NFL Predictions Week 12: Fantasy Projections and Guide to Latest Vegas Odds

We're about a day away from the start of the 12th Sunday of the 2016 NFL season. While this may seem like very little time—especially with a day chock full of college action to make it go by—there is still plenty of time to ponder the upcoming slate.

There are 13 games remaining on the Week 12 schedule after Thanksgiving's offering. This means there are plenty of opportunities to do a little gaming, both of the fantasy and more traditional varieties.

We're here to help with any decisions you might make between now and Sunday kickoff with our Week 12 fantasy and odds projections.

We're going to run down the latest Vegas odds—courtesy of our friends at Odds Shark—and make our picks against the spreads. We'll also run down our picks for the top 25 fantasy flex performers of Week 12. In addition, we'll take an in-depth look at some of the top fantasy plays of the week.

Week 12 Schedule, Lines and Predictions

Game	Line	Projection
San Francisco at Miami	MIA -7.5	MIA
Tennessee at Chicago	TEN -5.5	TEN
Arizona at Atlanta	ATL -6	ARI
Cincinnati at Baltimore	BAL -4	BAL
NY Giants at Cleveland	NYG -7	NYG
Los Angeles at New Orleans	NO -7	NO
Jacksonville at Buffalo	BUF -7.5	JAX
San Diego at Houston	SD -1.5	HOU
Seattle at Tampa Bay	SEA -6	SEA
Carolina at Oakland	OAK -3	OAK
New England at NY Jets	NE -7.5	NE
Kansas City at Denver	DEN -3.5	KC
Green Bay at Philadelphia	PHI -4	PHI

Top 25 Fantasy Flex Options

Rank	Player	Proj. Points
1	David Johnson, RB, ARI	26.5
2	Jay Ajayi, RB, MIA	25.5
3	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD	21.5
4	DeMarco Murray, RB, TEN	20.5
5	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF	20.4
6	Mike Evans, WR, TB	19.5
7	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG	18.5
8	Jordy Nelson, WR, GB	18.4
9	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	17.5
10	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	17.4
11	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA	17.0
12	Spencer Ware, RB, KC	16.1
13	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR	16.0
14	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	15.9
15	Matt Forte, RB, NYJ	15.8
16	Julian Edelman, WR, NE	15.7
17	Doug Martin, RB, TB	15.6
18	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN	15.5
19	Terrelle Pryor, WR, CLE	15.4
20	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU	15.1
21	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN	15.0
22	Lamar Miller, RB, HOU	14.5
23	Devontae Booker, RB, DEN	14.4
24	Martellus Bennett, TE, NE	14.3
25	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL	14.2

Fantasy Players to Watch

Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

While Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz obviously isn't a flex option in most formats, we're going to go ahead and touch on him here because of his sleeper status in Week 12.

Now, Wentz hasn't been a big-time fantasy producer often this season—in fact, he has just 11 touchdowns to go with his 2,339 passing yards and seven interceptions. However, Wentz's Week 12 matchup makes him a viable option if you're looking to stream a low-end starter.

Wentz and the Eagles host the Green Bay Packers, who have been a borderline embarrassment on defense as of late.

Green Bay is currently allowing an average of 356.7 yards per game (18th in the NFL), 27.6 points per game (27th) and is rated just 31st in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus. Don't be surprised if Wentz manages to gash the Packers for 300-plus yards passing and a pair of scores.

David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson might have a rather nondescript name, but he's established himself as a legitimate fantasy star this season. So far, the Northern Iowa product has amassed 863 yards rushing, 47 receptions, 510 yards receiving and 12 total touchdowns.

In short, Johnson is just about the centerpiece of the Cardinals offense right now. Johnson seems to have little problem with that.

“I feel like I’m still young,” Johnson explained, per Darren Urban of the team's official website. “I can take a lot of the contact and my body can rejuvenate by the next week."

Expect Johnson to be the workhorse again this week and to do so against an Atlanta Falcons defense that has been susceptible to the run. The Falcons are currently rated 22nd in run defense by Pro Football Focus and are allowing an average of 102.9 yards per game on the ground.

The Falcons are also allowing an NFL-worst 283.0 yards passing per game, so Johnson's receiving skills should boost his value even more in Week 12.

Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants

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There are still plenty of uncertainties surrounding the 2016 season, but here are a couple of things that we do know for sure: 

• New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is very good.
• The Cleveland Browns defense is very bad.

Beckham has already racked up 819 yards and six touchdowns on 59 receptions this season. The Browns are rated 28th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

The trick for Beckham and the Giants here will be finding a way to get star Browns cornerback Joe Haden matched up on someone else as often as possible. Haden has handled top-tier receivers like Brandon Marshall (68 yards), Dez Bryant (19 yards) and Antonio Brown (76 yards) in recent weeks.

"He’s got it all. He’s been in this league for seven or eight years. I think he’s been playing ever since he stepped on the field," Beckham said of Haden, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. "He’s been playing at a high level. He’s pretty much got all the tools that he needs."

If Beckham can find different matchups, he should feast. If he matches up with Haden all day, a guy like rookie wideout Sterling Shepard could be the fantasy star of Week 12.

Greg Olsen, TE, Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen remains one of fantasy's top tight ends because of his status as Cam Newton's go-to guy. The 10th-year veteran has already hauled in 54 receptions for 745 yards and three touchdowns this season.

Expect his impressive production to continue this week against the Oakland Raiders. Not only does Oakland field a middle-of-the-pack secondary—rated 16th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus—but the Raiders boast one of the league's most explosive offenses.

The Raiders currently average 393.5 yards (fifth in the NFL) and 27.2 points (fifth) per game. This means the Panthers could find themselves in a shootout scenario on Sunday. If they do, Olsen should be one of the biggest fantasy beneficiaries.