We were all over the place with our streaming picks last week — our top choice, Cincinnati, put up just one point in a 37-30 win over Pittsburgh, and Arizona got blown out and put up -4 points on MNF. But, Washington was the top performer of the week, finishing with 19 points against Houston with five sacks and two interceptions, including a pick-six in the first quarter. Our secondary options included Atlanta with 12 points, Las Vegas with six in an OT win, and Green Bay with five on Thursday night.
For the first time since Week 5, no NFL teams have a bye this week. We do, however, have some top D/ST options with tough matchups (New England vs. Minnesota comes to mind) that you may want to avoid.
Let’s see who the top waiver wire options are for Week 12.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (47% ROSTERED)
Week 12: @ Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 PM EST
Since these two teams last met in 2018 in a game that’s widely regarded as one of the best regular season games in NFL history, they’ve both won Super Bowls — and gone in vastly different directions afterward. Kansas City won Super Bowl LIV, then followed it up with a Super Bowl appearance, an AFC championship game appearance, and an 8-2 start to this season. The Rams, meanwhile, have been experiencing a major Super Bowl hangover in 2022, starting 3-7 and losing Cooper Kupp to an injury that will likely sideline him until 2023, especially given how their season is going.
Even with Kupp healthy, the Rams were struggling offensively this year, and have given up the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses in 2022. They’re third in the NFL in sacks allowed, while Kansas City has recorded 18 sacks over their last four games. The Rams are also tied for fifth in giveaways this year, and although Kansas City doesn’t excel in forcing turnovers defensively, they should have plenty of chances to do exactly that in this matchup. This one has blowout potential (the Chiefs opened as 14-point favorites) and the Chiefs will certainly be a top commodity on the D/ST waiver market heading into Week 12.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (33%)
Week 12: vs. New England, 8:20 PM EST (Thursday Night Football)
Despite a 40-3 shellacking at the hands of the Cowboys in Week 11, the Vikings are 8-2 and in the driver’s seat in the NFC North. While Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, and company are a big part of that, the Vikings’ defense has shown up as well. Before putting up -4 fantasy points against Dallas, they’d recorded double-digit performances in three of their previous four games. And for a defense that needs a bounce-back performance, the struggling Patriots are exactly what the doctor ordered.
New England pulled out a win over the Jets to move to 6-4 last week, but the offense played a very small role in the victory. Mac Jones turned things around a bit from previous weeks, completing 23 of 27 passes for 246 yards, but New England as a team ran for under four yards per carry, and the offense put up just three points in the contest as a last-second punt return TD ultimately bailed them out. New England has shown very few signs of life offensively over the past few weeks, and their last primetime game — a 33-14 home loss to Chicago in which neither Jones nor backup Bailey Zappe could save an abysmal offensive performance — doesn’t provide much hope for this Thanksgiving night game.
I’m expecting a low-scoring game overall, and Minnesota has the potential to completely stifle the Patriots on a short week at home.
MIAMI DOLPHINS (24%)
Week 12: vs Houston, 1:00 PM EST
Coming off their bye week, the Dolphins are just 24% owned as many fantasy managers don’t like to carry multiple defenses. Take advantage of this and scoop up Miami as they face a Houston offense that’s given up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses in 2022, including 19 to Washington last week.
Truthfully, a deeper dive into the numbers in this matchup doesn’t necessarily scream that the Dolphins are a top streaming option. Houston’s thrown 11 interceptions this year, which is the second-most in the NFL, but Miami’s intercepted just four passes this season. The Dolphins are also right around the middle of the league against the run, which is a focal point of Houston’s offense. But Miami is rested and coming off a solid performance two weeks ago against Cleveland, another run-heavy offense. Miami held Cleveland in check in that matchup, and I think they’ll have a similar showing against the Texans.
OTHERS TO TARGET
New York Jets (46%): With their backs against the wall in the AFC playoff picture, the Jets will host the Bears in Week 12. Chicago’s given up the third-most fantasy points to opposing defenses despite recent successes hinging on their run game, which is tops in the league. The Jets are ninth against the run and slowed down New England’s run game last week, which gives me hope they’ll have similar luck in this matchup — especially if Justin Fields sits out this week due to a shoulder injury.
Pittsburgh Steelers (18%): Pittsburgh managed just two points against the Bengals last week, but now face a Colts offense that features much less firepower than Cincinnati’s. Matt Ryan has been solid since returning to the starting role two weeks ago, but still has been sacked five times and may need to pick up the slack for their run game against Pittsburgh’s seventh-ranked run defense.
Carolina Panthers (3%): Carolina’s defense shockingly put up nine points in a 13-3 loss to Baltimore last week, holding Lamar Jackson to 240 yards of total offense and an interception. The Panthers now face a Denver offense that’s yielded the 8th-most fantasy points to opposing defenses and just still can’t seem to get it together, losing a very winnable game in OT to Las Vegas last week.
