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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Running Backs Waiver Wire: Week 12 Pickups & Adds

The vultures were out in full force in Week 11, with the likes of Robert Turbin, Jeremy Langford and Matt Asiata robbing their backfield counterparts of easy touchdowns. While these backups aren't guaranteed to give fantasy value on a weekly basis, they could serve as solid backups/handcuffs. The fantasy playoffs are just around the corner, so having a reliable backfield is crucial at this point in the season.

This article will aim to highlight Week 12 waiver wire adds for running backs, players that you should consider targeting on your league's waiver wire. Running backs will be split up into three tiers - from most desirable, to most desperate.

I will also include RBs at the bottom of this list that you might consider cutting in order to make room for your new additions.

Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 12 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS
 

Frontrunners for Week 12 - Waiver Wire Running Backs

This group consists of running backs that I would recommend adding if they are available on your waiver wire. Some are more viable for PPR formats, so take note of that. These players have either earned a greater workload due to injury/performance issues or have shown that they can be weekly contributors to their NFL teams. All players listed have 50% or less ownership levels across fantasy leagues.

Wendell Smallwood (RB, PHI) 2% owned - Both Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews left the game against Seattle, finally giving Smallwood his opportunity to lead the backfield. Smallwood managed 48 yards on 13 rushes, but keep in mind the Eagles were playing in Seattle and the passing game was non-existent. Next week won't be easy either, with Green Bay on the slate, but Smallwood may at least be worth a flex slot. He was averaging 4.7 Y/A on the season entering this week on 44 carries.

Mike Gillislee (RB, BUF) 25% owned - He's back on the radar again with LeSean McCoy suffering another injury in Week 11. This time it's a dislocated thumb, which may not force him to miss any time. Still, it's worth noting that Buffalo is second in the league in rushing, so there may be room for Gillislee to provide deep league value, aside from being an obvious handcuff. Gillislee looked good once he entered the game, rushing for 72 yards on 14 carries. If you've got the bench room or are a skittish Shady owner, he should be picked up this week.

Chris Ivory (RB, JAX) 49% owned - He's back under 50% ownership level after a disappointing Week 11, but he could be in line for more work in the coming weeks. T.J. Yeldon left early with an ankle injury, putting Ivory in the pass-catching role for the first time. He responded well with six receptions for 75 yards, salvaging value from a poor rushing performance of 39 yards and a lost fumble. Ivory got a pair of rushing attempts inside the 10 yard line, but couldn't find paydirt. It's hard to rely on him as anything more than a flex play in Jacksonville's offense, but he still has the talent to rack up yards on occasion.

 

In The Running - Week 12 Waiver Wire Running Backs

This group consists of running backs widely available on the waiver wire who aren't must-adds, but could be worth stashing or streaming if the above options are already taken.

Kenneth Dixon (RB, BAL) 28% owned - Dixon saw nearly an equal number of snaps to Terrance West (21 for Dixon, 24 for West). It was West who found the end zone on an 18-yard run, but Dixon averaged almost seven yards per carry (6-40). The Ravens couldn't establish a running game against the Cowboys, playing from behind throughout the second half, so don't hold his low output against him. Dixon is nothing more than an RB3 at this point, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get more carries in the last couple of weeks of the season, especially if the Ravens fall out of the playoff race.

Jeremy Langford (RB, CHI) 30% owned - Langford only carried the ball six times for eight yards, but played the vulture role against the Giants by rushing for a one-yard score. Langford certainly doesn't fit the bill as a short-yardage specialist, so don't expect too many touchdowns in the future. This serves more as a reminder that Langford could occasionally put up points filling in for Howard. He caught three passes for 30 yards and is a better pass-catcher than Howard, making him more valuable in PPR leagues. Plus, he's a Jordan Howard injury away from being an RB2 again.

Alex Collins (RB, SEA) 1% owned - Christine Michael was waived, C.J. Prosise is going to be out "a while" and Troymaine Pope exited early against the Eagles as well. For the time being, Collins is the RB2 in Seattle and a Thomas Rawls re-aggravation away from major value. With the way Seattle is playing, Collins could be worth stashing now, even if Rawls gets the vast majority of snaps next week. Collins has 10 carries for 29 yards and three catches for 28 yards on the year. He needs to wrap his head around pass protection and improve his hands, but he does have enough speed to be a playmaking threat.

Honorable Mentions: Alfred Morris (RB, DAL) 13% owned, Bilal Powell (RB, NYJ) 41% owned, Paul Perkins (RB, NYG) 21% owned, Chris Thompson (RB, WAS) 27% owned

 

Dark Horses - Week 12 Running Backs Waiver Wire

This group consists of running backs who are strictly desperation plays. They could serve as a bye week fill-in, short-term injury replacement or weekly lottery ticket.

Ameer Abdullah (RB, DET) 9% owned - There is speculation that Abdullah could return in approximately three weeks, which would make Abdullah available just in time for the fantasy playoffs. Of course, that isn't guaranteed and it will remain to be seen if Abdullah sees enough volume initially to be fantasy-worthy. If you're in a deep enough league and have stash room, he could pay dividends late in the season though.

Akeem Hunt (RB, HOU) 1% owned - At the time of this writing, Houston has yet to play their Monday night matchup. Hunt enters the week as a deep sleeper for fantasy purposes that could be a tremendous value if things break right. Lamar Miller has been nursing an ankle injury, but should be fine. Backups Alfred Blue and Jonathan Grimes, on the other hand, have missed practice this week. Blue will miss the game and Grimes is questionable. Hunt showed some burst in a change-of-pace role last week, rushing eight times for 52 yards.

Rex Burkhead (RB, CIN) 0% owned - A lightly used backup for three and a half seasons in Cincy, Burkhead is now the backup to Jeremy Hill. The unexpected loss of Gio Bernard to an ACL injury gives Burkhead some value, although he shouldn't receive too many looks other than the occasional reception and change-of-pace carry. It's not clear whether the Bengals will scour the waiver wire themselves for RB help. Burkhead has carried the ball 19 times for 70 yards in his career along with 18 catches for 153 yards.

Honorable Mentions: Robert Turbin (RB, IND) 3% owned, Benny Cunningham (RB, LA) 4% owned, Kapri Bibbs (RB, DEN) 31% owned, Matt Asiata (RB, MIN) 49% owned, Derrick Henry (RB, TEN) 49% owned, Damien Williams (RB, MIA) 5% owned

 

Also-Rans - Time To Say Goodbye

Matt Jones (RB, WAS) 45% owned - Jones has gone from RB1 in Washington to healthy inactive two weeks in a row. Rob Kelley has officially taken over as the lead back with Chris Thompson serving as the third-down option. It will take an injury or a fumbling problem by Kelley for Jones to reclaim his job. He doesn't need to be kept in most leagues that aren't of the dynasty variety.

T.J. Yeldon (RB, JAX) 55% owned - His ankle injury may not be serious, but it's time to examine what exactly Yeldon brings to the table. Since the Jags' bye in Week 5, Yeldon has only scored double-digit fantasy points once. He hasn't run for more than 33 yards or surpassed 70 total yards in that time either. He has two touchdowns on the season, giving him five in his two-year career. He is by no means a must-play or even a must-hold any longer.

Alfred Blue (RB, HOU) 2% owned - There's a new backup in town for Houston. Akeem Hunt ran for 52 yards in his 2016 debut last week with Blue on the mend. He has an impressive 5.9 Y/A for his brief career, compared to 3.6 Y/A for Blue. Blue was never more than a handcuff for Miller, but now he can't even claim that honor.


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Brent Rooker41 mins ago

Hits Home Run No. 1 In Win Over Mariners
Jeffrey Springs58 mins ago

Strikes Out Nine, Picks Up Win In Shutout
Owen Caissie1 hour ago

Goes Deep In Season Opener
Dillon Dingler1 hour ago

Homers, Collects Three RBI On Friday
Chandler Simpson2 hours ago

Tallies Three Hits In Triple-A Debut
Juan Soto2 hours ago

Belts First Home Run Of The Season
Emmanuel Rodriguez2 hours ago

Shines In Triple-A Season Opener
David Festa2 hours ago

Sharp In Triple-A Start
Max Muncy2 hours ago

Launches First Career MLB Home Run
Jack Leiter2 hours ago

Earns Victory On Friday
Kevin Gausman2 hours ago

Tosses Six Innings Of Two-Run Ball
Otto Lopez3 hours ago

Hits First Round-Tripper Of The Season
Oneil Cruz3 hours ago

Goes Deep, Swipes A Bag On Friday
Jonah Heim3 hours ago

Launches Two Solo Shots On Friday
Mookie Betts3 hours ago

Hits Two Long Balls
Eugenio Suárez3 hours ago

Eugenio Suarez Goes Deep Twice On Friday
Gleyber Torres9 hours ago

Homers, Departs Early With Side Injury
Josh Jung9 hours ago

Pulled Early On Friday With Neck Stiffness
Orlando Arcia12 hours ago

Resting On Friday
Jake Rogers12 hours ago

Heading To The Bench
Miguel Amaya13 hours ago

Taking A Seat On Friday
Detroit Lions13 hours ago

Lions Re-Sign Kayode Awosika
Irvin Charles13 hours ago

Jets Re-Sign Irvin Charles
Green Bay Packers13 hours ago

Kristian Welch Signs With Green Bay
Pittsburgh Steelers13 hours ago

Jeremiah Moon Heading To Pittsburgh
Teagan Quitoriano14 hours ago

Falcons Sign Teagan Quitoriano
14 hours ago

Tetairoa McMillan Scheduled To Visit With Panthers
Baltimore Ravens14 hours ago

Ravens Reach Three-Year Contract Extension With John Harbaugh
Duncan Robinson14 hours ago

To Miss Third Straight Game Due To Back Issue
Andrew Wiggins14 hours ago

Will Not Play On Saturday
Cole Anthony14 hours ago

Doubtful To Play On Saturday
Walker Kessler14 hours ago

Misses Friday's Game
Payton Pritchard14 hours ago

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum15 hours ago

Ready To Return To Action Saturday
Tyrese Maxey15 hours ago

To Miss At Least Two More Games
Giannis Antetokounmpo15 hours ago

Available Against Knicks
Stephen Curry15 hours ago

Expected To Play Friday
Pavel Buchnevich15 hours ago

Expected To Return On Saturday
Austin Reaves15 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Saturday
Kaiden Guhle15 hours ago

Back In Action Friday
Cole Sillinger15 hours ago

Returns To Blue Jackets Lineup
Alex Pietrangelo16 hours ago

To Miss At Least Two More Games
Rui Hachimura16 hours ago

Not Listed On Injury Report For Saturday
Andrei Svechnikov16 hours ago

Returns To Action Against Canadiens
Brad Marchand16 hours ago

Ready For Panthers Debut On Friday
Ja Morant16 hours ago

Questionable For Saturday Night
Noah Clowney16 hours ago

Won't Play On Friday Night
Ziaire Williams16 hours ago

Available On Friday
Jake LaRavia16 hours ago

Will Be Re-Evaluated In 7-10 Days After Injuring Left Thumb
Trendon Watford16 hours ago

Will Play Against The Clippers
LaMelo Ball16 hours ago

To Undergo Surgery
Max Strus17 hours ago

Out Versus Pistons On Friday
Ty Jerome17 hours ago

Unavailable For Friday's Matchup With Detroit
Las Vegas Raiders17 hours ago

Devin White Signs With Las Vegas
Lauri Markkanen17 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Friday
Daniel Jones17 hours ago

Gets Vote Of Confidence From Chris Ballard
Stefon Diggs18 hours ago

Looking Forward To Playing With Drake Maye
Steve Erceg21 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno21 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Jacksonville Jaguars21 hours ago

Jaguars Cut Dieter Eiselen
Hunter Renfrow21 hours ago

Visits Panthers
Manuel Torres21 hours ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober21 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
New England Patriots21 hours ago

Patriots Expected To Release Ja'Whaun Bentley
Joe Pyfer22 hours ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum22 hours ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales22 hours ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.22 hours ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Kansas City Chiefs22 hours ago

Chiefs Re-Sign Nazeeh Johnson
Saimon Oliveira22 hours ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
David Martinez22 hours ago

Set To Make His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas22 hours ago

Set To Open Up UFC Mexico City Main Card
Ronaldo Rodríguez23 hours ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Hunter Renfrow24 hours ago

Meeting With Raiders
1 day ago

Kyle Williams Visiting With Handful Of Teams
NFL1 day ago

Tush-Push Ban Is Gaining Momentum
Jaden Schwartz1 day ago

Scores Twice On Thursday
Casey DeSmith1 day ago

Stops 46 Shots Against Calgary
Matvei Michkov1 day ago

Scores Twice, Adds Assist On Thursday
Nikita Kucherov1 day ago

Tallies Four Points In Victory
Connor Zary1 day ago

Departs Thursday's Game Early
Stephen Curry2 days ago

Questionable Against The Pels
Atlanta Falcons2 days ago

Falcons Agree With Kicker Lenny Krieg
2 days ago

Saints To Check Out Jaxson Dart's Pro Day
Matt Rempe2 days ago

Out Week-To-Week Due To Upper-Body Injury
Kyle Connor2 days ago

Expected To Be Available Friday
Mikael Backlund2 days ago

Ready To Return Thursday
Rasmus Andersson2 days ago

Good To Go Against Stars
Joel Kiviranta2 days ago

Misses Thursday's Game
Jason Zucker2 days ago

Unavailable Against Penguins
Evgeni Malkin2 days ago

Out On Thursday
Carolina Panthers2 days ago

Cade Mays Back With Panthers On One-Year Contract
Philadelphia Eagles2 days ago

Matt Pryor Agrees To One-Year Deal With Eagles
Leo Carlsson2 days ago

Scores Twice On Wednesday
Jake Oettinger2 days ago

Stops 41 Shots On Wednesday
Jason Robertson2 days ago

Scores Natural Hat Trick In Victory
Jhonattan Vegas3 days ago

Not A Good Play At Houston Open
Gary Woodland3 days ago

A Dark-Horse Candidate At Houston Open
Nick Taylor3 days ago

Keep An Eye On Nick Taylor At Houston Open
Mackenzie Hughes3 days ago

Avoid Mackenzie Hughes At Houston Open
Nicolai Hojgaard3 days ago

Looking To Rebound At Houston Open
Scottie Scheffler3 days ago

Returns To Houston Looking For Year's First Victory
Rory McIlroy3 days ago

Making Additional Start At Houston Open To Prepare For Augusta
Doug Ghim3 days ago

Looking For Iron Form In Houston
Aaron Rai3 days ago

Keep An Eye On Aaron Rai At Houston Open
Si Woo Kim3 days ago

Looks To Build On Recent History At Memorial Park
Harry Hall3 days ago

Looking For Consistency At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Harris English3 days ago

Looking To Build Off Solid Finish At The PLAYERS
Sahith Theegala3 days ago

A Risky Option At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Alex Smalley4 days ago

A Strong Play At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Michael Kim4 days ago

Bounces Back At Valspar Championship
PGA4 days ago

Sungjae Im Looking For Bounce-Back Performance At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Austin Eckroat4 days ago

A Player To Avoid At Texas Children's Houston Open
PGA4 days ago

Nico Echavarria A Volatile Option At Texas Children's Houston Open
Joe Highsmith4 days ago

Continues Post-Win Success And Is Looking For More In Houston
Adam Hadwin4 days ago

Far From Good Form As He Heads To Texas
Ben Griffin4 days ago

Looking For Consistency At Houston Open
Sean Brady5 days ago

Dominates At UFC London
MMA5 days ago

Leon Edward Dominated At UFC London
Carlos Ulberg5 days ago

Extends His Win Streak
Jan Blachowicz5 days ago

Outpointed At UFC London
Gunnar Nelson5 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC London
Kevin Holland5 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Molly McCann5 days ago

Retires After UFC London Submission Loss
Alexia Thainara5 days ago

Wins Her UFC Debut
Chris Duncan5 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC London
NASCAR5 days ago

Bubba Wallace Earns New Career-Best Finish At Homestead
Alex Bowman5 days ago

Falls Short Of Winning At Homestead
William Byron5 days ago

Has An Underwhelming Day At Homestead
Chris Buescher5 days ago

Earns A New Career-Best Finish At Homestead
Ryan Preece5 days ago

Scores His Second Consecutive Top-10 Finish Of 2025 At Homestead
Denny Hamlin6 days ago

Savvy Pit Strategy Helps Denny Hamlin Win Stage 2 At Homestead
Chase Briscoe6 days ago

Moves Above Playoff Cut Line With Fourth-Place Finish
Joey Logano6 days ago

Misses Top 10 Again After Pit-Road Spin
Tyler Reddick6 days ago

Underachieves But Still Finishes Eighth
Justin Haley6 days ago

Earns First Non-Drafting Oval Top-10 Finish For Spire Motorsports
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]


Bhaysul Tuten - NFL Draft Prospects, Rookie Rankings

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event. Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in […]


Rashid Shaheed - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Later-Career Breakout Candidates

Typically, most NFL players break out in the early parts of their careers. Between the ages of 20 and 25 is when you expect to see the majority of players have their first big season. Some waste no time and put together excellent years while they're rookies, while some need more time to develop. These […]


Davante Adams - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Free Agency Tracker - Updates On Every Free Agent Signing (2025)

HuThe NFL offseason is starting to heat up, and the league's legal tampering period is set to begin on March 10 at noon Eastern. Free agents cannot officially sign until the new league year begins on March 12 at 4 p.m. Eastern, but deals will be agreed to, and news will be coming in quickly […]


Marvin Mims Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued Draft Targets For Every AFC Team

Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. Much will change over the next several months, including the rest of free agency, the NFL Draft, and training camp. However, it’s never too early to look at potential sleeper candidates and undervalued draft targets for next season. Therefore, let’s look at […]


Kirk Cousins - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Worst NFL Contracts: Seven Overpaid, Overvalued Players For 2025

Free agency is in full swing, and teams are handing out big contracts left, right, and center. Myles Garrett became the highest-paid non-QB just a few weeks ago, and Ja'Marr Chase broke that record almost instantly! But big contracts aren't always a success; just ask these teams. These teams had high hopes when they spent […]


Tank Bigsby - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Dynasty Sleepers - Undervalued Running Backs For 2025

Getting ahead of the game is the name of the game in any game, especially if that game happens to be dynasty fantasy football and you want to find underrated running backs to add to your rosters. The shelf life for many RBs isn't very long in the NFL, so it's a position you want […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Outlooks For RBs On New Teams: Najee Harris, Javonte Williams, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason, Raheem Mostert, Elijah Mitchell, more

Free agency has fueled a massive wave of player movement that has transformed the fantasy landscape. This includes the results that have emerged after a collection of running backs garnered contracts that will launch them into new environments this season. These backs will be challenged to replicate the prolific numbers that were assembled by the […]


Ja'Marr Chase fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football WR Rankings Analysis – Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Malik Nabers

There's no question that Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, and New York Giants wideout Malik Nabers are all elite receivers with sky-high production potential for fantasy football. Lousiana State University is WRU, without a doubt. This trio, along with Brian Thomas Jr., proves it. While we won't be covering […]


Caleb Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Eight Best Ball Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is an evolving game. While dynasty is the most popular year-round form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are gaining ground. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft a million teams and not have to manage them during the season. It allows fantasy players to scratch the offseason […]