5 Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 12

Welcome to The Big Lead's weekly fantasy football waiver wire column. It pairs wonderfully with our weekly start 'em, sit 'em column. Just in case you wanted to satisfy the fantasy itch to the fullest extent possible. (All stats via ESPN PPR leagues)

Demarcus Robinson, WR, Baltimore Ravens (Available in 99 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

Once again we play the guessing game of who will catch passes from Lamar Jackson other than Mark Andrews. This past week it was Robinson, hauling in nine catches for 128 yards to put up a productive fantasy statline despite a lack of touchdowns. The Ravens are constantly looking for answers at wideout and the fact that Robinson performed at such a high level against a pretty good Panthers defense is a good sign for this week. He won't be starting material until we see some more evidence of consistency but he's good enough flier down the stretch run of the season.

Austin Hooper, TE, Tennessee Titans (Available in 93 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

With Kyle Pitts going down for the year, there will be many a team in great need of a tight end for the rest of the year. Might I suggest Hooper? He's overtly dependent on touchdowns for fantasy production but has gained some momentum in the last two weeks, receiving 11 targets and recording nine catches with two TDs during that stretch. The Titans' offense is starting to find its groove and are very good in the red zone. There is some upside with Hooper, even if the floor is very low.

Latavius Murray, RB, Denver Broncos (Available in 65 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

The Broncos cut Melvin Gordon on Monday which means the starting job is unequivocally Murray's going forward. Denver still cannot move the ball even if Russell Wilson's life depended on it, which lowers the ceiling quite a bit here. And Chase Edmonds is still there, going unused after getting thrown into the Bradley Chubb trade. But running backs on bad teams still produce at a good clip for fantasy and so Murray is a solid option going forward.

Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR, Cleveland Browns (Available in 61 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

Peoples-Jones has quietly been a good fantasy option as the No. 2 receiver for Cleveland over the last couple of weeks. He's hit double-digit fantasy points in each of his last three games, culminating in Sunday's season-high 99 yards receiving against a good Bills defense. He has clear chemistry with Jacoby Brissett and this week's matchup against Tampa Bay presents a good opportunity given it could devolve into a shootout.

Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (Available in 56 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

Pacheco was a fantasy darling coming into the year but has yet to deliver on that hype. Matters were not helped by Andy Reid's decision to make this year's backfield by committee and sticking to it through the first 11 weeks of the year. But the rookie RB put forth his best fantasy day of the season since Week 1 his past weekend and now has an open path to seeing more snaps due to Clyde Edwards-Helaire's high-ankle sprain. The stock is rising, so you should grab him while you can.