Fantasy Football Week 12 sleepers get a little more intriguing after a chaotic Week 11 that left fantasy managers scrambling. With Josh Jacobs exiting early, the door cracked open for Emanuel Wilson. Then, young backs, who’ve been featured in this article, like Bhayshul Tuten and Sean Tucker, are making their presence felt, both flashing enough juice to earn bigger roles moving forward. Between late-season injuries and shifting workloads, this is the time of year when under-the-radar players suddenly become weekly difference-makers.
And with byes wrapping up soon and fantasy playoff spots on the line, digging up the right sleeper in Week 12 could be the edge that saves your season. We’ve got young running backs fighting their way into relevance, receivers stepping into expanded roles, and some streamable quarterbacks and tight ends who suddenly look a lot more appealing given the matchups. It’s chaos, it’s fun, and it’s exactly why Week 12 Waiver Wire might deliver some of the sneakiest fantasy production of the season.
HEADS UP: Each player featured is rostered in 30% or fewer leagues on Yahoo! at the time of publication.
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 12 STASHES
QUARTERBACK STASHES
BRYCE YOUNG, CAROLINA PANTHERS (18% ROSTERED)
Bryce Young shocked the fantasy world in Week 11, gutting through an injury and somehow erupting for 448 passing yards against a tough Falcons’ defense, which was good enough to finish as the QB2, trailing only Josh Allen. Take a moment and let that marinate. No one had that outcome on their bingo card, yet here we are.
Now, before we crown him a weekly starter, remember this was just the second time all season he’s cleared 200 passing yards. It could absolutely be a one-week outlier… but the matchup sets up nicely again. With a banged-up 49ers secondary and four teams on bye, thinning out the QB pool, Young sits right on that QB2 borderline, with enough upside to justify a Week 12 stash to see if he can keep the heater going.
OTHER QBs TO STASH: Marcus Mariota, Commanders (12%); Kirk Cousins, Falcons (7%); Shedeur Sanders, Browns (4%)
RUNNING BACK STASHES
OLLIE GORDON II, MIAMI DOLPHINS (9% ROSTERED)
Ollie Gordon didn’t see a massive workload in Week 11, but he made the most of what he got: turning nine carries into 45 yards and a touchdown while looking far healthier than he did the week prior. With his ankle trending in the right direction, Gordon slid back into the RB2 role and showed why the Dolphins were excited to get him involved.
The real appeal here is the upside of the stash. Gordon heads into the Week 12 bye with a chance to get fully right, and he’ll return as a bruising, touchdown-dependent FLEX who has a clear path to a significant role if anything ever happens to De’Von Achane. In a backfield with explosive upside, that kind of contingent value is exactly what you want on your bench.
KEATON MITCHELL, BALTIMORE RAVENS (5% ROSTERED)
Keaton Mitchell finally got a little extra runway in Week 11 with Justice Hill sidelined, and he flashed the juice we all know he has. Mitchell handled nine total touches (six carries and three targets), racking up 54 yards and his first multi-catch game of the season while ripping off a strong 5.2 yards per carry. Sure, one miscommunication led to an unlucky pick-six, but overall, it was a solid look at what his role could be when Hill isn’t in the mix.
And that’s where the stash appeal really kicks in. Once Hill returns, Mitchell may struggle to see consistent snaps, but, as with Ollie, the contingent upside is absolutely mouthwatering. If anything ever happened to Derrick Henry, Mitchell would instantly step into 15+ touches of pure, unfiltered explosiveness. That kind of lightning-in-a-bottle upside is exactly why he deserves a spot on your bench.
OTHER RBs TO STASH: Brian Robinson Jr., 49ers (26%); Devin Singletary, Giants (24%); Tank Bigsby, Eagles (20%); Blake Corum, Rams (15%); Chris Rodriguez Jr., Commanders (15%); Dylan Sampson, Browns (12%); Ollie Gordon II, Dolphins (9%); Brashard Smith, Chiefs (5%)
WIDE RECEIVER STASHES
Note: Check your waiver wire for Brandon Aiyuk (36% rostered), who, if he returns, faces the easiest fantasy playoff schedule.
LUTHER BURDEN, CHICAGO BEARS (X% ROSTERED)
Luther Burden’s box scores haven’t exactly jumped off the page yet, but the underlying usage is finally starting to heat up. The rookie logged a season-high 44% of the snaps in Week 11, FINALLY well ahead of Olamide Zaccheaus, and it marked his second straight game hitting that threshold after not reaching it once all season. That kind of upward momentum matters, especially this late in the year.
While he’s only cracked double-digit PPR points once, Burden’s growing role signals a potential late-season breakout brewing beneath the surface. In deeper three-WR formats, this is exactly the type of ascending talent you want to stash before the boom arrives. He’s my favorite wideout to hold for the rest of the season, and if the usage keeps climbing, the production should follow.
CHIMERE DIKE, TENNESSEE TITANS (10% ROSTERED)
Chimere Dike briefly exited Week 11 but is good to go for a suddenly wide-open Titans receiver room in Week 12. With Calvin Ridley out for the season and Elic Ayomanor sidelined, Dike steps into a prime opportunity alongside the likes of Van Jefferson and Mason Kinsey. Tennessee’s passing game has been shaky, sure, but opportunity is king, and Dike is about to see plenty of it.
For deep-league managers hunting upside, this is exactly the kind of speculative add that can pay off down the stretch. The Titans have several soft matchups in the fantasy playoffs (2nd-easiest schedule), and Dike has a legitimate shot to emerge as a viable starter in deeper leagues. Grab him now before you’re fighting for him on waivers next week.
OTHER WRs TO STASH: Christian Kirk, Texans (17%); Jayden Higgins, Texans (16%); DeMario Douglas, Patriots (8%); Mack Hollins, Patriots (3%); AD Mitchell, Jets (2%)
TIGHT END STASHES
AJ BARNER, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (16% ROSTERED)
AJ Barner continues his quiet ascension, bouncing back from a Week 10 goose egg to haul in a whopping 10-of-11 targets for 70 yards in Week 11. Seattle clearly wanted to get the second-year tight end involved, and he responded with career highs across the board. For a position that’s been a weekly scavenger hunt for usable production, Barner flashing volume, reliability, and a growing role is exactly what fantasy managers want to see heading into the stretch run.
Barner now sits at 31 catches for 306 yards through 10 starts, and the trendlines are pointing up. He’s becoming a trusted underneath option in an offense that desperately needs chain-movers outside of JSN. While he’s not a locked-in TE1 by any stretch, Barner is absolutely on the radar as a Week 12 waiver add, especially for managers streaming the position or navigating injuries.
OTHER TEs TO STASH: Mason Taylor, Jets (22%); Darren Waller, Dolphins (20%); Brenton Strange, Jaguars (12%); Noah Fant, Bengals (4%)
