Fantasy Football Waiver Wire power rankings, Week 12: Anthony Richardson, Jerry Jeudy impress

Each week during the 2024 NFL season, FanSided fantasy football expert Lior Lampert creates a hierarchy of ideal waiver wire pickups. He'll base his ranks on performance, usage, coachspeak, injury news/analysis, stats, upcoming matchups, FAAB value and more. Every player mentioned is available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo fantasy leagues.

Week 11 of the 2024 NFL campaign was a mixed bag of sorts. We had multiple blowouts, headlined by the Detroit Lions' 46-point win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Conversely, we also had several thrilling, highly-contested affairs. We saw a walk-off blocked field goal for a second consecutive slate, two game-winning quarterback scrambles and the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs finally go down.

Overall, there are plenty of takeaways from the madness that transpired, specifically involving the waiver wire. Fantasy football managers shouldn't hesitate to scour their free agency options, hoping to find the players mentioned below that are widely available in Yahoo leagues.

Dumpster diving, digging for scraps

For the second week in a row, Marquez Valdes-Scantling has caught a wildly long touchdown, the latest being a 71-yarder. Again, we can't endorse adding and starting him, but he continues to defy logic and produce. MVS is only a recommended target in the deepest of formats. But even then, fantasy managers desperate enough and looking for a dart-throw, upside play will also get a zero-point floor.

Atlanta Falcons No. 2 wide receiver Darnell Mooney entered Week 11 with an Achilles issue. Then, he suffered a hamstring injury in the team's overwhelming loss to the Denver Broncos, which is reportedly "not serious." While the NFC South leaders head into their bye, his health makes Ray-Ray McCloud a name to monitor, specifically in PPR leagues.

Quentin Johnston can't stop catching touchdowns for a red-hot and surprisingly pass-happy Los Angeles Chargers scoring unit. He's found the end zone six times in eight games, including a paydirt trip in three consecutive outings. We're unsure how sustainable it is, but with how in command and dialed-in gunslinger Justin Herbert looks, why not take a flier to find out?

The stash-and-save

After it looked like Audric Estime seized control of the Denver Broncos backfield in Week 10, Javonte Williams reclaimed his role as the lead back. Nonetheless, the former still saw six carries and drew three targets (he had zero in the six games prior). Head coach Sean Payton said this situation remains a work in progress following the team's win against the Falcons, so hang tight.

Roschon Johnson appeared to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the post-Shane Waldron Chicago Bears offense. He saw double-digit carries for the first time since Week 5 while siphoning high-value touches from backfield mate D'Andre Swift, punching in a goal-line score.

Were it not for the Arizona Cardinals going on bye after Trey Benson's 12-touch, 87-yard effort in Week 10, he'd likely be less available. Savvy fantasy managers should use that as an advantage and scoop the talented third-round rookie. His status as one of the better insurance policies with increasing standalone value makes him a great bench stash.

The educated guesses

The Jacksonville Jaguars may have already made the major regime changes many anticipate happening by the time you read this. If so, Tank Bigsby becomes an extremely intriguing option. The second-year running back sat out Week 11 because of an ankle issue but could return from the team's upcoming bye with a vengeance. His hyper-efficient efforts this season could lead to an uptick in volume, with Doug Pederson possibly no longer vouching for an ineffective Travis Etienne.

On a day when Christian Watson caught four passes and didn't score a touchdown, he scored 19 PPR points. He's the weekly WR13 entering MNF -- his quartet of receptions went for a whopping 150 yards! But is this feasible? Can fantasy managers rely on such an erratic, low-volume role? It may be a bumpy ride along the journey, but the 25-year-old has always been hyper-efficient on a per-route basis. Moreover, being attached to an elite quarterback/play-caller combination should yield spike performances.

Most of Zach Ertz's Week 11 production came on the final drive of the contest when it was well out of reach. Still, he's been one of the most targeted tight ends in football this season, specifically since Week 5. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels should continue to lean on his security blanket down the stretch as the Washington Commanders look to secure a playoff spot.

The 'if you ain't first, you're last'

Don't look now, but Elijah Moore has 29 targets in Jameis Winston's three starts this season. And it's not inflated by one game, considering the 2021 second-round selection has seen at least eight looks in each. Skill hasn't been a question for the wideout, demonstrated by his capitalizing on the additional opportunities (averaging 13.6 PPR points per game over this stretch). As long as the latter is under center, every Cleveland Browns pass-catcher is fantasy-viable.

Since re-acquiring Cam Akers from the Houston Texans, the Minnesota Vikings have put him to work. He's seen 34 touches and an increased snap share rate over the team's past three games. It's becoming abundantly clear they want him to shoulder some of the load and keep starter Aaron Jones fresh, with a potential backfield committee forming.

Gotta have 'em

Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts

Hopefully, if you drafted Anthony Richardson, you hung onto him through his benching. But we don't blame you if you couldn't afford to devote a roster spot to him, given the uncertain timetable of his return under center. Alas, the Indianapolis Colts signal-caller reminded everyone why he was a consensus top-six player at the position in fantasy football drafts this summer.

Richardson fared well in Week 11 versus the New York Jets through the ground and air, putting the highly-coveted dual-threat skill set on full display. He completed 20-of-30 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown, plus 10 carries for 32 yards and two more scores with his legs. The gaudy box score numbers resulted in an overall QB4 weekly finish (heading into MNF).

We know it won't always be pretty or efficient for Richardson, but that doesn't matter for fantasy purposes. He can rack up raw counting stats as a passer while being a consistent rushing threat (especially near the goal line), making him incredibly valuable. With Colts head coach Shane Steichen confirming he'll start the rest of the season, don't be shy: Bid accordingly.

Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos

How many more standout performances must Bo Nix have for fantasy managers to view him as what he's been: An elite fantasy producer?

Since Nix's breakout effort in Week 5, he's been the QB5 from a per-game standpoint, averaging 21.6 fantasy points. Still, he can be had in over 50 percent of Yahoo leagues! Make it make sense.

Nix did it again in Week 11, torching the porous Atlanta Falcons secondary en route to his best day yet as a passer. He set new career highs in completion percentage (84.8), yards (307), touchdowns (four) and yards per attempt (9.3).

Playing at a high level and improving weekly, Nix should be rostered everywhere. He and the Denver Broncos have a fantasy-friendly schedule down the stretch (excluding Week 16 and 18 matchups with the Chargers and Chiefs). The rookie quarterback is a QB1 the rest of the way, providing a solid floor/ceiling combo.

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Cleveland Browns

This one is slightly cheating, because Jerry Jeudy is available in 49 -- not 50 -- percent of Yahoo leagues. But he's a worthy exception to the norm, especially after his 26.2-point fantasy scoring outburst in Week 11.

Jeudy posted consecutive 70-yard outings heading into Cleveland's latest loss to the New Orleans Saints, doubling his impressive streak in this one. He caught six passes for 142 yards, buoyed by this monster catch-and-run house call:

Things are coming together for Jeudy. He's amassed 30 targets in Winston's trio of starts, earning exactly 11 in back-to-back contests. As stated before, the latter will make every member of the Browns' passing attack fantasy-relevant.

Cleveland is entering the gauntlet of their schedule, facing the Pittsburgh Steelers twice, the Broncos and the Chiefs over the next four weeks. But the Browns will surely be underdogs in each of those affairs, so negative game script will be a recurring theme that counteracts the poor matchups.

Alternatively, the Browns wrap up the season with more inviting opponents (@ CIN, vs. MIA and @ BAL). Regardless, Jeudy is locked into a sizable role and should be prioritized if available in your league.