Early Week 12 Fantasy Pickups: Can you trust Jameis Winston going forward?

Week 11’s Sunday action saw a lot of last-minute finishes but also some devastating injuries. Alex Smith and Marcus Mariota both had to leave their respective matchups. Cam Newton left the game with an ankle injury, though he ultimately returned. Kerryon Johnson left with an apparently knee late.

It just continues to prove that even though we’re deep into the season and stars have been established, fantasy players must continue to peruse the waiver wire for value when needed.

With that said, Dalton Del Don has three names who will undoubtedly be popular waiver wire adds for Week 12.

Jameis Winston back (9% owned on Yahoo)

Ah, the Bucs quarterback situation. It almost seems like whoever gets to three interceptions first gets benched. Considering that both Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick are generous with the football, this merry-go-round seems to happen more often than not. Winston came off the bench in Week 11 after Fitzpatrick got benched and proceeded to bring the Bucs within striking range. The prospect of another benching looms large, but it’s hard to not like Winston’s upside and schedule going forward — not to mention the plethora of weapons in Tampa Bay.

Giving D.J. Moore another shot (39% owned on Yahoo)

The Panthers rookie had an excellent performance back in Week 8 against Baltimore. Then, he pretty much disappeared the next two weeks, crushing the hearts of fantasy owners who invested a waiver wire claim on him. Then Moore re-emerged in Week 11 with the most monstrous game of his young career. Moore reeled in 7-of-8 catches for a whopping 157 yards and a touchdown. He showed off the athleticism and electricity that made the Panthers draft him in the first round. While he’s been the epitome of boom-or-bust, Moore does have quite the friendly schedule in the coming weeks and is building a rapport with Cam Newton.

Hard to deny Theo Riddick (32% owned on Yahoo)

A lot of targets were freed up in Detroit after the Lions traded Golden Tate. The majority of them, as expected, went to Theo Riddick. Yet, as mentioned above, an injury to Johnson could make Riddick even more valuable. While the severity of the injury is as of yet unknown, Riddick will undoubtedly see even more work if Johnson has to miss time. LeGarrette Blount would probably handle the early-down work in Johnson’s stead as well, but Riddick is the guy especially in PPR.