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MIAMI, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Zach Charbonnet and Isaiah Likely are among my fantasy football waiver wire priorities for Week 12 of the 2023 season. Jordan Love, Jayden Reed, Derek Carr and Ezekiel Elliott are among my other targets for Week 12. This week's waiver wire features several players who could become league winners if they take over starting jobs.
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No teams are on bye this week, meaning fantasy league rosters will be at full strength, outside of injuries. Quarterback Joe Burrow and tight end Mark Andrews can be dropped in redraft leagues, as they sustained serious, potentially season-ending injuries in Week 11.
Make sure to check the free agency pool for players from the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, who could have been dropped because of Week 11 byes.
My waiver wire priorities each carry an ownership percentage of 60% or less. Here are my top players to add and top players to drop for Week 12:
ALL-ADD TEAM
QB | Jordan Love, Derek Carr; RB | Zach Charbonnet, Ezekiel Elliott; WR | Brandin Cooks, Demario Douglas, Jayden Reed; TE | Isaiah Likely, Pat Freiermuth; D/ST | Tennessee Titans; K | Younghoe Koo
HONORABLE MENTIONS
QB | Gardner Minshew; RB | Roschon Johnson, Tyjae Spears; WR | Odell Beckham Jr., Noah Brown; TE | Luke Musgrave; D/ST | Denver Broncos; K | Blake Grupe
TOP DROPS
QB | Joe Burrow; RB | Samaje Perine; WR | Treylon Burks; TE | Mark Andrews; D/ST | Washington Commanders; K | Anders Carlson
Quarterback
Jordan Love and Derek Carr are stellar options this week, especially if you lost Joe Burrow or another starter earlier this season because of injury.
Love provided one of his best games of the season in Week 11, with 322 yards and two scores in a Green Bay Packers win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
He also totaled 289 yards and two scores in Week 10. I expect this passing game to keep getting better moving forward. The Packers' passing volume also could increase because of injuries sustained by several of their running backs in Week 11.
Love and the Packers will play the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. The Lions allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks through 11 weeks.
Look for the Packers to trail in this matchup, leading to more passing attempts from Love. He will be inside the Top 14 of my Week 12 rankings.
Carr also will be a starting option this week, when his New Orleans Saints battle the Atlanta Falcons. Carr exited early because of a shoulder injury and a concussion in Week 10, before the Saints' bye. His injury status needs to be monitored heading into Week 11.
The Falcons allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks through 11 weeks. Before Week 10, Carr threw multiple touchdown passes and/or eclipsed 300 passing yards in five consecutive games. Look for the Saints quarterback to reach both of those totals Sunday in Atlanta, if he is active against the Falcons.
Running back
Seattle Seahawks starting running back Kenneth Walker sustained an oblique strain in Week 11 and is expected to miss time. That means rookie Zach Charbonnet is in line for a major increase in workload.
Charbonnet, my top waiver wire priority this week, is a must add, but you might want to temper your immediate expectations. The Seahawks schedule is brutal, with two matchups against the San Francisco 49ers, and additional battles with the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles in the coming weeks.
Charbonnet's increased usage as a pass catcher should keep him in the RB2 conversation, despite those tough matchups.
New England Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott is another player who should be added in all leagues. Elliott is still the No. 2 running back on the Patriots' depth chart, behind Rhamondre Stevenson, but continues to see a large enough split of work to warrant RB2 consideration.
The veteran running back totaled 88 yards from scrimmage on a 15 touches in Week 10, before a Week 11 bye. He should continue to provide low-end RB2 value in good matchups. The Patriots will face the New York Giants on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.
The Giants allowed the ninth-most fantasy points per game to running backs so far this season. Elliott can be plugged in as a low-end RB2, but only if you are desperate for production at the position.
Wide receiver
Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed totaled at least five targets in three of his last four games. He also scored in two of his last five appearances. As previously mentioned, I expect Packers quarterback Jordan Love to have a QB1 level game against the Lions.
Reed should be one of his top pass catching options. Look for the rookie to haul in at least six catches for 80 yards in this Thanksgiving battle between NFC North division rivals. He is a WR3 option.
Tight end
Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely should immediately be in the fantasy football TE1 conversation because of the ankle injury Mark Andrews sustained in Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Andrews averaged 6.1 targets per game and totaled 544 yards and a team-high six scores through his first 10 games of the season. I expect the Ravens offense to continue targeting the tight end position, with Likely seeing increased volume and production down the stretch.
The Ravens also will face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12. The Chargers allowed the most catches, second-most receiving yards and fourth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends through 11 weeks. Look for Lamar Jackson to target Likely, especially in the red zone, in what I expect to be a high-scoring contest.
