The story of the NFL in Week 11 was injuries as plenty of star players found their way to the sidelines over the course of the past three days. Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson were lost for the season with wrist and shoulder issues while Aaron Jones, Kenneth Walker, Cooper Kupp and De'Von Achane all left their games early on Sunday due to various ailments.
The injury rush comes at the worst time for fantasy football owners as the trade deadline has passed in standard leagues and there are just three weeks left until the playoffs. The waiver wire does have a few ready made alternatives available, so let's break down the five best pickups to make ahead of Week 12. All rostered percentages are based on Yahoo! leagues.
5 Top Fantasy Football Pickups For Week 12
5. Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks
The big fantasy injury from the 4:25 window came in Seattle when Kenneth Walker departed early in the first half with an oblique injury. Walker did not return to the contest after being initially declared as doubtful, turning the Seahawks' backfield over to rookie Zach Charbonnet.
Charbonnet carried the backfield while Walker was out, rushing 14 times for 45 yards and catching all seven of his targets for 20 yards in a 17-16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The Seahawks had been working Charbonnet into the mix a bit more recently but Walker's injury, combined with Seattle's quick turnaround to host San Francisco on Thanksgiving night, could give him full command of the backfield for Week 12.
The matchup against the 49ers' stout defense isn't ideal but Charbonnet does offer some pass catching chops, allowing him to be a volume-based RB2 for Thursday night. Walker owners and anyone who needs help at the position should be all over Charbonnet, who is rostered in 44 percent of leagues.
4. Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
There is a lot of youth in the skill position group in Green Bay and it has often been a case of whack-a-mole to find the player that would mesh well with Jordan Love. There has been a bit of separation from the pack by wide receiver Jayden Reed, the team's second-round pick in the draft out of Western Michigan.
Reed had a huge game against the Los Angeles Chargers' leaky pass defense, catching four passes for 46 yards while adding three carries for another 46 yards and a touchdown. This game marked a continued progression of increased involvement in the offense for Reed, who had six targets for the second time in four games.
Love has been focused on finding Christian Watson as his primary option but Reed appears to have surpassed Romeo Doubs on the pecking order for passing game work. On a week where the Packers lost two running backs to injuries, it makes sense to consider picking up Reed if you have a need for a flex play in Week 12.
Green Bay plays on a short week as they head to Detroit for Thanksgiving, which saw its defense get torched by Justin Fields and the Bears on Sunday. Reed is rostered in 36 percent of leagues and is a solid WR3 option or flex play going forward.
3. Tommy Devito, QB, New York Giants
Don't look now, but the Giants have a bit of juice on offense with Tommy Devito under center. After making headlines for living at home and revealing that his mother still makes his bed, Devito played like a grown man against Washington, completing 18-of-26 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns in New York's upset win over Washington.
The passing prowess was a big surprise for Devito, who the Giants were scared to let throw the football when he made his NFL debut against the New York Jets in Week 8. Head coach Brian Daboll deserves credit for the work the team has done with Devito to make him a competent threat throwing the ball, which adds some sneaky dual-threat potential to his game given Devito's rushing prowess.
No one will mistake Devito for the second coming of Michael Vick but he has a chance to put up usable fantasy lines on a team that will be playing from behind more often than not. Backup Tyrod Taylor is out for at least one more game after landing on IR with a rib injury, leaving Devito under center for an appetizing Week 12 matchup against a putrid New England defense that has given up 23.8 points per game.
If you lost Burrow or Watson for the season, there are worse plug-and-play options available than Devito, who is rostered in just three percent of leagues. Devito's enticing Week 12 matchup and rushing ability makes him a decent flier down the stretch for QB-needy teams.
2. Odell Beckham Jr, WR, Baltimore Ravens
All the noise surrounding Burrow's injury on Thursday night obscured another devastating season-ending injury from the same game. The Baltimore Ravens saw star tight end Mark Andrews go down for the year with an ankle injury, a killer for the already-thin tight end position in fantasy football.
While there isn't a ready-made replacement for Andrews at the tight end slot, there is an opportunity to snatch some of his targets in the form of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The former Giants' star was widely discarded after his early season struggles but broke out in a big way in Week 11, catching four passes for 116 yards and a touchdown in Baltimore's blowout win over the Bengals.
The coming-out party for Beckham was well-timed as Andrews' targets will need to go somewhere. There aren't many better options to offer those targets to than Beckham, who offers some big-play potential to a Ravens' offense that is already very explosive to begin with.
A late-game shoulder injury appears to be minor for Beckham, who is rostered in 29 percent of leagues, and Baltimore's mini-bye should give him plenty of time to get healthy. A Week 12 matchup against the Chargers' league-worst pass defense will also be a tremendous opportunity for Beckham to feast again.
1. Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers
While Tommy Devito may be a one-week fill in for Burrow and Watson owners, those fantasy managers will want to find some sort of long-term option to carry them through the best of the season. One may be emerging in Jordan Love, who has rebounded from a rough stretch to look like a potential answer for Green Bay.
Love took advantage of a tremendous matchup against the Chargers' awful pass defense with an excellent showing in Week 11, completing 27-of-40 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-20 win. That effort followed up a solid performance in Week 10 when Love threw for 289 yards with two touchdowns (albeit with two interceptions) against a stronger Pittsburgh Steelers' defense.
There is a lot of intriguing skill talent on the Packers' roster and it will serve to the benefit of Love, who may have more responsibility put on his plate over the course of the season as Green Bay looks to see what they have in him. Injuries to Green Bay's running game, which saw Aaron Jones and third stringer Emanuel Wilson depart early in Week 11, could also lead to more work for Love with a short week on tap for the Packers.
Love, who is rostered in 46 percent of leagues, has a fun matchup on tap in Week 12 against a torchable Detroit secondary that got lit up by Justin Fields and the Bears' mediocre passing attack on Sunday. Taking a shot on Love may be the best best for Burrow and Watson owners looking for an answer, which makes Love the top pickup of the week.
