Fantasy Football Week 12 Early Waiver Wire: Injuries create opportunities, but maybe not with Cooper Kupp

Week 11 saw a bunch of starters leave their games with injuries, but they weren’t necessarily in situations where Fantasy players can take advantage of their absences on the waiver wire. With one notable exception, as Zach Charbonnet could be a must-start Fantasy option if Kenneth Walker’s oblique injury keeps him out moving forward.

And one thing that helps Charbonnet’s chances is that the Seahawks have a quick turnaround ahead of their Week 12 game, as they’re set to play Thursday against the 49ers. So, even if Walker’s injury isn’t particularly serious, it could put Walker in line to be the starting back next week. It’s not an ideal matchup against the 49ers, but Charbbonet’s role in both the running and passing games would likely make him worth ranking as a top-24 back for Week 12.

I wrote about Walker’s injury and what it could mean for Charbonnet’s value here, along with injuries to other running backs like De’Von Achane, Aaron Jones, and D’Onta Foreman. Hopefully, none of those injuries end up being too serious, but we could be looking at a situation where Charbonnet, AJ Dillon, and Roschon Johnson are some of the top waiver-wire targets for Week 12 wherever they are available. 

There was one other non-RB injury from Sunday afternoon we need to talk about, too, as we saw Cooper Kupp exit Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. He suffered the injury while blocking, and though he tried to play through it and was initially considered questionable, he was ultimately ruled out early in the second half. 

And, of course, as we’ve already seen with the Rams, there really wasn’t anyone who could step up in Kupp’s absence. Puka Nacua led the team in every relevant receiving category, and he was the only player with more than 25 receiving yards. Tutu Atwell had some interesting showings in Kupp’s absence early in the season and could be useful if Kupp’s injury forces him to miss time, but Atwell also had just three targets, catching one for just 17 yards Sunday, so it’s hard to say he would be much more than a TD-or-bust flex option for Week 12 against the Cardinals. 

Nacua should remain a must-start Fantasy option if Kupp is out, but I wouldn’t necessarily want to rely on anyone else in this Rams passing game if I could avoid it – Tyler Higbee might be the one exception if you just lost Mark Andrews at tight end. So, Kupp’s injury won’t necessarily have a huge impact on the Week 12 waiver-wire. 

Here’s who we’ll be looking to add ahead of Week 12: