Fantasy Football 2018: Top 10 waiver wire Week 12 pickups

Oakland Raiders RB Jalen Richard

Over the past two weeks, the anemic Oakland Raiders offense has been fully capable of supporting a two-man backfield, with Doug Martin and Jalen Richard consistently producing a moderate amount of fantasy points for owners in need of a running back option that week.

Between the two of them, Martin is the lead back and tends to grind out significantly more rushing yardage, but Richard is more available on waivers and the far more intriguing option in PPR leagues.

Injuries at the wide receiver position have made life even more difficult for Derek Carr in a post-Amari Cooper world, which means that he’s gone to Jalen Richard even more often. The 2016 UDFA out of Southern Miss has caught at least three passes in every game except for one this season.

Although Richard is coming off of his worst receiving performance of the season with just 32 yards through the air, he’s also coming off of his best game on the ground. Facing the Arizona Cardinals subpar run defense, Richard picked up 61 yards on 11 carries, and perhaps that strong performance could lead to more carries on the ground.

The Raiders offense will run less through Carr and more through the running backs going forward, given the troubles at the wide receiver position. Richard is emerging as a better fantasy play than Martin, which may not be a surprise to Martin’s doubters coming into the 2018 season.