Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for Week 12 (2023)

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Welcome to our twelfth Waiver Wire article at Fantasy In Frames for the 2023 fantasy football season!

For most leagues, the fantasy football playoffs are only about three weeks away. It’s time to start adding those final pieces to your championship roster or possibly some final trade pieces if your trade deadline has yet to arrive. Week 11 brought us even more injuries, and as unfortunate as it is, we have to react to them and find out which players we need to prioritize each week. If you have any questions after reading my article, feel free to hit me up on X @Drew3MR. Good luck, and thank you for checking out the article!

1. Baker Mayfield

• It feels like Baker Mayfield has lived in this article this year, being good enough to stream, but not quite good enough for people to hold onto in 1QB leagues. He’s the QB15 on the year and has been a top 12 QB in 4 out of the last 5 weeks. Maybe we should hold onto him? 
• Now in Week 12, Baker Mayfield gets a matchup against the Indianapolis Colts defense that has been the 6th best matchup for fantasy QBs based on scheduled adjusted fantasy points given up to the position. Once we get past Week 12, he does have tough matchups in Weeks 13 and 15 that you would want to have another option at QB, but he has plus matchups in Weeks 14 and 16 that you could feel good starting him in as well. 

2. Jordan Love
   • Don’t look now, but Jordan Love is currently the QB11 on the year, has put up back-to-back top-12 QB performances, and has had 40+ passing attempts in three out of the last four games. 
   • He should need to throw plenty to keep up with the Detroit Lions offense in Week 12 as well, and that’s a great thing whenever you consider the matchup. The Lions have been the 7th best matchup for fantasy QBs based on schedule-adjusted fantasy points given up to the position. 
3. Derek Carr
   • This is one you’ll have to monitor because Derek Carr is still in the concussion protocol coming out of the Saints bye week. Although, if Derek Carr misses, I would also be comfortable starting Jameis Winston as well. 
   • Regardless of who ends up playing QB for the Saints, in Week 12, they get to play an Atlanta Falcons defense that’s been the 4th best matchup for fantasy QBs based on schedule-adjusted fantasy points given up to the position. As an added bonus, he could be a multi-week option for you with another favorable matchup in Week 13 against the Detroit Lions.

1. Zach Charbonnet

• I’m kind of cheating here with Charbonnet being rostered in over 50% of leagues, but with it being this close, I can’t leave him off the list. He had already out-snapped Kenneth Walker in three straight games leading up to Week 11, and now Walker could miss time with an oblique strain. 
• The only downside to this pick-up is that the upcoming schedule for the Seahawks is brutal. Over the next five weeks, the Seahawks have two matchups against the 49ers, as well as games against the Cowboys, Eagles, and Titans, all of which are top-15 run defenses. However, with the talent of Charbonnet combined with the potential bellcow role if Walker misses time, you have to pick him up. 

2. Ty Chandler

• If you listened to 4th and Frames this week, you heard Rhett tell you why you should have started Ty Chandler in Week 11. Now, with a top-20 RB week under his belt, if he’s still out on your waiver wire, you need to pick him up. 
• Despite Alexander Mattison being active and getting eight more rushing attempts than Ty Chandler, Chandler was the more efficient player, both on the ground and as a receiver. With Mattison being inefficient all year, there’s an opportunity for Chandler’s role to grow as the season goes on. The Vikings have the 9th easiest strength of schedule for fantasy RBs for the remainder of the season, so this could be a valuable role up for grabs. 

3. Roschon Johnson

• D’Onta Foreman left the Bears’ Week 11 matchup with an ankle injury, and Roschon Johnson immediately stepped into the Bears backup RB role. Khalil Herbert made his return from IR and took back the starting job, but he was very inefficient in his return. 
• With Foreman’s injury and Herbert’s inefficiency, there’s potential for the rookie RB to earn a bigger role as the season goes on. The Bears have a brutal schedule for fantasy RBs in the near future, but if he’s able to get a bump coming out of the Bears late Week 13 bye, he has a juicy matchup in Week 16 against the Arizona Cardinals. Roschon Johnson is a solid bench stash if you have the space.

1. Jayden Reed

• I hope you listened to Jorge whenever he told you to pick up Jayden Reed in last week’s waiver wire article. If you didn’t, now is the time to do so. He’s now put together back-to-back top 12 WR weeks and even got involved on the ground this week with three rushing attempts for 46 yards and a TD on a nice designed end around in the 2nd quarter. 
• I already talked about Jordan Love and his great matchup for Week 12, and Jayden Reed is no different. The Detroit Lions are the 10th-best matchup for fantasy WRs based on schedule-adjusted fantasy points, and this game has the potential to be a shootout. 
• The Packers do have a tough matchup in Week 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs, but after that, Jayden Reed gets two more plus matchups against the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Weeks 14 and 15 and a juicy matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in championship week as well. 

2. Odell Beckham Jr.

• The unfortunate but necessary part of fantasy football is discussing the players who could see an increased role due to an injury. Odell Beckham Jr. is one of those players. With Lamar Jackson’s favorite target, Mark Andrews out for the rest of the season, OBJ is someone who should be added. 
• He’s already had at least seven targets in 3 out of the last five games and just put together his highest yardage total in Week 11 with 116 yards on an extremely impressive 17 yards per target. 
• Not only could we see his role increase, but the schedule in front of him is a pretty one. The Baltimore Ravens have the 4th easiest strength of schedule for fantasy WRs for the remainder of the year, so if the YAC ability OBJ showed in Week 12 wasn’t a one-week thing, he could be in for a strong stretch to end the season. 

3. Rondale Moore

• Kyler Murray is back, and Rondale Moore’s big play ability is right back with him. Moore had eight targets in Kyler’s return in Week 10, and while he only had one target in Week 11, it was a 48-yard house call. There’s no doubt he’s a boom-or-bust option, but with Kyler back, he could bring considerable upside to your fantasy lineup. 
• Kyler Murray being back isn’t the only thing Rondale Moore has going for him either. The Arizona Cardinals have the 5th easiest strength of schedule for fantasy WRs for the remainder of the year. There should be plenty more opportunities for Moore to cash in on his big play ability.

1. Isaiah Likely

• Similar to Odell Beckham Jr., Isaiah Likely is another player that stands to benefit from the injury to Mark Andrews. Whenever Mark Andrews missed Weeks 8-9 last year, Likely immediately stepped in with two top 12 TE weeks, and he has the opportunity to do that once again this year. 
• The Ravens’ next two games are against the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, both of whom are bottom five defenses against the TE position. 

2. Luke Musgrave

• I already talked about the insane passing volume we’ve seen from Jordan Love over the last few weeks, and Musgrave has been one of the beneficiaries of that. He had 6 targets for the first time since Week 5, and was just missed on what could have been a huge gain in the 3rd quarter of their Week 11 matchup. 
• The Packers could find themselves in a potential shootout against the Detroit Lions in Week 12, so Musgrave could be a solid streaming option against a Lions defense that’s been middle of the pack against fantasy TEs. 

3. Cade Otton

• While there hasn’t been much upside, Cade Otton has been a steady option at the TE position, with 5+ targets in 4 out of the last five weeks. He’s played 90%+ snaps in every game this season and is always a candidate to find the end zone with his full-time role. 
• In Week 12, he gets the Indianapolis Colts defense, who have been in the bottom half of the league when it comes to covering fantasy TEs.

1. Denver Broncos

• If you had told me after the first month of the season that I would be recommending starting the Denver Broncos defense in Week 12, I would have called you crazy. However, these aren’t the same Broncos. The run defense still isn’t great, but they’ve been the 2nd toughest matchup against fantasy QBs and the 3rd toughest matchup for fantasy WRs over the last six weeks. 
• Coming off of three straight weeks of giving you 10+ fantasy points, now they get to go up against a Cleveland Browns offense with rookie QB Dorian-Thompson-Robinson making his 3rd career start. 

2. Minnesota Vikings

• Week 11 marked the first week since Week 5 against the Chiefs that the Vikings’ defense failed to register a turnover and score at least six fantasy points. 
• This week, they get to a matchup against the Chicago Bears, who, despite looking better with Justin Fields back, have still been the 2nd best offense to start your D/ST against on the season. 

3. New York Giants

• I know this is gross. They’re the #21 defense on the year, but they’re coming off of a performance against the Washington Commanders where we saw them come away with four sacks, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions, and a TD. 
• While I’m not expecting a repeat performance of that magnitude, I am expecting a low-scoring game against a Patriots offense that’s been the 5th best option for you to start your D/ST against on the season.