Team of the Week
QB: Jayden Daniels, WAS
Daniels continued to struggle compared to what he did to begin his career, but his fantasy upside was on full display for what ended up being a crazy loss to the Cowboys—with the rookie totaling 30.4 fantasy points powered by 74 yards and a touchdown on the ground and an 86-yard score from Terry McLaurin. Look for Daniels to remain a top-five play over the next two weeks (v TEN, @ NO) to conclude the fantasy regular season.
RB: Saquon Barkley, PHI
A dominant season for Barkley reached new heights in a primetime win over the Rams, as he rushed 26 times for 255 yards and two touchdowns while also adding four receptions for 47 yards. The 44.2 fantasy points will be one of the highest scores of the campaign and flipped a ton of matchups last night—and Saquon is now on pace for 2,000 rushing yards in his first season as an Eagle.
RB: Josh Jacobs, GB
Green Bay played from ahead versus an injured San Francisco squad yesterday, and Jacobs was their offensive engine with 26 carries for 106 yards and three touchdowns—making him another running back with a new team to show how valuable the position is from a real-life and fantasy perspective. We have thought Jacobs would thrive as the weather gets colder, and he’s gone for fantasy-point totals of 21.4 and 28.6 since the bye.
WR: Jordan Addison, MIN
The Bears did all they could to contain Justin Jefferson this week (two receptions for 27 yards), and Addison was the primary beneficiary with eight receptions (on nine targets) for 162 yards and a touchdown. There will be quiet games to come as things slant towards Jefferson, but Addison has reached 13.6+ fantasy points in three of the past four games.
WR: Courtland Sutton, DEN
The red-hot play for Sutton continued in a win over the Raiders—and he finished with a season-best 8/97/2 line despite just one reception in the first half. With fantasy-point totals of 13.12, 19.78, 16.0, 11.3, and 25.7 since being held without a catch in Week 7, Sutton will be tough to bench next Monday night versus Cleveland.
TE: Noah Gray, KC
After catching two touchdowns in the loss to Buffalo in Week 11, Gray had another multi-score game to help defeat the Panthers—hauling in all four of his targets for 66 yards. Of course, the production and touchdown success isn’t sustainable with four touchdowns on eight receptions over the past two weeks, but Gray is at least a name to consider in Kansas City’s offense.
FLEX: Jaylen Waddle, MIA
Early success by Jonnu Smith yesterday made it seem as if Waddle would again be the third or fourth option in the passing attack—but he caught fire in a hurry and didn’t slow down with eight receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown. The performance was the first time Waddle had more than 7.1 fantasy points since the opener, and we’ll see if he can keep it going against the Packers on Thanksgiving.
D/ST: Dallas Cowboys
Dallas allowed 26 points and 412 total yards in the win over Washington, but the playmaking was back with three takeaways and four sacks—and the two kick return touchdowns in the final three minutes gave them 19.0 fantasy points on the day. Especially if Trevon Diggs (groin/knee) returns on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys will be a top start versus the sinking Giants.
K: Wil Lutz, DEN
Denver had a few drives stall despite consistently moving the ball against the Raiders, and Lutz was able to capitalize on his opportunities—nailing all five of his field goals (including two from 50+ yards) on his way to 22.0 fantasy points. Lutz should be a more confident start moving forward by going 13-of-13 on field goals and extra points since the loss to Kansas City.
Surprise of the Week: David Moore
Adam Thielen returned for the Panthers yesterday, but Moore ended up being the top target for Bryce Young—catching six-of-10 targets for 81 yards and a touchdown. The veteran has shown he can play when given the opportunity over the years, and he should remain a contributor alongside Thielen and Xavier Legette with rookie Jalen Coker being a healthy inactive in Week 12.
Disappointment of the Week: Jonathan Taylor
The aforementioned Justin Jefferson and a few others could have been chosen here, but Taylor didn’t have much running room when he got the ball—and Indy didn’t give him the ball enough with 11 carries for 35 yards and zero targets in the passing game. Also, the touchdown drought for Taylor extended to four games, so the Colts need to find a way to get their best player going next week in New England.
Rookie of the Week: Jayden Daniels
Again, Daniels has been less of a fantasy force in recent weeks with just one game of 20.0+ fantasy points since Week 6, but the ceiling was unlocked against the Cowboys with 275 yards and two touchdowns (plus two interceptions) through the air and his first rushing touchdown since September. If the Commanders are going to get back on track in a tightening wild card race, Daniels needs to do damage as a runner.
Week 12 MVP: Saquon Barkley
Barkley had the ninth-best rushing performance in NFL history with 255 yards against the Rams, and the highlights were touchdowns of 70 and 72 yards—making him a nightmare to face for fantasy owners behind Philadelphia’s offensive line. Baltimore will be the toughest opponent on the schedule next week, but Barkley having another monster showing wouldn’t be at all surprising.