Waiver Wire Workout, Week 12

Because league formats vary, one size doesn't fit all when it comes to your waiver wire. That's why I break possible free agent adds into three categories. Follow me on Twitter for the latest on possible additions to your fantasy roster. (You can check out daily fantasy here and here.)

Addable In All Leagues

Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA (owned in 34% of Yahoo leagues). There are reports out of Seattle that Marshawn Lynch may need sports hernia surgery, which would make Rawls a clear fantasy starter in all matchups. And even if Lynch doesn't need to go under the knife, he's not going to play in Week 12 against the Steelers. Rawls has produced big numbers in three of his four starts in 2015, and while I'm not sure he's a transcendent player, he's got nice balance and acceleration and has shown a knack for big plays. At minimum, he's prime handcuff material.

Buck Allen, RB, BAL (12% owned). Justin Forsett is done for the year with a gruesomely broken arm, and Allen is pretty much the last man standing in the Ravens backfield. Unfortunately, Joe Flacco is also out for the year with a torn ACL, so it's worth asking whether any starting role in Baltimore is worth much in a fantasy league. But the rookie Allen has a big workload coming, and players with those kinds of roles are valuable. Hopefully many Forsett owners already had Allen handcuffed.

Spencer Ware, RB, Chiefs (8% owned). Charcandrick West injured a hamstring in the third quarter of Sunday's contest and didn't return. In his place, Ware topped 100 scrimmage yards on 12 carries, and converted two short touchdowns in garbage time. Ware may be "just another guy," a la Shonn Greene, but if West has to miss Week 12 against the Bills, Ware will merit starting fantasy consideration.

Terrance Williams, WR, Cowboys (41% owned). Tony Romo returns, and T-Will gets his groove back. Williams isn't necessarily a feast-or-famine player in the Dallas offense, because Dez Bryant, Darren McFadden and Jason Witten will get fed first. But it's good to see Williams playing once again with a quarterback who knows he exists.

Lions Defense (10% owned). I didn't think I'd be recommending this group at any point in '15 after they gave up 45 to the Chiefs in London back in Week 8. But since then, they've anchored two unlikely-seeming victories while allowing 16 points to the Packers and 13 to the Raiders. On film, I see Haloti Ngata starting to look like the guy we remember from Baltimore, and Darius Slay is turning into a star at corner. Whether the Eagles start Mark Sanchez or Sam Bradford on Thanksgiving, they're a decent candidate to turn the ball over a bunch.

Players listed in previous weeks who are still addable in all leagues: James White, RB, NE (29%); Alfred Blue, RB, HOU (42%); Duke Johnson, RB, CLE (48%); Theo Riddick, RB, DET (23%).

Speculative Adds

Tevin Coleman, RB, ATL (27% owned). Devonta Freeman missed most of Sunday's contest after suffering a concussion, and Coleman filled in as Atlanta's main man. If only he'd filled in well. It sounds as though Freeman has a decent chance to get back on the field in Week 12 against the Vikings, but certainly if you've benefited from his unexpectedly good season, you need to add Coleman as a speculative handcuff. He'll get the lion's share of work if Freeman loses time again.

Leonard Hankerson, WR, ATL (13% owned). Hankerson dropped what would've been a touchdown Sunday, but made up for it later in the game with a red-zone score. Roddy White (eight targets) was just as involved as Hankerson (seven), but if I'm placing a bet on one of these ancillary Matt Ryan receivers, it's probably Hankerson.

Marquess Wilson, WR, CHI (8% owned). Wilson has proven he only has fantasy value in weeks Alshon Jeffery misses action. Jeffery didn't play in Week 11 and the Bears play on Thursday against Green Bay. Wilson might not be a terrible spot starter if both Jeffery and Eddie Royal are out.

Jameis Winston, QB, TB (25% owned). It's time to take notice of Winston's play. Even when he hasn't showed up big in the box score, he's making strides. Against a supposedly decent Philly defense Sunday, he threw five TD passes. Against the Colts next week, Winston would make an acceptable streamer.

Brock Osweiler, QB, Broncos (1% owned). It won't always be quite so easy for "Ice Water." He made a few nice throws in Week 11, but Denver never had to press because the Chicago offense was mostly stagnant. Against the Patriots on Sunday, Osweiler will have to be more aggressive, and that could work out well for him, or it could bite him. Certainly, he has plentiful receiving weapons, especially if Emmanuel Sanders can return from a high-ankle sprain.

Tyler Lockett, WR, Seahawks (15% owned). I don't expect any of Russell Wilson's wideouts to maintain week-to-week fantasy value. Heck, even Jimmy Graham hasn't been able to do it. But Lockett is a rookie whose speed the NFL just hasn't been able to adjust to yet, and he scored twice against the Niners Sunday. Maybe he could evolve into an Antonio-Brown-style outside receiver.

Darren Sproles, RB, Eagles (44% owned). Ryan Mathews couldn't play in Week 11 because of a concussion, and Philly only gets four days off before they travel to Detroit for Turkey Day. DeMarco Murray and Sproles each played 30 snaps against Tampa, while Kenjon Barner (0% owned) played 12. Sproles can make hay in a PPR league if you're desperate for help.

Players listed in previous weeks who are still speculative adds: Jay Cutler, QB, CHI (45%); Shaun Draughn, RB, SF (17%); Charles Sims, RB, TB (29%); Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, IND (7%); Jay Ajayi, RB, Dolphins (25%); Joique Bell, RB, DET (33%); David Cobb, RB, TEN (19%); Brandon Bolden, RBs, NE (8%); Jordan Todman, RB, PIT (1%); Ted Ginn, WR, CAR (38%); Rueben Randle, WR, NYG (38%); Devin Funchess, WR, CAR (35%); Cecil Shorts, WR, HOU (8%); Dontrelle Inman, WR, SD (12%); Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, TEN (20%); Nate Washington, WR, HOU (33%); Chris Givens, WR, BAL (13%); Eric Ebron, TE, DET (41%); Richard Rodgers (47%); Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, TB (27%); Crockett Gillmore, TE, BAL (22%); Heath Miller, TE, PIT (29%).

Deep-League Adds

J.J. Nelson, WR, Cardinals (1% owned). Nelson is fast. Really fast. He ran a 4.28 40 at this spring's combine, and dusted the Bengals Sunday night with a 64-yard score. He also screwed up a route and directly led to a Carson Palmer interception, so one assumes that if Michael Floyd's hamstring returns to health, Nelson will mostly sit.

Jeff Janis, WR, Packers (0% owned). Ty Montgomery can't get healthy, Davante Adams aggravated his ankle injury, and Janis got to play 16 snaps against the Vikings on Sunday as a result. If Adams misses time, perhaps Janis slides in as Aaron Rodgers' No. 3 receiver.

Brian Hoyer, QB, Texans (10% owned). Hoyer is slated to return from his concussion in Week 12 against the Saints, making him a prime streamer. Do we think New Orleans fixed their entire defense just by firing their coordinator?

Zach Miller, TE, Bears (7% owned). Miller has almost certainly already seen his biggest plays of the year, back in Week 10 against the Rams. But Jay Cutler needs targets while guys like Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal are out. Martellus Bennett comes first among Chicago's tight ends, but 154 receiving yards combined over the past two weeks is nothing to sneeze at.

Clive Walford, TE, Raiders (1% owned). I've liked what I've seen on film from the rookie Walford lately. Derek Carr likes him in the red zone, and he usually plays about half of Oakland's snaps. He's yet to eclipse 50 yards receiving in a game, so don't go crazy. But there's dynasty upside in Walford.

Keshawn Martin and Chris Harper, WRs, Patriots (10% and 1% owned). Martin has missed four straight games with an injured hamstring, but if he ever gets back on the field, he could be an interesting Julian Edelman replacement for Tom Brady out of the slot. On Monday night, Danny Amendola left the game with a knee injury and never returned; Harper replaced him. The odds are that neither Martin nor undrafted rookie Harper will assume a major enough role to be fantasy relevant from week to week, but who knows?

Players listed in previous weeks who are still addable in deep leagues: Chris Thompson, RB, WAS (6%); Jonathan Grimes, RB, HOU (2%); Orleans Darkwa, RB, NYG (4%); Tim Hightower, RB, Saints (0%); Cody Latimer, WR, Broncos (1%); Jamison Crowder, WR, WAS (20%); Dwayne Harris, WR, NYG (21%); Wes Welker, WR, Rams (21%); Javontee Herndon, WR, SD (1%).

Christopher Harris (@HarrisFootball) is a six-time Fantasy Sports Writing Association award winner. He hosts the Harris Football Podcast every weekday. Find it on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn and most other podcast apps, as well as at www.HarrisFootball.com.