As the fantasy football postseason approaches, players around the NFL are going down with injuries and making it tougher to rely on anyone.
From Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. to Packers RB Josh Jacobs and several others in between, Week 11 was trying. The war of attrition is setting in down the stretch, making every roster decision and depth piece become even more important. How fantasy managers handle their lineups is critical.
With that said, league owners do have plenty of options on the Week 12 fantasy football waiver wire. Use PrizePicks NFL to make picks on player projections and more.
Week 12 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups by Position
Here are some Week 12 fantasy football waiver wire targets at QB, RB, WR, and TE.
(Fantasy rankings and 2025 point totals are courtesy of FantasyPros.)
Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett (vs. Jaguars)
Jacoby Brissett has thrown at least 40 passes in three of his five starts this season. That includes a whopping 57 tries in Week 11’s 41-22 loss to the 49ers, which saw him break the single-game completions record with 47.
Since taking over in Week 6 for the injured Kyler Murray, Brissett has thrown for 1,570 yards and 10 TDs. He’s QB8 in that span, despite notching all of 80 rushing yards.
In Week 12, Brissett faces a Jaguars defense that’s yielded the seventh-most fantasy points (193.9) to opposing QBs.
Other Week 12 QB Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Falcons QB Kirk Cousins (@ Saints): With Penix believed to have damage to his ACL, his season appears to be over. That means Cousins, all 37 years of him, will get another chance to showcase what he has left in the tank. He started in Week 8 for Atlanta, throwing for 173 yards and placing as QB23. Can the four-time Pro Bowler redeem himself?
- Panthers QB Bryce Young (@ 49ers): After a stretch of three games in which he averaged 121.3 passing yards with more INTs than TDs, Young exploded for 448 yards and 3 scores in Week 11. The weekend’s QB2 now takes on a 49ers defense that’s allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to signal-callers (208.1) in 2025.
Packers RB Emanuel Wilson (vs. Vikings)
Jacobs’ knee injury is currently being described as a contusion. If it holds him out of Sunday’s contest against Minnesota, that makes Emanuel Wilson a key potential add in fantasy land.
In Week 11, Wilson received 71% of available snaps and produced 50 yards on 12 touches with a TD. The third-year man was RB17 for the week. His Week 12 foe, the Vikings, have allowed more rushing yards to RBs (1,044) than all but nine clubs.
Wilson closed the 2024 campaign with three consecutive games with a TD. On just 72 snaps, he placed as RB10 in Weeks 16-18. He’s worth monitoring, in addition to Jacobs’ practice status this week.
Other Week 12 RB Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Buccaneers RB Sean Tucker (@ Rams): RB Bucky Irving was a limited participant in Week 11 practices. It remains to be seen whether he’ll suit up in Week 12. If he can’t — heck, potentially even if he can — Tucker seems to be turning heads in Tampa Bay. On 21 Sunday touches, he racked up 140 yards and 3 TDs. L.A.’s defense is stingy, however, ranking third in lowest per-game fantasy production to RBs (12.4 points).
- Steelers RB Kenneth Gainwell (@ Bears): Reports of Gainwell’s demise may have been premature. After logging 38 yards in Weeks 9 and 10 combined, he went off for 105 and a pair of TDs in Week 11. It marked the second 2-TD game of his season. Keep an eye on how fellow Pittsburgh RB Jaylen Warren recovers from his ankle injury. Should it linger, Gainwell is an intriguing option.
Cardinals WR Michael Wilson (vs. Jaguars)
With star WR Marvin Harrison Jr. out due to an appendectomy, Michael Wilson turned in the game of his life on Sunday. Hauling in 15 passes on 18 targets for 185 yards, he finished as WR3 for Week 11.
Dating back to Week 4, Wilson has been targeted at least 4 times in each contest. His snap share in that stretch is 81.4%. Since Week 6, he’s recorded 3 or more receptions every week.
Although the Jaguars’ defense ranks 11th in EPA/pass, per SumerSports, they’ve been targeted the 10th-most to WRs. If Harrison is slow in his ongoing ramp-up, consider Wilson.
Other Week 12 WR Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Packers WR Christian Watson (vs. Vikings): Watson has 4+ targets in each of his four games this season. He has 4+ receptions in half of them, and he found the end zone twice on Sunday for his first two scores of 2025. Per Fantasy Points Data, his 19.2% target share and 33.3% first-read share both led the team. Maybe the only thing that can slow him down is the Vikings’ fourth-ranked fantasy defense vs. WRs (175.7 points).
- Colts WR Alec Pierce (@ Chiefs): Despite coming off a bye, Pierce once again finds his name listed here. The former second-round pick has 35 targets, 17 receptions and 366 yards in his last four games. He also finally scored a TD in Week 10’s 31-25 win over the Falcons. Kansas City’s WR fantasy defense is quite stingy (second-fewest points surrendered), but Pierce remains too good of a proposition to pass on.
Saints TE Juwan Johnson (vs. Falcons)
Another Week 11 bye player, Juwan Johnson was turning it on for the Saints prior to their Week off. In Weeks 7-10, the 29-year-old hauled in 17 passes on 23 targets for 255 yards and 2 TDs.
Ranking as TE4 in that span, it’s hard to disagree with the results. Johnson’s rapport with rookie QB Tyler Shough is something to take into account, too.
This may be more of a play for beyond Week 12, as Atlanta’s defense has given up fewer fantasy points to TEs (45.9) than all but the Eagles and Bills (35.2 each).
Other Week 12 TE Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Texans TE Dalton Schultz (vs. Bills): Schultz had a near-silent Week 8, going for 2 receptions and 24 yards. Since then, he’s TE7 while ranking second in targets (28) and fifth in yards (181). He also scored a TD in Week 10’s 36-29 win over the Jaguars — his first of 2025. The veteran TE may be heating up at the right time.
- Bears TE Colston Loveland (vs. Steelers): Now that Cole Kmet is back and rolling, we may never see Loveland replicate his 6-catch, 118-yard, 2-TD Week 9 performance. Still, he’s gone for 4 targets in each of his last two games. He played 75% of available snaps in Week 11’s 19-17 win over Minnesota, suggesting he’ll remain a focal point. On Sunday, he faces a Steelers defense that ranks eighth in most fantasy points yielded to TEs (168.3).
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