With the Thanksgiving holiday and the penultimate week of the fantasy football regular season upon us, it’s important to give thanks that we have made it this far through this uncertain and unprecedented year for the NFL.
There are no teams on bye this week, but be cognizant that the Lions vs. Texans, Cowboys vs. Washington and Steelers vs. Ravens games will all be played on Thanksgiving day. Fantasy managers may also need to fill potential injury voids left by Joe Burrow, Julio Jones or JuJu Smith Smith-Schuster.
Below you will find players at each position who are all rostered in fewer than 50% of leagues that are worth targeting on the waiver wire.
Players are ranked by roster percentage on Yahoo and all fantasy points are calculated in half PPR scoring.
Top Week 12 quarterback targets
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints (43% rostered)
Hill far exceeded expectations in Week 11 after the Saints shockingly tapped him for the start against the Falcons ahead of Jameis Winston with Drew Brees sidelined. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 233 yards and had ten carries for 52 yards and two touchdowns, good enough to finish as QB3 for the week. He is surrounded by elite offensive weapons in Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, which instantly boosts his value. Keep in mind moving forward, Hill will no longer be tight end-eligible in ESPN leagues, so hopefully you were able to capitalize on that one-week gift from the fantasy gods.
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders (37%)
Carr is a solid streaming option for the second week in a row after an impressive Week 11 performance against the Chiefs. He completed 23 of 31 attempts for 275 yards, three touchdowns and one interception and finished as QB7. The Raiders face the hapless Falcons this week, which should vault Carr into QB1 consideration.
Other names to consider
The Cowboys’ offense showed their first signs of life in weeks with the return of Andy Dalton (DAL, 10%), who had a strong performance in his return with from the concussion protocol and COVID-19; Alex Smith (WAS, 10%) is worth considering as a deep league streamer with Dallas, who is 32nd in the NFL in points allowed, on deck.
Top Week 12 running back targets
James White, New England Patriots (40% rostered)
White moves up the rankings this week after Rex Burkhead suffered a torn ACL in Week 11. He saw five carries for 19 yards, but is far more involved in the passing game and caught six of nine targets for 64 yards. Sony Michel was activated from injured reserve this week, but White should still see an uptick in touches with Burkhead out for the year. He is a top waiver target this week with the Cardinals on deck.
Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams (32%)
The Rams’ running back roulette wheel stopped on Akers this week, who saw five carries for 15 yards and caught a four-yard touchdown pass. Malcolm Brown saw four touches for 28 scrimmage yards, and Darrell Henderson saw ten touches for nine scrimmage yards. It’s been a frustrating committee for fantasy all year, but Akers still holds some value in a rough RB landscape this week against the 49ers, whose defense has been decimated by injuries.
Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens (29%)
Rookie J.K. Dobbins dominated touches for Baltimore in Sunday’s loss to the Titans with 15 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown, as well as a pair of catches for 15 yards. Edwards saw three carries for six yards while Mark Ingram saw two carries for two yards, which would suggest Dobbins is finally in command of the Ravens’ backfield. That said, both Dobbins and Ingram were placed on the COVID-19/reserve list on Monday after testing positive for the coronavirus. Edwards was spared and will be a top add going into Week 12, as he would be the presumed feature back in the Ravens’ run-heavy offense if Dobbins’ and Ingram’s test results are true positives.
Baltimore Ravens running back Gus Edwards, San Francisco 49ers tight end Jordan ReedGetty ImagesFrank Gore, New York Jets (10%)
Gore out-touched rookie La’Mical Perine on Sunday and saw 15 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown. The 37-year-old veteran also reeled in two rare catches for ten yards. His usage has been strong this year, and will increase significantly with Perine suffering a high-ankle sprain during the second half of the game. The only other running back on the Jets’ depth chart is Ty Johnson.
Other names to consider
Oft-injured Chris Carson (foot) is expected back for the Seahawks in Week 12 against the Eagles, but keep an eye on the situation, as Carlos Hyde (SEA, 46%) would be an extremely valuable asset to roster after a strong showing against the Cardinals on Thursday night; Tony Pollard (DAL, 19%) and Alexander Mattison (MIN, 33%) are valuable handcuffs to roster, regardless of whether or not you have Ezekiel Elliott or Dalvin Cook.
Top Week 12 wide receiver targets
Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts (44% rostered)
Pittman saw just three targets from Philip Rivers in Sunday’s upset over the Packers, but certainly made the most of them. He caught all three for 66 yards, including a clutch 45-yard touchdown. He should see an increased target share moving forward and has a favorable Week 12 matchup against the Titans, against whom he caught seven of eight for 101 yards in Week 10.
Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos (21%)
Patrick led the Broncos in receiving and tied Jerry Jeudy in targets in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins. He caught five of eight targets for 119 yards, which is his third 100-yard game this season. Patrick’s healthy target share and chemistry with quarterback Drew Lock make him an intriguing waiver wire target this week against the Saints, which should favor the passing game.
Nelson Agholor, Las Vegas Raiders (20%)
Agholor caught six of nine targets for 88 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders’ Week 11 shootout against the Chiefs. He has distinguished himself above Hunter Renfrow (2-2-37-0), 2020 first-rounder Henry Ruggs III (1-1-5-0) and Bryan Edwards (1-1-1-0) as a top target for signal-caller Derek Carr. Agholor has a favorable Week 12 matchup on deck as the Raiders square off against the Falcons, who are abysmal against the pass.
Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons (7%)
Gage saw a team-high 12 targets in Sunday’s loss to the Saints and reeled in seven passes for 58 yards. He could see an uptick in targets in Atlanta’s pass-happy offense if star wideout Julio Jones misses time after re-aggravating his lingering hamstring injury, which has hampered his production all year. Gage also has a favorable matchup in Week 12 against the Raiders defense, who are allowing the 26th-most points per game in the NFL (27.6).
Other names to consider
Josh Reynolds (LAR, 13%) cooled off a bit in Week 11 and was out-targeted by Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, but he remains a major factor in the Rams’ offense; Denzel Mims (NYJ, 5%) and Breshad Perriman (NYJ, 11%) are worth a look in deeper leagues as both saw more targets against the Chargers than Jamison Crowder; Sterling Shepard (NYG, 45%) returns from the Giants’ bye and gets a juicy matchup against the Bengals this week; Allen Lazard (GB, 42%) struggled in his return from core muscle surgery, recording just two catches for 18 yards, but should see better days ahead as the Packers’ No. 2 receiver; None of the Eagles’ receivers posted great stat lines in Sunday’s loss, but rookie Jalen Reagor (PHI, 28%) should see more opportunities in Week 12 against the Seahawks’ 28th-ranked defense.
Top Week 12 tight end targets
Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys (21% rostered)
Schultz finished as a top-12 tight end in Week 11 and caught four of six targets for 25 yards and a touchdown. The Cowboys look much spryer with Dalton back at the helm, which should help all the pass catchers, including Schultz.
Jordan Reed, San Francisco 49ers (16%)
Reed will be fresh off the 49ers’ Week 11 bye and will be the team’s TE1 with George Kittle (foot) on injured reserve. The talented — albeit oft-injured — veteran is a worthwhile streamer in 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s system, which has suffered numerous injuries this season and favors tight ends.
Other names to consider
Robert Tonyan (GB, 46%) scored his sixth touchdown of the year in Week 11 and is always a threat in the Packers’ offense; Trey Burton (IND, 17%) scored last week and gets the Titans in Week 12, but he’s limited by the crowded TE room for the Colts.





