Week 12 QB/TE Waiver Wire Targets: Taysom Hill, Anthony Richardson, Jonnu Smith, Matthew Stafford, Will Dissly and More

It’s nearly the end of week 11 of the fantasy football season, which means it’s time for another round of waiver wire action.

Here, we’ll discuss the top quarterbacks and tight ends going into week 12.

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Tight End Options

Taysom Hill, Jonnu Smith, Zach Ertz, Noah Gray and Will Dissly are the five tight ends I want to discuss this week.

Hill went off in week 11, doing a little bit of everything. He rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns on just seven carries, caught eight of his 10 targets for 50 yards and also completed an 18-yard pass. The only negatives were that he threw a pick and lost a fumble.

The Saints’ offense needs players to step up, and Hill could absolutely be one of those players. He’s probably the biggest waiver wire target going into week 12, and almost every fantasy team would love to scoop him up.

You can read more of my thoughts on Hill here, and read about how Hill stacks up with other fantasy TEs in this article from Daniel Hepner.

Smith had 101 yards and two touchdowns across six receptions and eight targets in week 11. It was easily his best fantasy showing of the season.

Smith has 45 or more yards in three straight games, and at least three catches in six straight. He’s on an offense that has Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle as its top pass catchers, but Smith is showing he can consistently be involved every week too.

Ertz played back on Thursday night, accumulating 47 yards and a touchdown on six grabs and seven targets. He had 31 yards on four catches and eight targets in week 10.

Ertz hasn’t been a super consistent fantasy option, but he has been targeted four or more times in all but two games, with five or more targets in all but four contests. He’s been at or over 40 yards in five games.

Gray had just 23 yards on four catches and five targets in week 11, but he scored twice to post one of the top fantasy scores. At a weak TE position, he’s worth mentioning.

He’s got six catches and seven targets over the past two games, but for just 43 yards. Gray was held without a catch the week before that, but had 171 yards on 14 receptions and 15 targets in the five contests before that.

Dissly went for 80 yards and a touchdown on four catches and six targets in week 11. He also had six targets last week, catching five for 30 yards.

Over the past five weeks, Dissly has 241 yards, the touchdown, 24 receptions and 33 targets. He was under 30 yards in the first five weeks of the season.

Now it’s time to rank these guys by streaming options and rest-of-the-season possibilities.

Gray takes on the Panthers in week 12. Smith battles the Patriots, while Ertz faces the Cowboys. Dissly plays on Monday night against the Ravens, while Hill and the Saints have their bye.

Gray has the most favorable matchup of the bunch. The matchups for Dissly and Ertz are a bit more favorable than Smith’s test, but all have pretty average defenses to go up against.

As easy as it’d be to try Gray out in week 12, I’m much more comfortable playing any of the other three. It’s a toss up for the top spot between those guys, and I’d lean toward the most favorable matchup there and take Dissly.

After him, I’d try Ertz against the Cowboys and then Smith against the Patriots. Gray slides into the final streamer spot, and is just a desperation play, but one who might be needed with so many teams on bye this week.

As for the rest of the season, I like Hill the best of the bunch. He’s more than just a streaming option, and I think his week 11 showing was a sign of more big fantasy outings to come.

I’d stick with Dissly as the next-best option among these tight ends. He’s got a fairly favorable schedule ahead, which should help him continue moving in a positive direction as a fantasy asset.

Ertz and Smith have tough/brutal schedules ahead, so I’m more inclined to treat them as true streaming options instead of every-week options. I’d take Ertz over Smith because he’s a higher priority in his offense.

That again leaves Gray as the last option. I just don’t see a ton of fantasy upside despite some OK fantasy showings here and there. He’s going to be clearly behind Travis Kelce most weeks, and with DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco around, Gray isn’t very high in the pecking order for touches.

Quarterback Options

Anthony Richardson, Matthew Stafford, Jameis Winston, Tua Tagovailoa and Drake Maye are the quarterbacks worth discussing this week.

Richardson returned as the Colts’ starting QB this week and had a great showing against a strong Jets’ defense. Richardson was 20-of-30 passing for 272 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. He added 32 rushing yards and two scores on 10 attempts. Richardson’s lone blemish was losing a fumble.

It was easily his best fantasy performance of the season, and with it coming against a pretty solid defense, fantasy owners are now hoping that Richardson can finally turn into the dual-threat fantasy star we’ve been waiting for.

Stafford was 18-of-27 passing, but for 295 yards, four touchdowns and no picks. It was his second straight game over 290 passing yards, but this time, it came with touchdown passes and no turnovers.

Stafford is a different fantasy QB when he has Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp at his disposal. The Rams’ QB should remain a higher-end streaming option for the remainder of the season.

Winston was 30-of-46 passing for 395 yards, two touchdowns and no picks on Sunday. He added an eight-yard run and avoided turning the ball over.

It was Winston’s second 20+-point fantasy showing in three starts. In the other game, he threw for 235 yards and a score, but had three interceptions.

Tagovailoa was 28-of-36 passing for 288 yards, three touchdowns and no picks this week. He didn’t add anything as a runner and also did not fumble.

Since returning from his concussion, Tagovailoa has over 200 yards and at least one touchdown in every game. He’s thrown seven touchdowns to just one pick. Fantasy owners are now hoping week 11 was a big step in Tagovailoa returning to his former fantasy self.

Maye completed 30 of his 40 passes on Sunday for 282 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He rushed for 27 yards on three scrambles, but also lost a fumble.

It was the most passing yards the young QB has thrown for in his rookie season. It was the third time he threw multiple touchdowns, but also marked his fourth pick in the past three games.

In week 12, Winston plays on Thursday night against the Steelers. Richardson faces the Lions, while Maye and Tagovailoa battle in the same contest. Stafford plays Sunday night against the Eagles.

It’s a below-average or worse matchup for all five of these quarterbacks. Tagovailoa has the most favorable matchup, while the rest of the QBs face defenses ranked in the top six.

I’d take Tagovailoa for my top streaming option among this group of QBs. I think he’s starting to settle in a bit, and in that offense, we’ve seen him deliver big fantasy results despite the defensive matchup, and I think he delivers in week 12.

I’d take Stafford against the Eagles next. It’s a tougher matchup, but with Nacua and Kupp, I’m not as worried about Stafford.

I’d take Richardson against the Lions here. I think Richardson figured some things out this week, and will continue to be an above-average dual-threat fantasy quarterback in week 12 and beyond.

Give me Maye against the Dolphins over Winston against the Steelers. Both are tough matchups, but Maye has running ability to avoid a really poor fantasy showing.

As for the season-long best options, I like Richardson the best. His schedule ahead isn’t great, but none of these QBs can say that. His dual-threat ability should help Richardson put up better numbers, even in the toughest battles.

I like Stafford after that. The only reason he ranks behind Richardson is because he isn’t mobile and thus relies all on passing stats.

I’d take Tagovailoa here. I think he’s starting to heat up a bit and will be able to overcome some tougher matchups and deliver at least average marks most weeks.

I’d take Maye over Winston for the final spot, even though Winston has the better schedule ahead (better than all of the other quarterbacks actually). I trust the Pats’ offense just slightly more than the Browns the remainder of the season, and that’s where the difference is between those two.