Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings: Positional Overview, Guide and Advice

It's almost fantasy-playoff season, folks. If you're lucky enough to still be in the hunt for your fantasy postseason, these next couple of weeks are going to be critical.

One wrong roster decision or incorrect waiver-wire add could be enough to send your team straight to the consolation bracket. Fortunately, you should have plenty of chances to make the right choices in Week 12, as all 32 teams will be in action.

That action, in case you forgot, begins with three contests on Thanksgiving Thursday, so don't forget to have your lineups set in time.

We're here to help you get your lineups set with our Week 12 positional rankings. We'll be ranking players based on how we believe they will perform in the coming week. We'll also be examining some rising and falling players at each skill position.

All of our decisions are based on factors like past performances, projected role, player health and matchup.

Good luck!

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	@ IND
2	Kirk Cousins, WAS	@ DAL
3	Carson Palmer, ARI	@ ATL
4	Cam Newton, CAR	@ OAK
5	Derek Carr, OAK	CAR
6	Tom Brady, NE	@ NYJ
7	Drew Brees, NO	LA
8	Dak Prescott, DAL	WAS
9	Aaron Rodgers, GB	@ PHI
10	Marcus Mariota, TEN	@ CHI

Up: Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins

In case you haven't noticed, Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has been playing excellent football in recent weeks. If you haven't noticed before, though, you might have on Sunday, when he torched the Green Bay Packers for 375 yards and three touchdowns.

Though he has only started 35 regular-season games for Washington, Cousins has already set a record for 300-yard passing games with the franchise.

Cousins will have a prime opportunity for another 300-yard game this Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys. The task won't be a cakewalk, of course, as the Cowboys possess a pass-coverage unit that is rated second overall by Pro Football Focus. However, Cousins has the weapons needed to get the job done.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who hasn't been the gunslinger that Cousins has been, produced 269 yards and a score in Dallas this past week. Don't be too surprised if Cousins adds 100 yards and a couple of scores to that stat line on Thursday.

Down: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton hasn't been terrible on the field this season, but he's been frustrating when it comes to fantasy production.

Despite starting all 10 of Cincinnati's games this season, Dalton has only managed to produce three 300-yard outings. He has also passed for one or fewer touchdowns eight times. This week, he'll be going up against a Ravens defense that is rated fourth overall by Pro Football Focus, and he'll be doing it on the road.

In addition, Dalton will be operating without receiving back Giovani Bernard and star wideout A.J. Green.

Bernard suffered a torn ACL during last week's loss to the Buffalo Bills. He is out for the year. Green suffered a strained hamstring in the same game, though NFL Media's Kevin Patra reported that Green won't need surgery.

Green, however, is expected to miss the game against Baltimore. With reduced ammo at his disposal and facing a tough defense, Dalton could struggle in a big way.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	@ IND
2	David Johnson, ARI	@ ATL
3	Jay Ajayi, MIA	SF
4	Ezekiel Elliott, DAL	WAS
5	Melvin Gordon, SD	@ HOU
6	LeSean McCoy, BUF	JAX
7	DeMarco Murray, TEN	@ CHI
8	Rob Kelley, WAS	@ DAL
9	Thomas Rawls, SEA	@ TB
10	Theo Riddick, DET	MIN
11	Spencer Ware, KC	@ DEN
12	Rashad Jennings, NYG	@ CLE
13	Matt Forte, NYJ	NE
14	Doug Martin, TB	SEA
15	Frank Gore, IND	PIT
16	Devontae Booker, DEN	KC
17	Devonta Freeman, ATL	ARI
18	Carlos Hyde, SF	@ MIA
19	Todd Gurley, LA	@ NO
29	Duke Johnson, CLE	NYG

Up: Rob Kelley, Washington Redskins

The Redskins appear to have themselves a new top runner in undrafted rookie Rob Kelley.

The Tulane product has emerged as a force for the Redskins over the past few weeks, both because he has avoided turnovers and because he has a penchant for plowing ahead for positive yardage.

"I don’t dance," Kelley explained, per Jerry Brewer of the Washington Post. "My goal is to get downhill as quickly as possible."

Kelley got downhill plenty this past Sunday against the Packers. He racked up 137 yards on the ground to go with three touchdowns. In his last three games, Kelley has managed to produce 321 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Kelley and the Redskins will match up with a Cowboys defense that is rated 26th against the run by Pro Football Focus this week.

Down: Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns

It's probably time to give up on Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell. Though Crowell has talent and is averaging 4.3 yards per carry for the season, the Browns simply haven't been able to provide him with running lanes in recent weeks.

Over his past three games, Crowell has managed just 37 total rushing yards.

This doesn't mean Crowell is completely worthless, of course. He has 12 catches for 106 yards over the past three weeks, so there is some points-per-reception value there. However, Crowell doesn't deserve a starting RB spot, and he probably doesn't even deserve a roster spot in standard scoring formats.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are rated just 25th in run defense by Pro Football Focus, and Crowell only averaged 1.3 yards per carry against them this past week. This week, Crowell and the Browns host the New York Giants, who are rated 11th in run defense by Pro Football Focus.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Antonio Brown, PIT	@ IND
2	Julio Jones, ATL	ARI
3	Mike Evans, TB	SEA
4	T.Y. Hilton, IND	PIT
5	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	@ ATL
6	Jordy Nelson, GB	@ PHI
7	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	@ CLE
8	Stefon Diggs, MIN	@ DET
9	Dez Bryant, DAL	WAS
10	Amari Cooper, OAK	CAR
11	Terrelle Pryor, CLE	NYG
12	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	KC
13	Brandin Cooks, NO	LA
14	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	SD
15	Julian Edelman, NE	@ NYJ
16	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	KC
17	Jamison Crowder, WAS	@ DAL
18	Brandon Marshall, NYJ	NE
19	Jordan Matthews, PHI	GB
20	Jarvis Landry, MIA	SF

Up: Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers

James Kenney/Associated Press

The Packers have been stumbling and bumbling in recent weeks and are beginning to look like a lost team. However, wide receiver Jordy Nelson seems to be back to full fantasy-star status after missing the entire 2015 season with a torn ACL.

Over his last three games, Nelson has produced 22 receptions for 248 yards and three touchdowns. He has nine total touchdowns on the year and has scored in each of his last four contests.

Expect Nelson to have a solid fantasy outing this week, even against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that is allowing just 18.6 points per game. Nelson should be targeted frequently by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and he will be going up against a defense that is rated just 17th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

Expect Nelson to snag a half-dozen catches or more, which gives him obvious PPR value.

Down: Cameron Meredith, Chicago Bears

For a brief moment, it looked like Chicago Bears receiver Cameron Meredith could be in store for a return to fantasy relevance. With star wideout Alshon Jeffery on a four-game suspension for violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, Meredith stepped into the role of No. 1 receiver.

However, it doesn't appear that the role carries a lot of value now that the Bears may be without quarterback Jay Cutler.

Cutler suffered a shoulder injury during Sunday's loss to the Giants. He is still undergoing tests on the injury but is expected to miss some time, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport:

Meredith managed just four receptions and 49 yards with Cutler under center last week. He may not be able to produce better numbers with Matt Barkley likely starting in Week 12 against the Tennessee Titans.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Jordan Reed, WAS	@ DAL
2	Greg Olsen, CAR	@ OAK
3	Antonio Gates, SD	@ HOU
4	Jimmy Graham, SEA	@ TB
5	Delanie Walker, TEN	@ CHI
6	Eric Ebron, DET	MIN
7	Jason Witten, DAL	WAS
8	Tyler Eifert, CIN	@ BAL
9	Kyle Rudolph, MIN	@ DET
10	Dennis Pitta, BAL	CIN

Up: Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks

Tight end Jimmy Graham may have seemed a bit out of place in the Seattle Seahawks offense last season, his first with the team. However, he has definitely found his stride this season.

Graham has already racked up 639 yards and four scores on 45 receptions.

Graham is pretty much a must-start this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even though the Seahawks are traveling across the country to visit Tampa, the matchup for Graham is too good to pass up. The Buccaneers are rated a mere 22nd in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

Keep an Eye on: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

We're never going to be down on New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski when he is healthy. However, we are going to recommend keeping an eye on him throughout the week. Gronk suffered a chest injury two weeks ago against the Seahawks and missed last week's game against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Patriots have fellow tight end Martellus Bennett to utilize, so they aren't likely to risk further injury with Gronkowski if he isn't at least close to 100 percent. Having Gronk healthy for the postseason makes more sense.

If Gronkowski is still experiencing lingering effects from the injury this week, expect him to sit against the New York Jets.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Dan Bailey, DAL	WAS
2	Caleb Sturgis, PHI	GB
3	Matt Bryant, ATL	ARI
4	Dan Carpenter, BUF	JAX
5	Sebastian Janikowski, OAK	CAR
6	Dustin Hopkins, WAS	@ DAL
7	Nick Novak, HOU	SD
8	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	@ NYJ
9	Justin Tucker, BAL	CIN
10	Adam Vinatieri, IND	PIT

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent
1	New England Patriots	@ NYJ
2	Baltimore Ravens	CIN
3	Tennessee Titans	@ CHI
4	Denver Broncos	KC
5	New York Giants	@ CLE
6	Buffalo Bills	JAX
7	Detroit Lions	MIN
8	Miami Dolphins	SF
9	Kansas City Chiefs	@ DEN
10	New Orleans Saints	LA