Trashman’s Fantasy Fallout Going Into Week 12 of the 2024 NFL Season

Week 11 breathed some new life into the fantasy landscape, as a bevy of waiver wire players became viable for fantasy purposes. Let’s ready our teams for the playoff push going into Week 12…

 

Commanders – 18 @ Eagles – 26

• Zach Ertz(6/47/1) bounced back nicely on Thursday, after a middling WK10 outing. Aside from a down WK9, Ertz has been one of the more consistent TEs this season. The no.11 TE on the season, Ertz is only owned in 33% of leagues. 

 

• Terry McLaurin(1/10) had his worst output of the season, but it was an aberration. It’s only his 2nd game this season without double-digit fantasy points. The other was in WK1. 

 

• Kenneth Gainwell(5/59) had a few impressive runs, but his touches are still limited in this offense. If something were to happen to Barkley though, Gainwell would benefit greatly.

 

Colts – 28 @ Jets – 27

• It seems some time on the bench has done Anthony Richardson well, as he played his best game of the season on Sunday, against a stifling Jets secondary too. AR is at his best when he is free to be himself, and his 2 rushing TDs remind of us that. He’s got a tougher matchup with Detroit this week, but the necessity to keep up offensively should keep him productive. He’s available in over half of leagues. 

 

• Alec Pierce(3/74) is usually good for a deep pass or two per game, regardless of who’s under center for Indy. Only owned in 18% of leagues, he could be in for some come from behind heroics this week against a superior Lions squad. 

 

• Aaron Rodgers’ age is showing, as he isn’t able to get much going outside of dink and dunk passes to Davante Adams as of late. The Jets are leaning on Breece Hall, and that’s a good thing, but Garrett Wilson has been the odd man out the last couple of weeks. Still garnering significant touches though, Wilson is undroppable even with the bye.

 

Vikings – 23 @ Titans – 13

• Don’t let Cam Akers’(12/36/1) fantasy points fool you. He’s still the same inefficient back we’ve come to know. He’s getting double-digit touches though, so we have to take that into consideration in today’s barren waiver-wire RB wasteland. 

 

• No, that’s not a typo, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine(2/117/1) did accumulate 117 yards on 2 receptions, one being a 98 yard monster. Matching Calvin Ridley for team lead in targets(6), and scoring 5 TDs in his last 6 games, NWI is becoming a weekly consideration at WR in fantasy.

 

Ravens – 16 @ Steelers – 18

• Diontae Johnson didn’t log a single catch on Sunday, garnering 2 targets on the day on 6 routes. HC Harbaugh had said Johnson would get more usage after a similar outing in WK10, but it was not to be. DJ is too good of a player to outright drop just yet, but you can’t play him this week against an even better Chargers secondary. 

 

• Isaiah Likely(4/75) had his best yardage total of the 2024 season on Sunday, leading the team, in fact. Consistency is hard to come by in an offense that now seems burdened by too much talent, so take this performance with a grain of salt. 

 

• Jaylen Warren(13/68) has benefitted from Russell Wilson being under center, but his upside just isn’t there, as he doesn’t see the end zone. Yet to score this season, Warren seems like a waste in lineups. 

 

Browns – 14 @ Saints – 35

• Jerry Jeudy(6/142/1) has had 11 targets in back to back games, rivaling Cedric Tillman as Jameis Winston’s top target. He’s liable to disappear any given week, but Jeudy should be owned in most formats, as the Browns figure to play catch up most weeks. 

 

• Elijah Moore(6/66/1) is getting hella targets too, averaging 10 over his last 3 games. The Browns have a brutal schedule to conclude their fantasy season, but that could mean they’ll be in negative game scripts and will need to throw their way out of them. Moore is worth a gamble in deeper PPR formats. 

 

• Marquez Valdes-Scantling(2/87/1) did it again. He only had 2 catches on the day, but the deep threat still eclipsed most fantasy WRs on Sunday. He’s got a bye this week, but MVS needs to be owned until this bubble bursts. 

 

• Taysom Hill(17/188/3) put up a career performance on Sunday, putting up numbers that would make LaDanian Tomlinson raise his eyebrows. Even going into the bye, he needs to be a top waiver priority this week. 

 

Rams – 28 @ Patriots – 22

• Demarcus Robinson(2/19) showed us why he’s so TD dependent on Sunday. If he doesn’t score, he’s unusable in fantasy. 

 

• Kendrick Bourne(5/70/1) bounced back from his WK10 benching, leading the team in receiving on Sunday. The Pats want to give Drake Maye the best chance to thrive, and having Bourne on the field contributes to that. The matchup with Miami isn’t ideal this week, but Bourne has a puncher’s chance in PPR. 

 

Raiders – 19 @ Dolphins – 34

• Alexander Mattison(8/69) left the game in the second half with an ankle injury. Zamir White(5/9) suffered a quad injury as well, leaving Ameer Abdullah(4/17/1) to man the backfield. With both Mattison and White questionable this week, Abdullah and perhaps Dylan Laube need to be added if you need RB help. 

 

• Jonnu Smith(6/101/2) seems to have leapfrogged Jaylen Waddle(2/37) as the no.2 option in Miami, after Tyreek Hill(7/61/1). A bullish pass-catcher who serves as an ideal red-zone threat, Smith is everything Hill and Jaylen Waddle aren’t. This is probably the last chance to get him off waivers. 

 

• Raheem Mostert(3/-2) has to be benched in all formats. There’s no way you can have players actually losing points in your lineup. He could be dealing with a hip injury, as he was in and out of the game Sunday. In any case, he can’t be in lineups this week. 

 

Jaguars – 6 @ Lions – 52

• It’s a good thing the Jags have a bye this week, cause Mac Jones(17/138/0/1) is doing them no favors by being under center. The week off should hopefully get Trevor Lawrence well enough to play in WK13. Otherwise, Brian Thomas(7/82) and Evan Engram(5/28) are the only Jags pass-catchers you can consider. 

 

• Brock Wright(1/5/1) made his one target count on Sunday, but he was useless otherwise, in Sam LaPorta’s stead. LaPorta didn’t even practice last week, so there’s a strong chance he won’t make it back this week. Wright doesn’t have much juice, even if that’s the case. 

 

Packers – 20 @ Bears – 19

• Christian Watson(4/150) has had an uneven season, to say the least, but he put up a career 150 yards against one of the best secondaries in the league on Sunday. His upside makes him worth the squeeze going into a much better matchup with San Fran this week. 

 

• New Bears OC Thomas Brown loves him some Roschon Johnson(11/41/1). With a new emphasis on the run game to bolster him, Johnson could really pay off as the season winds down. 

 

Seahawks – 20 @ 49ers – 17

• Tyler Lockett(2/19) is fading as Jaxon Smith-Njigba(11/118) becomes more of a focal point of the Seattle offensive scheme. The veteran has been pretty ineffective if he doesn’t find the end zone, which he’s only done twice this season. 

 

• So much for Ricky Pearsall season(0/0). The rookie WR flopped a week after his best showing(4/73/1) in WK10. The matchup wasn’t tough, and George Kittle was out, so I’m not sure what gives. In any case, Pearsall is a shaky flex at best in WK12. Jauan Jennings(10/91/1) is feasting though, and is available in 30% of leagues. 

 

Falcons – 6 @ Broncos – 38

• Kirk Cousins(18/173/0/10 hasn’t thrown a TD since WK9 and seems to be suffering from some nagging arm injuries. Fortunately, The Falcons have a bye this week. Unfortunately, they play the Chargers coming out of it. Rookie Michael Penix(2/24/6) saw his first action of the season and could see more if Cousins can’t right the ship. 

 

• Jase McLellan(8/15) saw 8 touches to Tyler Allgeier’s 1 catch for -1 yards. This was likely an artifact of the negative gamescript the Falcons found themselves in. Allgeier should still have his job as the no.2 in the Falcons backfield. 

 

• Darnell Mooney(2/27) left the game with a hamstring injury and is day to day. The bye should help his healing process, but Ray-Ray McCloud could see a bump in targets in WK13, if Mooney doesn’t make it back.

 

• Bo Nix(28/307/4) matched a rookie record for TD passes on Sunday. Nix has settled into a groove and has a cherry schedule ahead, outside of a WK16 tilt with the Chargers. He’s still available in over half of leagues. 

 

• I thought it might be the case, and WK11 proved it, as Javonte Williams(13/77/1) reclaimed his role as lead back in Denver, after Audric Estime(9/25) was the bellcow the previous week. It’s a bummer for many, as a lot of people used top priority waiver picks for the rookie coming into Sunday’s game. He should still see touches, but Estime is not likely to save your fantasy season. 

 

Chiefs – 21 @ Bills – 30

• Xavier Worthy(5/68/1) bounced back on Sunday, after a couple down weeks. He’s worth a flex again this week against Carolina. 

 

• Curtis Samuel(5/58/1) is coming close to thriving with Keon Coleman(wrist) out. The Bills have a bye this week, so Coleman could return in WK13. Samuel would return to fantasy irrelevance at that point, as Amari Cooper(2/55) will also likely have healed after dealing with a wrist injury as well.

 

• Dawson Knox(4/40) tied a couple of Bills for 2nd in targets(6), with Dalton Kincaid out. It was a season high for Knox but nothing to write home about. Kincaid will probably return in time for WK13. 

 

Bengals – 27 @ Chargers – 34

• Khalil Herbert failed to log a touch in his 2nd game as a Charger. He has a bye week to get up to speed in the offense, but it seems unlikely that he’ll make an impact anytime soon. 

 

• Both Mike Gesicki(0/0) and Tanner Hudson(2/13) were rendered obsolete, with a healthy Tee Higgins(9/148/1) on the field. That’s probably just as well, since now you won’t have to worry about which one you should start. 

 

• Will Dissly(4/80/1) continues to thrive in the Chargers’ new passing offense. He gets another excellent matchup this week against Baltimore, so he warrants streaming consideration in most formats. 

 

• Quentin Johnston(2/48/1) garnered 8 targets and found the end zone for the 3rd straight week and faces a Ravens team that’s the no.1 matchup for opposing WRs this week. He needs to be owed and started.