I skipped Week 11 for two reasons: 1.) my birthday left me too inebriated to write; & 2.) I could not find five players I genuinely felt good about stashing on the bench. In fact, Vince Young and No. 4 on this list below were the only two I liked entering last week, and obviously Young is worth owning in many leagues right now so it's pointless to discuss him now as a good stash pickup. 

When I last looked at some pre-waiver steals prior to Week 10 the targets I suggested were Kevin Smith, Leonard Hankerson, Ramses Barden, Mike Williams (SEA) and Da'Rel Scott. I think I was way right about Smith and only hope that for anyone who grabbed him that you were patient enough to hold him a couple weeks for him to break out. I also hope his sprain isn't too bad so he can return for the playoffs. As for the rest, I whiffed on all but Hankerson who had a big game that week before tearing a labrum and landing on IR.

For Week 12, I think there are weekly starters and solid flex plays that could be had from the crop below. So if you've got the room on your bench in the form of a bum of a player in a bad situation, drop him and add one of these fellas. At this point in the season you either can't hurt your team by taking a chance or badly need a risk to pay off to keep your hopes alive. So I say, why the hell not?

1. Matt Leinart, QB, HOU – Matt Schaub, Jay Cutler, Matt Cassel, and Michael Vick. So many QB injuries this late in the year are forcing many owners to turn to last resorts. And I'm here to make the statement that you could do much worse than Leinart. In fact, I think he will produce like a top-12 quarterback over the final six games of the season. Call it a hunch, call it crazy, call it whatever you want. Even though he struggled at times in Arizona, I see this as the perfect situation for Leinart to be successful. He has the phenomenal duo of Arian Foster and Ben Tate to take the pressure off him and he has one of the top receivers in the game returning for him to target. Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels will make him look good and he will control the offense well against a very favorable schedule, particularly in the playoff weeks when he faces Cinci, Carolina, Indy and Tennessee in the final four games of the year.

2. Johnny White, RB, BUF – White has yet to do anything to get too excited about in his rookie year, and really, at the college level as well. But with Fred Jackson done for the year and C.J. Spiller being more of a change of pace back who has yet to live up to his potential, the door is open for White to emerge in the Buffalo backfield. He doesn't offer the same speed as Spiller, but he's a much more physical back with a little more size to run between the tackles. It's a safe bet he'll get some chances this week and whichever back excels more versus the Jets' tough defense could well see the bulk of the carries down the stretch of the season. So though he's a very unproven commodity, White does present the chance to snatch up a starting back heading into the fantasy playoffs.

3. Chaz Schilens, WR, OAK – Schilens is big (6-4, 225), fast (4.3 40-time) and most important of all, he's finally healthy. After spending the last two years as a sleeper that just couldn't stay healthy, he fell down the depth chart as the Raiders added other playmakers. But with Jacoby Ford (ankle) out and Darrius Heyward-Bey (neck) and Denarius Moore (foot) both questionable this week, Schilens could find himself in the starting lineup. And even if DHB and Moore are able to go, they will likely be limited and Schilens should still be involved plenty. If Schilens can follow-up his second touchdown grab of the season from last week with a more complete performance this week he could become valuable down the stretch, especially if the Raiders' other receivers continue to suffer from injuries.

4. Jeremiah Johnson, RB, DEN – I've waited more than two and a half years for Steve Slaton Lite to have a shot at fantasy relevance. And after bouncing around to four different teams, it's finally here. As the third running back in the Broncos gimmicky option attack, Johnson should see at least a few carries a game and has the potential to move into the double-digit touches realm soon with Willis McGahee dealing with a hamstring injury. So even though Lance Ball would still be in the mix, Johnson could have some big performances before the year is out. In a very similar option offense at Oregon he averaged 7.1 yards per carry in his senior year. Johnson is a compact, shifty back with excellent acceleration that was built for the option. He's a big gamble, but a worthwhile one considering the offense and potential if the cards break right. At this point in the season, Johnson's the type of find that can possibly make a big playoff difference.

5. Shane Vereen, RB, NE – Vereen, a rookie second-rounder, finally got some regular season action for the Patriots last Monday night and looked good in his debut. On his first eight career carries he notched 39 yards and a touchdown, a performance that included an impressive 19-yard run that he bounced outside and took down the sideline. Vereen is essentially a thicker, stronger version of Danny Woodhead, and if he can prove himself in pass blocking (which he was graded highly on coming into the 2011 draft), he may even steal Woody's job in the offense. In the prolific Patriots attack, 8-10 weekly touches could make him into a decent flex play, and he does have the size and speed to take on more work should BenJarvus Green-Ellis incur an injury before the season concludes. When the well on running backs is running pretty dry at this time of the year, a player in Vereen's position and with his skillset is definitely worth stashing.