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Matt Bowen
At various points during the fantasy football season, injuries, bye weeks and breaking news can cause you to need reinforcements for your fantasy lineup. Every Friday throughout the 2025 NFL season, Matt Bowen will offer some late-week pickup options to help fill those holes, with an emphasis on deeper leagues.
Because of that, this column will focus mostly on players rostered in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues, with occasional exceptions.
Justin Herbert and Bo Nix are on byes this week, so we will start with three available quarterbacks who have solid matchups. There is a group of wide receivers providing both volume and upside worthy of consideration, plus there are some running backs I see as potential flex options for deeper formats. As always, I’ll give you a tight end to potentially stream, and I’m zeroing in on a defense that faces a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start.
Quarterbacks
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (34.4% rostered; vs. Jaguars)
Brissett had 21.9 points, plus 452 yards passing, in a Week 11 loss to the 49ers. He averages 21.3 PPG in his five starts this season with multiple touchdowns throws in each. Yes, game flow forced Brissett to throw with heavy volume against San Francisco (57 attempts), but the tape tells us that he has upgraded this Cardinals passing offense. Brissett fits this week as a deeper-league starter against a Jaguars defense that ranks in the bottom 10 against opposing quarterbacks (20.1 PPG).
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (46.1% rostered; at Titans)
The past two weeks have been rough on Darnold, with less than five points and three or more turnovers in back-to-back games. But I like Darnold as a rebound play in Week 12 against a Titans defense that ranks in the middle of the pack against opposing QBs (17.4 PPG). Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba provides matchup ability at all three levels of the field for Darnold, and don’t be surprised if Darnold starts to connect with Rashid Shaheed on the schemed verticals in the Seahawks’ playbook.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (10.9% rostered; at 49ers)
Young played his best game of the season in the Week 11 win over the Falcons, throwing for 448 yards and three touchdowns (31.82 points). We also saw the upside of rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan in this one (eight receptions, 130 yards, two touchdowns). With a Week 12 matchup against a 49ers defense giving up an average of 283.7 passing yards over their past five games, Young is worth playing in a deeper league on Monday night.
Wide receivers
Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals (33.6% rostered; vs. Jaguars)
With Marvin Harrison Jr. (appendectomy) set to sit out his second straight game, let’s keep Wilson in the lineup. He had a career-best 33.5 points in a Week 11 loss to the 49ers, catching 15 of 18 targets for 185 yards. Managers shouldn’t expect a repeat of those numbers, but Wilson will be the primary boundary target again for Brissett against the Jags.
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers (43.2% rostered; vs. Vikings)
We wrote about Watson in this space last week and he delivered numbers in a win over the Giants, catching four of five targets for 46 yards and two touchdowns (20.6 points). Watson will remain a boom/bust WR3 against the Vikings on Sunday as the vertical stretch target for quarterback Jordan Love. Take the upside of Watson here.
Andrei Iosivas, Cincinnati Bengals (5.7% rostered; vs. Patriots)
With Ja’Marr Chase (suspension) out for Sunday’s game at New England, there is an open door for Iosivas to see a bump in targets opposite Tee Higgins. Iosivas caught three of four targets in last week’s loss to the Steelers, and he had 18.0 points in Week 9 against the Bears. Iosivas fits as a deeper-league flex in Week 12.
Running backs
Devin Singletary, New York Giants (33.3% rostered; at Lions)
Singletary had 17.3 points in Week 11 against the Packers, his second straight game with 10 or more, and he saw his usage increase in the low red zone. Singletary rushed for two touchdowns on six goal-to-go carries against Green Bay, and he finished with 17 touches. His upside is limited because of the backfield split with Tyrone Tracy Jr., plus the Lions’ run defense looms this Sunday. But with at least 10 touches in three straight games, Singletary has value in deeper leagues.
Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (42.3% rostered; at Rams)
With Bucky Irving down again this week, managers should make a run at Tucker. In the Week 11 game versus the Bills, Tucker posted 140 total yards and three touchdowns (34.0 points). We saw the play speed, too. Tucker can scoot. Rachaad White will also see touches on Sunday night, but Tucker is the Tampa Bay running back to have in the lineup versus a tough Rams defense.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (36.2% rostered; vs. Seahawks)
Spears had only four carries in the Titans’ Week 11 loss to Houston, but the passing-game numbers keep him in the mix. Spears had five receptions for 31 yards against the Texans and he has caught at least three passes in each of his past three games, with nine or more touches in each. He’s a deeper-league flex Sunday against the Seahawks.
Tight end
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints (43.3% rostered; vs. Falcons)
Johnson scored 19.2 points in his most recent game against the Panthers in Week 10, catching all four of his targets for 92 yards and a touchdown. He has 10 or more points in four straight games, with a touchdown grab in each of his past two. A reliable target who can uncover for rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, while also working the seams, Johnson fits as a deeper-league play against Atlanta.
D/ST
Las Vegas Raiders (18.1% rostered; vs. Browns)
Let’s play the matchup here against rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who will be making his first pro start. Sanders played frenetically when he relieved an injured Dillon Gabriel in the Week 11 game against the Ravens, completing just 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards and an interception. And with the expectation that the Raiders will mix their coverages and pressures to cloud the post-snap looks for Sanders, I like Vegas to make some splash plays on defense.