Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings: Flex and PPR Outlook for Each Position

One only has to look at Thanksgiving Day to see the importance of Week 12 fantasy football flex plays.

Six teams suited up for the holiday lineup, and smooth flex plays such as Eddie Lacy of the Green Bay Packers (17 points), Joique Bell of the Detroit Lions (13) and Jordan Matthews of the Philadelphia Eagles (12) came up with big performances to boost owners out of the spot.

It can be hard to find the right flex plays during a holiday week, so let's take the time to break down and rank each flex slot based on scoring in points-per-reception (PPR) leagues.

Running Backs

Rank	Player
1	Adrian Peterson
2	Todd Gurley
3	LeSean McCoy
4	Doug Martin
5	Charcandrick West*
6	Chris Johnson
7	Mark Ingram
8	Lamar Miller
9	Thomas Rawls
10	Chris Ivory
11	T.J. Yeldon
12	LeGarrette Blount
13	Javorius Allen
14	DeAngelo Williams
15	Frank Gore*
16	Carlos Hyde*
17	Giovani Bernard
18	Latavius Murray
19	Alfred Blue
20	Antonio Andrews
21	Danny Woodhead
22	Darren Sproles
23	Ronnie Hillman
24	Melvin Gordon
25	Matt Jones

Bell and others got the week started off right, but it's going to belong to big names such as LeSean McCoy and Lamar Miller. 

McCoy's Buffalo Bills sit in a solid matchup against the struggling Kansas City Chiefs. More attractive than the matchup, though, is usage.

Buffalo's coaching staff rides Shady when he's healthy. Over the course of his past five games, McCoy has carried the ball at least 16 times in each. Even better from a PPR standpoint, he's caught at least two passes in every game except one this season with highs of five and six in his last two outings.

In other words, McCoy remains one of the league's top every-down backs with a surefire floor and explosive ceiling.

It's more of a leap of faith with Miami Dolphins starter Lamar Miller. Owners will point out that back in Week 4, he only carried the ball seven times against the New York Jets and caught just one pass.

Miller gets those Jets again, but it's important to note that this is a different culture after a bye-week coaching change. In the six games since, Miller has 12 or more carries four times with five scores and two or more catches in all six with highs of six and seven.

So yes, this time will be different. Miller's a much bigger part of the game plan as the Dolphins focus on the basics, and he's nowhere close to coming off the field for passing downs. In fact, his winding up as the top scorer in PPR leagues wouldn't be any sort of shock.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player
1	DeAndre Hopkins
2	Allen Robinson
3	Julio Jones
4	Odell Beckham Jr.
5	Larry Fitzgerald
6	Antonio Brown
7	Demaryius Thomas
8	Sammy Watkins
9	Jarvis Landry
10	Amari Cooper
11	Eric Decker
12	A.J. Green
13	Michael Crabtree
14	Mike Evans
15	Brandon Marshall
16	Brandin Cooks
17	Stevie Johnson
18	John Brown
19	Travis Benjamin
20	Emmanuel Sanders*
21	Martavis Bryant
22	Danny Amendola*
23	DeSean Jackson
24	T.Y. Hilton
25	Jeremy Maclin
26	Kamar Aiken
27	Nate Washington
28	Allen Hurns
29	Brandon LaFell
30	Vincent Jackson

It's all about consistency when attempting to pick out a potential WR1 in PPR leagues.

DeAndre Hopkins and Julio Jones will always top lists, but some might find it surprising to see a Jacksonville Jaguars wideout near the top. 

It's just been that sort of season for the rebuilding Jaguars thanks to top wideout Allen Robinson. He's one of the league's budding stars and especially from a fantasy standpoint considering he's caught six or more passes in five games this year and no fewer than four outside the team's opener. 

Or to slice it another way, Robinson has at least 113 yards or a touchdown in six games running. His next opponent, the San Diego Chargers, has allowed at least six catches to every set of wideouts encountered with 10 or more in each of its last four outings.

Considering Robinson does most of the damage on his lonesome, his normal floor is higher than usual with a seemingly limitless ceiling.

While it might be hard for owners to get behind the idea of Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown against the Seattle Seahawks, call it a necessary evil of Week 12.

Ben Roethlisberger is once again in the fold, though what puts Brown over the top is the fact he caught 17 passes in Week 9 and followed with 10 more in Week 10 before a bye. Those Seahawks have actually allowed 12 or more receptions to wideouts against teams that actually enjoy airing it out (Green Bay, Detroit, Cincinnati and Arizona).

Pittsburgh certainly qualifies as such, and Brown will move all over the field to free himself up and get his owners a massive day.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player
1	Rob Gronkowski
2	Delanie Walker
3	Tyler Eifert
4	Gary Barnidge
5	Jordan Reed*
6	Antonio Gates
7	Jimmy Graham
8	Travis Kelce
9	Julius Thomas
10	Heath Miller

More so than any other position, consistency of targets and catches is key at tight end unless an owner lucked into rostering Rob Gronkowski.

It's a rule that continues to make Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker a top name this year. The veteran has a rookie by the name of Marcus Mariota slinging him the ball, so the consistency of targets will always be there.

With that in mind, it shouldn't be a shock to hear that Walker has five games with seven or more catches this year. Pair it, too, with the fact he gets to go against the Oakland Raiders this week—the defense that has let up 10 touchdowns to the position and five or more catches seven times.

Also reliable and in a great situation is Gary Barnidge of the Cleveland Browns. The veteran breakout star (that's a thing, apparently) has six or more catches in six games this year while an iffy quarterback situation looks to him as the offense's top target.

As such, one can expect Barnidge to have another breakout performance against the Baltimore Ravens after torching the unit for eight catches for 139 yards and a score in Week 5.

Baltimore hasn't exactly gotten better against the unit since, having just last week allowed six catches for 74 yards and a score to St. Louis tight ends, making Barnidge one of the week's top flex plays yet again.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of November 27.