NFL fantasy football: Top QB, RB, WR and TE Week 12 waiver wire pickups

As crazy as the 2025 NFL season has been, the fantasy landscape has been even more unpredictable. Every week feels like a new experiment in roster triage.

There's no let-up as we round the corner to Week 12. The injury list grows ever longer, backup plans turn into breakout stories, and those cursed byes - after a slight reprieve last week - are back with a vengeance to test our bench depth.

At this point, one smart pickup can flip your season from desperate to dominant - and there's nothing sweeter than watching that waiver-wire steal go off live on DAZN with your NFL Game Pass subscription.

But there's no time to bask in former glories. So, as we head into Week 12, let's find the next under-the-radar fantasy gem before someone else does.

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QB

1. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
2. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
3. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
4. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
5. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

Burrow is rostered in most fantasy leagues, but it's worth listing him here for managers in formats where IR spots aren't available. He's inching closer to returning to the field.

If you ignored the suggestion to add Purdy last week, you’re about to spend a lot more of your free-agent budget fighting for him after that masterful three-touchdown showcase against the Cardinals.

Brissett isn't a world-beater, but after stealing the starting job from Kyler Murray, he's been a solid performer. Last week, he set a new record for the most completions in NFL history.

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Young just posted his best performance of the season in the Panthers' overtime win over the Falcons and could push on down the stretch.

And if you're in a deep league and none of the players above are available, Cousins almost certainly will be. He's about to step into the starting role now that Michael Penix has landed on IR.

RB

1. Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars
2. Chris Rodriguez, Washington Commanders
3. Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Ollie Gordon, Miami Dolphins
5. Emmanuel Wilson, Green Bay Packers

Tuten had far more carries against the Chargers than he had in the preceding weeks, and it wasn't simply garbage time usage. It's too early to declare the Jaguars have a split backfield, but we cannot afford to play the waiting game in leagues where Tuten is available.

In Week 11, Rodriguez had more carries than Jacory Croskey-Merritt and looked more explosive, outproducing his younger teammate by far.

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Tucker had almost twice as many carries as Rachaad White in the Buccaneers' Week 11 loss to Buffalo, and after recording 140 all-purpose yards, would have been Tampa's hero were it not for a six-touchdown masterclass from Bills' QB Josh Allen.

Bucky Irving's imminent return will spoil Tucker's value somewhat, but Irving has been held out far longer than initially anticipated, and it stands to reason that he will be eased back into the fold.

The Dolphins talked about getting Gordon more involved several weeks ago. That happened for a game or two before they seemed to reverse course, only to hand him nine carries - including his usual goal line work last weekend.

Wilson is an excellent insurance policy for Josh Jacobs' owners. With Jacobs nursing a knee injury, Wilson should be added in all but the shallowest of leagues.

WR

1. Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
2. Jayden Higgins, Houston Texans
3. Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
4. Mack Hollins, New England Patriots
5. Andrei Iosivas, Cincinnati Bengals

By now, we assume Alec Pierce has been picked up in all leagues. If not, get him ahead of everyone on this list.

Otherwise, Wilson should be a popular waiver target after leading all wideouts with 15 catches and 185 yards. Don't expect a repeat performance, but he seems likely to remain more involved than he was, even after Marvin Harrison returns to the field.

Higgins has earned seven targets in back-to-back games and produced two of the best stat lines of his young career. He's still a better target for dynasty managers than in redraft, but with bye weeks still depriving us of our top wideouts, he could serve as a low-end fantasy WR3 or high-end WR4.

Watson makes another appearance on this list because he's producing solid numbers and is still rostered in too few leagues.

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Hollins hasn't scored a touchdown for seven games, but he should be added in most formats after recording at least 64 yards in three of the last four games.

Ja'Marr Chase has been suspended for one game. Tee Higgins will almost certainly inherit most of the targets vacated by Chase, but Iosivas should see a bigger role in Week 12.

TE

1. A.J. Barner, Seattle Seahawks
2. Noah Fant, Cincinnati Bengals
3. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Theo Johnson, New York Giants
5. Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills

This list assumes that players such as Dalton Schultz, Colston Loveland, and Harold Fannin are long gone. If not, prioritise them above the players mentioned here.

Hello, Barner! The 23-year-old has been inconsistent from week to week, but just produced a ten-catch, 70-yard performance against the Rams. Moreover, Elijah Arroyo's role has faded.

Like Iosivas in our WR list, Fant should see more work in the absence of Chase. Most weeks, he's not worth rostering in shallow leagues, but he can serve as a Week 12 bye replacement.

Otton has featured here previously and makes the list once again. Your league mates may have dropped him after producing his lowest output since the end of September, but he remains a nice bye-week replacement.

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What Johnson has lacked in receiving yards, he's made up for in touchdowns. Dynasty managers should prioritise him above all but Otton on this list.

We listed Knox last week, pointing out that he could see a heavier workload with Dalton Kincaid out. That proved true, but the results were nothing impressive.

But with a quick turnaround between Week 11 and the Bills' Thursday Night Football game this week, and with Kincaid not practicing on Monday, Knox remains a low-end waiver target at tight end.