Week 12 Fantasy Football Running Back Waiver Adds: Sean Tucker, Emanuel Wilson and More

If you're looking for help at the running back position to make a late-season playoff push, the Week 12 waiver wire is for you. 

Unfortunately, part of the reason there are so many exciting pickups available is that a couple of big names suffered injuries, so there will likely be even more fantasy football managers than usual in desperate need of RB help. With that in mind, it's more important than ever to choose carefully which of the following backs to prioritize on your waiver wire this week. Let's get started.

Check out fantasy football waiver wire targets all season on FantasySP. 

Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20% Rostered)

Unless we get a huge performance from someone on Monday Night Football, Tucker just recorded the second RB1 overall weekly finish of his career … and also just the second top-20 finish of his career.

Clearly, when Tucker hits, he hits big, and he hit big this week with 33 points against the Bills. He racked up 106 yards and two TDs on just 19 carries, then added 34 more yards and another TD on two catches for good measure.

This was Tucker's first week leading the Tampa Bay backfield in carries, as his 19 totes easily beat Rachaad White's 10. But he had already been getting more involved in recent weeks with Bucky Irving sidelined, posting rush shares above 40% in each of the previous two games. After this big week, I expect him to remain Tampa Bay's lead ballcarrier until Irving returns. 

However, Irving did practice last week, so that return might be just around the corner. Given that he also isn't used much in the receiving game (he ran six routes to 16 for White this week), Tucker's path to fantasy viability if/when Irving returns to a lead role will be thin. But he clearly has massive upside when he gets volume, so he is still a must-add.    

Kenneth Gainwell, Pittsburgh Steeler (42.2% Rostered)

Jaylen Warren suffered an ankle injury in this week's game. In his absence, Gainwell popped off for 26 half-PPR points. The former Eagle actually did most of his damage through the air, catching seven of an absurd eight targets for 81 yards and two TDs (one of which even came before Warren's early exit).

He failed to get much going on the ground, but still saw nine carries to rookie Kaleb Johnson's five (Warren had 10 before his exit).

This is now the second time that Gainwell has had a huge day with Warren sidelined, as he scored 28.4 points as a bell-cow in the Steelers' Week 4 win over the Vikings. Johnson, who has been mostly a non-factor despite being selected in the second round of this year's draft, would likely see a role, but it would be the veteran's backfield if Warren missed time. 

However, that may be a big “if,” as Warren said that he could have returned if necessary. Once again, Gainwell is a must-add just in case, but monitor Warren's health before emptying your FAAB wallet. 

Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars (23.7% Rostered)

Tuten, a fourth-round rookie with excellent athletic traits, was a popular sleeper during fantasy draft season. However, he has spent much of the season clearly behind Travis Etienne in the Jaguars' run game, while fellow rookie LeQuint Allen Jr. also mixes in on passing downs. 

For the first three quarters of the Jaguars' big win over the Chargers yesterday, that changed. Tuten played 39% of Jacksonville's offensive snaps (his previous career high was 28%), and handled 14 carries to Etienne's 12. He did more with his touches than the veteran, too, racking up 69 yards and a TD on multiple impressive plays.

Unfortunately, as you've probably already guessed, there's a reason I'm only using three quarters worth of stats. Tuten saw one touch in the fourth, a five-yard carry, and suffered a rough-looking ankle injury. He reportedly said he was good after the game, but time will tell.

Once again, I recommend adding Tuten, but keep an eye on any injury reports as you do.  

Emanuel Wilson, Green Bay Packers (8.8% Rostered)

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Wilson is a must-add with Josh Jacobs dealing with a knee injury, but whether he is a potential league-winner will depend on how significant the star RB's issue is. 

While we don't yet know if Jacobs will miss no time, extended time, or somewhere in between, we do know (as much as we can “know” anything in fantasy football) that Wilson will be the Packers' RB1 while he is sidelined.

On Sunday, Wilson played 36 snaps, saw 12 opportunities (11 carries and a target), and ran 18 routes. Chris Brooks, the team's RB3, recorded just one carry and one route on five snaps. 

Even if this split balanced out a little with Jacobs sidelined from the jump, Wilson would be a must-start RB in any game where that was the case. The Packers' offense also ranks fourth in EPA per play and ninth in rush rate, further increasing his appeal as a potentially unlocked handcuff.

Chris Rodriguez Jr., Washington Commanders (16.2% Rostered)

Finally, we are leaving the zone of injury question marks. Instead, we have a good old-fashioned backfield takeover. Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt had served as the Commanders' RB1 for most of the season, but that changed on Sunday. Rodriguez Jr. led the backfield in snap share (45% to JCM's 27%) and carries (15-nine). 

Croskey-Merritt has proven that being the Commanders' lead back is no guarantee of fantasy success. This will likely remain a committee on the ground, and Jeremy McNichols is going nowhere as a passing-down back.

With that said, every NFL RB1 should be rostered, and Washington's offense is decent. Rodriguez is a must-add and a viable play as long as he remains the team's top option. 

Devin Singletary, New York Giants (32.1% Rostered)

The Giants' backfield has been confusing for fantasy managers since rookie Cam Skattebo suffered a season-ending injury. Sophomore Tyrone Tracy Jr. was originally expected to lead the way, but the team gave Singletary the larger half of a 60/40 split in Week 9, the first week after Skattebo's injury. Then in Week 10, Tracy looked like the clear RB1, easily leading in both snaps and touches.

This week, the pendulum swung back toward Singletary … but not all the way. Tracy still maintained slight leads in snaps (36-33), carries (19-16), routes (14-13), and targets (4-1). However, thanks to two goal-line TDs, Singletary had the bigger fantasy day, finishing as an RB1 with 17.2 points. 

We can't dismiss those goal-line TDs as a fluke, either. Over the last three weeks (the post-Skattebo era), the Giants have had 10 snaps inside their opponents' 5-yard line. Singletary has appeared on all 10, handling six carries and one target. Tracy has zero snaps at the goal-line in this span, and zero goal-line touches on just four snaps in that area all season.

Combining his roughly 40% share of the overall backfield with a lock on valuable goal-line work, Singletary has deep-league flex appeal and is definitely worth adding. 

Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos (1.5% Rostered)

J.K. Dobbins is unfortunately likely done for the year after suffering an injury in Week 10. In Denver's first game without him on Sunday, McLaughlin led their backfield with 7.9 half-PPR points. The 2023 UDFA, who has spent most of this season as a healthy scratch, played a real role in his third game of the season.

However, we shouldn't overstate how good that role was. McLaughlin actually played only eight snaps (a 13% share). He was heavily utilized with seven opportunities (six carries and a target) on those eight snaps, but he still saw far less overall work than rookie RJ Harvey (11 carries and three targets).

The vast majority of his already mediocre fantasy total came on a goal-line TD, as he finished the day with just 14 total yards. In deep leagues, McLaughlin is worth adding, but there are many more exciting options available for most formats this week.