Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings: Projections and Matchups to Love
Week 12 could be a pivotal one for fantasy football managers, as the playoffs are in sight, and six teams are on bye.
With the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns playing on Thursday night, we're down to just 12 games remaining this week. Many managers will have to make some tough lineup decisions to successfully navigate the rest of the schedule.
Here's a look at some of the best remaining matchups of Week 12, along with our top picks and statistical projections.
All rankings and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
Quarterback
1 of 4
1. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: 310 passing yards, 2 TDs, 32 rushing yards, 1 D
2. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders: 255 passing yards, 2 TDs, 41 rushing yards
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: 221 passing yards, 2 TDs, 45 rushing yards
4. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: 230 passing yards, 2 TDs, 21 rushing yards
5. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: 305 passing yards, 2 TDs
6. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos: 300 passing yards, 2 TDs
7. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: 289 passing yards, 2 TDs
8. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: 278 passing yards, 2 TDs
9. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers: 275 passing yards, 2 TDs
10. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 272 passing yards, 2 TDs
Matchup to Love: Justin Herbert vs. Baltimore Ravens
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert hasn't regularly put up gaudy numbers this season. Under Jim Harbaugh, the team's plan has been to win with a strong running game and with defense.
When the Chargers have needed to put points on the board, though, Herbert has usually delivered. He threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns with 65 rushing yards last week against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The visiting Baltimore Ravens will bring a potent offense to L.A. this week, which could prompt a fair bit of offensive back and forth. Baltimore's lackluster secondary, meanwhile, provides a juicy matchup for Herbert managers.
The Ravens have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season.
Running Back
2 of 4
1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers: 6 receptions, 167 scrimmage yards, 2 TDs
2. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles: 2 receptions, 155 scrimmage yards, 2 TDs
3. Joe Mixon, Houston Texans: 4 receptions, 148 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
4. De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins; 4 receptions, 144 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
5. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions: 5 receptions, 133 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
6. Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders: 3 receptions, 121 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
7. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens: 2 receptions, 108 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
8. Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks: 4 receptions, 154 scrimmage yards
9. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals: 4 receptions, 148 scrimmage yards
10. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers: 4 receptions, 139 scrimmage yards
Matchup to Love: Brian Robinson Jr. vs. Dallas Cowboys
Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. can sometimes make life difficult for fantasy managers. He's in an offense that has a running quarterback in Jayden Daniels and a quality receiving back in Austin Ekeler.
While Robinson typically sees a fairly high volume of carries, he can miss out on receptions and goal-line opportunities.
This week, though, managers should feel very good about starting Robinson. The rival Dallas Cowboys are coming to town, and they've had trouble stopping opposing ball-carriers all season.
Only the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars have allowed more fantasy points to opposing RBs this season. Robinson probably won't replicate the numbers that Joe Mixon had against Dallas last week (2 receptions, 153 scrimmage yards, 3 TDs) because of his offensive situation, but he should still shine.
Wide Receiver
3 of 4
1. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions: 8 receptions, 144 yards, 1 TD
2. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles: 7 receptions, 143 yards, 1 TD
3. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams: 7 receptions, 98 yards, 1 TD
4. Nico Collins, Houston Texans: 6 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD
5. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders: 6 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD
6. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings: 7 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD
7. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks: 5 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD
8.. Malik Nabers, New York Giants: 5 receptions, 99 yards, 1 TD
9. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins: 4 receptions, 107 yards, 1 TD
10. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams: 6 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD
Matchup to Love: Malik Nabers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The New York Giants made the decision to bench quarterback Daniel Jones earlier this week and will turn to 2023 spot-starter Tommy DeVito.
"After evaluating a bunch of things and looking at a lot of tape and
being around Tommy last year where he created a little bit of a spark
for us, that's the reason why we're going with Tommy," head coach Brian Daboll said, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan.
While DeVito probably won't be an upgrade over Jones, he shouldn't hurt Malik Nabers' fantasy value in a stellar matchup. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can score points, and they've surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing receivers.
Expect Tampa to generate enough offense to keep the Giants in passing mode. Nabers should benefit and deliver one of his best performances of the season.
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Tight End
4 of 4
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs: 8 receptions, 111 yards, 1 TD
2. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders: 9 receptions, 124 yards
3. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals: 4 receptions 78 yards, 1 TD
4. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings: 5 receptions, 81 yards
5. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers: 4 receptions, 77 yards
6. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5 receptions, 68 yards
7. Will Dissly, Los Angeles Chargers: 4 receptions, 57 yards
8. Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins: 4 receptions, 51 yards
9. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots: 4 receptions, 48 yards
10. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers: 4 receptions, 47 yards
Matchup to Love: Travis Kelce at Carolina Panthers
There are a couple of reasons to love Kansas City Chiefs tight Travis Kelce this week. For one, the Chiefs lost in Week 11 and will be eager to put their first defeat of the season behind them.
Expect a fast start against an underwhelming Carolina Panthers defense and plenty of targets for Patrick Mahomes' favorite target. The Buffalo Bills did a nice job of blanketing Kelce last week, but he saw no fewer than 12 targets in any of his previous three games.
Secondly, the Panthers just can't cover tight ends. No team has surrendered more fantasy points to the position in 2024.
If Carolina can somehow make this game close, Kelce's numbers could go much higher than our projections. If Kansas City pulls away early, though, Kelce could be out of the game plan by the fourth quarter.
*Fantasy scoring and roster information via FantasyPros.
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