Weekly Hail Mary: Week 12

Each week of the football season, HMF will provide you with at least one “Hail Mary” at RB, WR, and TE - a guy who is not generally regarded as a starter for the week, but who has the potential to pay off big.  These are the guys you look to when you’re in dire straits and have nowhere else to turn. They are lottery tickets that are not likely to hit, but if they do, you’ll be thrilled, as you can likely grab them for free off your waiver wire.  We only focus on players who are available in at least two-thirds of Yahoo! leagues.

We are coming up on our final column of the season, which will be next week’s column on the Hail Marys for Week 13 (since most leagues have playoffs starting in Week 14). The Hail Marys for Week 12:

Running Backs

Bo Scarbrough, Lions (2% owned). In his first game action of the season, the former Alabama star paced the Lions backfield in carries, turning 14 totes into 55 yards and a score. He had 11 more carries than the next-closest Lions running back, J.D. McKissic (3).

Jonathan Williams, Colts (4%). With Marlon Mack exiting early with a hand injury, Williams carried the load. He turned 14 touches into nearly 150 yards from scrimmage and a score. With the Colts playing on a short week, he may be called upon for lead back duties again in Week 12.

Wide Receivers

Corey Davis, Titans (30%). So, you’ve probably got no interest in this guy if you drafted him. I get it. But if you’ve never ridden the Corey Davis Train before, now is the time to hop aboard. The Titans passing attack has actually been reasonable with Ryan Tannehill under center. Tennessee was on bye in Week 11, so their players likely fell off our radar. But in Week 12 they get Jacksonville, which has been middle-of-the-road against opposing wide receivers on the season, and slightly worse since Jalen Ramsey was shipped out of town.

Darius Slayton, Giants (25%). Disclaimer: he faces the Bears this week, so it might not be all that magical. But Slayton has 4 touchdowns in his past three games, including 10 catches and 121 yards in the Giants’ most recent game. The rookie seems to have a good rapport with Danny Dimes, so if you find yourself in a pinch, he could be worth your attention in Week 12 (and beyond).

Tight Ends

Mike Gesicki, Dolphins (17%). The production hasn’t always been there, but the volume sure has been. Gesicki has now seen at least 6 targets in each of his past three games. He appears to have taken on a heightened role with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, and his importance as a pass-catcher is more evident with rookie wide receiver Preston Williams now on injured reserve.

Dallas Goedert, Eagles (19%). Not sure how many times we need to recommend the guy, but we’re going to keep doing it because his ownership percentage has been staying low. With touchdowns in three of his past four games, it’s clear that Goedert has become a key part of Philadelphia’s red zone offense.

BYE WEEK TEAMS: CARDINALS, CHARGERS, CHIEFS, VIKINGS