Top Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 12: Elijah Moore, Darnell Mooney, Rondale Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Justin Carter's fantasy football wide receiver waiver wire pickups for Week 12 of the 2021 NFL season. His free agent WRs to add, stream and stash off waivers.

Another week of NFL action is behind us and the fantasy playoffs are fast approaching. Are there any players left on the waiver wire wasteland? Let's find out. Below, you'll find some wideouts that you should be targeting on the waiver wire ahead of Week 12.

Not all options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster.

Be sure to also check out our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 12 for help at all the skill positions. All players on this list here are around 50% rostered or below.

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Elijah Moore, New York Jets

57% rostered

Do the Jets have a No. 1 receiver now? Moore had 11 targets this week, while Jamison Crowder and Corey Davis each had seven. Crowder and Davis combined for nine catches, while Moore had eight of them on his own, turning those into 141 yards and a touchdown. Moore's speed and his increasing role make him the one upside play on this Jets offense right now. He should be on your roster, especially with Houston up next. (Yes, I'm pretending the Texans defense can't do what it did to the Titans again.)

Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears

57% rostered

Sixteen. That's how many targets Darnell Mooney saw this week, and while he only turned those into five catches, those five went for 121 yards and a touchdown. With Allen Robinson II out, Mooney was the lead receiver for Justin Fields and Andy Dalton. This is now two really good fantasy showings in a row for Mooney, and the game before that could have been a good game after he saw nine targets. Mooney has WR2 upside against the Lions this week.

Laviska Shenault Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

39% rostered

Ehh. Shenault was targeted five times this week, catching all of them for 50 yards. It was his first game with 50-plus yards since before the Jags bye, as Shenault just hasn't been used as much lately. However,  he does have 12 targets over the last two games. He can be started in a pinch against the Falcons next weekend, if you really need him.

Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos

27% rostered

Fresh off a contract extension and the bye week, Patrick will try to get back on track after he struggled in Week 10. He'll probably get five or six targets against the Chargers, which definitely makes him a better flex play than some other players could be, even if the ceiling and floor are lower than you'd like.

Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals

23% rostered

With DeAndre Hopkins still sidelined, Moore saw 11 targets, catching all of them for 11 yards. A bye this upcoming week probably dampens the enthusiasm around Moore, especially if Hopkins is back in Week 13, but Moore is a good bench stash right now because he showed that he can have one of these nice floor games. He's most appealing in full PPR leagues.

Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons

17% rostered

The Falcons were shut out on Thursday. It was just a terrible offensive showing. Russell Gage did have eight targets though, catching five passes for 49 yards. It's the second time in the last three games he has seen that many targets. Of course, two of the last four weeks also saw Gage finish with zero catches, so there's an incredibly low floor here. That said, the waiver wire is a disaster right now so there are probably worse things than being forced to play Russell Gage against the Jags this week.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers

9% rostered

MVS was targeted 10 times, catching four passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. After missing five weeks and then getting targeted just four times in the two games since returning, MVS finally did something this week. The team is on a bye next, so it's possible Allen Lazard is back after the bye and MVS's newfound role disappears. However, Aaron Rodgers seemed to really want to get him the ball, which counts for something.

Cedrick Wilson, Dallas Cowboys

2% rostered

Amari Cooper is out for Thursday's game because of COVID. CeeDee Lamb exited this week's game with a concussion and faces a short week. It's very likely that the Cowboys go into the Thanksgiving game against the Raiders with Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson at WR. Gallup is at 68 percent rostered and should be a priority add in leagues where he is still available, but also that should be obvious. Wilson is an intriguing deep-league add, as he was targeted seven times this week. That's worth flex consideration in a 14-team league.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans

0% rostered

This obviously depends on A.J. Brown, who left Sunday's loss twice. The second time was for a chest injury, which should be monitored. If Brown misses next week's game and Marcus Johnson, who left Sunday with a hamstring injury, misses too, NWI would be in line to be the No. 1 receiver for the Titans. The Pats have a great defense so you wouldn't want to play NWI, but he could serve as an emergency option if there's any players in your lineup ruled out at the last minute. He had eight targets this week, catching seven passes for 107 yards.

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