Week 12 fantasy football waiver wire must-adds

There were plenty of letdowns and injuries to go around in Week 11 of the NFL season. Every Tuesday, we will dive into a handful of the top fantasy football pickups available that week and why they could be of value for fantasy owners looking to give their teams an extra boost.

Here are the top waiver-wire adds for Week 12:

1. Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks (rostered in 35% of fantasy leagues)

Kenneth Walker did not practice again on Tuesday, and his status does not look good for Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. After Walker went down with an oblique injury in Sunday’s 17-16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Charbonnet rushed for 47 yards on 15 carries as the lead back.

The Seahawks have definitely made it a point to get Charbonnet more involved in the offense (he’s rushed for 40 or more yards and been targeted 14 times as a receiver in three of the last four games), and now might be his chance to wow the coaching staff. He should get in the 15 to 20-touch range against San Francisco and be used as both a runner and receiver, and depending on how much time Walker misses, he could start getting an RB1 workload for at least a few games.

2. Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers (rostered in 33% of fantasy leagues)

Though Romeo Doubs leads the team in touchdowns (seven), Reed has arguably been the Packers' most reliable and consistent receiver this year. He leads the team in yards (463), and he ranks second in targets (51) and touchdowns (four), and third in receptions (32).

Reed is Green Bay’s best big-play receiver (he leads the team in receptions of 20 or more yards with eight), and he’s found the end zone in each of the last two games. He’s also a threat to be used on trick plays or occasionally in the run game as well. If you need a high-upside receiver to start in a pinch or to fill out a flex spot, Reed is a solid option. 

3. Isaiah Likely, TE, Baltimore Ravens (rostered in 2% of fantasy leagues)

With Mark Andrews presumably suffering a brutal season-ending ankle injury, Likely takes over as the new starting tight end for the Ravens. He’d only had 12 targets and nine receptions until now, but his workload is likely about to surge in Andrews’ absence as one-quarter of Lamar Jackson’s passes are thrown to his tight ends.

Until his injury last Thursday, Andrews had been targeted five or more times in eight of his nine games. He scored six touchdowns and had 50 or more yards in five of those games. Rookie receiver Zay Flowers has been Baltimore’s top receiving threat this year, but with Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor all struggling to find their footing, the door is open for Likely to play a key role in the passing game.

4. Greg Dortch, WR, Arizona Cardinals (rostered in 1% of fantasy leagues)

Dorth was a non-factor in the first two games he played this year, but he was a significant part of Arizona’s game plan in Sunday’s 21-16 loss to the Houston Texans in which he caught six of eight targets for 76 yards. Sixty percent of his targets last season came before Kyler Murray suffered a season-ending ACL injury, and with him being one of Murray’s favorite receivers, Dortch should see a solid amount of targets as long as he’s the QB.

The Cardinals average 32 pass attempts per game, so there should be plenty of opportunities for Dortch to get involved. He shouldn’t be relied on to be a WR1 or WR2, but he could make sense as a flex starter in a pinch or as a desperation add for an injured receiver.

5. Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals (rostered in 70% of fantasy leagues)

McBride has been a sexy add over the last two weeks with Murray coming back from an ACL injury, so he may not be available in your league. But if he is, now is the time to pounce. He’s been targeted 16 times in the two games with Murray at QB, catching 13 of them for 174 yards.

McBride has been a borderline top-10 tight end this year. Among TEs with 40 or more targets, McBride ranks fifth in yards per reception (11.2), seventh in receiving yards (461), eighth in the percentage of targets caught (74.5) and 11th in receptions (41), per Pro Football Focus. If he’s still available, he should be added and immediately inserted into your starting lineup (unless you already have Travis Kelce, George Kittle or Sam LaPorta).