we’re willing to bid a lot on a true starter with full-season value, but not a speculative bench add.
Week 12 Waiver Wire Targets
Week 12 has brought us one week closer to the rapidly approaching fantasy playoffs, which leads us to remind everyone that as we get later into the season you are able to bid more FAAB than earlier in the season as there is no reason to finish the season with anything left over. While we do not recommend blowing your budget on a bench player, if you have a chance to snag a player that will fill a spot in your lineup, we recommend jumping on it.
Devin Neal – RB, Saints
Alvin Kamara left Sunday’s matchup against the Falcons which led to Neal leading the Saints RBs with 7 rushes. While it has been said that Kamara’s injury should not keep him sidelined long term, he is expected to miss at least one game, which will leave the RB1 duties to Neal. Since Kamara has been such a workhorse back this year there is not a lot of data to go on for Devin Neal, but he was also heavily involved in the pass game this weekend when he filled in for Kamara, seeing 7 targets, 5 of which he caught for 43 yards. We recommend bidding heavily on Neal in case Kamara’s injury turns out to be a more serious injury than expected. We recommend bidding minimum 30% on Neal but would not be against bidding whatever FAAB you have left on what could be the last possible RB1 on the waivers this season.
Chris Rodriguez – RB, Commanders
The Washington Commanders backfield has been a committee all year long, but in recent weeks Rodriguez has closed the gap on rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt as far as handoffs are concerned. In 2 of the last 3 Commanders games, Rodriguez has led the backfield in carries, as well as leading the RBs in snaps played in their last game. While there will still be a committee in Washington, Rodriguez may be closer to the RB1 position than most people think and we believe this is a great spot to pick up an RB with starting potential. We recommend bidding 20% on Rodriguez to stash while we wait to see how the RB room looks after the bye, but if you need an RB feel free to bid as much as you want as the playoffs start in two weeks.
John Metchie– WR, Jets
In his last two games with the Jets, John Metchie has had his two best games of the season as his snap count has skyrocketed. In these last two games Metchie has seen a 19% target share which he turned into 9 receptions for 55 yds/g and a touchdown in each game. As mentioned before, this is largely to do with the amount of offensive plays he is on the field for which in the first 9 games of the season was 8% but now has been bumped up to 84% in the last two weeks. A large part of this increase in usage has been due to injuries on the Jets offense (Garrett Wilson, Josh Reynolds) but with the recent success from Metchie and the uncertainty of when the other Jets receivers will be healthy, we feel Metchie is a great pickup to have on your bench come playoff time (or to fill a bye week / injury right now). We recommend bidding around 10% on Metchie but if you need a WR you can be more aggressive.
Brenton Strange – TE, Jaguars
Strange returned from the IR this past weekend and picked up right where he left off before his injury, catching all 5 of his targets for 93 receiving yards. Strange was on the field for 71% of offensive snaps in his Week 12 return which is down 10% from the first four games of the season when he was healthy. We view this as a good sign as there is the chance that his snap count continues to grow as he gets more comfortable with being back on the field. With the end of the fantasy season approaching this could be one of the last times to grab a quality TE on the waiver wire, therefore if you are in need of a TE we recommend bidding up to 20% on him. With that being said if you are planning on stashing him we recommend bidding no more than 10%.
Chimere Dike – WR, Titans
After a slow start to the season Dike has turned it on in the second half of the season, averaging 10.7 fantasy points in his last 5 starts. In those 5 starts Dike has been on the field for 69% of offensive snaps (an increase from 42% in the first 6 games of the season) while commanding a 15% target share. This recent success has been aided by the absence of fellow WRs Ridley and Ayomanor but with uncertainties surrounding their returns, Dike could be a viable start for the next couple weeks as you make a push for the playoffs. He also is viable to give you 6 points with a return TD any given week. We recommend bidding up to 10% on Dike this week.
Greg Dortch – WR, Cardinals
Dortch has caught a TD in back to back games while seeing a 15% target share. With the status of Marvin Harrison still unknown for Week 13, Dortch could be worth a look on the waiver wire for a short term fix, but loses value once Harrison returns. We recommend bidding up to 5% on Dortch if you need a WR to start this week to fill in for a bye week or injury. If you don’t, we are fine with leaving Dortch off your target list.
As we continue to get deeper into the season, we still recommend picking up the highest projected QB available if you need someone to fill in for a bye week.
Summary: This week’s waiver wire gives us two great RB options with RB1 upside Devin Neal and Chris Rodriguez and we recommend bidding for at least one of them, if not both of them this week. If you are in need of a TE this may be your last chance to grab a good TE1 like Strange so we suggest jumping on him this week. Lastly we see Metchie, Dike and Dortch all as WRs with potential starting upside, but depending on the return of their teammates could see their roles diminished soon.