Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings: Final Outlook for Sunday's Flex, PPR Players

The fantasy football postseason continues to inch closer into sight. For many managers, Week 12 represents the penultimate matchup before slicing down the league's crop of championship combatants.

With so much at stake, players will feel amplified pressure to set the optimal lineup. After Thursday's game, this is already an unattainable goal, especially for anyone who owns Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, DeMarco Murray, Matt Forte or Dez Bryant. Others are observing an opponent's bloated point tally on the strength of Matthew Stafford or Calvin Johnson, hoping to somehow erase the deficit.

While the remaining 26 teams are unlikely to play nice and offer predictable outcomes, let's take a last-minute assessment of Week 12's top flex plays for standard and point-per-reception (PPR) leagues. 

Rank	Standard	PPR
1	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
2	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
3	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
4	Todd Gurley, RB, STL	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG
5	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
6	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
7	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF	Todd Gurley, RB, STL
8	Doug Martin, RB, TB	Mike Evans, WR, TB
9	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
10	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE	Allen Robinson, WR, JAX
11	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF
12	Mark Ingram, RB, NO	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
13	Mike Evans, WR, TB	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
14	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
15	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAX	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ
16	Allen Robinson, WR, JAX	Doug Martin, RB, TB
17	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
18	A.J. Green, WR, CIN	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA
19	Chris Johnson, RB, ARI	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ
20	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO
21	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
22	Javorius Allen, RB, BAL	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK
23	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAX
24	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA
25	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ	Stevie Johnson, WR, SD
26	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD
27	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK	Javorius Allen, RB, BAL
28	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	Delanie Walker, TE, TEN
29	Alfred Blue, RB, HOU	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT
30	Allen Hurns, WR, JAX	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
31	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN	Jordan Reed, TE, WAS
32	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN
33	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK	Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN
34	Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN	Allen Hurns, WR, JAX
35	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE	Antonio Gates, TE, SD
36	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT	Chris Johnson, RB, ARI
37	Delanie Walker, TE, TEN	John Brown, WR, ARI
38	Frank Gore, RB, IND	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT
39	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ
40	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND
41	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
42	Jordan Reed, TE, WAS	Gary Barnidge, TE, CLE
43	Gary Barnidge, TE, CLE	Alfred Blue, RB, HOU
44	Tevin Coleman, RB, ATL	Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF
45	John Brown, WR, ARI	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN
46	Spencer Ware, RB, KC	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE
47	Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN	Kamar Aiken, WR, BAL
48	Antonio Gates, TE, SD	Kendall Wright, WR, TEN
49	Stevie Johnson, WR, SD	Tevin Coleman, RB, ATL
50	Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF	Brandon LaFell, WR, NE

Alfred Blue, RB, Houston Texans

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Give a subpar network sitcom 23 episodes per season, and one is bound to elicit a few laughs. Alfred Blue isn't particularly good at football, but simply getting air time often matters more than quality.

Only desperate or deep-league managers started the Houston Texans running back against the New York Jets' No. 3 defense last weekend. After all, what's an ineffective rusher going to do against an elite run-prevention unit with backup quarterback T.J. Yates behind center?

With the help of 24 touches and a trick play, Blue did enough. His 92 yards weren't particularly efficient, but a 21-yard touchdown grab from wide receiver Cecil Shorts led him to a successful Sunday. 

In six games without Arian Foster, Blue is averaging 15 carries and 51 rushing yards per contest. His 3.3 yards per rush should still concern owners, but heavy volume puts him on the map against an awful New Orleans Saints defense.

Yielding 4.9 yards per run, the Saints ranks No. 27 in rushing defense and No. 29 in fantasy points allowed per game to opposing backs. Before their bye, they led Shane Vereen, Antonio Andrews, Alfred Morris and Matt Jones to usable outcomes. Opportunity doesn't always overcome limited skill—hey there, Davante Adams—but a starting running back who is in line for regular touches against New Orleans will always be a worthwhile choice.

Chris Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Chris Johnson also has volume and a strong matchup working in his favor. Only three rushers (Jonathan Stewart, Adrian Peterson and Doug Martin) have received more carries than Johnson, who rode a heavy workload to a big day against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3:

Rush	Rush YD	YPC	TD	Rec	Rec YD
22	110	5.0	2	1	40

Like Blue, Johnson isn't making the most of his chances. On an Arizona Cardinals squad that leads the league in yards (417.3) and points (33.6) per game, the 30-year-old has scored just three touchdowns this season. He has also caught only six passes, which has led to underwhelming PPR results, as noted by Rotoworld's Rich Hribar:

"

Despite having the 9th most touches (118) since Week 5, Chris Johnson has been a top-30 scoring PPR RB just once over those 6 games.

— Rich Hribar (@LordReebs) November 23, 2015"

Over those last five games, Johnson has recorded 3.7 yards per rush. He needs heavy usage to matter, but that's certainly in the cards against San Francisco. 

The 49ers rank No. 26 against the run while relinquishing the third-most fantasy points to running backs. When they met on Sept. 27, the Cardinals had plenty of time to run the ball during a 47-7 victory. Odds Shark projects another lopsided bout, favoring Arizona to win the rematch by 11.5 points. 

Nobody can accurately predict touchdowns, but a running back getting regular carries on a heavy favorite is a solid bet for some red-zone handoffs. He has failed to parlay his advantageous circumstances into big gains before, but Johnson's surroundings and matchup maintain his status as a safe starter in standard leagues.

Martavis Bryant, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Don Wright/Associated Press

Now let's take a steep turn to Martavis Bryant, a big-play wide receiver who is facing the Seattle Seahawks' No. 2 passing defense. The second-year pro has a rickety floor covered in mold, but he also boasts the high-upside talent to win a matchup.

Based on his comments to NFL.com's Ali Bhanpuri, the Pittsburgh Steelers wideout would have a gripe with his placement on the Week 12 flex listings. "I rank myself No. 1," Bryant said. "I don't rank myself behind anyone. Not even A.B [Antonio Brown]. He's my teammate, but I consider myself better. You can't go in with that mindset and think someone is better than you." 

Brown registered 27 catches for 423 yards over his last two games, so fantasy gamers can't follow Bryant's confidence. However, a bigger game from Pittsburgh's No. 2 receiver is feasible if Seattle sends star cornerback Richard Sherman to shadow Brown.

According to Football Outsiders, Seattle rates No. 18 in defensive-adjusted value over average (DVOA) against No. 2 wideouts. In a similar situation two weeks ago, Michael Floyd decimated Seattle's secondary for 113 yards and two touchdowns. On FantasyPros, Football Guys' Sigmund Bloom made a case for Bryant based on Arizona's Week 10 success versus the Seahawks:

"

The Seahawks pass defense at home gave up a huge game to a similar receiver two weeks ago in Michael Floyd, and if the Seahawks devoted Earl Thomas over the top to keep Bryant from going vertical, Antonio Brown is going to eat them alive. The Steelers’ vertical pass offense is very similar to Arizona’s, who put up 39 points in Seattle two weeks ago.

"

Bloom's No. 6 rank for Bryant—the highest among all participating experts—is certainly aggressive, but the wide receiver has procured 440 receiving yards and five touchdowns through five games. Gamers may lament using him, but they can't downplay the risk of missing another huge performance.

Fantasy scoring data obtained from NFL.com.