Week 12 of the 2017 regular season is just about coming to a close with the Monday Night Football game remaining. Most fantasy football leagues will run their waiver wires late Tuesday or early Wednesday, but we are here to help you get a jump on the best options to consider.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
We will be ranking the top five players likely to be available in your league at each of the four major positions. Some weeks there might not be five good options available, but we’ll scour for the best we can find. Additionally, throughout the week, we will update each of these articles as ownership percentages change and news arrives. The following ownership percentages come via CBS Sportsline entering Week 13.
Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers (59 percent ownership)
Ekeler refuses to go away, and his ownership suggests people still aren’t buying into this Woodhead 2.0 situation in Los Angeles. But if you’re a Melvin Gordon owner, you need to have Ekeler as your handcuff. And if any of the Chargers’ top receivers were to go down, Ekeler’s usage would probably increase. He’s a great insurance policy come playoff weeks.
Rod Smith, Dallas Cowboys (25)
It’s a hot mess in Dallas until Ezekiel Ellitot gets back, and for the real-world playoff scenario, it might already be too late. But for fantasy, Elliott’s absence has allowed Smith to emerge as an emergency fill-in capable of scoring in double digits if he finds the end zone. If the Cowboys fall completely out of it in the next two weeks, Smith might even get full feature-back work. In a week where waiver running backs are hard to find, Smith does have late-season potential.
McKissic didn’t exactly perform as hoped, especially for DFS owners, but he did get seven targets to go with his four carries, so there is volume to build on here. We know McKissic is going to stay involved, so the hope is that he catches some lightning with a big play or two. He’s a use-in-an-emergency only play, but one that offers hope.
Leonard Fournette had a season-low 12 carries on Sunday, and it’s fair to ask, between the number of games played and the ankle injury, if the rookie has crashed head-first into the proverbial wall. If so, and his workload stays depressed over the next few weeks, the opportunity will be there for Yeldon. He certainly should be owned on any team that has Fournette, as Yeldon appears ahead of Chris Ivory right now.
Doug Martin was forced out of Sunday’s game with a concussion, and Rodgers led the relief corps with eight carries. If Martin misses any games, expect Rodgers to be the lead back, with Charles Sims and Peyton Barber also worth a look.
