Fantasy Football Week 12 Review

With just one game left on the Week 12 fantasy football slate, we look back at everything we've seen up to this point.

The week kicked off on Thanksgiving with three great games and had 12 more on Sunday. Sunday's final contest ended after five quarters of football and a winning field goal that hit off of the upright and somehow squeaked in. As always, there were players we pegged correctly, players we bombed on, players who under-performed and over-performed—you get it.

You won't find them in this slideshow, but Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff and Chicago Bears quarterback Matt Barkley were pleasant surprises, each scoring over 20 fantasy points. Fun fact: They both threw their first career touchdown on Sunday (Barkley has been around just a little longer than Goff).

Perhaps my favorite single play this week came from the Baltimore Ravens. Facing fourth down with a seven-point lead and 11 seconds left against the Cincinnati Bengals, Ravens punter Sam Koch held the ball while his blockers up front bear-hugged the Bengals rushers until time expired. Numerous Ravens were penalized for holding, but no time was added to the game clock, and the contest consequently ended with the Ravens on top. What a smart play call to just avoid risking a kick return.

Full disclosure, I entered 50 contests this weekend in DFS (all different lineups) and netted just a couple bucks—players like New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, and Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen all contributed to a mediocre fantasy week for me.

Hope you did a lot better than that! Let's close out Week 12 right and get ready for the week before the fantasy football playoffs.

P.S. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Taylor Gabriel was unconscious on Sunday.

Top Quarterbacks

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Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Five freakin' touchdowns, man.

Brees is just an animal at home, so this shouldn't come as a huge surprise, but no one expects this kind of offensive output. The only blemish on his stat line was his fumble. Outside of that, he was flawless—I just wish he gave wide receiver Brandin Cooks some love.

Brees is the best quarterback in fantasy right now.

Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers

It's almost like we saw the old Kaepernick in Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins.

Over 100 rushing yards. Nearly 300 passing yards. Three touchdowns.

Just wow.

On a weekly basis, Kaepernick is a valuable asset because of his running ability. Since taking over the job in Week 6, Kaepernick leads all quarterbacks in rushing. Going up against the Chicago Bears next week, Kaepernick should once again be in position for a solid fantasy outing. If he keeps rushing, he'll keep putting up top-10 totals.

Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins

Let's rewind back to Thanksgiving and revisit the Redskins and Dallas Cowboys game.

In a losing effort, Cousins threw for nearly 450 yards and multiple scores. He's playing well as of late and making his case for the Redskins to sign him long-term. Next week is going to be a tough one, though—he'll be on the road against the Arizona Cardinals.

If he can do it there, Cousins will live up to his QB6 ranking to this point in the season.

Honorable Mention: Trevor Siemian, Denver Broncos

It's a good thing I stayed up and watched the remainder of the Sunday night game. Otherwise, I would have woken up Monday morning with tons of missed fantasy production and a list of top performers that was so, so wrong.

So yeah, Siemian had a great game, including a deep touchdown to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders which helped him post 368 yards and three scores.

It took literally every second of overtime for this game to end, with the Broncos losing 30-27.

Top Wide Receivers

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Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

Thanksgiving Day was filled with fantasy goodness.

AB obliterated the Indianapolis Colts, and it surprised exactly no one.

It's AB. Let's move on.

Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

This young'un is something special.

Weeks ago, I mentioned that Thomas was the Saints' best receiver. If anything, he's looking like the most trusted, after hauling in nine catches for 108 yards and two scores. 

In points-per-reception leagues, Thomas is now the WR7 on the season.

With fellow wide receiver Brandin Cooks invisible in Week 12, Thomas' performance sticks out even more.

The matchup doesn't matter—Thomas is going to get a ton of targets. If you own him, not only did you draft a gem of a player, but you may have found your winning ingredient to a league championship.

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I'll be honest, Evans was a 100 percent fade for me in Week 12. He was expensive on DraftKings, and his matchup with Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was less than desirable. We knew quarterback Jameis Winston would throw him the ball anyway—but for eight receptions, over 100 yards and two scores?

Not many saw that kind of line coming.

I'll never make the mistake again. Evans is in AB territory: He's an automatic 20 PPR fantasy points.

Honorable Mention: Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos

In his first double-digit target game since Week 4, Sanders had one of the best weeks at the wide receiver position.

I was so wrong on so many things this week, including this game. I was convinced this would be a bore fest—it was the exact opposite.

Sanders seemed to get all of his catches on one drive and had a long touchdown. Finishing with seven grabs for 162 yards and a score, Sanders will take that momentum into Week 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Top Running Backs

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David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals

David. Johnson. Is. Not. Human.

21 touches. Over 160 yards. One touchdown.

This guy is automatic every week.

Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints

With the Saints putting up 49 points, it's no surprise Ingram had something to do with it. But once again, no one expected this kind of outburst.

For one, you just don't expect 30 PPR fantasy points. Second, Ingram was dealing with a concussion from little over a week ago. He was cleared just before the game.

The concussion clearly had no lasting effects—Ingram had two scores and nearly 170 total yards. With the way the Saints offense is rolling right now, Ingram should be a top running back down the stretch, barring injury.

LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills

It's easy to forget about McCoy (being up in Buffalo and all), but with the Bills' receiving depth depleted, McCoy is almost the entire Bills offense.

That was true in Week 12. McCoy recorded two scores and over 100 yards, including a long run of over 70 yards.

Don't forget about McCoy moving forward. Buffalo's pass-catchers don't appear to be getting healthier—at least not for a few more weeks.

Honorable Mention: Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

Almost another 100 yards rushing and two more scores for Zeke—this rookie is a monster. But you already knew that.

This guy could be up against 22 defensive players and still get to 100 yards.

Top Tight Ends and Defenses

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Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins

The Redskins have several pass-catching options in the fold, but none of them match tight end Jordan Reed.

While this was a fantastic fantasy outing for Reed—double-digit receptions, 95 receiving yards and two scores—he did suffer a shoulder injury and could miss time.

Keep an eye on this development as the week progresses. With all the injuries surrounding New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, Reed should have been the TE1 this season—but he's had injuries of his own.

Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals

The Baltimore Ravens take away the tight end—except Eifert, apparently.

Without wide receiver A.J. Green in Week 12, Eifert was the No. 1 option for the Bengals and quarterback Andy Dalton. Eifert was having just an OK fantasy day before his late touchdown.

Eifert should maintain his role as the No. 1 option for the Bengals until Green gets back.

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

What a crazy game. Kelce had an extra quarter of football to his advantage and used it to surpass 100 yards receiving. I had exactly zero Kelce in DFS this week, and what does he do? 15 targets, eight catches and 101 yards.

Gah.

Honorable Mention: Lance Kendricks, Los Angeles Rams

In his second-straight seven-target game, Kendricks was a reliable option for rookie quarterback Jared Goff. He's getting targets in every game, and he should continue to with Goff under center. With guys like Jordan Reed injured and Delanie Walker and Gary Barnidge on bye, Kendricks is an awesome fill-in option after catching four passes for 54 yards and a score.

Expect to see him in the waiver-wire pickups slide.

Top D/ST: New York Giants

The Giants throttled the Cleveland Browns on the defensive side of the ball. They got to Browns quarterback Josh McCown seven times, recovered three fumbles, allowed just 13 points and returned one of those fumbles for a touchdown.

This was just a crazy stat line—nobody could have predicted it.

Fantasy Duds

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The Seattle Seahawks made a lot of people look foolish in Week 12. Although they were on the road, they were poised for a great day and a ton of fantasy output. Many of my favorite players this week ruined some DFS lineups. Here are this week's duds.

Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

Heading into this week, Wilson was my top quarterback on the Sunday slate.

With his improving rushing ability and the matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this was set to be one heck of a fantasy day—but nah.

If not for Wilson's 80 rushing yards, this would have been an awful outing. Wilson finished with just 10 fantasy points, throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns.

In Week 13, the Seahawks will take on the Carolina Panthers and their beatable secondary.

Wilson can only go up from here.

Brandin Cooks, WR, New Orleans Saints

The Saints scored 49 points, so that means that everyone had a great day, right?!

Wrong.

Wide receiver Michael Thomas had two touchdowns and over 100 yards. Meanwhile, Cooks did nothing. Not like "a couple of catches for little yardage" nothing—literally nothing. No catches. No yards.

It can't get any worse for Cooks. He should bounce back, as quarterback Drew Brees is the best signal-caller in fantasy right now.

Thomas Rawls, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Expecting the Seahawks to lead and command this game against the Bucs, it was only natural to assume Rawls would see plenty of work.

Instead, Rawls accumulated just 12 touches for 38 yards. While this was only his second game back, Rawls is also the only reliable player in the Seahawks backfield. The good news is no one's challenging for Seattle's lead back role, so Rawls should get another crack at it against the Panthers.

Stay positive!

Greg Olsen, TE, Carolina Panthers

Like Wilson, Olsen was the top tight end for the Week 12 Sunday slate. This game had everything I expected—lots of points and a shootout. Hell, the game ended 35-32. Even after scoring 32 points, Olsen saw just five targets, catching four of them for 45 yards. Up until the Panthers' final drive, Olsen had just three catches for 25 yards.

The matchup with the Seahawks will be a challenge for Olsen and the Panthers, but man does this one sting. Needless to say, my lineups with Olsen and Wilson bombed.

Week 12 Injuries

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There were multiple injuries that could impact fantasy rosters for the next few weeks. Though they are mostly of low impact, they still mean something with playoffs approaching. Let's recap the injuries from Week 12.

DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins

According to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker's back injury is not considered serious, and he should suit up for the Dolphins in Week 13. Parker suffered the injury on a fantastic catch that was eventually overturned. Parker also had a touchdown overturned. He's too involved in the passing attack not to be started moving forward.

Dontrelle Inman, WR, San Diego Chargers

According to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Chargers wide receiver Dontrelle Inman left late in the team's Week 12 win over the Houston Texans with a possible concussion, but he managed to pass his concussion tests and is not in the protocol. Inman came up big in Week 12, catching six passes for over 100 yards and a score.

Tyrell Williams, WR, San Diego Chargers

Another Chargers wide receiver suffered an injury in Week 12. According to Gehlken, Tyrell Williams left the Texans game with a shoulder injury. There is no official word yet on what the injury is, but it's something to keep an eye on in practice this week.

Jordan Reed, TE, Washington Redskins

According to Redskins head coach Jay Gruden, per Liz Clarke of the Washington Post, tight end Jordan Reed "suffered a Grade 3 AC joint separation in his left shoulder." He could miss some time.

We'll know more as the week progresses, but don't expect Reed to be out there in Week 13. Make other plans.

Allen Hurns, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Following his touchdown reception in Week 12, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns hurt his hamstring and was forced to leave the game. There's been no official update on Hurns' status. Should he sit out Week 13, fellow wide receiver Marqise Lee should see more run.

Walt Powell, WR, Buffalo Bills

This was a brutal looking injury for Buffalo Bills wide receiver Walt Powell. In the midst of a play, Powell's leg was rolled up on, and he was ultimately carted off the field. The extent of the injury is not yet known, but it did not look good. Powell isn't fantasy relevant, but this adds to the list of the Bills' sidelined receiving options.

Quinton Patton, WR, San Francisco 49ers

During the San Francisco 49ers' Week 12 loss to the Miami Dolphins, wide receiver Quinton Patton was forced from the game with a concussion. If he's not able to go in Week 13, fellow wide receivers Jeremy Kerley and Torrey Smith should be that much more viable. Patton is playing in over 83 percent of the team's snaps this season and averaging nearly five targets per game.

Chris Ivory, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

After a hot start to his day and scoring a touchdown, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Chris Ivory left his team's game with a hamstring injury. Soft tissue injuries are never fun to deal with—they can linger for some time. If Ivory is unable to suit up, expect fellow running back Denard Robinson to be the lead back over T.J. Yeldon in Week 13.

Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

Listed as questionable and a game-time decision leading up to Week 12, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski suited up for the Pats, but he left the game early with a back injury. While Gronkowski was out on the field, he was targeted twice, but he was unable to haul in either pass. According to ProFootballTalk, the injury isn't considered to be serious and he shouldn't miss time beyond this game.

The Madden curse? Maybe.

Waiver-Wire Pickups

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With just one week remaining until most fantasy playoffs begin, it's time to start loading up your bench with depth for a playoff run. Also, Week 13 is the final bye week of the season—the Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans are the last two teams to get a breather. Here's the top pickup from each position.

Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco 49ers

I can't quite figure out why San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is owned in less than 25 percent of Yahoo leagues. In Week 12, Kaepernick had 113 rushing yards, adding to his league-leading rushing yard total by a quarterback since Week 6 (the week Kaepernick became San Francisco's starter). Also since Week 6, Kaepernick is the QB6. The guy scores fantasy points. Why is he still out there on waivers? Go pick him up.

Marqise Lee, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

In PPR leagues, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Marqise Lee has really come on lately, averaging nearly seven targets per game over the last four weeks and scoring touchdowns in each of his team's last two games.

With fellow wide receiver Allen Hurns leaving Sunday's game with a hamstring injury, it's quite possible Lee could be the Jaguars' No. 2 pass-catching option should Hurns sit out for any period of time.

Owned in just 10 percent of Yahoo leagues, Lee needs to be rostered this week, especially with key receivers on bye.

Denard Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Two Jacksonville Jaguars players need to be picked up this week? Really? Gross.

Well, yeah, they do.

In Week 12, running back Chris Ivory went down with a hamstring injury. With fellow running back T.J. Yeldon active, one would figure that he would see the bulk of the work thereafter.

Nope.

Instead, it was third-string running back Denard Robinson, who out-touched and out-snapped Yeldon 13-7 and 31-23, respectively. Yeldon, who didn't practice all week with an ankle injury, is likely still feeling some lasting impact, thus allowing Robinson to take the reins.

The Jaguars have a difficult matchup with the Denver Broncos in Week 13, but if Robinson can get double-digit touches, he's at least a flex in deeper leagues. During the first 11 weeks of the season, the Broncos allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game to opponents.

Lance Kendricks, TE, Los Angeles Rams

Jared Goff's security blanket comes in as the top tight end add this week.

In addition to scoring a touchdown in Week 12, Kendricks has seen back-to-back seven-target games with Goff under center. Kendricks should continue receiving targets as an underneath safe option when the Rams take on the New England Patriots in Week 13.

The Rams will be behind—they'll need to throw to keep pace with the Patriots.

Give Kendricks a shot if you need tight end help in Week 13.

Statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Follow me on Twitter @RichardJanvrin.