Fantasy Football Week 12: Top Plays at Every Position

We are coming down to the nitty-gritty in the fantasy football season, so you cannot cut corners, especially if you are on the cusp of a postseason spot in your league. We don't cut corners here at Bleacher Report, so our weekly top plays article is a must-read for those of you who like to debate every aspect of your lineup on a weekly basis.

We have all the top news, top plays, top sits and position-by-position rankings wrapped perfectly in this six-part slideshow.

Quarterbacks: Weather Can Affect the Marquee Manning-Brady Matchup

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

We have arguably the greatest matchup of quarterbacks ever on tap Sunday night between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. This is only the second time in NFL history two quarterbacks with 140-plus career victories have met in a game, according to NFL media notes.

But as we wrote in Wednesday's Fantasy Football Notebook, don't expect huge fantasy numbers because of the sub-freezing temperatures and winds forecast at 20-plus mph—the worst possible conditions for passing numbers. We reserve the right to throw that prediction out the window in hindsight because awesome plus awesome sometimes equals awesome-squared.

Going back to Eli

Speaking of a Manning, might it be a good week to go back to the maligned Eli Manning in fantasy lineups again? He is just 20th in standard quarterback scoring amid his disappointing season, but he faces a Cowboys team he threw for 450 yards and four touchdowns against in Week 1.

He is a big reason the Cowboys are dead last in fantasy against quarterbacks. We rank him among the top 10 plays at the position this week.

Carolina dreamin'

Speaking of Brady, he is coming off a Monday night game against the Carolina Panthers, the No. 1 team in fantasy against quarterbacks. The Panthers have allowed the fewest combined passing and rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks (eight). That makes Ryan Tannehill impossible to trust outside of deep two-quarterback formats.

Like him more

Carson Palmer is coming off a 419-yard game and looks like he has fully ingrained himself into Bruce Arians' aerial passing attack. He faces a potential shootout with Andrew Luck this Sunday in Arizona too.

Palmer is among the quarterbacks we like more than the consensus below:

1. Matt Ryan (already played Thursday night)
2. Carson Palmer
3. Ryan Fitzpatrick
4. Matt McGloin
5. Kellen Clemens

Like him less

Case Keenum went from potential fantasy world-beater to the Texans bench in the third quarter last week. The Texans are going back to him as a starter, but you have to be a bit more worried about his team's confidence in him, even if Houston should just let the young man play and prove himself unfit for an NFL starting job.

Keenum is among the quarterbacks we rank lower than the masses this week:

1. Case Keenum
2. Ben Roethlisberger
3. Scott Tolzien
4. Mike Glennon
5. Christian Ponder 

Week 12 Quarterbacks Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Drew Brees	NO	at Atl	1	0
2	Peyton Manning	Den	at NE	2	0
3	Matthew Stafford	Det	vs. TB	3	0
4	Tom Brady	NE	vs. Den	4	0
5	Cam Newton	Car	at Mia	5	0
6	Tony Romo	Dal	at NYG	6	0
7	Colin Kaepernick	SF	at Was	8	+1
8	Andrew Luck	Ind	at Ari	7	-1
9	Robert Griffin III	Was	vs. SF	10	+1
10	Eli Manning	NYG	vs. Dal	11	+1
11	Matt Ryan	Atl	vs. NO	14	+3
12	Carson Palmer	Ari	vs. Ind	19	+7
13	Case Keenum	Hou	vs. Jac	9	-4
14	Alex Smith	KC	vs. SD	15	+1
15	Ben Roethlisberger	Pit	at Cle	12	-3
16	Josh McCown	Chi	at StL	16	0
17	Philip Rivers	SD	at KC	18	+1
18	Ryan Fitzpatrick	Ten	at Oak	21	+3
19	Scott Tolzien	GB	vs. Min	17	-2
20	Joe Flacco	Bal	vs. NYJ	20	0
21	Mike Glennon	TB	at Det	13	-8
22	Matt McGloin	Oak	vs. Ten	24	+2
23	Kellen Clemens	StL	vs. Chi	27	+4
24	Ryan Tannehill	Mia	vs. Car	25	+1
25	Geno Smith	NYJ	at Bal	28	+3
26	Chad Henne	Jac	at Hou	26	0
27	Christian Ponder	Min	at GB	23	-4
28	Jason Campbell	Cle	vs. Pit	22	-6

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Running Backs: Matchup Might Mean More to Your Decisions Here Than Anywhere Else

The Rams have steadily improved defensively all season, but with Jay Cutler (ankle) out and Adrian Peterson dealing with a sore groin, we list Matt Forte as the No. 1 play at the position this week. Forte gets to face a Rams defense that is still third-worst in fantasy against running backs.

If you're wondering which back is facing the worst team against running backs, that would be the Giants' Andre Brown, who has emerged as a must-start fantasy option of late.

Houston, we shouldn't have a problem

The Jags have the worst run defense in football, so while Ben Tate is dealing with broken ribs, he is a must-start option in that matchup. Tate also happens to be the feature back with Arian Foster (back) out for the season, and he is coming off just his second game of 100-plus combined yards all season. Expect him to rush for 100-plus here and get in the end zone at least once, if not a few times.

To rags for T-Rich

Trent Richardson was supposed to give the Colts a dynamic running game. Instead, it has been backup and passing-down back Donald Brown doing that of late. Richardson cannot get out of his own way, despite being the starter. Don't expect him to suddenly have a great week in Arizona either. The Cardinals are No. 1 in fantasy against running backs and second-best against the run in the NFL.

Like him more

Because of the aforementioned cold and wind forecast for Foxborough, Mass., we rank the Broncos' top two backs higher than the consensus below. Knowshon Moreno is losing carries to Montee Ball, especially inside the 10, but Moreno remains a must-start against a Patriots defense that has been sixth-worst against the run.

Ball is among the backs to like a few spots more than the consensus too:

1. Knowshon Moreno
2. DeMarco Murray
3. Ray Rice
4. Steven Jackson (already played Thursday night)
5. Darren Sproles (Whoops! Already missed Thursday night)
6. Montee Ball
7. Kendall Hunter

Like him less

Ryan Mathews has put together some solid games in the past month, including a season-high 127 yards last week against Miami, but he is running up against a stout Chiefs defense coming off a division loss. It is a bad time to expect Mathews to carry a fantasy team, even if you have to start him in lineups.

Mathews is among the backs we like more than a few spots less than the masses below:

1. Ben Tate
2. Rashad Jennings
3. Pierre Thomas (already played Thursday night)
4. Ryan Mathews
5. Chris Ogbonnaya

Week 12 Running Backs Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Matt Forte	Chi	at StL	1	0
2	Jamaal Charles	KC	vs. SD	2	0
3	Adrian Peterson	Min	at GB	3	0
4	Zac Stacy	StL	vs. Chi	4	0
5	Knowshon Moreno	Den	at NE	9	+4
6	Eddie Lacy	GB	vs. Min	6	0
7	Andre Brown	NYG	vs. Dal	7	0
8	Frank Gore	SF	at Was	5	-3
9	Reggie Bush	Det	vs. TB	10	+1
10	Chris Johnson	Ten	at Oak	13	+3
11	DeMarco Murray	Dal	at NYG	16	+5
12	Le'Veon Bell	Pit	at Cle	15	+3
13	Alfred Morris	Was	vs. SF	11	-2
14	Ray Rice	Bal	vs. NYJ	21	+7
15	Ben Tate	Hou	vs. Jac	8	-7
16	Rashad Jennings	Oak	vs. Ten	12	-4
17	Maurice Jones-Drew	Jac	at Hou	18	+1
18	Steven Jackson	Atl	vs. NO	26	+8
19	Stevan Ridley	NE	vs. Den	17	-2
20	Shane Vereen	NE	vs. Den	20	0
21	Bobby Rainey	TB	at Det	19	-2
22	Pierre Thomas	NO	at Atl	14	-8
23	Andre Ellington	Ari	vs. Ind	25	+2
24	Chris Ivory	NYJ	at Bal	23	-1
25	Danny Woodhead	SD	at KC	24	-1
26	Ryan Mathews	SD	at KC	22	-4
27	Darren Sproles	NO	at Atl	37	+10
28	Donald Brown	Ind	at Ari	28	0
29	DeAngelo Williams	Car	at Mia	30	+1
30	Montee Ball	Den	at NE	36	+6
31	Lamar Miller	Mia	vs. Car	33	+2
32	Rashard Mendenhall	Ari	vs. Ind	29	-3
33	Chris Ogbonnaya	Cle	vs. Pit	27	-6
34	Jonathan Stewart	Car	at Mia	35	+1
35	Trent Richardson	Ind	at Ari	34	-1
36	Jacquizz Rodgers	Atl	vs. NO	39	+3
37	Mark Ingram	NO	at Atl	31	-6
38	Joique Bell	Det	vs. TB	32	-6
39	Kendall Hunter	SF	at Was	49	+10
40	Daniel Thomas	Mia	vs. Car	41	+1
41	James Starks	GB	vs. Min	50	+9
42	Michael Bush	Chi	at StL	62	+20
43	Dennis Johnson	Hou	vs. Jac	54	+11
44	Brian Leonard	TB	at Det	38	-6
45	Fozzy Whittaker	Cle	vs. Pit	52	+7
46	Bilal Powell	NYJ	at Bal	43	-3
47	Willis McGahee	Cle	vs. Pit	45	-2
48	Shonn Greene	Ten	at Oak	42	-6
49	Roy Helu	Was	vs. SF	47	-2
50	Bernard Pierce	Bal	vs. NYJ	48	-2
51	Daryl Richardson	StL	vs. Chi	59	+8
52	Peyton Hillis	NYG	vs. Dal	56	+4
53	Brandon Jacobs	NYG	vs. Dal	46	-7
54	Denard Robinson	Jac	at Hou	82	+28
55	Anthony Dixon	SF	at Was	84	+29
56	Ronnie Brown	SD	at KC	76	+20
57	Jason Snelling	Atl	vs. NO	73	+16
58	Jonathan Dwyer	Pit	at Cle	64	+6
59	LeGarrette Blount	NE	vs. Den	55	-4
60	Toby Gerhart	Min	at GB	53	-7
61	Knile Davis	KC	vs. SD	65	+4
62	Joseph Randle	Dal	at NYG	78	+16
63	LaMichael James	SF	at Was	68	+5
64	Benny Cunningham	StL	vs. Chi	61	-3
65	Felix Jones	Pit	at Cle	69	+4

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Wide Receivers: Wes Welker a Headliner This Week and Not Just Because of Injury

Wes Welker somehow skirted concussion protocol by originally being evaluated for a neck injury Sunday, as we chronicled in Wednesday's Fantasy Football Notebook, so you didn't really think he would miss Sunday's return to New England, did you? He won't.

Welker returned to practice Thursday, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Regardless of the cold and wind, you have to have Welker in your fantasy lineups. We rank him as a top-six option at the position this week, which is three spots higher than the consensus average among the 128 experts polled at FantasyPros.com.

Expect Jackson to get Lion's share

One spot behind Welker below is Vincent Jackson of the Bucs. Sure, Mike Glennon has been more steady than spectacular for Jackson as a rookie starting quarterback, but the Lions are the second-worst team in fantasy against wide receivers to date. Only the Bills (16) and Eagles (15) have allowed more touchdown receptions to fantasy wideouts.

Return of the Mac

Matt McGloin is drawing another start for the Raiders, but you cannot expect another three-touchdown performance against the Titans. First, Denarius Moore (shoulder) will be limited again, perhaps even a game-time decision or out; second, the Titans have been the best team in fantasy against wide receivers. They have allowed just two touchdown receptions to fantasy wideouts—only one team has allowed fewer.

Moore and Rod Streater are coming off productive games because of McGloin's debut performance, but they are difficult to trust in standard-league fantasy lineups this week.

Like him more

Michael Floyd was the most-added receiver in fantasy leagues this week, coming off his 193-yard performance in Week 11, but his fantasy owners should still feel fortunate those numbers haven't gone to Larry Fitzgerald. They will, especially as Floyd's performances draw more attention and coverage.

Fitzgerald is still a must-start star. He is also among the receivers we like more than the masses below:

1. Larry Fitzgerald
2. Roddy White (already played Thursday night)
3. James Jones
4. Steve Smith
5. Tavon Austin
6. Greg Jennings

Like him less

Keenan Allen has emerged as Philip Rivers' clear-cut, go-to guy, but he is dealing with a minor knee issue and has had back-to-back subpar games. His combined seven catches for 86 total yards the past two weeks would have been a modest week for him in the month-plus before that.

Allen is among the receivers we like less than the consensus this week:

1. Keenan Allen
2. Harry Douglas
3. Brandon LaFell
4. Santonio Holmes
5. Brian Hartline 

Week 12 Wide Receivers Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Calvin Johnson	Det	vs. TB	1	0
2	Andre Johnson	Hou	vs. Jac	2	0
3	Dez Bryant	Dal	at NYG	5	+2
4	Brandon Marshall	Chi	at StL	6	+2
5	Demaryius Thomas	Den	at NE	4	-1
6	Wes Welker	Den	at NE	9	+3
7	Vincent Jackson	TB	at Det	3	-4
8	Victor Cruz	NYG	vs. Dal	7	-1
9	Jordy Nelson	GB	vs. Min	8	-1
10	Larry Fitzgerald	Ari	vs. Ind	17	+7
11	Eric Decker	Den	at NE	15	+4
12	Alshon Jeffery	Chi	at StL	11	-1
13	Josh Gordon	Cle	vs. Pit	10	-3
14	T.Y. Hilton	Ind	at Ari	16	+2
15	Pierre Garcon	Was	vs. SF	12	-3
16	Antonio Brown	Pit	at Cle	13	-3
17	Roddy White	Atl	vs. NO	31	+14
18	Marques Colston	NO	at Atl	18	0
19	Torrey Smith	Bal	vs. NYJ	14	-5
20	James Jones	GB	vs. Min	33	+13
21	Hakeem Nicks	NYG	vs. Dal	24	+3
22	Steve Smith	Car	at Mia	28	+6
23	Kendall Wright	Ten	at Oak	20	-3
24	Danny Amendola	NE	vs. Den	19	-5
25	Anquan Boldin	SF	at Was	26	+1
26	Jarrett Boykin	GB	vs. Min	23	-3
27	Michael Floyd	Ari	vs. Ind	25	-2
28	Keenan Allen	SD	at KC	21	-7
29	Rueben Randle	NYG	vs. Dal	32	+3
30	Aaron Dobson	NE	vs. Den	27	-3
31	Dwayne Bowe	KC	vs. SD	29	-2
32	DeAndre Hopkins	Hou	vs. Jac	37	+5
33	Emmanuel Sanders	Pit	at Cle	35	+2
34	Cecil Shorts	Jac	at Hou	30	-4
35	Harry Douglas	Atl	vs. NO	22	-13
36	Tavon Austin	StL	vs. Chi	51	+15
37	Rishard Matthews	Mia	vs. Car	42	+5
38	Mike Wallace	Mia	vs. Car	34	-4
39	Greg Jennings	Min	at GB	48	+9
40	Jerricho Cotchery	Pit	at Cle	44	+4
41	Miles Austin	Dal	at NYG	50	+9
42	Denarius Moore	Oak	vs. Ten	43	+1
43	Dexter McCluster	KC	vs. SD	58	+15
44	Kenny Stills	NO	at Atl	39	-5
45	Rod Streater	Oak	vs. Ten	46	+1
46	Brandon LaFell	Car	at Mia	40	-6
47	Santonio Holmes	NYJ	at Bal	41	-6
48	Brian Hartline	Mia	vs. Car	38	-10
49	Marlon Brown	Bal	vs. NYJ	47	-2
50	Ted Ginn	Car	at Mia	64	+14
51	Mario Manningham	SF	at Was	61	+10
52	Donnie Avery	KC	vs. SD	57	+5
53	Kris Durham	Det	vs. TB	45	-8
54	Terrance Williams	Dal	at NYG	36	-18
55	Nate Washington	Ten	at Oak	54	-1
56	Chris Givens	StL	vs. Chi	53	-3
57	Eddie Royal	SD	at KC	60	+3
58	Lance Moore	NO	at Atl	52	-6
59	Jacoby Jones	Bal	vs. NYJ	71	+12
60	Darrius Heyward-Bey	Ind	at Ari	76	+16
61	Greg Little	Cle	vs. Pit	68	+7
62	Julian Edelman	NE	vs. Den	66	+4
63	Andre Roberts	Ari	vs. Ind	77	+14
64	David Nelson	NYJ	at Bal	74	+10
65	Cordarrelle Patterson	Min	at GB	55	-10
66	Davone Bess	Cle	vs. Pit	75	+9
67	Tiquan Underwood	TB	at Det	56	-11
68	Mike Brown	Jac	at Hou	67	-1
69	Vincent Brown	SD	at KC	72	+3
70	Stephen Hill	NYJ	at Bal	79	+9
71	Justin Hunter	Ten	at Oak	59	-12
72	Markus Wheaton	Pit	at Cle	90	+18
73	Austin Pettis	StL	vs. Chi	70	-3
74	Jerome Simpson	Min	at GB	82	+8
75	Jarius Wright	Min	at GB	65	-10
76	Ace Sanders	Jac	at Hou	62	-14
77	LaVon Brazill	Ind	at Ari	84	+7
78	Robert Meachem	NO	at Atl	69	-9
79	Santana Moss	Was	vs. SF	80	+1
80	Earl Bennett	Chi	at StL	101	+21
81	Cole Beasley	Dal	at NYG	91	+10
82	Brian Quick	StL	vs. Chi	97	+15
83	Jacoby Ford	Oak	vs. Ten	106	+23

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Tight Ends: Rob Gronkowski Is Healthier Than Julius Thomas in Marquee Matchup

Julius Thomas (ankle) owners are left with a bit of a dilemma. Do they wait until the potential game-time decision before the Sunday night game or play a safer option in their star fantasy tight end's place?

There are only a handful of tight ends we would rather have than the potential of even a limited Thomas, according to USA Today's Lindsay Jones, in a mega-game against the Patriots that could decide home-field advantage for the AFC.

Fleener is one of them?!

Yes, emerging second-year tight end Coby Fleener is one of the five tight ends we have the guts to rank above the Broncos' Thomas this week. It is not only Fleener's increasing usage and improved production with Reggie Wayne (knee) out, but he is also facing a Cardinals defense that has allowed the most points in fantasy against tight ends.

Gates closed in San Diego?

Antonio Gates remains among the starts in all leagues this week, but you have to be a bit skeptical of his matchup at least. The Chiefs are coming off a loss and are the best team in fantasy against tight ends this season. We would only sit Gates if you have one of the seven options we rank above him below.

Like him more

The Colts were one of the better teams in fantasy against tight ends, but Delanie Walker worked them over in Week 11, and now emerging third-year tight end Rob Housler draws them at home in Week 12. Housler is a sleeper play and one of the tight ends we like more than the masses below:

1. Jason Witten
2. Greg Olsen
3. Rob Housler
4. Brandon Myers
5. Anthony Fasano

Like him less

Speaking of Walker, he has been steadily rising as a No. 1 tight end for the first time in his career. He was fantasy's most-added at the position this week, but we are not overly giddy about him on a consistent basis.

He is among the tight ends we rank lower than the consensus this week:

1. Julius Thomas
2. Tony Gonzalez (already played Thursday night)
3. Delanie Walker
4. Heath Miller
5. Jeff Cumberland

Week 12 Tight Ends Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Jimmy Graham	NO	at Atl	2	+1
2	Rob Gronkowski	NE	vs. Den	1	-1
3	Jason Witten	Dal	at NYG	5	+2
4	Vernon Davis	SF	at Was	4	0
5	Coby Fleener	Ind	at Ari	6	+1
6	Julius Thomas	Den	at NE	3	-3
7	Greg Olsen	Car	at Mia	9	+2
8	Antonio Gates	SD	at KC	8	0
9	Tony Gonzalez	Atl	vs. NO	7	-2
10	Jordan Reed	Was	vs. SF	10	0
11	Jordan Cameron	Cle	vs. Pit	12	+1
12	Garrett Graham	Hou	vs. Jac	13	+1
13	Delanie Walker	Ten	at Oak	11	-2
14	Martellus Bennett	Chi	at StL	15	+1
15	Rob Housler	Ari	vs. Ind	18	+3
16	Heath Miller	Pit	at Cle	14	-2
17	Charles Clay	Mia	vs. Car	16	-1
18	John Carlson	Min	at GB	17	-1
19	Tim Wright	TB	at Det	19	0
20	Jared Cook	StL	vs. Chi	20	0
21	Brandon Myers	NYG	vs. Dal	29	+8
22	Anthony Fasano	KC	vs. SD	31	+9
23	Kellen Winslow	NYJ	at Bal	33	+10
24	Brandon Pettigrew	Det	vs. TB	26	+2
25	Marcedes Lewis	Jac	at Hou	30	+5
26	Joseph Fauria	Det	vs. TB	35	+9
27	Jeff Cumberland	NYJ	at Bal	24	-3
28	Dallas Clark	Bal	vs. NYJ	21	-7
29	Lance Kendricks	StL	vs. Chi	34	+5
30	Andrew Quarless	GB	vs. Min	27	-3

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Defense/Special Teams: Lean on Dallas but Not N.Y. Giants in Division Matchup

The Panthers defense has played better at home, but it has a great matchup looming with the Dolphins this week. Miami is in the bottom 10 in fantasy against defense/special teams units, which is why we rank the Carolina unit No. 1 on our board.

How about them Cowboys?

Dallas isn't a great unit, especially since it is dead last against the pass—not to mention last against quarterbacks and running backs in fantasy—but it has scored among the top four units in fantasy and draws the worst team in fantasy against defense/special teams, the New York Giants. The Cowboys should be considered among the starting units this week, no matter how porous they might be.

How about them Cowboys II

On the other side of the ledger, the Cowboys have allowed the fewest points to opposing fantasy defensive units. That makes the rebounding Giants a difficult play in standard leagues. Sure, they have played better defense, but the Cowboys are rested and prepared coming off their bye week.

Like them more

The St. Louis Rams have perhaps quietly scored the second-most points in fantasy among defense/special teams. They went into their bye with a thrashing of the Colts on the road, which should have been far more daunting of a task than the Bears without Jay Cutler (ankle) at home. The Rams are among the units we like far more than the consensus this week:

1. St. Louis Rams
2. Detroit Lions
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Pittsburgh Steelers 

Like them less

The Bears haven't played the same defense they used to play under Lovie Smith, which should have been expected with an offensive head coach like Marc Trestman. Now that Charles Tillman (triceps) might be out for the season, you cannot trust the Bears unit—even if Kellen Clemens and the Rams don't scare you.

The Bears are 31st against the run, and Zac Stacy has been hot, grinding the ball on the ground. That's why we have Chicago among the units we like less than the masses below:

1. Tennessee Titans
2. New Orleans Saints (already played Thursday night)
3. Chicago Bears
4. Indianapolis Colts
5. Cleveland Browns
6. New York Jets 

Week 12 Defenses and Special Teams Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Defenses and Special Teams	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Carolina Panthers	Car	at Mia	1	0
2	Kansas City Chiefs	KC	vs. SD	3	+1
3	Baltimore Ravens	Bal	vs. NYJ	2	-1
4	San Francisco 49ers	SF	at Was	5	+1
5	Houston Texans	Hou	vs. Jac	4	-1
6	St. Louis Rams	StL	vs. Chi	15	+9
7	Detroit Lions	Det	vs. TB	16	+9
8	Dallas Cowboys	Dal	at NYG	13	+5
9	Green Bay Packers	GB	vs. Min	12	+3
10	Tennessee Titans	Ten	at Oak	7	-3
11	New Orleans Saints	NO	at Atl	6	-5
12	Pittsburgh Steelers	Pit	at Cle	18	+6
13	Chicago Bears	Chi	at StL	10	-3
14	Denver Broncos	Den	at NE	17	+3
15	Washington Redskins	Was	vs. SF	21	+6
16	Indianapolis Colts	Ind	at Ari	11	-5
17	Cleveland Browns	Cle	vs. Pit	8	-9
18	Miami Dolphins	Mia	vs. Car	19	+1
19	New York Jets	NYJ	at Bal	14	-5
20	Arizona Cardinals	Ari	vs. Ind	9	-11

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Kickers: Dan Bailey Returns from Bye as a Plug-and-Play Kicker

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Bailey has run hot and cold for fantasy owners, but he's still among the best options every week.

Dan Bailey is back off his bye and was the most-added kicker in fantasy, so you have to feel good about getting one of the top 12 options in standard scoring back into your lineup this week.

Drama in Washington

As if the Redskins' season hasn't been bad enough, punctuated by quarterback-coach relationship drama, they welcome the hungry 49ers to town Monday night. This is not likely to go well. Don't count on Kai Forbath against a 49ers team that is No. 1 in fantasy against kickers.

Stick a Folk in him?

Don't give up on Nick Folk just yet. He was bad coming off his bye last week against the Bills, but the Ravens have allowed the most field-goal attempts and the third-most points to fantasy kickers to date. Folk remains a solid option in all leagues.

Like him more

The Vikings have been awful, and it has cost Blair Walsh his spot on many fantasy rosters, but we rank him among the kickers we like more than the masses this week:

1. Nick Folk
2. Blair Walsh
3. Nick Novak
4. Greg Zuerlein
5. Caleb Sturgis

Like him less

The St. Louis Rams have allowed a league-low 10 made field goals, which is why we don't even rank Robbie Gould among the top 20 kickers this week. Here are the top five kickers we like less than the consensus below:

1. Dan Bailey
2. David Akers
3. Adam Vinatieri
4. Josh Brown
5. Kai Forbath 

Week 12 Kickers Rankings—Eric Mack

Rank	Kickers	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	vs. Den	2	+1
2	Matt Prater	Den	at NE	3	+1
3	Garrett Hartley	NO	at Atl	1	-2
4	Mason Crosby	GB	vs. Min	7	+3
5	Justin Tucker	Bal	vs. NYJ	5	0
6	Ryan Succop	KC	vs. SD	9	+3
7	Dan Bailey	Dal	at NYG	4	-3
8	Phil Dawson	SF	at Was	11	+3
9	Nick Folk	NYJ	at Bal	16	+7
10	David Akers	Det	vs. TB	6	-4
11	Blair Walsh	Min	at GB	23	+12
12	Matt Bryant	Atl	vs. NO	10	-2
13	Nick Novak	SD	at KC	19	+6
14	Greg Zuerlein	StL	vs. Chi	21	+7
15	Adam Vinatieri	Ind	at Ari	8	-7
16	Shaun Suisham	Pit	at Cle	17	+1
17	Jay Feely	Ari	vs. Ind	20	+3
18	Josh Brown	NYG	vs. Dal	14	-4
19	Caleb Sturgis	Mia	vs. Car	28	+9
20	Kai Forbath	Was	vs. SF	15	-5

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros