November 23, 2016

Ricky Delgado looks at fantasy football risers and fallers for Week 12 of the NFL season, following the conclusion of Week 11 of the 2016 fantasy football season.

Perhaps more than any other, the NFL is a league that experiences ups and downs at a rapid pace. With only 16 games, there’s little room for error and seemingly endless opportunities for improvement. The same goes for fantasy football, and managing rosters effectively is key to winning that championship.

Throughout the season, players get hot and see an increased role while others struggle and fight to stay relevant. Experienced fantasy players know this happens every year. In this weekly column, we’ll showcase those who have taken important steps forward and those who have taken steps back. These are the risers and fallers heading into Week 12 of the NFL season.

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Post-Week 11 Fantasy Football Risers

RISER - Kirk Cousins (QB, WAS)

Never shy near a microphone, Kirk Cousins continues his dramatic turnaround since we featured him as a faller after Week 2 of the season. Following that week, which saw Cousins throw his first touchdown and third interception of the season. Washington has only lost once in eight games. Additionally, Cousins has 16 touchdowns to just four more picks. An even closer look at his stats shows that even the four interceptions don’t really show his improvement.

In his past four games, he’s been picked off just once, passing for eight touchdowns in the process. Cousins will almost always be a fantasy football gem, because he consistently throws for significant yardage. When you combine that with significant touchdown numbers and very few interceptions, however, you have an even bigger weapon. A tough test now awaits Cousins, as he gets set for three consecutive road games, but there’s plenty of reasons to remain on the bandwagon. With the Redskins on quite the role right now, expect the momentum to play a role down the stretch, beginning with a matchup against the first place Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

RISER -  Rob Kelley (RB, WAS)

In an unprecedented move, we're going with a pair of teammates in our risers section for Week 12. While Kirk Cousins has been tearing it up through the air, 24-year-old Rob Kelley has made significant contributions in Washington’s back field the past three games. With Matt Jones out, Kelley has carried the ball over 20 times in each game, picking up 321 yards and four touchdowns in the process. This past Sunday, he demolished the Green Bay defense, picking up three touchdowns and 137 yards on 24 carries.

At this point, he appears to be the new hot commodity in the running back waiver wire. While the next three games come on the road, prospective onlookers shouldn’t be dismayed. Yes, the Dallas Cowboys, whom the Redskins face next, boast the third-best rush defense, but Green Bay’s was sixth heading into Week 11. Additionally, the Cardinals and Eagles rank outside of the top tier of rush defenses, creating definite opportunities for significant fantasy scoring. Kelley is poised to be a difference-making running back as we head down the stretch of the season.

RISER - Rashad Jennings (RB, NYG)

In case you haven’t been following them closely, the Giants have been terrible at running the football. This hasn’t just been a 2016 occurrence, as they’ve failed to provide a serviceable contemporary to the passing game in years. They currently rank 31st in the league at rushing yards per game, but there’s been recent signs that a change could be on the way. Rashad Jennings, the veteran back who arrived in New York from Oakland two seasons ago, has provided a pair of consecutive promising performances these past two weeks.

While this was a great sign for the football team, it’s an even better sign for the fantasy football managers that feature him on their respective teams. Jennings has provided significant value, and with the Cleveland Browns on the horizon, he could be in for a third consecutive strong week. Those who feature Jennings should confidently start him this week, with the notion that one more productive week could make him a full-fledged must-start heading into the fantasy football playoffs.

Post-Week 11 Fantasy Football Fallers

FALLER - Marvin Jones (WR, DET)

Early on in this season, we featured Marvin Jones as a riser following a couple of explosive performances. In his first year with the Detroit Lions, the 26-year-old busted out to the tune of 408 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the first three games of the season. Since then, however, he’s managed just 268 receiving yards and two touchdowns in seven games. It’s been quite the disappointment, but those numbers don’t explain the whole story.

It appears that Matthew Stafford is losing confidence in Jones, with his targets reaching a season-low two this past week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s important to point out that this performance came against those lowly Jaguars as opposed to a powerful defense. This upcoming week, Jones and the Lions will host the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC North showdown on Thanksgiving. The Vikings have already managed to hold him to one reception two weeks ago. If you feature Jones on your team, a benching may be in the cards.

FALLER - Kelvin Benjamin (WR, CAR)

Following the 2014 season, Kelvin Benjamin was easily the top wideout on the Carolina Panthers. Before the 2015 season even began, however, he was lost for the season. Still, an MVP effort from Cam Newton catapulted the Panthers to the top of the NFC and a Super Bowl appearance. So, it was with that backstory that we entered 2016 with many predicting Benjamin’s return would serve as an upgrade for Carolina. Unfortunately for Benjamin, the Panthers and those who drafted the 25-year-old, that has not been reality. Instead, Carolina has regressed significantly and Benjamin has struggled to find the end zone.

While he may occasionally post a solid amount of catches and receiving yards, he hasn’t caught a touchdown pass since Week 4. This past week against New Orleans, he was targeted just three times, his lowest total since Week 3, while his yard total was the lowest since the aforementioned Week 4. While he’s producing enough to warrant keeping him on your team, and perhaps continuing to start, his inability to score is seriously putting a damper on his fantasy potential this season.

FALLER - Will Fuller (WR, HOU)

Like his teammate DeAndre Hopkins, rookie wideout Will Fuller is now featured as one of our fallers this season. The 22-year-old stormed out of the gates with a pair of 100-yard receiving games, but really hasn’t done much since then. Outside of one game that saw him make seven catches for 81 yards and a touchdown, Fuller has been handled by most teams. Making matters worse, he’s missed two games with injuries, raising questions about his durability.

His accountability in this decline is up for debate, however, as the Houston Texans’ passing game has been abysmal as a whole. In Brock Osweiler’s first season with the Texans, the franchise currently ranks 31st in the league in passing, with just 187.3 receiving yards per game. Those who feature Fuller on their rosters have surely benched him, if not dropped him already. If not, it may be time to do so, because despite Houston’s favorable schedule down the stretch, the passing game appears to be headed nowhere this season.