Fantasy Football Week 12 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers to Grab on Waiver Wire
At this point in the NFL season, perhaps your fantasy team has been beset with injuries. Or you're trying to navigate an ill-timed bye week against your league's top dog. Or perhaps you're just unhappy with the matchups your players are staring down this week and want to mix things up.
No matter the reason, if you're looking to reshape your bench this week and your league opponents have already submitted waivers for the more obvious names, we have what you need: a list of deep sleepers who are poised to have productive outings in Week 12.
Let's take a closer look at three such players, a wideout and two running backs.
For our purposes, for players to be considered "deep" sleepers, they must be rostered in less than 30 percent of leagues.
Rostered percentages and fantasy scoring via Fantasy Pros.
Elijah Moore, WR, New York Jets
Rostered: 25 percent
Elijah Moore may have wanted out of New York a few weeks ago, but now may be the time to buy low on him.
In the first few weeks of the season, with Joe Flacco starting at quarterback for the Jets, Moore was on the field often, leading all team wideouts in snaps played (per FantasySP). Once Zach Wilson returned and the offense began the roller-coaster ride that has become the rest of the season to date, Moore's snap count and target share fell off.
After an offensive fiasco last week against the New England Patriots and questions emerging regarding Wilson's status among his teammates, the QB was benched for Week 12, with Mike White set to start against the Chicago Bears.
The Bears rank in the middle of the league in passing yards allowed and are ninth in points allowed to receivers, per the Football Database. Although it might not be the best matchup, if you're looking for a wide receiver to provide your team with a spark this week, Moore is due for an uptick in production with a new signal caller under center.
Latavius Murray, RB, Denver Broncos
Rostered: 27 percent
Just when you thought Latavius Murray was out of your fantasy football life, he found a way to come running back in.
While it can be agonizing to watch this Denver Broncos team on offense, the one thing you should be looking for in a fantasy back is opportunities. And Murray is going to have those.
Murray only amassed 49 yards on 17 attempts last week (though he did have a rushing touchdown while adding four receptions for 23 yards), but he has been backing up Melvin Gordon. And with Gordon's ouster from Denver this week, Murray should take over the role of lead back given Chase Edmonds' struggles.
If that isn't enough of a selling point, Murray's matchup this week is enticing: the Carolina Panthers have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs this year, per the Football Database.
If Murray is still available in your league, he would be a good pickup, not just for this week but for the rest of the year.
Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Rostered: 27 percent
It's hard to find anything to like right now about the Rams' anemic offense, but if you're hurting for a streamer in Week 12 or looking to the rest of the year, Kyren Williams could be an interesting name to watch.
The Rams and head coach Sean McVay have historically loved to air it out, and McVay has been searching for years for a back who can contribute in both the running and passing game. Earlier in the season, rumor had it that Williams showed flashes during offseason practices, but injuries limited him until Week 10, when he saw his first game action against the Arizona Cardinals.
His target share increased last week, and he looked like the Rams' clear-cut RB2. That was solidified this week when the Rams released Darrell Henderson, clearing the way for Williams' target share to increase moving forward.
Cam Akers is the RB on the depth chart with more experience, but given his reported differences with the team earlier this season, it's hard to know where Akers stands with McVay and within the offense.
The Kansas City Chiefs, L.A.'s Week 12 opponent, are middle of the pack this year in terms of points allowed to RBs, per the Football Database. With quarterback Matthew Stafford and wideout Cooper Kupp injured, look for the Rams to increase their percentage of running plays to keep the high-powered Kansas City offense off the field as much as possible.
With that game plan, Williams might be the biggest beneficiary of all.