X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Beating The Waiver Wire - Speculative Stashes for Week 12

It's Wednesday morning. You dropped a player last night expecting to make some moves on the waiver wire, only to wake up and find out you weren't able to get anyone you put a claim in for. What now?

If you've got an open roster spot, its always a good idea to plan ahead for the future. There are plenty of players in the NFL ripe for a breakout game that will fly up the waiver wire in the following week. This column is here to help you anticipate who that's going to be, and stay a week ahead of your competition.

I'll be giving you a couple players who may be worth grabbing before their stock rises. Here are some players that will help you beat the waiver wire ahead of Week 12, in case they emerge this week.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Waiver Wire Stashes and Fliers for Week 12

Aaron Rodgers (QB, GB) - 37% owned

I believe the majority of people checking out this column fall into two categories: those who need a player who can come in and help them push for the playoffs, or those in the drivers seat looking for a speculative stash that could help come playoff time. This one if for those that fall into the latter.

Aaron Rodgers is eligible to return in Week 15. The Packers are unlikely to be out of the playoffs in Week 15. They sit at 5-4 and face the Ravens, Steelers, Buccaneers and Browns over the next four weeks. Even with Brett Hundley at quarterback, I'd be surprised if the Packers didn't beat the Browns and Bucs, and they have a chance to beat the Ravens at home this week. The Packers will likely be 7-6 with a chance at 8-5 the first week Rodgers is eligible to be back.

Rodgers was spotted at practice this week taking snaps from a trainer. If the Packers don't go 0-4 over the next four weeks, you know damn well Rodgers will be doing everything he can to get himself back on the field. He isn't going to waste a year of his prime if the Packers have a shot at the playoffs. We still don't know if Rodgers will be healthy by Week 15, but him showing up at practice this week is a great sign. Rodgers is a great hold for owners with quarterback issues who will likely find themselves in the playoffs.

Nathan Peterman (QB, BUF) - 4% owned

Many were shocked that the Bills made the decision to bench quarterback Tyrod Taylor in favor of Peterman, a fifth-round draft pick who played his first NFL snaps last week. The Bills are pushing for the playoffs at 5-4. Taylor was bad last week, but he didn't give up 47 points. The Bills are receiving a lot of criticism for this decision.

But heres the thing: Sean McDermott doesn't make this decision without putting a ton of thought into it. Maybe he was actually right? Taylor has had one 300 yard game in his entire career. He was never going to bring this offense to the next level. Will Nathan Peterman? Who knows. We don't have any evidence to prove that he'll succeed or fail. We'll find out on Sunday. In deeper leagues or 2 QB leagues, Peterman is worth an add out of pure curiosity. He has the weapons around him to produce as a QB2 with QB1 upside if he's actually good.

Austin Ekeler (RB, LAC) - 19% owned

I wrote about Ekelar after his performance in Week 7 and said that Ekelar was one more solid game away from being a top waiver option. Putting a bad game and a bye week in between Ekelar's two solid games put a damper on that, but he did still see a 16% bump in his ownership this week.

Ekelar had a huge game in Week 10. He ran for 42 yards, had 77 through the air, and took two receptions for touchdowns. Of the 23 snaps he played last week, he touched the ball on 15 of them. It would be shocking if Ekelar didn't see a decent amount of use next week. He outplayed Gordon in every facet of the game for the second time in three weeks. I'm surprised that he didn't see a major increase in ownership. Expect Ekelar to creep into the FLEX discussion.

Eddie Lacy (RB, SEA) - 16% owned

In the first game of what was supposed to be the Eddie Lacy era in Seattle, Lacy ran six times for 20 yards before an injury took him out of the game. Thomas Rawls took over for the next two weeks, providing nothing of fantasy substance. The Seahawks will likely give Lacy his shot at being the feature back if he returns on Monday night. The volume will be there for him to have FLEX appeal in the future if he can show that he can produce.

Dontrelle Inman (WR, CHI) - 7% owned

As the chair of the "Dontrelle Inman Will Be Relevant This Season" committee, I take great pride in Inman's Week 10 performance: six receptions for 88 yards. It isn't a fluke that Inman led the Bears in targets, receptions, and yards in his first game with the team. Trubisky nearly doubled his career high in passing yards this week, had his first 20 completion and 200 yard game and was just three yards short of 300. The Bears passing game is improving. Inman's ROS schedule is no cake walk, but it isn't brutal either. He is going to be the number one option in the Bears passing game moving forward. That alone warrants an add in deeper leagues. Another 80 yard performance would make Inman a top waiver option next week.

Corey Coleman (WR, CLE) - 27% owned

Similar to Inman, Coleman is a number one option still available in many leagues. Coleman has a tough matchup with Jacksonville in his first game back, but his value is only going to go up. Coleman has looked good when he has been able to stay on the field over the past few weeks. When Josh Gordon returns in Week 13, the Browns finally have the potential to produce a decent passing game. Expect Coleman to be a top waiver add for Week 12 regardless of how he performs on Sunday.

C.J. Fiedorowicz (TE, HOU) - 16% owned

Fiedorowicz played in his first game since Week 1 on Sunday, catching two of his six targets for 10 yards. The good news for Fiedorowicz is that he finished the game healthy and was on the field for 90% of the team's offensive snap's. Anyone with that big of a snap count who has proven they can play at an NFL level in the past deserves to be on the streaming radar. Fiedorowicz is an option for those with trouble at the TE position. He had a decent year last year with bad quarterbacks and should be able to perform despite the Texans QB woes.

 

Updates From Last Week

Below are guys who have been covered in recent columns that haven't had much of a change in their situations:

 

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

De'Aaron Fox20 mins ago

Ruled Out On Sunday
Jordan Clarkson26 mins ago

Sitting Out On Sunday
John Collins30 mins ago

Unavailable On Sunday
Lauri Markkanen40 mins ago

Ruled Out On Sunday
George Kittle52 mins ago

Suiting Up For Season Finale
Jaylen Brown59 mins ago

Available Versus OKC
Travis Kelce1 hour ago

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce Officially Inactive Sunday
Tua Tagovailoa1 hour ago

Won’t Play Against Jets
Tyreek Hill1 hour ago

Jaylen Waddle Officially Active Against Jets
Christian Watson2 hours ago

Will Not Return Against Bears
Christian Watson2 hours ago

Suffers Knee Injury, Questionable To Return
Jordan Love2 hours ago

Questionable To Return With Elbow Injury
C.J. Stroud3 hours ago

Pulled From Sunday's Meeting With The Titans
Josh Allen3 hours ago

Logs One Play In Week 18
Josh Jacobs3 hours ago

Doesn't Anticipate Massive Workload Sunday
New York Giants4 hours ago

Giants Still Evaluating Brian Daboll, Joe Schoen
Drake Maye4 hours ago

Officially Active Against Bills
Xavier Legette4 hours ago

Suiting Up For Season Finale
Hunter Henry4 hours ago

Out In Week 18
Romeo Doubs4 hours ago

Won't Suit Up Against Chicago
Christian Watson4 hours ago

Active For Week 18
Cade Otton4 hours ago

Won’t Play In Week 18
Austin Ekeler5 hours ago

Officially Active Against Cowboys
Alvin Kamara5 hours ago

Inactive For Season Finale Sunday
Darnell Mooney5 hours ago

Won’t Play In Week 18
Tony Pollard5 hours ago

Officially Active Against Texans
Bogdan Bogdanovic19 hours ago

Ruled Out For Saturday
Jalen Johnson19 hours ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Trae Young19 hours ago

To Play On Saturday
Kawhi Leonard19 hours ago

To Make Season Debut On Saturday
Gabe Vincent19 hours ago

Tagged As Doubtful For Sunday
Alex Caruso19 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Sunday
Jeremy Sochan20 hours ago

Will Suit Up Saturday
Jalen Brunson21 hours ago

Will Play Saturday
Anthony Davis21 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Sunday
LeBron James21 hours ago

Probable For Sunday
Khris Middleton21 hours ago

Will Face The Blazers
Giannis Antetokounmpo21 hours ago

Cleared For Action On Saturday
Bradley Beal21 hours ago

Will Play Saturday
Cade Cunningham22 hours ago

Available For Saturday
Dejounte Murray22 hours ago

Questionable For Sunday
Clayton Kershaw22 hours ago

Intends To Pitch In 2025, Expected To Return To Los Angeles
Noah Clowney23 hours ago

Upgraded To Available On Saturday
Thatcher Demko1 day ago

Joining Team For Five-Game Road Trip
Pyotr Kochetkov1 day ago

Starts Against Wild On Saturday
Joseph Woll1 day ago

In Maple Leafs Net On Saturday
Scott Wedgewood1 day ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Jack Drury1 day ago

Back For Hurricanes Saturday
Auston Matthews1 day ago

Returns To Action On Saturday
Jordan Binnington1 day ago

Shuts Out Senators
Brandon Saad1 day ago

Ends Goal Drought With A Hat Trick
Mike Matheson1 day ago

Records Two Assists Friday
Nick Foligno1 day ago

Pots Two Goals In Friday's Win
Juuse Saros1 day ago

Logs Fourth Shutout Of The Season
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Nets Game-Winner On Friday
Charlie Morton2 days ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Baltimore
Jared Spurgeon2 days ago

To Miss 2-3 Weeks
Oskar Sundqvist2 days ago

Unavailable Friday
Justin Faulk2 days ago

Iffy For Friday's Action
Colton Dach2 days ago

Set For NHL Debut On Friday
Connor Murphy2 days ago

Misses First Game Of The Season
David Savard2 days ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Jack Eichel2 days ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Thursday
Alex DeBrincat2 days ago

Tallies Three Points On Thursday
Jonathan Quick2 days ago

Leads The Way On Thursday
Pete Alonso3 days ago

Angels "Looking At" Pete Alonso
Xander Schauffele4 days ago

Hoping To Find Success Again At Majors In 2025
Chris Kirk4 days ago

Starts 2025 Defending The Sentry Title
Max Homa4 days ago

Hopes To Rebound After Disappointing 2024 Season
Nick Dunlap4 days ago

Looks To Build On Impressive Rookie Season
Collin Morikawa4 days ago

Heads To The Sentry After Excellent 2024 Season
PGA4 days ago

Sungjae Im Hoping To Start 2025 Season Strongly At The Sentry
Russell Henley4 days ago

Closes Out 2024 Season Strong
Jason Day4 days ago

Looks Ahead To 2025 Season At The Sentry
Akshay Bhatia4 days ago

To Repeat Last Year’s Sentry Performance?
Ludvig Aberg4 days ago

Returns To The Sentry
Jesús Luzardo4 days ago

Jesus Luzardo Feeling 100 Percent
Maverick McNealy4 days ago

Making First Career Start At Kapalua
Corey Conners4 days ago

Making Third Consecutive Start At Kapalua
Viktor Hovland4 days ago

A Gametime Decision For Year's First Event
Tony Finau4 days ago

Making Sixth Start At Kapalua After Rumor-Filled Offseason
Justin Thomas4 days ago

Looks To Get Off To Fast Start In 2025 At Kapalua
Patrick Cantlay5 days ago

Looks For Hot Start In 2025
Sam Burns5 days ago

In Top Form Ahead of Kapalua
Cameron Young5 days ago

Needs To Avoid Bad Rounds In Hawaii
Sahith Theegala5 days ago

Looking For Big 2025 Start In Hawaii
Hideki Matsuyama5 days ago

Always A Threat In Hawaii
Billy Horschel5 days ago

Seeks To Build Off Great 2024 Campaign
Jack Flaherty6 days ago

Orioles Interested In Reunion With Jack Flaherty

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans - Tampa Bay Bucs, Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 18 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 18! This Week 18 matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em will help you make the right lineup decisions in the final week of the regular season.  Whether you play in a Week 18 fantasy football championship or are looking for some DFS […]


Amon-Ra St. Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Vikings vs. Lions Sunday Night Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Sam Darnold, Jared Goff, Aaron Jones, Jahmyr Gibbs, Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and more

With a small group of fantasy managers still battling it out for league championships, we have an excellent matchup for Sunday Night Football between two teams who are very capable of providing offensive fireworks. The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions are set to square off in a Week 18 primetime matchup. This one is for […]


Patrick Mahomes - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Inactives Week 18 (Updated): Which Teams Are Resting Starters? Who's Sitting or Playing in Week 18

If your fantasy football league extends to Week 18, you either forgot to change that setting, or you love living on the edge. The final week of the NFL regular season is always tricky to navigate, as several teams either do not play their key starters or pull them early. Many teams have already clinched […]


Joe Flacco - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Quarterback Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Fantasy Football Playoffs - Week 18 (2024)

It's Week 18, finally. The quarterback position has been a roller coaster this season, with a lot of unexpected names having big seasons and others disappointing massively. It's not always easy to choose who to start and sit at this position, and many fantasy managers probably have multiple QBs they're considering for their starting lineups. […]


NFL Week 18 Predictions: Picks, Analysis, and Motivations for Every Game

Hello, football fans, and welcome to the final week of the NFL regular season! As we head into Week 18, we got things kicked off with a pair of games on Saturday featuring four AFC North squads. Moving into Sunday, motivation will be key for several teams in the regular-season finale. Who is fighting to […]


Amari Cooper - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For Week 18 (Sunday Morning Updates): Tony Pollard, Amari Cooper, Darnell Mooney, Austin Ekeler, and more

Heading into Week 18 of the NFL season, injuries continue to impact the upcoming schedule. These play a huge factor in start/sit decisions for fantasy managers. Our injury updates and reports for Week 18 as of Sunday, January 5, 2025, will give you the latest updates on key fantasy football players. The injury news for […]


Sam Darnold - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Vikings vs. Lions SNF Showdown (Week 18)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! It's the showdown we've all been waiting for and certainly the most pivotal of all showdowns through this point of the season. We have Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings (14-2) taking on division rival Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions (14-2). Not only is this game for the NFC North crown, […]


Michael Penix Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 18 Superflex 2QB Rankings for Fantasy Football: Updates for Sam Darnold, Bryce Young, Michael Penix Jr., Joshua Dobbs, Drew Lock, Drake Maye

The Week 18 slate is here, meaning several teams who are eliminated from postseason action or have already locked up a playoff spot are set to rest some key starters. We're here to help you sort through it all with our Week 18 fantasy football Superflex rankings (2QB) for 2024. If you're still chasing a […]


Zach Charbonnet - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Week 18 PPR Rankings for Fantasy Football Playoffs: Overall Updates Include Isaac Guerendo, Zach Charbonnet, Blake Corum, Jordan Addison, Jayden Reed

If your league championship is in Week 18, you surely already know it's a difficult week to navigate. Below, you'll see our NFL team's updated Week 18 fantasy football PPR rankings for 2024. Let's see where key players like Isaac Guerendo, Zach Charbonnet, Blake Corum, Jordan Addison, and Jayden Reed stand for the must-win Week […]


Jalen McMillan - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 18 FLEX Rankings for Fantasy Football (RB, WR, TE) - Updates Include Jalen McMillan, Adam Thielen, Rico Dowdle, Ray Davis, J.K. Dobbins, Ray-Ray McCloud III

The closing week of the 2024 NFL regular season has arrived, and we're here to help your lineup or DFS calls with our NFL team's updated Week 18 fantasy football FLEX rankings for 2024. Comparing two flex options at different positions can be a tough task, so let's see where key FLEX options like Jalen […]


Ray Davis - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 18 Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football: RB Updates Include Rico Dowdle, Zach Charbonnet, Ray Davis, Blake Corum, Isaac Guerendo, more

Week 18 is here, and many backup running backs will be in featured roles this weekend as several teams are resting starters. That said, let's get to crucial start-or-sit decisions with help from our updated Week 18 fantasy football running back rankings for 2024. Let's see where key players such as Rico Dowdle, Zach Charbonnet, […]


Jameson Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Week 18 Wide Receiver Rankings for Fantasy Football: WR Updates Include Tyreek Hill, Jalen McMillan, Adam Thielen, Jameson Williams, Jauan Jennings

Week 18 is here, and several teams will either not play starters or pull them early in the game. That said start-or-sit decisions are tough when comparing two flex-level wide receiver options, so we're here to assist with our NFL team's updated Week 18 fantasy football wide receiver rankings for 2024. Let's see where key […]


Marvin Harrison Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, WR, Waiver Wire, NFL DFS, Rookies

Key Starters and Tough Calls - Week 18 Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football And DFS Include Blake Corum, Marvin Harrison Jr., Ricky Pearsall

For the final week of the 2024 season, those who are still participating in Week fantasy football Super Bowls must do two things. First, vote in a new league commissioner for next season. Secondly, consult our rundown of our best streamers and lineup pluggers to win a league championship. Using RotoBaller’s Week 18 Lineup Rankings […]