Dynasty Waivers of the Future: Week 12

My colleague Jeff Blaylock and I gaze into our crystal footballs each week to find players who may become popular waiver targets in the future so that you can pick them up now for next to nothing. 

As always, we'll start with our priorities, then gaze deeper for lightly rostered gems who have been largely ignored by dynasty managers so far.

I love this time of year because, right now, there are a couple of second- and third-string running backs who don't know it yet, but in the next couple of weeks, they are going to emerge and win some leagues, boosting their dynasty value exponentially headed into 2026. 

Jeff tried to tell us all about one of these guys waaaaay back in week 3, but not only did we not listen, we have somehow managed to roster this guy on 10% fewer rosters than we did in week 3. So I'm bringing him back once more as my priority target this week.

Priority Pickups

RB LeQuint Allen Jr., Jacksonville (36% Rostered)

JOSH: Now, you're gonna have to go back and read that link up there yourselves, like I did, as our collective penance for not listening to Blaylock the first time (sorry, those are Joe's rules, not mine - hi Joe!), but the gist of it is that once the Jaguars traded Tank Bigsby, Allen was only a couple injuries away from a shot at a pretty big role.

On Sunday against the Chargers, we saw some of that bear out. Etienne and Tuten carried the load for the first three quarters, until Tuten was injured with 14:22 to play in the game, with the Jaguars leading 21-6. The Jaguars quickly broke it open behind Trevor Lawrence and Etienne, and with 8:54 remaining and the Jaguars ahead 35-6, Etienne took his last carry.

Enter Allen, who closed out the game by taking the final eight Jaguar carries for 36 yards in the game's last five minutes.

Now, I'm not trying to read too much into handling mop up duty in a blowout, but follow me for a second, because I think the Jaguars have now shown us two things: (1) They would not have brought in a couple of rookie running backs, and kept them on the roster, if they thought they had future stability at the position, and (2) they would not have then traded Bigsby if they thought they had made a mistake with these two rookies.

So if Tuten is out for a bit, Allen is a step closer to an opportunity to give dynasty managers a boost at running back down the stretch. Pay attention to the seriousness of Tuten's injury, though. It's unclear as I write this on Monday whether Tuten will miss any time at all. Our own Adam Hutchison has you covered there, but it's possible he escaped serious injury. Even if Tuten returns, Allen could return value this year if either back in front of him goes down, and his future value should rise if the Jaguars let Etienne walk after this season. He's the kind of dynasty stash I love, and I was surprised to see him at only 36 percent rostered.

JEFF: Coincidentally, I also peered into the past to see the future, and I also landed on our Week 3 article to resurrect a backup who has now been thrust into a starting role.

TE Brock Wright, Detroit (28% Rostered)

JEFF: Sam LaPorta has been placed on injured reserve, putting him out until near the end of the fantasy playoffs. Two months ago, I recommended rostering Wright if you had LaPorta, because Wright would become an immediate starter if LaPorta were to miss time. Even if you did not roster LaPorta, but you had a shallow bench at tight end, then Wright was an option who gets high-value looks – not many of them, granted – even when his starter is playing. Up until this week, LaPorta had missed only a single game in his three-year career. In that game, Wright caught a touchdown pass on his lone target. 

LaPorta missed this week's game. Wright was targeted seven times, although the word "target" is a bit generous considering how many of Jared Goff's throws were wildly inaccurate. He caught only two passes for eight yards, but better statistical days are ahead. On the season, Wright has 11 catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Wright is not going to get LaPorta's volume, but he's a full-time starter for a usually potent offense, and he's worth a pickup if you have a hole at tight end or play in a league that requires multiple tight ends in the lineup.

JOSH: He's an underwhelming alternative to LaPorta, but it's crazy he's only rostered in 28% of leagues. Speaking of crazy…you know who is a more exciting alternative to LaPorta? This next dart throw.

Deep Darts