Intensity is the name of the game. It always seems to pick up after week 11. And now these late BYE week teams have you wondering if you can survive without Marshawn Lynch or AJ Green. That’s because one week is all it takes to end a dominating season, or derail a glorious comeback. You watched some players like Jarrett Boykin fly off the waiver wire because you couldn’t imagine starting him over your flex spot player. But now with Jordan Reed suffering a concussion, Reggie Bush being benched for fumbling, and the previously mentioned Green on a week off you look at your once stacked roster and see it as paper thin. The breakouts have already happened and now there isn’t a true difference maker left on the wire…or is there. To make the late push and assure yourself a spot in the playoffs you absolutely need to find that waiver wire gem, and that is where we come in. Today, we’ll give you the available Quarterbacks for those who own let’s say a combination of Aaron Rodgers and Andy Dalton.

#1 Mike Glennon – Believe me I know this isn’t a sexy name to start the list but he’s exactly what you’re looking for in a week 12 fill in. And what you’re looking for is someone who has a matchup with the Detroit Lions. The Lions aren’t that good defending the pass. On the other side of the ball, even with Revis getting better I still think that Megatron gets his and this game ends up as a sort of mini shootout. This whole situation works wonders for fantasy owners. In fact I’ll go ahead and say that this scenario seems like it was cooked up by some sort of fantasy football wizard who needed a week 12 QB pickup. Expect Glennon to be a top 10 finisher next Sunday.

#2 Jason Campbell – Here’s something I forgot to mention about Glennon: I like that he has a supremely talented WR at his disposal. It is for that same reason that I like Jason Campbell. Josh Gordon has been the biggest value man for owners who nabbed him late and waited through the suspension. I’d say more about how I like Jason Campbell or his matchup with Pittsburgh but honestly Josh Gordon is about 90% of the reason I would start Campbell. He rushes a bit as well which provides a bit of an extra fantasy bump but when you pair a speedy big play man with a strong armed QB against a defense that rotates between looking inexperienced taking bad angles to the ball and old, seemingly too slow to make plays you have what most people with low waiver priorities are looking for.

#3 Josh McCown – Out of the QBs listed here McCown has the most talented WR group by far so how is it that he is third on my list? Simple, he has a week 12 game against the Rams. Yeah I know it doesn’t sound scary but they’re a better defense than you think and they’ve had a week to prep for this opponent. Having that extra week nearly assures your team a stout showing on defense…unless your team is the New York Jets in which case you’re just destined for heartbreak. Here’s the bright side. Depending on how long Jay Cutler is out (still indefinite) McCown has a rather beautiful schedule facing from week 13, in order: Vikings, Cowboys, Browns, Eagles, Packers. The only team that scares me there is the Browns and number 2 WRs have a field day against Cleveland and Alshon Jefferey is one of the top #2’s in the league. If you have an IR spot available and maybe a middle of the road QB you could also add Cutler for weeks 16 and 17 should he return. Those matchups are just too tasty to ignore.

So there are the top 3 QB pickups for week 12. Tomorrow we’ll be covering the RBs and WRs to grab for this crucial fantasy time. As always you can follow on Twitter @thefantasyforce for more information and lineup assistance. Think I missed the boat on some of these picks? Have another QB you think will do better? Let me know in the comments and I’ll let you know where you’re right and tell you about any concerns I may have with them!