CFB Waiver Wire: Players to Pick Up Week 12

ACC

Devonta Freeman, RB, Florida State

He doesn't have the most stable workload and that primarily limits him to deeper leagues, but Freeman seems to have taken fairly clear ownership of the Florida State running game, receiving 65 carries the last five weeks, including 16 against Miami on Saturday. He averages 5.2 yards per carry and has five touchdowns in the last five weeks. With Virginia next on the schedule, Freeman should be in position to post more decent numbers.

Rashad Greene, WR, Florida State

If Greene's owner in your league got impatient and cut him after his four-week absence and three-catch, 19-yard game against Miami last week, go ahead and pick him up. Greene should be back into playmaking form after shaking off the rust Saturday. The true freshman had six touchdowns in his first five games and is probably too good to end the year on a quiet note.

Big East

Jeremy Deering, RB, Rutgers

Deering is only worth a look in deep formats due to Rutgers' weak offensive line and the presence of Jawan Jamison, but he could be worth a depth add in those cases after he received a bigger workload against Army on Saturday. A concussion knocked Deering out of the starting picture in the preseason after previously being the favorite to start for the Scarlet Knights, so his 14-carry, 64-yard showing Saturday could be a sign that he's close to claiming the role now that he's healthy.

Big Ten

Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State

Bell seems to have clearly overtaken Edwin Baker as Michigan State's top runner, taking 35 carries for 208 yards and three touchdowns the last two weeks. He faces a pushover Indiana defense this week that has allowed 20 rushing touchdowns in 10 games, as well as 5.3 yards per carry. Bell should probably be owned in most or all leagues at this point.

Da'Jon McKnight, WR, Minnesota

McKnight fell back to earth against Wisconsin last week after catching nine passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns against Michigan State the week before, but look for his numbers to swing upward against Northwestern this week. The Gophers figure to give up some points in this one and will need to turn to the passing game early as a result. Northwestern allows 8.6 yards per attempt this year, and McKnight is talented enough to capitalize.

Big 12

Kendial Lawrence, RB, Missouri

Henry Josey is out for the year with a knee injury, leaving Lawrence as Missouri's top ballcarrier and close to a must-own in most or all leagues. He's not as good as Josey - and it's not really all that close - but Lawrence still ran for 106 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries against Texas last week, and his remaining schedule features two matchups that are quite favorable - Texas Tech and Kansas. Those schools have combined to allow 5.7 yards per carry this year, as well as a rather jaw-dropping total of 59 touchdowns in 20 games.

Jaz Reynolds, WR, Oklahoma

With Ryan Broyles out for the year, Reynolds is in for a big promotion for Oklahoma's remaining games. While he's not a talent on the level of Broyles and Kenny Stills, Reynolds has still been a productive player this year in his own right with 32 receptions for 578 yards and five touchdowns the last seven weeks. He's a must-own as Oklahoma takes on Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma State, as he could average 100 yards and a touchdown per game (or better) to close out the year.

Conference-USA

Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall

Dobson has quietly scored eight touchdowns in 10 games this year, catching 36 passes for 455 yards in the process. He makes for an especially intriguing start this week, as Marshall faces a Memphis pass defense that's probably one of the five worst in the nation. The Tigers have allowed 24 passing touchdowns in 10 games, as well as 8.3 yards per attempt. That includes a 410-yard, four-touchdown game at the hands of UAB quarterback Jonathan Perry last week - a player who had thrown three touchdowns and seven interceptions prior to that week.

Cole Beasley, WR, SMU

With just two touchdowns this year, it's possible that Beasley was dropped in a number of leagues despite his high preseason expectations. If your league is one, you could find a much worse spot start this week as SMU takes on Houston. The Cougars are actually fairly tough against the pass, but SMU figures to have such a high pass attempt volume that it will give Beasley a good chance to pile up numbers, even if only in garbage time.

Independents

Cody Hoffman, WR, BYU

Losing Riley Nelson (ribs) hurts Hoffman's value, but his strong showings of late and generally favorable upcoming schedule indicate that he should remain a viable option in many cases, though primarily in deeper formats. After catching six passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns against Idaho on Saturday, Hoffman has 40 catches for 652 yards and six touchdowns in his last eight games, and 414 yards and five touchdowns in his last four games. He takes on a New Mexico State team Saturday that has allowed 300-yard passers three straight weeks.

MAC

Titus Davis, WR, Central Michigan

Davis is a true freshman, but he has emerged as the top wideout for Central Michigan, with his performances in recent weeks featuring especially strong production. He's worth owning in all formats, as he has 31 catches for 565 yards and five touchdowns the last seven weeks, including 16 catches for 302 yards and four touchdowns the last two weeks. If his production from the last two games weren't impressive enough on their face, consider that he totaled those numbers against Ken State and Ohio, defenses that combine to allow just 6.4 yards per pass so far this year while allowing just 27 touchdowns to 25 interceptions in 20 games.

Chris Givens, Miami

Givens lacks upside to the point that he's primarily a deep-league option, but he has quietly been very consistent in such leagues, particularly PPR formats. In his seven healthy games this year he has totaled 37 catches for 432 yards and five touchdowns, and he will continue to see favorable coverage due to the dominant Nick Harwell attracting all the double teams.

Mountain West

Chris Nwoke, RB, Colorado State

Nwoke has a rough matchup with TCU this week and is therefore ideally left on the bench, but he could be worth an investment in many scenarios for the following two games. After a slow start to the year, Nwoke has come on very strong lately, running for 481 yards and three touchdowns on 68 carries (7.1 yards per carry) the last three weeks, the highlight being last week's 232-yard game against San Diego State. His final two opponents this year (Air Force and Wyoming) have combined to allow 5.1 yards per carry and 40 rushing touchdowns in just 19 games.

Dionza Bradford, RB, UNLV

Bradford continued his strong running Saturday, bowling over New Mexico's defense for 152 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, giving him 424 yards and three touchdowns the last three weeks. He takes on an Air Force defense this week that has allowed 19 touchdowns on the ground in 10 games while allowing 5.0 yards per carry. The week after that he faces a San Diego State defense that just gave up 232 yards to Nwoke.

Pac-12

Curtis McNeal, RB, USC

Oregon poses a tough threat for McNeal this week, but so did Stanford on Oct. 29, and he was more than up for that challenge, burning the Cardinal for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Even if McNeal isn't worth starting against an Oregon defense allowing just 3.7 yards per carry this year, he's worth adding in most scenarios for USC's following matchup against UCLA. Still, with 658 yards and five touchdowns rushing on just 96 carries (6.9 yards per carry) the last six weeks, McNeal is worth gambling on against the Ducks in plenty of formats.

Connor Halliday, QB, Washington State

The uncertainty surrounding the starting role at Washington State makes Halliday worth a gamble only in deeper leagues, but it's difficult to see him leaving the picture entirely after torching a respectable Arizona State defense for 494 yards and four touchdowns on just 36 pass attempts (13.7 yards per attempt) in Saturday's 37-27 upset. Even if Washington State lets Marshall Lobbestael start for the Senior Day game against Utah, it looks as if Halliday is clearly the better player, so it wouldn't surprise if he earns the start for the regular season finale against a vulnerable Washington defense in the Apple Cup.

SEC

Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee

If Bray was dropped in your league due to his five-game absence from a broken thumb, go ahead and add him now if you could use some quarterback depth. He's only questionable for Saturday's game against Vanderbilt, but Bray has been cleared to resume practicing and should at least be back for the Nov. 26 matchup with a pushover Kentucky defense.

Trey Burton, TE/RB, Florida

If you're in need of a spot starter at tight end this week, Burton could be a worthwhile gamble. He has had an ambiguous role in Florida's dysfunctional offense this year, but he seems get a decent workload as a short-yardage and goal-line runner in the games where Florida isn't playing catch up. In Florida's wins over UAB, Tennessee and Kentucky earlier this year, Burton ran for 82 yards and three touchdowns. This week's game against Furman could be a perfect cure for Burton's touchdown drought.

Sun Belt

Jyruss Edwards, RB, Louisiana-Monroe

Edwards started the year slowly, but he's been hugely productive the last two weeks. He has 41 carries for 254 rushing yards and six touchdowns in his last two games, and even added seven catches for 43 yards and another touchdown over that span. His numbers will surely drop a bit from here, but it's still tough to bet against a player riding as high as Edwards.

James Hamilton, RB, North Texas

The status of Lance Dunbar (knee) is uncertain, meaning Hamilton could be in line for a start this week against Western Kentucky's vulnerable run defense. Hamilton was effective in Dunbar's place against Troy on Saturday, running for 105 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. The Hilltoppers have allowed 4.5 yards per carry this year as well as 16 touchdowns in 10 games.

WAC

Brandon Rutley, RB, San Jose State

If Rutley was dropped in your league after averaging just 2.5 yards per carry in his last four games, pick him up for this week's game against Navy. Rutley's last three opponents (Louisiana Tech, Idaho and Utah State) actually possess tough run defenses by WAC standards, but a matchup with Navy this Saturday is much more favorable for Rutley. The Midshipmen allow 4.8 yards per carry and have allowed 28 rushing touchdowns in 10 games this year.

Hunter Lee, RB, Louisiana Tech

Lee is mostly worth a speculative add in deep leagues, but he's one that could pay off with a little luck. Senior running back Lennon Creer has generally been unimpressive this year with an average of 4.2 yards per carry, and his immediate status is unclear after he left Saturday's game against Mississippi with an undisclosed injury. Lee replaced him and ran well against the Rebels, totaling 127 yards on 24 carries. Lee has been impressive all year, running for 404 yards and a touchdown on just 81 carries (5.0 yards per carry) the last five weeks.