Best Fantasy waiver wire pickups for Week 12: Logan Thomas returns from IR

Week 11 brought some wild upsets for some of the top teams in football as well as some ugly games between teams without their quarterbacks. We look toward the future this week, as we are getting into the last few games of the fantasy football regular season.

If you’re looking for a player or two to help save your team due to bye weeks (Kansas City Chiefs or Arizona Cardinals) or injuries, or just to improve your roster in the last few weeks, we will scan the waiver wire. We will consider guys who are available in at least 50% of leagues on ESPN.

Let’s take a look at some of the potential waiver wire pickups that could help your teams heading into Week 12 of the NFL campaign.

Logan Thomas, TE, Football Team (46.9%)

A starting-caliber tight end is returning from injured reserve this week, and he should be the number one waiver add if tight ends have been disappointing your team all season.

In the first three weeks of the season, Thomas was averaging 11.2 points per game. If he kept up that pace, he would be the ninth-best tight end in fantasy football this season.

The Football Team has struggled greatly in the red area, scoring touchdowns on just 46.9% of their trips. That percentage is the second-worst in the league. Thomas’ return should help with a lot of those issues.

Elijah Moore, WR, Jets (40.9%)

The rookie had an incredible Week 11 against the Dolphins, putting up 29.6 points on 11 targets. He’s starting to come on consistently in recent weeks, as he’s scored at least 13.1 in his last four games.

In Week 12, the Jets take on the Houston Texans who are giving up 37 points per game to opposing wide receiver groups, which is three more than the NFL average.

New York’s offense has been looking for a playmaker all season, Moore has the talent to be that guy.

Devonta Freeman, RB, Ravens (33.9%)

The Ravens’ backfield has been an interesting one all year. They’ve had a slew of injuries, and a bunch of veteran backs have come in to fill the void. However, it’s been Freeman who has been the go-to guy recently.

Last week, with Latavius Murray returning to action, Freeman saw 58% of the snaps and got 22 total touches. Murray finished with 37% of the snaps and just 12 touches. That might change, as Murray gets healthier, but Freeman has the pass-catching upside (at least three targets in his last four games).

Tyrod Taylor, QB, Texans (5%)

It sounds crazy, but Taylor has a shot to be a solid fill-in option in Week 12. In three of his four starts this season, Taylor has had at least 16.5 points, and the only one he didn’t was against Miami whose defense is shutting down everyone right now.

This week, Taylor and the Texans play the Jets who are giving up 18.16 points to opposing quarterbacks. Last week, Tua Tagovailoa put up 17.52, so it would make sense that that would be a good estimate for Taylor.

Bears, D/ST (13.1%)

Chicago’s defense hasn’t been what many expected for most of the year, averaging just 5.8 fantasy points this season. However, they’ve played well the last two weeks against Pittsburgh and Baltimore, scoring 13 and 11 respectively.

This week, the Bears are playing the Lions on Thanksgiving, and it seems like Detroit will be starting Tim Boyle once again. On the season, Detroit’s offense is giving up 8.2 fantasy points per game to opposing defenses. If Boyle is in, Chicago can probably expect a turnover or two in their favor.

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