Week 12 Rankings

Updated 11/26 at 12:00 PM ET. Added Matt Forte. Moved Bilal Powell down. Upon final thought, ticked Corey Davis and Martavis Bryant up. 

Tied for fourth in yardage (786), Brandin Cooks has quietly shed his “boom/bust” label. He’s posted at least five catches in five of his past six games. The last time he tallied fewer than four was Week 4. He has scored twice over his past four appearances, and is averaging what would be a career-best 17.5 yards per grab.

The Raiders — whom Cooks dropped 6/149/1 on last Sunday — were about as good as it gets for a matchup, but Week 12 opponent Miami isn’t far behind. The Dolphins are allowing enemy quarterbacks to convert 67.6 percent of their throws, and post 7.5 yards per attempt. For every interception, they are surrendering six touchdowns (a shameful 18:3 through 10 games). Among Miami’s “top three” corners is Xavien Howard, who is Pro Football Focus’ lowest-rated defensive back. Per Rich Hribar’s incomparable Worksheet, the Dolphins have allowed four touchdowns of 30-plus yards, tied for second worst in the league. Mixing floor and ceiling heading into an A+ matchup, Cooks is a top-five WR1 Week 12.   

Week 12 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: After facing zero Week 11 resistance from the Raiders, Tom Brady would be hard pressed to find an easier matchup. The Dolphins will at least offer to hold the Raiders’ beer. Adam Gase’s squad has allowed 18 passing touchdowns while picking off just three passes. They have 17 sacks. Pathetic. … Even as his protection has remained shaky, Russell Wilson has tallied multiple scores in five straight starts. Although they had Wilson running for his life in Week 2, the 49ers are a breather matchup. Only three teams have permitted more quarterback fantasy points. … Kirk Cousins played arguably the best game of his career in Week 11 against the Saints. Although the Giants finally showed some pride against the Chiefs, they will offer Cousins ample opportunity to get a hot streak going. On average, the G-Men are surrendering two passing scores. Even with Chris Thompson (leg) done for the season, Cousins has plenty of weapons at his disposal. … Carson Wentz has had multi-score days in 8-of-10 starts. The Bears are one of the tougher foes for quarterbacks, but with the Eagles all but certain to dominate time of possession, Wentz should get his numbers.

It’s been a rollercoaster year, but Cam Newton enters Thanksgiving as the QB5 by total points. He’s the worst possible matchup for a Jets defense silver plattering for the third most QB rushing yards (204). Greg Olsen’s (foot) return is the cherry on top of an attackable matchup. … Has Alex Smith gone full Alex Smith? He has three touchdowns over his past three starts, a span in which the Chiefs have been forced to settle for nine field goals. Smith could not have face planted in more spectacular fashion against the Giants. The dash is littered with warning lights. With the embarrassing Bills — they’ve allowed 135 points over their past three games — in town for Week 12, Smith gets one more week of benefit of the doubt. He’s still the QB7 by average points. … Matt Ryan has strung together four straight two-touchdown starts. After seeming to stiffen against the Jets in Week 10, the Bucs were torched for 365 passing yards by the Dolphins last Sunday. Ryan is set up for home success for the getting-on-track Falcons.

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Coming off his best game of the season, Ben Roethlisberger will have had 10 days to prepare for the Packers. Although the Pack stymied Joe Flacco and Mitchell Trubisky the past two weeks, they got ripped to shreds by the last real quarterback they faced, Matthew Stafford. Big Ben will be comfortable at home. … Marcus Mariota doubled his previous career worst interception total in Week 11. He also had his best fantasy effort of the year. So is life on the fake football gridiron. For Week 12, he’ll be rematching with a Colts defense he stung for a season-high 306 passing yards in Week 6. That performance came on one leg. Mariota has since resumed running. … Even as the Saints’ running game has taken over, Drew Brees has remained the QB9 by total points. More often than not, he’s going to get fantasy owners two touchdowns. … After a two-month stretch of the best football of his career, Dak Prescott is coming off a two-week stretch of the worst football of his career. The (mega) slump coincided with LT Tyron Smith’s absence from the lineup. As of Wednesday afternoon, Smith is expected to return to the lineup on Thanksgiving, giving Prescott a major boost.

Jared Goff once again proved to be matchup dependent in Week 11, getting dominated by the Vikings’ stout pass defense. For Week 12, his matchup is unclear in a Saints unit that’s improved, but still isn’t stay-away. There’s also the matter of No. 1 CB Marshon Lattimore’s (ankle) health. Even with Robert Woods (shoulder) sidelined, Goff belongs on the QB1/2 borderline. … Matthew Stafford has had two scoreless starts this season. One of them came in Week 4 against the Vikings. That game was on the road, while this week’s will be at home on national television on Thanksgiving. Stafford probably isn’t going to put up another doughnut. His ceiling odds are simply too low to place him in the top 12. … With zero three-touchdown or 300-yard performances over his past five starts, Philip Rivers hasn’t established much of a ceiling to accompany his floor. The Cowboys do plenty of bending against the pass, but have mostly avoided breaks. … Provided Myles Garrett doesn’t single-handedly wreck the Bengals’ offensive line — a non-zero probability — Andy Dalton seems likely to have his fifth multi-score day in six starts. The Browns are tied for 29th in passing touchdowns allowed (20).

Playing solid football for weeks now, Jacoby Brissett is coming off bye — and concussion — against a Titans D that isn’t imposing at any level. … Granted the production came in garbage time, but Tyrod Taylor finished as Week 11’s QB10 in one half of play. Reinstalled under center after Nathan Peterman’s nightmare performance, Taylor could barely ask for a better matchup than the Chiefs’ collapsed defense. … Supposedly under center for good now, Case Keenum is rematching with a Lions defense that held him scoreless in Week 4. Keenum has thrown for zero or one touchdowns in 6-of-9 appearances. … We’ve seen enough to know the Patriots’ D has genuinely improved. Working in Matt Moore’s streamer favor is that the Pats still don’t have a pass rush, and game flow will undoubtedly dictate that Moore is passing from the opening whistle to the last. … Playing genuinely bad football right now, Derek Carr probably won’t slump bust vs. Denver. … There’s little reason to believe Paxton Lynch is good, but they don’t make matchups better than the Raiders, who have zero interceptions and a league-low 14 sacks. Having Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders doesn’t hurt.

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Week 12 Running Backs

RB Notes: Averaging 122 yards from scrimmage and over a touchdown per game, Todd Gurley should have ceiling to match his league-leading floor in what promises to be a high-scoring affair with the Saints. … Heavily-used Le'Veon Bell has hit a mid-season wall, averaging just 3.43 yards per carry over his past four games. That’s dragged his season mark all the way down to 3.82. He’s still averaging 122 yards from scrimmage during the “slow” period. The Steelers should dominate time of possession against the Packers. … Mark Ingram is averaging 19 carries for 106 yards rushing in six games since Adrian Peterson’s trade. His YPC is 5.63 during that time period, while he’s scored eight touchdowns. All of this is the long way of saying he’s become everything you could possibly want in an RB1. … Kareem Hunt should be higher. The Bills are allowing 45 points and 213 rushing yards over their past three games. There’s just no way of knowing what struggling coach Andy Reid might have in mind on the ground. Once again, he misused Hunt in stunning fashion in Week 11, giving him just four carries before halftime. Hunt should be the foundation of the offense against the Bills. Emphasis on should.       

Opposing Hunt will be LeSean McCoy, who has a mouthwatering matchup of his own. The Chiefs’ hollowed-out defense is coughing up a rushing score per week, as well as 129 yards. … The Jaguars tried to create the perception Leonard Fournette might not play in Week 11. Instead, he took the ball 28 times for 111 yards, becoming the first back all season to have a 100-yard day against the Browns. The Cardinals are another tough matchup, but those haven’t really mattered for Fournette. When his ankle is healthy, which it is right now, Fournette’s floor is bankable. … Averaging 6.37 yards per carry and 9.3 yards per catch, Alvin Kamara is one of the most dangerous players in football. Seeing more consistent usage than any other No. 2 back, Kamara has averaged 14 touches since Adrian Peterson’s trade, never seeing fewer than 11. With an over/under of 53.5, Sunday’s matchup with the Rams profiles as a “Kamara game” if there ever was one. … Melvin Gordon held off Austin Ekeler until garbage time last week. His 20/80/1 was fine, though somewhat disappointing against a Bills team that no longer plays run defense. Gordon’s case remains quantity over quality.

I set Tevin Coleman’s over/under for touches against the Seahawks at 21. He pushed, getting the ball 21 times. He generated just 58 yards, though he did find the end zone. With Devonta Freeman (concussion) set to miss another game, Coleman’s over/under remains 21. Always a ceiling play, Coleman should have better odds of hitting it against the Bucs than Seahawks. … Thanks to his 42 receptions, matchups truly have not mattered for Carlos Hyde. That’s good news, because he has another tough one in the Seahawks. Boosting his case is the absence of Kam Chancellor. Hyde generated 143 yards on 18 touches in his Week 2 date with Seattle. … Coming off the first good game of his rookie season, Samaje Perine’s over/under for touches should be set at 20 for Thursday’s showdown with the Giants. The G-Men are surrendering the fifth most running back fantasy points, but largely contained Kareem Hunt in Week 11 as NT Damon Harrison played through his ankle injury. … Lamar Miller handled a 2017-high 22 carries against the Cardinals. With D'Onta Foreman (Achilles’) done for the year, 22 probably won’t stay Miller’s season-high for long.           

Alfred Morris has dominated work during Ezekiel Elliott’s absence. Thursday, he will be doing so against a Chargers team allowing the most rushing yards in the league. … Dion Lewis had a season-high 88 yards from scrimmage in Week 11, and has cleared 14 touches in each of his past four games. Tom Brady should set up some pins for Lewis to knock down against the Dolphins. No. 2 back Rex Burkhead is getting just enough work to put himself on the low-end FLEX radar. … Coming off an apparent “breakout game” in Week 9, Christian McCaffrey instead tied a season-low for touches in Week 10. Thankfully, he found the end zone twice. The Panthers also lost Curtis Samuel, ensuring McCaffrey will remain OC Mike Shula's manufactured-touch darling. … DeMarco Murray looked decrepit in Week 11. Nevertheless, he out-touched Derrick Henry 13-7, and out-snapped him 52-16. There’s been zero indication coach Mike Mularkey is planning a change to his exotic smashmouth. … Jay Ajayi has runs of 46 and 71 yards as an Eagle … on 15 total carries. He needs more work, but coach Doug Pederson seems loth to phase out either LeGarrette Blount or Corey Clement, rendering Ajayi a risk/reward RB2.

Healthy and running reasonably well, Latavius Murray has three touchdowns over his past two games. On paper, I still prefer Jerick McKinnon’s overall skill-set and big-play ability, but for fantasy, Murray has forced his way ahead of his backfield mate. … Three times as a Cardinal, Adrian Peterson has generated fewer than 30 rushing yards on a minimum of 11 carries. Especially since Andre Ellington was cut, the volume will remain. That’s all Peterson has to hang his hat on against the Jaguars’ improved run defense. … Averaging 2.79 yards over his past 33 carries, we’ll see how long Alex Collins can maintain his vice grip on early downs. … Doug Martin is averaging 2.54 yards on 85 scoreless carries over his past five games. This is a generous rank. …Jamaal Williams had his expected volume against the Bears, but game flow will be an issue in Pittsburgh. … Marshawn Lynch is averaging 4.90 yards per carry over his past four games. The problem is, he hasn’t topped 14 totes in the process. … The only Seahawk doing anything on the ground, J.D. McKissic might top last week’s career-high 12 touches. … Byron Marshall needs a wait-and-see week in PPR leagues.

Week 12 Receivers

WR Notes: Julio Jones’ lone touchdown came five weeks ago. He’s the WR26 by average points. I’m probably showing too much deference. Having allowed the fifth most receiver scores (11), the Bucs are a strong matchup. … The WR5 by average points, A.J. Green is having a much more consistent year than Jones. Even with Jason McCourty back for the Browns, there’s not one thing that should give Green owners pause for Week 12. … Coming off back-to-back 120-yard efforts, Adam Thielen is the only receiver besides Antonio Brown to have surpassed the 900-yard threshold. Getting a Thanksgiving day showcase, Thielen will avoid Detroit’s Darius Slay in the slot. … Michael Thomas is averaging seven catches for 86 yards over his past five games. Somehow, he has not scored in the process. Owners have to keep trusting that Thomas’ sky-high floor will soon provide ceiling. … Coming off suspension, Mike Evans caught five balls for 92 yards in his first start with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. Like Thomas, Evans’ sturdy floor is long overdue for a ceiling day.

Having himself a bit of a “Brandin Cooks in New Orleans” campaign, Tyreek Hill is still the WR11 by average points despite his inconsistency. Bleeding big plays, the Bills seem ripe for Hill’s big-play picking. … T.Y. Hilton had his worst day of the season against the Titans in Week 6 (1/19). That game was in Tennessee. At home coming off the Colts’ bye, Hilton is in excellent position to post his fourth 100-yard game against a Titans defense allowing the fifth most receiver fantasy points. … The Ravens are one of the toughest matchups for opposing wideouts. DeAndre Hopkins is one of the toughest matchups for opposing cornerbacks. Locked onto by Tom Savage, Hopkins can’t be dropped out of the top 12. … Keenan Allen came out of hibernation against the Bills, bettering the production from his previous three games combined. The Cowboys aren’t as inviting of an adversary, but are allowing the ninth most receiver fantasy points. Allen can be fired up with confidence for fantasy footballers who want to watch their players on Thanksgiving.

The WR9 by average points over the past five weeks, Alshon Jeffery has finally gotten in on the Carson Wentz party. He’s averaging 71 yards with four total touchdowns over his past three games. … Devin Funchess set a new season-high for yardage in each of the Panthers’ first two games without Kelvin Benjamin. The concern for his fantasy prospects is the healthy return of Greg Olsen. Not a concern is his matchup with a Jets D that’s been impaled for 20 aerial scores. … Merely the WR33 by average points, Dez Bryant remains in the WR2 mix on the back of his extreme volume. His 98 targets are tied for fourth. If he’s to break his four-game touchdown drought, he will have to do so against elite CB Casey Hayward. … Golden Tate will avoid Xavier Rhodes in the slot on Thursday. Week 11 snapped a string of four straight 6/86 performances. … JuJu Smith-Schuster is dealing with a hamstring issue. As of Wednesday afternoon, it is not expected to hold him out of Sunday night’s game against the Packers.  

Larry Fitzgerald will avoid Jalen Ramsey in the slot, but still has to contend with Aaron Colvin. Like DeAndre Hopkins, he remains in the top 18 because of his bankable extreme volume. … Jarvis Landry’s eight targets inside the 10-yard line are third in the league. You know where Matt Moore will be going if the Dolphins are in scoring position. … Averaging 7/90 on 11 targets over his past three games, Jamison Crowder has emerged as Kirk Cousins’ No. 1 receiver. The Giants are a plus matchup for Crowder, especially since Janoris Jenkins should spend most of his time on outside threat Josh Doctson. … Robby Anderson is the WR8 by average points over the past five weeks. Limiting his appeal for Week 12 is a Panthers defense surrendering the fourth fewest passing yards. … Stefon Diggs has cleared 40 yards once since Week 4. Darius Slay is a foreboding Thanksgiving opponent. … Even as things have broken bad in Denver, the Broncos are still allowing the third fewest enemy receiver points. With Derek Carr slumping, Michael Crabtree is a touchdown dart throw, and Amari Cooper is a “maybe this will be the day” dart throw.

Opposing Crabtree and Coop will be Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. They’ll be contending with their third quarterback of the season, but also have the softest possible matchup in the Raiders’ bubblegum defense. At least one of them will have a big day. It’s hard to know which. … With Robert Woods (shoulder) sidelined, Cooper Kupp — who is still fourth in red zone targets (16) for some reason — offers both a higher floor and ceiling than usual. … With Joe Haden sidelined, the Steelers have been allowing more big receiver days. Davante Adams is in position to weather the Brett Hundley storm another week. … Corey Coleman was mighty impressive against the Jags’ league-best pass defense, coming on with six catches for 80 yards. So he’s a no brainer for a better day against the Bengals, right? If only. That’s just now how it works when you’re receiving league-worst quarterback play. … While you weren’t watching, Zay Jones’ play really improved. With Kelvin Benjamin (knee) likely out for Week 12, Jones offers sneaky upside against the Chiefs’ barely-there secondary.                  

Week 12 Tight Ends

TE Notes: Travis Kelce has 119 more yards than any other tight end. In fact, his 738 is more than all but nine receivers. Kelce’s 13 receptions of 20-plus yards are tied for fourth. Week 11 opponent Buffalo has allowed 135 points over its past three games. … In the midst of one of the quieter stretches of his career, Rob Gronkowski is just the TE10 by average points over the past five weeks. The Dolphins are a slump buster. … Coming off just his second bad game of the season, Evan Engram gets a Redskins defense allowing the third most tight end fantasy points. Engram has found the end zone in 4-of-5 games since Odell Beckham’s injury. … With Jordan Reed (hamstring) set to miss his fourth straight contest Thanksgiving night, Vernon Davis is full steam ahead against the Giants’ (by far) league-worst tight end defense. Davis’ 16.0 yards per catch is 13th. That’s remarkable for a 33-year-old tight end.

Zach Ertz has just six catches for 42 yards over his past two games. His hamstring issue is almost certainly the culprit. Another week healthier, Ertz’s full body of work cannot be dropped out of the top five. … Jimmy Graham’s 22 targets inside the 20-yard line are now five more than anyone else in football. He’s converted seven of them, tying him for second in touchdowns. Although statistically solid up the seam (42/409/4 in 10 games), the 49ers leave the light on for all opposing offensive players. … Delanie Walker is averaging 6/72 over his past four games. The Colts have allowed the 10th most tight end points. … Returning from a 10-week absence, Greg Olsen (broken foot) gets a Jets D permitting the seventh most tight end fantasy points. Olsen was off to a slow start before getting hurt, but returns to a team starving for players to target after trading Kelvin Benjamin and losing Curtis Samuel to I.R.

Good for Jared Cook: The Broncos have allowed the most tight end yardage. Bad for Jared Cook: A struggling Derek Carr probably isn’t going to wake up against the Broncos’ tough defense. … Jack Doyle has been the league’s fifth most targeted tight end. He should rebound from his quiet Week 10. … Tyler Kroft has 16 yards over his past two games. Coughing up the fourth most tight end fantasy points, the Browns will do their best to change that. … Coming off his first 60-yard game of the season, Austin Seferian-Jenkins has a tough matchup in Luke Kuechly’s Panthers. ... Austin Hooper: His Week 12 can’t be worse than two catches for -1 yards, right? … Cameron Brate has caught just one pass in each of his past three games, while the Bucs proactively involved O.J. Howard in Week 11. The jig might finally be up. … Maybe it’s statistical noise, but Eric Ebron is seventh in tight end yardage (123) over the past three weeks. ... C.J. Fiedorowicz has proven to be fool’s gold with Tom Savage.      

Week 12 Kickers

Week 12 Defense/Special Teams