Needing a miracle to make your fantasy football playoffs? Here are nine players, currently on waivers, for those that have all but given up hope.

Playoff chances looking all but over? Consider these players if you’re in need of a hail Mary as we head into the final weeks of the fantasy football regular season.

With the trade window shut for many leagues, I’ve put together nine players that are likely to be floating around on your waiver wires, that could salvage your fantasy season.

Quarterbacks

Tommy DeVito (New York Giants)

“Cutlets” is back, but how will the New Jersey local fair this time around.

Whilst still viewed by most as a gimmick, and almost certainly in position to start this weekend for purely financial reasons, Tommy DeVito put together some decent fantasy numbers last season.

In four games with a 100% snap share, DeVito put together two QB2 finishes and one QB1 finish, narrowly missing out on the top 24 in the remaining week, finishing QB25 overall.

Lacking no hesitation when it comes to taking off with his legs, the mobile QB also has a much improved support cast this time around, Saquon Barkley aside.

In the final 6 weeks of the fantasy season, the Giants face five bottom 10-ranked defenses in fantasy points/game allowed to quarterbacks. Gimmick or not, DeVito is one good performance away from being a priority waiver add in fantasy.

Will Levis (Tennessee)

Since returning from injury, Will Levis has finished as the QB10 and QB20, against two tricky defenses in the Chargers and Vikings.

Moving forward, every game that Levis plays is against a bottom-half defense in fantasy points/game allowed to quarterbacks, including four defenses in the bottom 10.

Among those games are two match-ups with Jacksonville, who have been atrocious against the pass all year. Levis will face the Jags at home on the final week of the fantasy regular season (week 14), before heading to Jacksonville on Championship Weekend (week 17).

If your trade window is still open, I’d recommend Levis as a buy-low, but check your waiver wires as he is currently rostered in only 8.5% of leagues according to FantasyPros.

Running Backs

Trey Benson (Arizona)

Trey Benson has seen an uptick in usage in the last couple of games, but I’m ignoring that for now as they were both in blowout wins.

My reasoning for promoting Benson is actually due to his teammate, James Conner.

Whilst clearly the RB1 in Arizona, and earning that role with some predictably impressive form this year, Conner has only topped 13 games once in his last seven seasons.

Whilst I prefer not to predict injuries, if we’re in hail Mary territory, I’m looking for players that could potentially go nuclear down the stretch.

Benson is the clear number two behind Conner and is as explosive as they come at the position. If Conner gets hurt, Benson owners will be sitting on a goldmine.

Kendre Miller (New Orleans)

Ultimately, starting running backs are rarely found on the waiver wire, but here’s another handcuff that could prove valuable down the stretch.

Kendre Miller always seemed to be out of favor with former head coach Dennis Allen, so much so that before his firing, Allen placed Miller on injured reserve, when it’s reported that several other Saints coaches felt that it was unnecessary.

When on the field though, the second-year runner has looked sharp, registering 6 and 5.33 yards/carry in his two appearances so far.

Miller should be in line to benefit from the head coaching change in New Orleans, especially with the team having to get creative on offense, due to a number of injuries at receiver.

Set to return in week 13 after the team’s bye, Miller won’t overtake Alvin Kamara in the Saints backfield, but could be a flex-worthy handcuff moving forward.

Wide Receivers

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has caught the eye in recent weeks, with 5 touchdowns in his last 6 games.

Whilst I wouldn’t normally encourage anyone to chase that kind of form, NWI is clearly carving out a role as the WR2 in Tennessee. And, with Calvin Ridley demanding the focus of opposing defenses, the fifth-year receiver should continue to see opportunities.

As with Will Levis, the remaining schedule looks very kind for Westbrook-Ikhine, facing the Jags in two critical weeks of the year.

If your trade window is still open, I’d recommend buying low on Levis and Ridley, if you’re limited to waivers though, NWI could be a valuable pickup for the rest of the year.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling (New Orleans)

Probably the most likely to have been picked up already this week, Marquez Valdes-Scantling has blown up since his trade from Buffalo.

Slotting straight into the deep-threat role left vacant by Rashid Shaheed‘s unfortunate injury, his 28 yards/target over his last two games ranks 9th-best in NFL history over a two-game stretch with 7+ targets.

Given his deep-ball prowess, and Derek Carr‘s willingness to send it long, MVS is a flex-worthy option on any weekend, but should pop up with some big weeks whenever he finds the end-zone.

Adam Thielen (Carolina)

Oh yeah, Adam Thielen.

Thielen is rostered in 30.3% of leagues according to FantasyPros, as more switched-on fantasy managers start to pick him up, so you’ll need to check on his availability.

When healthy, Thielen is a high-volume veteran slot receiver who continues to perform at a high level. In PPR leagues, he was the WR17 overall in 2023, despite playing with an underwhelming Bryce Young, on a terrible Carolina offense.

With Diontae Johnson out the door and Thielen injured, The Panthers have relied on rookies Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker at receiver, so the return of Thielen couldn’t be more welcome.

Bryce Young seems to be playing with a lot more confidence after his time away from the spotlight, so I’d expect Thielen to put up flex-worthy numbers for the rest of the season, once he returns to full health.

Tight Ends

Theo Johnson (New York Giants)

Theo Johnson‘s rookie season has really taken off over his last three games. Following a bye week, that should be expected to continue.

Of tight-ends with 16+ targets in their last three games, only Brock Bowers, Jonnu Smith, Trey McBride and George Kittle have more yards/target in that stretch.

Johnson looks to have hit form at the right time too, with five of his six remaining opponents ranking in the bottom half for fantasy points allowed/game to tight ends.

If you’re put off by Tommy DeVito, that’s understandable, but if you’re in all-or-nothing territory, what have you got to lose?

Ja’Tavion Sanders (Carolina)

I’ll admit, I didn’t realize that this list was made up of two Panthers, two Giants, two Saints and two Titans until I was already half way through writing, but I guess that’s why these players are on waivers.

I’ve touted Sanders as a waiver add for a little while now and he’s largely paid off, putting up two TE1 finishes and two TE2 finishes in his last five games.

In that time, Sanders has caught 18/21 targets, including his first NFL touchdown against the Giants in Munich.

I’m not pushing for you to start Sanders every week, but his next two games are against Tampa Bay and Kansas City, who rank 29th and 28th respectively in fantasy points allowed/game to tight ends this year. He then plays Tampa Bay again in week 17, should you make it that far.

That’s it for now, I hope this list was able to ease the feeling of helplessness that some of you may be feeling as we approach week 12.

If I had to pick three, I feel strongest about Will Levis, MVS and Trey Benson from this list, all three have the potential to win you multiple weeks moving forward.

Whatever you decide to do, however, I wish you the best of luck.

I’ll be back with my starts and sits for NFL week 12 later in the week, followed by my NFL betting preview ahead of Sunday’s games.

Player rostered percentages taken from FantasyPros.

In-depth stats from Pro Football Reference.