Waiver Worthy: Week 12 Fallout: Rod Smith, O.J. Howard, J.D. McKissic & More

by Will Overton

This could be the last week before the playoffs start in your league, which means all hands on deck. Unless you are in a dynasty league, if you are making moves on the waiver wire it’s because you are looking for someone to play, so making the right move means everything. Here is my rundown of the waiver wire featured players after Week 12:

J.D. McKissic – RB, Seattle Seahawks
At some point in time the Seahawks have to realize that Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls are absolutely, terrible right? I expected to see the flashy young J.D. McKissic more involved in the run game this past week, only to have to endure carry after carry from Lacy (who went nowhere with the opportunities). Meanwhile McKissic, who is averaging 4.5 YPC, continues to be used as a third down back almost exclusively. I am hoping the Seahawks see the light and make this change but there is no guarantee, which means most of McKissic’s value is still in the pass catching game.
Verdict: PPR must add, Flier for standard leagues

Zay Jones – WR, Buffalo Bills
You aren’t going to love putting Jones in your lineup in a meaningful matchup, but there is no denying that he and Tyrod Taylor are finding their groove a bit. Jones caught three passes this last Sunday, which is a bit underwhelming, but one of them was a TD and he was targeted a total of 10 times. He now 24 targets in the last three games and has found the end zone twice. You assume the Bills will be put in a position to be throwing more than they like against the Pats this coming week, so Jones could be racking up the targets once again.
Verdict: Add him in all formats

Brett Hundley – QB, Green Bay Packers
I’m not one to overreact to one game so I am not advocating for a widespread pick up of Hundley, but he has to be on your radar if you need a QB to stream. Josh McCown and Case Keenum are better options, but both are also owned in almost 40% of leagues and Hundley is owned in 5%. Hundley hit his stride on Sunday against the tough Steelers with three TD passes while completing 65% of his passes. If he did that against Pittsburgh, you have to be hopeful that he can throw a couple TDs against the Tampa Bay this week.
Verdict: Add him if you need a streamer and can’t get Keenum or McCown

Rod Smith – RB, Dallas Cowboys
As of right now the only guy in the Dallas backfield doing anything that resembles productivity is Rod Smith. Last Thursday Smith took as many carries as Alfred Morris, with 9, and ended up with 41 yards and a rushing TD. Not only that, but he is the primary pass catching back for Dallas as well and this game with the Redskins could be a real shootout. I think McKissic is more talented than Smith, but right now I trust Smith to get more opportunities and would have to roll with him out of the two backs.
Verdict: Add him if you need a RB, but hope you don’t have to play him

O.J. Howard – TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It seems as though Howard has officially overtaken Cameron Brate as the number one TE in Tampa Bay, especially with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. For the second week in a row Howard caught three passes for 52 yards. While he didn’t find the end zone in this game, we know he has the ability to score. He has been overshadowed by his fellow rookie TE Evan Engram, but let’s not forget how talented he is and how much of a play maker he can be. If he gets targets coming his way he can make something happen with it.
Verdict: Grab him and feel fairly comfortable with playing him

Cordarrelle Patterson – WR, Oakland Raiders
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but we could see a bit of a coming out party for Patterson this week. Things are lining up for a big breakout as Michael Crabtree is suspended and Amari Cooper is going to be in concussion protocol and may be unavailable. With the receiving corp depleted this past week it was Patterson who led the Raiders with three catches and 72 yards. While others in Oakland may be more polished route runners and just better overall wide receivers, no one left on the receiving corp has the play making ability of Patterson and that’s why if I am adding him. It’s a gamble, but it could payoff huge in a dream matchup with the Giants.
Verdict: High Risk/High Reward play of the week

Ricky Seals-Jones – TE, Arizona Cardinals
I think it’s time to start paying a little attention to him. The rookie TE from Arizona came out of nowhere in Week 11 to catch two TD. He then followed it up in Week 12 with 4 catches, 72 yards and a TD. Clearly Blainie Gabbert has found something he likes in Seals-Jones, and he’s becoming a real player at a pretty weak position. Seals-Jones was a WR in college who the Cardinals converted to TE, so we know he can catch the ball and he was at one time a pretty highly touted WR. The matchup this week with the Rams isn’t great, but Seals-Jones makes an interesting add if you need a TE.
Verdict: Add him based on upside, but don’t play him this week unless you really have to

Dede Westbrook – WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
We’ve been hearing about the upside of Westbrook, who was a preseason standout for the Jaguars and finally we witnessed a little taste of it on the field this last week. Westbrook was targeted a team leading 10 times and finished with six catches for 41 yards. He wasn’t able to turn in any big plays, but he clearly was a favorite target of Blake Bortles. This could have been because Marquise Lee was getting the Patrick Peterson treatment, though. Westbrook does have nice upside, but I am unsure how much of it we see on display the remainder of this season.
Verdict: Dynasty league must add, standard league flier if you’re desperate

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