The Waiver Wire pickups from week 11 were pretty good with Mike Thomas, Danny Amendola and Mike Jenkins. When I look forward to week 12, it is time to get rid of the teams who are fading and start really focusing in on the teams that are playoff hunting down the stretch. Here are the Fantasy Football Waiver Wire pickups for week 12.
Waiver Wire: Mike Goodson, RB, Carolina Panthers- If this guy is not already picked up in your league, he is a must have for the rest of the season. My reason for this is because of the lack of offense everywhere else but with him; In his last two games, Goodson has rushed 45 times for 220 yards and has 8 catches for 44 yards- Now that is production finally from a Carolina running back this year. Next up on the schedule for Goodson are the Browns, Seahawks, Falcons and Cardinals; not exactly the worst schedule for a young guy with motivation.
Waiver Wire: Fred Jackson, RB, Buffalo Bills- In his last two games, Jackson has finished with 46 rushes, 249 yards and 3 TD’s; Like I said with Carolina, now that is production from a Buffalo Bills running back we have been waiting for all year. With C.J. Spiller down at the moment with multiple injuries, it looks like Fred Jackson is the man on a team that scores a ton of points each and every week. The only downside I see with him at the moment is his upcoming matchups with Pittsburgh and Minnesota [Vikings will be tough because they just fired Brad Childress and Leslie Frazier [Defensive Coordinator] will be new head coach… see Garrett, Jason for reference] coming up.
Waiver Wire: Nate Washington, WR, Tennessee Titans- When Randy Moss is your number one receiver, and player “X” is your number two or three guy, expect him to blow up and produce like he has not all season long. That is the formula so far for Nate Washington. In the week before Moss showed up, Washington had 4 catches for 117 yards a TD, then Moss came over from Minnesota and Washington has been the same type of receiver: 2 games- 8 catches- 143 yards- 1 TD. With Houston, Jacksonville and Indianapolis coming up on the schedule, expect Washington to continue his success. My only downside of Washington may be the Vince Young situation and injury that may lead to Rusty Smith being Jeff Fisher’s quarterback for the time being.
Waiver Wire: Keiland Williams, RB, Washington Redskins- Since coming off of the bye, Mike Shanahan has by passed the injured Ryan Torain and the injury prone Clinton Portis to give the running back job to Keiland Williams. In his last two games Williams has rushed 39 times for 157 yards and 3 TD’s; Shanahan is known for going with what is “hot” at the moment and since his days in Denver, Portis has always been in the “dog house”. I like the chances of Keiland Williams going forward with the stretch of the season, but with Minnesota, New York Giants and Tampa Bay coming up on the schedule do not expect absolute greatness.
Waiver Wire: Nate Burleson: Why is Nate Burleson only 18% owned? If you need a WR and he is on your waiver wire, go for it.
Waiver Wire: Must “Have’s” If Still Available-
Sidney Rice- After playing his first game of the season on Sunday and doing a relatively good job going for 3 catches and 56 yards [which by the way, led the team versus the Packers]. But, going forward with Washington and Buffalo coming up on the schedule and Brad Childress recently getting fired, Rice is going to produce whether it is Brett Favre or Tavaris Jackson behind center, Rice is a good option and should be picked up off of your waiver wire.
Vincent Jackson- He is eligible to return next week versus Indianapolis; with that being said, Phillip Rivers and the Chargers are a passing heavy team that is extremely efficient. He should fit right in when he comes back and should be picked up off your waiver wire if he is still on there. With injuries to Legedu Naanee and Antonio Gates recently, expect Jackson to be a “healthy” refresher to their receiving core.
Jon Kitna- Under Jason Garrett, Jon Kitna has been a totally different quarterback: 31 of 46, 474 yards, 7 TD and 1 INT. The schedule coming up is not easy at all [Saints, Colts, Eagles], but if you are in absolute need for a quarterback, he has turned the corner it seems.
Rusty Smith/Kerry Collins- With what looks to be Vince Young storming out the door in Tennessee, it opens up that door for two quarterbacks: Kerry Collins and Rusty Smith. Collins is still dealing with a serious calf injury that will most likely keep him out of week 12 at Houston. The only reason I am writing this waiver wire is the matchup this week versus the Texans [the worst passing defense in football by far], and with Rusty Smith most likely starting with Chris Johnson and Randy Moss on the field seems like a great situation for a desperate fantasy team with a need for a quarterback.
Some Fantasy Football Sleepers that keeper league or deep league players might consider:
Jimmy Graham caught five passes for 72 yards (also had a deep red zone target) in the Saints' Week 11 win over Seattle and had 3 for 49 with a TD in the previous week. If you're hurting for TE Jimmy Graham is a player on the rise.
Blair White caught five passes for 42 yards with two touchdowns in Sunday's loss to the Patriots. Yep you guessed it, Collie got hurt again and might be out next week.
Laurent Robinson has another high target game (11) but only caught five balls for 55 yards in the Week 11 loss to the Falcons. Deeper league guys looking for a gamble or early buy type guy, Laurent Robinson is a good gamble. Staying with the theme of deep league WR sleepers.. Louis Murphy is back in action and against lesser defenses will post good numbers.
