Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings

These rankings will be updated throughout the week up until Sunday at 1 PM ET for injuries or other reasons. [Note: our rankings are for standard (non-PPR) leagues, but you can simply move guys up or down based on how many passes they are expected to catch]

 

QUARTERBACK

1. Tom Brady (v MIA)

2. Russell Wilson (@ SF)

3. Cam Newton (@ NYJ)

4. Ben Roethlisberger (v GB)

5. Carson Wentz (v CHI)

6. Matt Ryan (v TB)

7. Jared Goff (v NO)

8. Drew Brees (@ LAR)

9. Marcus Mariota (@ IND)

10. Kirk Cousins (v NYG)

11. Philip Rivers (@ DAL)

12. Alex Smith (v BUF)

13. Dak Prescott (v LAC)

14. Matthew Stafford (v MIN)

15. Tyrod Taylor (@ KC)

16. Andy Dalton (v CLE)

17. Case Keenum (@ DET)

18. Jacoby Brissett (v TEN)

19. Joe Flacco (v HOU)

20. Derek Carr (v DEN)

21. Ryan Fitzpatrick (@ ATL)

22. Brett Hundley (@ PIT)

23. Josh McCown (v CAR)

24. Paxton Lynch (@ OAK)

25. Eli Manning (@ WAS)

 

Tom Brady proved last week that he’s the best player in the NFL no matter the country… Russell Wilson should do more as a runner like he did on Monday night, as Seattle will have to score points because of all their defensive injuries… Cam Newton might have more weekly upside than anyone, and only three teams have allowed more passing touchdowns than the Jets… Fantasy owners who stuck with him were finally rewarded with a 3+ score performance from Ben Roethlisberger, and I like his chances of doing it again at home on Sunday night… Carson Wentz has a 25:5 touchdown-interception ratio and has thrown for multiple scores in six-straight games, but he’s averaging less than 200 yards per game over the past three blowout wins, and there could be another on Sunday; that’s why he’s only fifth… Matt Ryan should be a solid QB1 down the stretch as offensive coordaintor Steve Sarkisian gets more comfortable with the offense… Jared Goff is a QB1 in a potential shootout with Drew Brees… Marcus Mariota threw for 306 yards, one touchdown, and one interception when he faced the Colts in mid October, and he’s a lot healthier now than he was then… Kirk Cousins has been really good this season, but I’m still concerned about his floor after a draining loss on a short week… I’d rather play Philip Rivers than Dak Prescott on Thanksgiving, especially if left tackle Tyron Smith is out again for Dallas… Alex Smith should be better down the stretch than he’s been over the past two weeks, but Kansas City definitely hasn’t looked good… Matthew Stafford and Case Keenum are both QB2 options on Turkey Day… Tyrod Taylor is worth considering if he starts on Sunday.

 

. . .

 

RUNNING BACK

1. Tevin Coleman (v TB)

2. Le’Veon Bell (v GB)

3. Todd Gurley (v NO)

4. Mark Ingram (@ LAR)

5. Melvin Gordon (@ DAL)

6. Kareem Hunt (v BUF)

7. Leonard Fournette (@ ARI)

8. Jordan Howard (@ PHI)

9. Christian McCaffrey (@ NYJ)

10. LeSean McCoy (@ KC)

11. Latavius Murray (@ DET)

12. Jay Ajayi (v CHI)

13. Alvin Kamara (@ LAR)

14. Carlos Hyde (v SEA)

15. DeMarco Murray (@ IND)

16. Dion Lewis (v MIA)

17. Samaje Perine (v NYG)

18. Alfred Morris (v LAC)

19. Joe Mixon (v CLE)

20. Jerick McKinnon (@ DET)

21. Ameer Abdullah (v MIN)

22. Adrian Peterson (v JAC)

23. Devontae Booker (@ OAK)

24. Lamar Miller (@ BAL)

25. Rex Burkhead (v MIA)

26. Alex Collins (v HOU)

27. Doug Martin (@ ATL)

28. Jamaal Williams (@ PIT)

29. Kenyan Drake (@ NE)

30. Orleans Darkwa (@ WAS)

31. C.J. Anderson (@ OAK)

32. Damien Williams (@ NE)

33. Corey Clement (v CHI)

34. Derrick Henry (@ IND)

35. Frank Gore (v TEN)

36. Isaiah Crowell (@ CIN)

37. James White (v MIA)

38. Duke Johnson (@ CIN)

39. Marshawn Lynch (v DEN)

40. Jonathan Stewart (@ NYJ)

41. Bilal Powell (v CAR)

42. Theo Riddick (v MIN)

43. Danny Woodhead (v HOU)

44. Eddie Lacy (@ SF)

45. Rod Smith (v LAC)

46. Tarik Cohen (@ PHI)

47. Marlon Mack (v TEN)

48. Austin Ekeler (@ DAL)

49. LeGarrette Blount (v CHI)

50. Terron Ward (v TB)

51. J.D. McKissic (@ SF)

52. T.J. Yeldon (@ ARI)

53. Thomas Rawls (@ SF)

54. Wayne Gallman (@ WAS)

55. Giovani Bernard (v CLE)

56. Elijah McGuire (v CAR)

57. Charcandrick West (v BUF)

58. Matt Forte (v CAR)

59. Jamaal Charles (@ OAK)

60. Jalen Richard (v DEN)

 

Le’Veon Bell should have a monster game soon enough… Todd Gurley and Mark Ingram are both elite plays in “America’s Game of the Week” on Sunday… Kareem Hunt hasn’t scored since September, but it’s hard to imagine the Chiefs not turning things around soon… Melvin Gordon is the top fantasy play out of the Thanksgiving slate… Playing indoors, Leonard Fournette won’t have to contend with the cold in Week 12… Chicago needs to feed Jordan Howard 25-30 times if they have any chance of upsetting Philadelphia… Christian McCaffrey was saved by two touchdowns on eight touches the last time we saw Carolina, but fantasy owners should take that; the volume will be there down the stretch… Jay Ajayi has rushed 15 times for 168 yards (11.2 YPC) in two games with the Eagles… If Devonta Freeman is cleared for Sunday, he is a borderline RB1 and Tevin Coleman is back to high-upside RB2; if Freeman is out again, Coleman is an elite play [Update: Freeman is out; I have Coleman as the top play at the position]… Maybe a big game in front of a national audience will finally get people on the Latavius Murray bandwagon… Carlos Hyde has had success against Seattle more than perhaps anyone, but their run defense has really been stout recently… Samaje Perine could have a featured role down the stretch with the backfield to himself… Alfred Morris is worth playing on Thanksgiving as an RB2… Dion Lewis should be considered a low-end RB2 with Rex Burkhead as a solid FLEX and James White as a low-end FLEX, but all three might actually deserve a boost in PPR leagues… Detroit could rely on Ameer Abdullah again like they did in their first meeting with Minnesota this season, but he only out-carried Theo Riddick 11-9 last week… Adrian Peterson hasn’t scored since Carson Palmer went down… Devontae Booker is worth a pickup in all leagues after handling a season-high 19 touches last week… Ty Montgomery should be on the FLEX radar if he’s active in Week 12, but it’s a Sunday night game… I’d want to see Danny Woodhead more involved before putting him in lineups, particularly in standard leagues.

 

. . .

 

WIDE RECEIVER

1. Antonio Brown (v GB)

2. Julio Jones (v TB)

3. Brandin Cooks (v MIA)

4. A.J. Green (v CLE)

5. Adam Thielen (@ DET)

6. Mike Evans (@ ATL)

7. Keenan Allen (@ DAL)

8. Michael Thomas (@ LAR)

9. Tyreek Hill (v BUF)

10. Doug Baldwin (@ SF)

11. Sammy Watkins (v NO)

12. Devin Funchess (@ NYJ)

13. Alshon Jeffery (v CHI)

14. DeVante Parker (@ NE)

15. DeAndre Hopkins (@ BAL)

16. Stefon Diggs (@ DET)

17. Demaryius Thomas (@ OAK)

18. Larry Fitzgerald (v JAC)

19. T.Y. Hilton (v TEN)

20. Davante Adams (@ PIT)

21. Jarvis Landry (@ NE)

22. Jeremy Maclin (v HOU)

23. Josh Doctson (v NYG)

24. Martavis Bryant (v GB)

25. Golden Tate (v MIN)

26. Dez Bryant (v LAC)

27. Emmanuel Sanders (@ OAK)

28. Nelson Agholor (v CHI)

29. Robby Anderson (v CAR)

30. Michael Crabtree (v DEN)

31. Amari Cooper (v DEN)

32. Jordy Nelson (@ PIT)

33. Mohamed Sanu (v TB)

34. Jamison Crowder (v NYG)

35. Marvin Jones (v MIN)

36. DeSean Jackson (@ ATL)

37. Corey Coleman (@ CIN)

38. Corey Davis (@ IND)

39. Cooper Kupp (v NO)

40. Danny Amendola (v MIA)

41. Marqise Lee (@ ARI)

42. Paul Richardson (@ SF)

43. Mike Wallace (v HOU)

44. Dontrelle Inman (@ PHI)

45. Tyler Lockett (@ SF)

46. Ted Ginn (@ LAR)

47. Jermaine Kearse (v CAR)

48. Marquise Goodwin (v SEA)

49. Bruce Ellington (@ BAL)

50. Dede Westbrook (@ ARI)

51. Brandon LaFell (v CLE)

52. Eric Decker (@ IND)

53. Jordan Matthews (@ KC)

54. Mike Williams (@ DAL)

55. Terrance Williams (v LAC)

56. Randall Cobb (@ PIT)

57. Tyrell Williams (@ DAL)

58. Russell Shepard (@ NYJ)

59. Donte Moncrief (v TEN)

60. Kenny Stills (@ NE)

61. Zay Jones (@ KC)

62. Eli Rogers (v GB)

63. Ryan Grant (v NYG)

64. Deonte Thompson (@ KC)

65. Keelan Cole (@ ARI)

66. Travis Benjamin (@ DAL)

67. Brandon Coleman (@ LAR)

68. Taylor Gabriel (v TB)

69. Tavarres King (@ WAS)

70. Chris Godwin (@ ATL)

71. Cole Beasley (v LAC)

72. Jaron Brown (v JAC)

73. Kenny Golladay (v MIN)

74. Kendall Wright (@ PHI)

75. Roger Lewis (@ WAS)

 

Antonio Brown is on pace for a 112/1,642/10 line, and I would bet on him finishing better than that… It’s insane how underutilized Julio Jones is in the red zone, but he should take advantage of Tampa Bay’s smaller secondary… A.J. Green has averaged 120 yards per game and scored in each of the past three meetings with Cleveland… Adam Thielen is a legitimate WR1 the rest of the way in all formats… Keenan Allen exploded after a quiet stretch, and he should keep it going against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving… JuJu Smith-Schuster is an every-week WR1/WR2 in my book, and he gets a great matchup at home against the Packers [Update: Smith-Schuster is out; Martavis Bryant is a high-upside FLEX]… Tyreek Hill didn’t have the monster game I expected in New York, but Buffalo has been really bad over the past three games… Sammy Watkins could see a lot of looks with Robert Woods (shoulder) out, and Marshon Lattimore is banged up for the Saints… Devin Funchess should be a solid WR2 over the final six weeks of the season… The Eagles will probably try to get Alshon Jeffery in the end zone against his former team… Demaryius Thomas is downgraded to low-end WR2 against an Oakland team with bigger corners that have given him problems… T.Y. Hilton was contained by Adoree’ Jackson in Week 6, but he might have better luck at home… It will be interesting to see how much Larry Fitzgerald sees Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye in the slot… Josh Doctson is still putting it all together, but I like him as a FLEX on Thanksgiving… Golden Tate is barely averaging 50 yards per game in seven matchups with Mike Zimmer’s defense… Even against a collapsing Denver team, Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper are risky plays, especially if the Broncos return to form after John Elway called them out… There’s no chance I would drop Jordy Nelson; maybe defenses will start shading coverage to Davante Adams, but as of now, Adams is the preferred play.

 

. . .

 

TIGHT END

1. Rob Gronkowski (v MIA)

2. Travis Kelce (v BUF)

3. Zach Ertz (v CHI)

4. Jimmy Graham (@ SF)

5. Vernon Davis (v NYG)

6. Evan Engram (@ WAS)

7. Greg Olsen (@ NYJ)

8. Jared Cook (v DEN)

9. Hunter Henry (@ DAL)

10. Delanie Walker (@ IND)

11. Jack Doyle (v TEN)

12. Tyler Kroft (v CLE)

13. Kyle Rudolph (@ DET)

14. Austin Seferian-Jenkins (v CAR)

15. Jason Witten (v LAC)

16. Charles Clay (@ KC)

17. O.J. Howard (@ ATL)

18. Cameron Brate (@ ATL)

19. Austin Hooper (v TB)

20. Eric Ebron (v MIN)

21. Benjamin Watson (v HOU)

22. C.J. Fiedorowicz (@ BAL)

23. David Njoku (@ CIN)

24. Austin Traylor (@ OAK)

25. Adam Shaheen (@ PHI)

 

Rob Gronkowski should blow up after a couple underwhelming games… Travis Kelce was somehow the only tight end to not score against the Giants this season, but he still had eight receptions for 109 yards… Jimmy Graham has seven touchdowns over his past six games… Evan Engram has been contained over the past two weeks, but Washington isn’t great against opposing tight ends… Vernon Davis is a rock-solid TE1 on Thursday night… Greg Olsen is ranked conservatively for his first game back, but he could be back in the top five soon… I think Hunter Henry will return to the end zone on Thanksgiving against Dallas… Tyler Kroft is an excellent streamer after going for 6/68/2 in Week 4 against Cleveland… O.J. Howard might be a better play than Cameron Brate with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center… Austin Traylor is worth a look in a good matchup after an impressive NFL debut in Week 11.

 

. . .

 

DEFENSE

1. Baltimore Ravens (v HOU)

2. Jacksonville Jaguars (@ ARI)

3. Cincinnati Bengals (v CLE)

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (v GB)

5. Philadelphia Eagles (v CHI)

6. Seattle Seahawks (@ SF)

7. Carolina Panthers (@ NYJ)

8. New England Patriots (v MIA)

9. Washington Redskins (v NYG)

10. Kansas City Chiefs (v BUF)

11. Atlanta Falcons (v TB)

12. Los Angeles Chargers (@ DAL)

13. Minnesota Vikings (@ DET)

14. Arizona Cardinals (v JAC)

15. Houston Texans (@ BAL)

16. Denver Broncos (@ OAK)

17. Tennessee Titans (@ IND)

18. Oakland Raiders (v DEN)

19. Dallas Cowboys (v LAC)

20. Detroit Lions (v MIN)

 

. . .

 

KICKER

1. Stephen Gostkowski (v MIA)

2. Harrison Butker (v BUF)

3. Justin Tucker (v HOU)

4. Matt Bryant (v TB)

5. Jake Elliott (v CHI)

6. Chris Boswell (v GB)

7. Greg Zuerlein (v NO)

8. Will Lutz (@ LAR)

9. Matt Prater (v MIN)

10. Kai Forbath (@ DET)

11. Nick Rose (v NYG)

12. Blair Walsh (@ SF)

13. Nick Novak (@ DAL)

14. Ryan Succop (@ IND)

15. Giorgio Tavecchio (v DEN)