Heading into the final week of the fantasy football regular season in most leagues, it's as important as ever to find some gems on the waiver wire to either add to your bench or find help at positions of need.
This week brings us two players from the San Francisco 49ers that were not starting just a few weeks ago, one of which wasn't even on the team.
We also focus on a couple of rookie running backs that will likely be seeing a ton of action in the stead of injured veterans.
Blaine Gabbert, Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers
Don't look at us like we are crazy. Gabbert has played three consecutive stellar games to start his career as San Francisco's starter. This former top-10 pick is coming off a performance Sunday that saw him complete 25-of-36 passes for 318 yards with a touchdown and an interception against an elite Arizona Cardinals defense.
Gabbert has now completed 65 percent of his passes for 767 yards and four touchdowns in three games as the 49ers starter.
We aren't recommending that you start Gabbert in any league format. Instead, he could be a solid waiver-wire add if you are in a pinch at the QB2. That's only magnified by the fact that San Francisco has two games coming up against relatively weak pass defenses in the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns.
Javorious "Buck" Allen, Running Back, Baltimore Ravens
Nothing changes from last week. Baltimore has yet to play its Week 12 game, which will take place Monday night against the Cleveland Browns.
Justin Forsett is still lost for the season with a broken arm. Matt Schaub is also lost for the year after suffering a torn ACL in Week 11.
Enter into the equation a rookie running back that put up 115 total yards last week against the St. Louis Rams. With a game coming up against a Miami Dolphins defense that has yielded the most fantasy points to opposing running backs on the season, Allen also has himself a favorable matchup after Monday night.
David Johnson, Running Back, Arizona Cardinals
With Chris Johnson (knee) and Andre Ellington (foot) both suffering injuries in Sunday's win over San Francisco, there is absolutely no telling whether either one will be able to go next week.
But it doesn't look great:
Depending on when we hear about the extent of said injuries, Johnson might very well be worth a waiver-wire pick up. He scored a touchdown on eight attempts against San Francisco and has been electrifying in the limited action he has seen as a rookie.
He's averaging 4.4 yards a rush and has scored a ridiculous seven touchdowns in 44 offensive touches on the season. Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians may not like to use rookie running backs, but it's possible he might be forced to here.
Shaun Draughn, Running Back, San Francisco 49ers
Yet another 49ers' player to find himself in this article, Draughn put up 20-plus touches for the third consecutive game on Sunday, tallying 86 yards in the process. This brings Draughn's three-game average with the 49ers to 20 touches for 87 yards. Pretty good RB2/FLEX numbers right there.
What makes this veteran an intriguing waiver-wire option is the fact that there really isn't anyone on San Francisco's roster to take touches away from him. On Sunday alone, he attempted all 15 rushes from the running back position. In fact, 49ers running backs outside of Draughn have not attempted a single rush over the past two games.
Doug Baldwin, Wide Receiver, Seattle Seahawks
We have been banging the Baldwin drum in DFS contests for a while now. It took a 145-yard, three-touchdown performance against a lackluster Pittsburgh Steelers pass defense for many of us to realize just how good Baldwin has been recently.
Including Sunday, Baldwin has put up 20 receptions for 339 yards and four touchdowns over the past three games. Going up against the likes of the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns over the next three weeks, it's logical to believe Baldwin will be able to continue his domination over the next few weeks.
DeVante Parker, Wide Receiver, Miami Dolphins
In the first extensive action of his NFL career, this rookie receiver put up four receptions for 80 yards, including a garbage-time 33-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The better news here for those of you looking to buy late-season stock in Parker, he received 10 targets with Rishard Matthews out with injury.
There's no indication one way or the other regarding the extent of Matthews' injury, but the 4-7 Dolphins would be best served to see what a healthy Parker brings to the table. Based on his performance Sunday, Parker looks like he might very well be able to produce given said opportunity.
* Check out our deep league waiver picks on Tuesday.