This week will be the last and final bye week of the season.  They started way back in week 4 and will continue through this week.  For most fantasy leagues that start their playoffs in week 14, this means that 9 out of the 13 weeks of the fantasy season had some teams off and players not active.  It’s grueling for fantasy owners because each week you have to think about which players are not going to be playing and if you have a decent backup.  This week there are a couple of big names on their break so owners will have to adjust as they make their final push towards the playoffs.  In this week’s addition, we’ll take a look at the players that will be Hot Off The Wire in week 12 that could help you win this week, as well as some gems for the playoffs.

Week 12 Top Fantasy Football Waiver Pickups

Running Backs

• Jonas Gray – This guy just busted onto the scene with a huge night racking up 4 touchdowns on route to a 199 yard performance on 38 carries. It was epic, but let’s not get to ahead of ourselves here.  Think about who you are dealing with.  Can you count on Bill giving him that many carries every week, especially if you have an All-Pro QB sitting in the pocket?  He’s a good addition and a decent flex, but it’s hard to trust that Pats running game.  You’ve been warned.
• Daniel Herron – Here comes the Boom! Looks like Herron will get more chances this week and it couldn’t have come at a better time for him. At home facing the Jags, the Colts may opt to run the ball a lot towards the end and depending on how little Richardson is doing, Boom will come in to change the pace. He’s likely to see around 10 carries in the game and could make 50 or more yards out of it.  There’s a chance he could score late in the game.
• Latavius Murray – Looks like the Raiders might finally come around and give their aging backs some rest. Murray is a young and talented back that has been doing great things in the return game, but has seen little chances in the backfield until last week.  He seems to be getting more opportunities and could seriously make the most out of them. If your league allows return yards, then this pickup could be a no-brainer as he averages about 40 returns yards per game and ranks near the top 10 for returns.

Wide Receivers

• Josh Gordon –  Okay, if there is actually a chance that he is out there in your league, grab him now. Don’t wait. He’s going to be a huge receiver in the playoffs.
• Kenny Britt – Every couple of weeks there is a Kenny sighting, but don’t be fooled. Unless you see consistent production, don’t buy into the hype.  The QB just change over, and there is no telling at this point what the chemistry is like and who is going to get the ball.  Keep in mind, he’s only had 1 game all year with even 5 catches and this past game as the first all year that he broke 100 yards. It’s just not there every week.
• John Brown – He’s been getting a ton of targets lately and been doing the most with them. Over the past 4 weeks, he’s been targeted 33 times and has 17 catches for 270 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s not a bad bye week option for WR3.
• Chris Hogan – For really deep leagues, this is a guy to take a look at.  He’s caught at least 5 catches in 4 of his last 5 games including team high’s in both receptions and yards in this past game. He’s been targeted 16 times over the last 2 weeks with 12 receptions for 131 yards and 1 touchdown.  He’s a decent bye week option.