IDP Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 12

Chris Gregory gives his IDP rankings and the top streamers to start along with defensive players to sit for Week 12 of the 2022 fantasy football season.

We all know this week is a big one in America. It is the week to celebrate a break in our dietary restrictions and a liberation from the expectation that we work on Thursdays! It is the time when people ignore their gluten intolerance, shed their diabetic precautions, and our livers forgive our trespasses. That’s what Thanksgiving means to us all, right? A time where we gratefully overdrink and eat to the point we actually believe our cousin when he says his community service isn’t court-mandated.

While Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks… it is also a time to ponder what you aren’t thankful for. For example, Broncos fans are surely unthankful for a coaching staff that thought the recently cut Melvin Gordon was Javonte Williams’ near equal or that a 64-yard field goal was worth waiting for. Giants fans are in a confusing situation for Thanksgiving, too. Should they be thankful for a hot start and good coaching, or should they worry Daniel Jones may be their best QB option in 2023?

Regardless of how you feel about your team or this holiday, we can all agree on one thing. Whether it's a good game or a blowout, one holiday in America is nearly synonymous with football, and that's Thanksgiving. No other day could entice so many people to voluntarily watch the Detroit Lions for two straight decades with little to no playoff or fantasy skin in the game. If the Lions are good for anything, it's proving just how much better a holiday is with bad football than it is with no football.

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Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

DL Gamble(s) of the Week: Carl Lawson & Jermaine Johnson, DL, New York Jets

The Bears already have the worst pass-blocking offensive line in the NFL in terms of Adjusted Sack Rate and total sacks allowed. What compounds this issue in Week 12 is Justin Fields' health.

If you watched the second half of Fields' game against the Falcons, you saw he was running less and looked slower. His hamstrings were being stretched whenever he wasn't on the field. Then he got a shoulder injury, likely because he was already hurting. Those factors could keep him in the pocket more, leading to increased sack opportunities. Lawson, Quinnen Williams, and Jermaine Johnson are all streamers against this offense.

DL Fold(s) of the Week: Giants Defensive Linemen

Despite multiple injuries along their offensive line, the Dallas Cowboys are tied for the fewest sacks allowed in the NFL, and they sport the sixth-best Adjusted Sack Rate. Since Dak Prescott's return, Dallas has averaged a solid but not elite 34 pass attempts per game, too. Dak isn't historically generous with big plays to defensive linemen, either. The soup salesman averages just 2.03 sacks and 0.53 fumbles per game for his career.

The Giants' defensive line has already struggled to find big plays this season. The Cowboys are not an ideal matchup for a defensive front already thin on big plays. Fade expectations for Leonard Williams, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and company.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Gamble(s) of the Week: Kaden Elliss, New Orleans Saints

Elliss has totaled 18 total tackles and 2.5 sacks in his two starts since Pete Werner went down. Werner reportedly had surgery on his ankle recently, so his return this week is up in the air. Elliss is a top-20 option if Werner is out, but the specter of Werner creates risk. Consider adding Elliss as a viable streamer this week since the 49ers offer an attractive LB matchup, even if he may not end up playing.

LB Fold(s) of the Week: Zaven Collins, Arizona Cardinals

Most weeks, Collins is an LB3 on paper, but even that feels rich for Week 12. A whopping 83% of Collins' fantasy points this season have come against teams that fit his skillset, namely opposing offenses that thrived on a run-heavy approach and pass-catching tight ends. The Chargers don't fit either of those molds, with Gerald Everett questionable for Sunday. Collins is a low-ceiling option this week if Everett is out, with a tolerable floor.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Gamble(s) of the Week: Denzel Ward, DB, Cleveland Browns

Ward and Grant Delpit both get a boost in our projected fantasy point opportunities, thanks to their opponent this week. As we've said, the Buccaneers average the most pass attempts in the NFL. In two of his past three games, Ward hasn't needed turnovers to produce fantasy points, either. Against the Dolphins and Chargers, all he needed was the type of volume and scheme Tampa offers. Ward is a fine streamer this week, even if an interception is unlikely.

DB Fold(s) of the Week: New Orleans Saints Cornerbacks

The 49ers average just 30.8 pass attempts per game. Since Christian McCaffrey joined the team, they average the seventh fewest attempts in the NFL. Worse, Jimmy Garoppolo has thrown just one pick in his last four games, and he avoids corners on 47.9% of his throws this year. San Francisco’s system, types of weapons, and safe passer all equate to low volume for players like Marshon Lattimore and company this week.

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