Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings: Updated Look at Top Players at Every Position

For most fantasy football owners, Week 12 marks the "do-or-die" portion of the season, which makes choosing the right players to start on a weekly basis a critical exercise. For those who struggle in this regard, positional power rankings are a useful tool that can help you get over the top. 

There are some players like Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson and Jamaal Charles who are weekly must-start players, and you'll usually find these men atop the rankings.

But other players who aren't as consistent—such as Eddie Royal, Zac Stacy and Geno Smith—have emerged as top-10 players often enough to warrant consideration for a starting spot.

Taking into account individual matchups and recent trends, this is one man's interpretation of how the top players will stack up at every position at the conclusion of Week 12. 

Note: All point totals for standard-scoring leagues (ESPN). Points against stats (ESPN). The Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks are on bye. 

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints	Atlanta Falcons	30
2	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos	New England Patriots	28
3	Matt Stafford	Detroit Lions	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	26
4	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	Denver Broncos	23
5	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys	New York Giants	21
6	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	Arizona Cardinals	19
7	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers	Miami Dolphins	18
8	Colin Kaepernick	San Francisco 49ers	Washington	17
9	Robert Griffin III	Washington	San Francisco 49ers	15
10	Alex Smith	Kansas City Chiefs	San Diego Chargers	14

Drew Brees tops the list this week, as his New Orleans Saints head into Atlanta to take on the hapless Falcons. He's scored 30-plus points in two of his last four games, and the Falcons have allowed over 17 fantasy points to quarterbacks in every game but two this season. 

Both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning should be due for big nights when they play against one another on Sunday Night Football. Both the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos have given up significant point totals to opposing quarterbacks this year, and these two always bring out the best in one another.

With Russell Wilson, Nick Foles and Andy Dalton out this weekend on byes, fantasy owners will be scrambling to find their temporary replacements. Thankfully, there are a few worthy sleepers for this job such as Alex Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Ben Roethlisberger.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Zac Stacy	St. Louis Rams	Chicago Bears	25
2	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings	Green Bay Packers	23
3	Frank Gore	San Francisco 49ers	Washington	21
4	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	San Diego Chargers	20
5	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	St. Louis Rams	20
6	Ben Tate	Houston Texans	Jacksonville Jaguars	19
7	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers	Minnesota Vikings	15
8	Knowshon Moreno	Denver Broncos	New England Patriots	14
9	Rashad Jennings	Oakland Raiders	Tennessee Titans	13
10	Chris Johnson	Tennessee Titans	Oakland Raiders	13

A couple of NFC West studs have a prime opportunity for monster games this weekend. 

Zac Stacy and the St. Louis Rams take on the Chicago Bears, which have allowed more fantasy points to opposing running backs than every team in the league but two. Frank Gore and the San Francisco 49ers are headed to Washington this Sunday, and the Redskins are one of those teams. 

Also, look for Ben Tate to have a big game at home against the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Those who've been relying on Marshawn Lynch and LeSean McCoy to carry the load will need to find a replacement this week, and that's no easy task, considering their lofty production this season. Donald Brown and Pierre Thomas are a couple of worthy backs for your consideration.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Victor Cruz	New York Giants	Dallas Cowboys	28
2	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	27
3	Vincent Jackson	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Detroit Lions	25
4	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	New York Giants	22
5	Brandon Marshall	Chicago Bears	St. Louis Rams	20
6	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	New England Patriots	18
7	Jordy Nelson	Green Bay Packers	Minnesota Vikings	17
8	Josh Gordon	Cleveland Browns	Pittsburgh Steelers	15
9	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona Cardinals	Indianapolis Colts	14
10	Marques Colston	New Orleans Saints	Atlanta Falcons	13

Victor Cruz is going to get a couple of opportunities to get his salsa dance going against the pitiful secondary of the Dallas Cowboys. He scored 29 points in Week 1 against this team, catching five passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns, and the Cowboys have actually gotten progressively worse since that time. 

To nobody's surprise, Calvin Johnson is among the top receivers this weekend. He's caught seven touchdowns in the past four games while being double and triple teamed on most plays. 

Vincent Jackson will continue his fine play against the Detroit Lions—the second-worst fantasy defense in the NFL against receivers. 

For those owners in need of help while A.J. Green, DeSean Jackson, Riley Cooper and Percy Harvin sit the week out on byes, there are a few worthy players to consider: Jerricho Cotchery, Cecil Shorts and Nate Burleson could be the answer you've been looking for. 

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints	Atlanta Falcons	20
2	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	Denver Broncos	17
3	Julius Thomas	Denver Broncos	New England Patriots	16
4	Vernon Davis	San Francisco 49ers	Washington	15
5	Coby Fleener	Indianapolis Colts	Arizona Cardinals	14
6	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys	New York Giants	12
7	Tony Gonzalez	Atlanta Falcons	New Orleans Saints	12
8	Rob Housler	Arizona Cardinals	Indianapolis Colts	10
9	Delanie Walker	Tennessee Titans	Oakland Raiders	9
10	Jordan Cameron	Cleveland Browns	Pittsburgh Steelers	9

Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski are going to top this list most weeks, and Week 12 is no different. The Falcons have no chance of stopping Graham, given the injuries sustained to the team's linebacking corps, and Denver features the league's sixth-worst fantasy defense against tight ends. 

Coby Fleener could have a monster game for the Indianapolis Colts against the Arizona Cardinals. He's coming off a big game against the Tennessee Titans (eight catches for 107 yards), and the Cardinals feature the league's worst fantasy defense against tight ends. 

Of the teams on a bye this weekend, there aren't any real superstar tight ends, but if you need a substitute, here are a few players to think about: Rob Housler, Heath Miller and Greg Olsen.

Defense

Rank	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Carolina Panthers	Miami Dolphins	16
2	Houston Texans	Jacksonville Jaguars	15
3	San Francisco 49ers	Washington	17
4	Tennessee Titans	Oakland Raiders	17
5	Kansas City Chiefs	San Diego Chargers	15
6	Baltimore Ravens	New York Jets	14
7	New Orleans Saints	Atlanta Falcons	12
8	St. Louis Rams	Chicago Bears	10
9	New York Jets	Baltimore Ravens	9
10	Miami Dolphins	Carolina Panthers	8

It's hard to bet against Carolina's defense right now. The Panthers have allowed just 12.8 points per game in their last five contests, and the team's defensive line has really ramped up pass-rushing efforts of late. 

Houston's defense should have a field day against the Jaguars, and you can expect the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets to beat up one another in an ugly defensive struggle. 

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Matt Prater	Denver Broncos	New England Patriots	15
2	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots	Denver Broncos	14
3	Ryan Succop	Kansas City Chiefs	San Diego Chargers	13
4	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers	Minnesota Vikings	12
5	Garrett Hartley	New Orleans Saints	Atlanta Falcons	12
6	Dan Bailey	Dallas Cowboys	New York Giants	11
7	Robbie Gould	Chicago Bears	St. Louis Rams	10
8	Adam Vinatieri	Indianapolis Colts	Arizona Cardinals	9
9	Shaun Suisham	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cleveland Browns	8
10	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	New York Jets	8

You can't go wrong with either Matt Prater or Stephen Gostkowski this Sunday night when the Broncos and Patriots kick off. 

Kansas City's Ryan Succop should also have a big game at home against the San Diego Chargers. The Chiefs do a nice job moving the ball on offense between the 20s, and the Chargers haven't been able to stop anybody this year. 

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78