Fantasy Football: Waiver Wire Week 12

Kevin Smith (Available in 20% of Yahoo leagues)

Kevin Smith ran wild Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

Recently signed Kevin Smith stole the show Sunday with an incredible performance, rushing for 140 yards and 2 scores, plus 4 catches for 61 yards and another TD through the air. Maurice Morris has had plenty of time to run with this opportunity and has done nothing. Jahvid Best continues to be sidelined, with no real timetable for a return, so Kevin Smith figures to see the most touches in the Lions backfield going forward.

Smith was drafted by the Lions and had over 1,000 yards his rookie season, then he fell off the face of the Earth. Now he’s back, baby! He’ll be a real wildcard against the Packers on Thanksgiving morning. Because of his versatile skills through the air, Smith will likely be a solid start, so make him your top waiver priority this week.

Toby Gerhart (7%)

Adrian Peterson has a grade 1 high ankle sprain and will likely be out at least this week, if not longer. The Stanford alum, Toby Gerhart, rushed 7 times for 18 yards and caught one pass for 7 yards. You have to be concerned by his lack of explosiveness, and the likelihood that he’ll split carries with Percy Harvin. But of the slew of RB injuries that are opening the doors for backup RBs, Peterson’s looks the worst right now, so Gerhart is worth an add in all formats.

Joe McKnight (13%)

Shonn Greene suffered a rib injury against the Broncos, which allowed McKnight to run for 59 yards and catch 6 passes for 62 yards. Apparently, Greene could have reentered the game, but the Jets played it safe while McKnight was running so effectively. It looks like Greene is expected to play against the Bills next week, but you never know whether Greene and the Jets are being overly optimistic, or whether Greene will aggravate the injury. Thus, McKnight is worth a gamble because we’ve seen he can be very effective when given the gig. (Remember Week 17 last year?)

Santana Moss (39%)

Santana Moss suffered a hand injury weeks ago, but should be back this week. He was not lighting up the league when healthy, but he’ll be the number one target on a team that will surely be passing from behind. You probably won’t want to start him right away while he eases back in and shakes off the rust, but after a week or two, Moss could be a great WR3 option in the playoffs.

Matt Moore (9%)

Moore has been inconsistent, but surprisingly good overall. Against the Bills, Moore threw for just 160 yards, but it was because the Dolphins built such a huge lead thanks to Moore’s 3 TDs. If you lost Jay Cutler or Matt Schaub, Moore could save your butt this Thanksgiving against the Cowboys.

Andy Dalton (43%)

No one predicted this incredible connection between rookies, Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. In fact, most analysts laughed off the Bengals. But Dalton has been solid, if not electric, and tossed a career-high 373 yards against the extremely tough Ravens this weekend. He had just one TD, 3 interceptions, and 32 rushing yards. If he can put up serviceable games against the Steelers and Ravens, you know he won’t kill you, no matter the matchup.

C.J. Spiller (17%)

Spiller, a former first round draft pick, might get his chance to play if FJax can't go.

Fred Jackson suffered a calf injury, and has already been ruled out for Wednesday’s practice. His injury is “day to day,” but there’s a serious chance that he misses the matchup against the Jets next week. It’s hard to get excited about C.J. Spiller after watching him in limited action this season – he managed 2 yards on 3 carries, and 18 receiving yards on 2 catches on Sunday. But we’ve seen flashes of his speed in his young career, so if FJax misses time, Spiller will be worth starting in some leagues.

Jerome Simpson (30%)

A.J. Green may or may not return this week. Jerome Simpson capitalized on his absence against the Ravens, catching 8 balls for 152 yards. After getting busted with pot earlier in the season, Simpson’s got the munchies for more fantasy production! Swoop him up, especially if Green misses more time.

Ryan Grant (35%)

Grant has been uninspiring this season, continuing to make James Starks look better by comparison. But now, Starks is dealing with knee and ankle “tweaks” and is in serious jeopardy of missing Thursday’s game, given the short timeline. Aaron Rodgers will continue to pass the ball like crazy, and Detroit is no longer an easy matchup for RBs, but Grant would be a flex option if he gets that backfield all to himself.

Riley Cooper (0%)

Riley Cooper showed nice chemistry with Vince Young on Sunday, catching 5 balls for 75 yards and a TD, on a team-leading 12 targets. If Maclin and Vick miss more time, Cooper could continue to be the most productive Eagles receiver.

Jabar Gaffney (42%)

Gaffney had a great game Sunday hauling in 7 catches for 115 yards and a score. He’s been consistent but mediocre all year, usually getting you a good 50 yards. I’m not super excited about Gaffney’s “break out performance” because of the impending return of Santana Moss.

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