Fantasy Football 2025 Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.
Immediately Useful
Alec Pierce, WR, Colts (48% Rostered): Pierce’s case is unchanged from last week, as the Colts were on a bye so he had no opportunity to do anything. There is still risk involved in playing a guy like Pierce whose production largely comes from deep shots. However, Pierce is operating in the league’s best offense this season, his target share has been steady, and we have seen his role expand this year from being a deep shot-only play, to someone who does some other things. The Colts still have a lot of high-level skill players in the mix, so down games are to be expected, but Pierce is absolutely beyond the pure dart throw level of players where he previously resided.
Colston Loveland, TE, Bears (48% Rostered): Loveland has the highest ceiling of the widely available TEs on the wire, but his production since his breakout two weeks ago has been that of a generally useful, but unexceptional player. A.k.a., he’s a tight end. Loveland’s got a lot of talent, but the Bears offense is inconsistent, and their QB can’t support a ton of options all the time. Due to that, Loveland is just another decent option, albeit one who can finish TE1 in any given week.
Michael Wilson, WR, Cardinals (47% Rostered): Wilson has long been a talent who has been underused by the Cardinals, and when an appendectomy forced Marvin Harrison Jr. out of action, they had no choice but to actually feed Wilson. He rewarded the Cards with a monstrous 15-catch, 185-yard performance that put everyone on notice that there’s a real dude on this roster. He’s an exciting play as long as Harrison is out, but be careful about emptying the FAAB truck, because he can easily fade into the background again upon Harrison’s return. The talent has always been there, but this is his first game with more than four receptions, meaning he nearly quadrupled his season-high reception total. If you’re in dire need of a W, you can take a shot with a big bid.
Parker Washington, WR, Jaguars (47% Rostered): The ground game was dominant for the Jaguars in this beatdown of the Chargers, and it was the second straight game in which Washington caught three or fewer passes. With Brian Thomas Jr.’s return looming, and Jakobi Meyers coming in with a similar skill set, it’s possible that Washington is pushed aside. On the other hand, Washington is expected to remain the Jacksonville slot receiver even with Meyers around, so he’s at worst a hold. I’m sitting Washington if I can, but many may not have that luxury.
Juwan Johnson, TE, Saints (46% Rostered): Johnson was on bye this week, so like Pierce, the case for him hasn’t changed. He’s a central piece of a bad passing game, and that means he has locked in opportunity and an established floor. If you don’t have a top TE, that ain’t nothing. Johnson is not a league-winner, but he can stabilize a very volatile position, and for some rosters that’s all that’s needed. If you have heavy hitters on your squad, and a hole at TE, Johnson makes more sense than Loveland for instance, even if Johnson’s not going to get you hype.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Browns (40% Rostered): Fannin is a similar play to Johnson, in that he’s a talented guy in a bad passing offense who has established a floor of opportunity. Cleveland lost QB Dillon Gabriel to a concussion last week, so it may be Shedeur Sanders under center in Week 12, and moving forward. There’s no way to know if that is an upgrade or downgrade on Gabriel, but regardless Fannin is arguably the best pass-catching option on the team so he’s playable no matter what.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Titans (38% Rostered): Spears is such a talented and explosive RB, but he’s held back significantly by the Titans’ dead offense. He is officially the preferred Titans RB to me because of his passing game contributions, which have become steady, but he’s reliant on long touchdowns for fantasy impact, and that just hasn’t happened nearly enough. Spears is solid FLEX depth to get you through bye weeks, but he’s on the borderline of long-term injury replacements. There’s simply not enough points being scored by Tennessee.
Jacoby Brissett, QB, Cardinals (34% Rostered): Brissett is one of the most unlikely fantasy relevant QBs we’ve had in some time, but he’s undeniable right now. He has walked into this offense and unlocked the value of throwing to his best players. It’s a sight to behold. Since taking over, he’s thrown two touchdowns in each of his five games, eclipsing 250 yards in every game and throwing for an absolutely ridiculous 452 yards on Sunday. He’s outperforming a ton of big name QBs, and while the fear of the bottom falling out is justifiable, any roster with an injured or disappointing QB needs to pay attention.
Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Steelers (32% Rostered): Gainwell clearly is playable when he has the lead role to himself in the Steelers offense, but this time managers need to be careful. He’s been able to find the end zone when given all the touches, but this offense has slowed significantly and now may be without Aaron Rodgers running the show. Sometimes teams are hurting so bad that there’s no choice but to scoop up players with volume and play, but this week’s waiver wire has some interesting RB options I prefer to Gainwell.
Speculative/Deep Cuts
Sean Tucker, RB, Buccaneers (27% Rostered): Tucker has arrived, and has officially supplanted Rachaad White as the primary rusher. Both Tucker and White are likely to be shunted to the side whenever Bucky Irving returns, but for now Tucker has to be the preferred Bucs back since he’s on the field near the goal line. White’s role is still useful for as long as Irving is out, but Tucker is now the better bet for touchdowns and that is fantasy’s most valuable currency. This Week 11 explosion was great, but manager should also realize this isn’t the norm either. Be wary of Tucker, who saw extreme touchdown fortune here, and could disappear with a Bucky return, but in the here and now he’s probably my No. 2 priority on waivers.
Bam Knight, RB, Cardinals (17% Rostered): Knight is back atop the RB depth chart in Arizona until Trey Benson is ready to go now that Emari Demercado is banged up, and he can be useful. He scored a TD on Sunday in Arizona’s loss to the 49ers, but he still only managed 45 total yards from scrimmage. Many of us are suffering through injury woes, so we’ll take the volume, but I wouldn’t treat him as a major addition.
Kaleb Johnson, RB, Steelers (15% Rostered): Johnson saw five carries against the Bengals in light of Jaylen Warren’s injury, and while Gainwell has earned the benefit of the doubt as the leader of the backfield until Warren’s ready to play, we know that rookie RBs often gain traction later in the year. Johnson entered the league as a perfect scheme fit for Arthur Smith’s running game, and Gainwell is hardly a proven workhorse lead back. Johnson could pop with increased opportunity, and he will cost nothing to add right now.
Chris Rodriguez, RB, Commanders (12% Rostered): Rodriguez cemented himself as the primary downs back for a Washington offense that’s certainly watered down without Jayden Daniels. Rodriguez is the best bet for RB touchdowns right now, and he ran efficiently in a plus matchup against Miami. Washington is still working in Bill Croskey, and Jeremy McNichols has a hold on passing downs, so Rodriguez is a bit capped. But he’s definitely a FLEX play right now, and he could be a low-end RB2 if his role stays like this and Daniels comes back.
Cedric Tillman, WR, Browns (10% Rostered): Tillman is the best receiver on the team for my money, and bringing in Sanders to replace Gabriel could mean good things for the receivers if he’s willing to take more chances. Tillman is a pure stash for now, but Cleveland’s remaining slate is extremely WR-friendly; it’s at Las Vegas, vs. San Francisco, vs. Tennessee, at Chicago, vs. Buffalo and vs. Pittsburgh. If he strings together some decent performances, he can end the year as a FLEX play.
Emanuel Wilson, RB, Packers (8% Rostered): Wilson is my primary add if Josh Jacobs is going to miss real time with a knee injury suffered on Sunday. Wilson doesn’t have gaudy stats to point to, largely because Jacobs has been the dominant force of the Green Bay Packers, but Wilson is a big time talent himself who routinely looks effective when given chances. He notched 40 yards and a touchdown in relief of Jacobs vs. the Giants on Sunday, and if he’s the starter for a while he’s got real RB2 upside.
Michael Carter, RB, Cardinals (3% Rostered): Carter drew seven targets on Sunday, and is obviously the passing downs guy with Demercado out. That role isn’t necessarily a big time one, but Arizona’s been putting up points, and any RB with bankable volume is worth a look.
IR Stashes
Jayden Reed, WR, Packers (35% Rostered)
Handcuffs
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (45% Rostered)
Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jaguars (30% Rostered)
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, 49ers (28% Rostered)
Tank Bigsby, RB, Eagles (21% Rostered)
Devin Singletary, RB, Giants (21% Rostered)
Blake Corum, RB, Rams (17% Rostered)
Ray Davis, RB, Bills (8% Rostered)
Isaiah Davis, RB, Jets (6% Rostered)
Jaydon Blue, RB, Cowboys (6% Rostered)
Devin Neal, RB, Saints (2% Rostered)