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Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings
RotoBaller brings you our Week 12 fantasy football rankings, for both PPR and standard leagues, by authors Zach Wilkens (@LopsidedTrades) and Ryan Rufe (@RyanRufe) along with some Week 12 rankings analysis by Zach Wilkens.
The NFL season is just about 75% of the way through ladies and gents, and fantasy seasons are fast approaching do-or-die time if you're vying for the playoffs. You should be familiar with the routine by now, but just in case you weren’t sure, every week fellow RotoBaller Ryan Rufe and I will be posting our weekly fantasy football rankings and rankings analysis, based on team matchups and expected player performances for the week.
We are nearly done with the byes in Week 12, and thankfully we're past those weeks where you have to start your entire bench because 3-4 of your players are on byes. Still, owners of Le'veon Bell, Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger, Martavis Bryant, Kelvin Benjamin, and Jonathan Stewart will have to look elsewhere this week. Our rankings can help you identify some possible replacements.
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyPros
Week 12 Quarterback Rankings Analysis
Each of my top-10 QBs is within one spot of their FantasyPros consensus rank so nothing should shock you there. This is the first time I have put Andrew Luck at #1 I believe. Luck's first game against the Jags in Week 3 was his best of the season. He threw for 370 yards and 4 touchdowns with no turnovers. One could argue that he won't need to throw a lot here, but he didn't back in that game either. Aaron Rodgers at QB2 actually has a tough matchup as the Vikings are in the bottom 10 for QB fantasy points allowed. It shouldn't really matter though as Rodgers has been dominant since Week 4 with a 23:2 TD:INT ratio over his last seven games.
Peyton Manning struggled last week totaling just 15 fantasy points. While still decent, that's not what you want from Peyton and he has another tough matchup here. I'd expect better but not crazy numbers.
Colin Kaepernick hasn't played great this season but he has stayed at double-digit fantasy points all year long so he's been fairly reliable. The main problem is that he hasn't been running a lot recently but hasn't done much damage passing either. The Redskins are the best matchup he's had in a long time and so I've slotted him in at QB8. I feel good about Kaep throwing at least a couple touchdown passes here.
Josh McCown has looked pretty good the past two weeks. Most of that is thanks to Mike Evans, but McCown did have some really nice deep balls in week 11. The Bears are another decent matchup and he should have no issue getting the ball to his big targets. He makes a great streaming option once again.
Will Brian Hoyer be streamable this week with the return of Josh Gordon? I certainly think so. The Falcons are a great matchup and they have allowed 290+ passing yards in five of their last seven games. It may seem crazy to some but I do expect Josh Gordon to step in and immediately be a WR1. That will help open the entire offense including other passing options.
Ryan Mallett impressed in his debut. I wouldn't be streaming him in a 10 or 12 team standard league but I think he is a very viable option for 2QB leagues. He looked pretty good for his first start and had no issues getting the ball to his top targets. I expect more of the same in week 12.
Week 12 Running Back Rankings Analysis
Expect Arian Foster to return this week and get the bulk of carries for Houston. If you are an owner start him with confidence. If he has a setback and is ruled out, Alfred Blue would be a top 15ish back as well.
Along with fellow Rotoballer Ryan Rufe, I am among the highest on Justin Forsett this week. The Saints are vulnerable against the run and Jeremy Hill just ran for 150 yards against them. Forsett is the RB8 on the season and has a great matchup so I'm not sure why he is outside the consensus top-10 this week. I always like players who have had that extra bye week of rest as well. That also goes for Denard Robinson who was a top-10 RB from weeks 7 through 11. Now off his bye there is no reason he can't continue that.
I don't know what it is, but Alfred Morris is a different player when RG3 is on the field. In 4 starts with RG3 he averages just over 100 total yards per game (even higher if you take out his game vs the Jags where Cousins came in early believe it or not). In the 6 games without RG3? A mere 81 yards per game. Small sample size for sure but I still consider him a borderline RB1 even in this week's tough matchup vs 49ers.
Tre Mason really impressed me last week. By rushing for 100 yards against the Broncos he did what Jamaal Charles, Marshawn Lynch and every other back was unable to do this season. On paper this should mean big things for this week against San Diego. It might not work out that way but I think he is close to must-start territory.
The Dolphins are a very good defense and have only allowed a single 100 yard rusher over last 7 games. That was none other than Denard Robinson. C.J. Anderson faces them this week and while he has been very valuable in the passing game I would temper expectations against such a good defense.
I like Isaiah Crowell and I *think* he is safe to start, especially with Ben Tate gone but it shouldn't surprise anyone if the Browns suddenly decided to switch back to Terrance West. Still, this is a good matchup and Crowell is very startable and West has deeper league appeal as well.
As for Ben Tate I wouldn't be too excited over his landing spot of Minnesota. I think Jerick McKinnon is still the lead back and Tate shouldn't see too many touches. However McKinnon and Matt Asiata both missed practice Wednesday. Keep an eye on that situation, if it looks like McKinnon will miss week 12, Tate is an intriguing option.
Week 12 Wide Receiver Rankings Analysis
Let's get right to the big wide receiver news of the week: Josh Gordon makes his season debut!!! If you managed to hold onto him all season and you're still in playoff contention congratulations. Josh Gordon was insane last year and was the WR1 despite missing the first two games of the season. He went above 10 fantasy points in 10 separate games which is crazy. He was the first player to ever get 200 yards in back-to-back games.
That is your recap on Josh Gordon in case you forgot/this is your first year. He was a championship winner for many. What can we expect in his first week back? FantasyPros rankers are all over the place on him, ranging from WR1 all the way down to WR27 with a consensus rank of WR13. I'm on the high side. It's a great matchup and I don't think rust should be much of a worry. If you own him you are starting him.
Moving on to the rest of the players, if Emmanuel Sanders plays he is in my top-10. He has missed practice time this week but it's not like a concussion limits his physical ability. He either passes his concussion tests and he is good to go, or he doesn't.
It should be a rough go for the Detroit Lions wide receivers. The Patriots have allowed a league-low 1,413 rec yards to wide receivers. Calvin Johnson will be covered by Darrelle Revis but I still prefer him over Golden Tate. You know Megatron will get his targets but Stafford isn't playing at a high enough level to feel confident about two of his starters.
Mike Evans became the first rookie since all-time great Randy Moss to go for 100 yards and a score in three straight games. We can't expect that every week but I can say with confidence that Evans is the real deal. There is no doubt that he is ahead of Vincent Jackson. He has a pretty good matchup this week too so he could easily have another nice game. Fellow rookie Jordan Matthews will look to match Evans streak of 100 yards and a score this week. He and Sanchez are on the same page and it has been great. I'm a big believer in Matthews and he is definitely in WR2 territory.
Michael Floyd and Pierre Garcon are two of the biggest fantasy disappointments of the season. Things may appear to be trending up for Floyd following his two touchdowns last week, but the fact that he had no other receptions is troubling. Couple that with his matchup against Seattle and he is one to avoid this week. Meanwhile I have Garcon at WR40 and I am high on him so that tells you all you need to know about his season. RG3 simply isn't very good right now and it's not a great matchup. I still think there is a chance for him to regain some value but I can't imagine starting him here.
Week 12 Tight End Rankings Analysis
Much like Emmanuel Sanders, if Julius Thomas plays I think he is a must start for any owner. I can't imagine your alternative being better unless you were able to grab Coby Fleener in which case it is interesting. With Dwayne Allen likely out for the matchup against the Jags, Fleener is a very good play this week. He was a low-end TE1 on the season even with Dwayne Allen around and this is an excellent matchup. I would be shocked if Fleener doesn't finish in the top 10 this week.
Charles Clay was awful last week but I kind of expected that. This week he gets a favorable matchup against Denver and is probably the best option for anyone that needs to stream this week (assuming Fleener is gone). Austin Seferian-Jenkins is another with a good matchup. The Bears have allowed 10 touchdowns to opposing tight ends over the past six games. If ASJ doesn't score he likely busts, but you have to like those odds.
Once you get past the top 15 ranked TEs I think you are strictly looking for a lottery pick and Tim Wright represents the best of those which is why I am high on him. Wright is one of 14 tight ends with at least four touchdowns but his snap count is by far the lowest. Sure he might put up a zero but when the Patriots do use Wright it's in the end zone. He did also get 7 targets (and caught them all) in Week 8 so there is always a chance he does that again as well.
Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
