Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings: Highlighting Most Trustworthy Offensive Stars

Fantasy football owners spend the majority of the week dumpster diving for waiver-wire additions that can win their matchup while showing off their managerial savvy.

That's great, as long as those gamers don't overlook and bungle the easier choices.

Most owners have just two weeks before the playoffs commence, so now is the worst possible time to sit a star in favor of the flashy sleeper. Before delving into the tougher decisions, it's imperative to identify the week's top stars.

Our friends playing in weekly leagues will also benefit greatly from exploring the top-10 rankings at each position. So let's jump into the madness.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Matchup
1	Peyton Manning	New England Patriots
2	Tom Brady	at Denver Broncos
3	Matthew Stafford	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4	Cam Newton	at Miami Dolphins
5	Tony Romo	at New York Giants
6	Colin Kaepernick	at Washington Redskins
7	Andrew Luck	at Arizona Cardinals
8	Eli Manning	Dallas Cowboys
9	Mike Glennon	at Detroit Lions
10	Case Keenum	Jacksonville Jaguars

Tom Brady is coming off a close Monday night loss, and the New England Patriots are facing his nemesis in Peyton Manning. Brady is going to explode on Sunday night.

More important than his mission for vengeance, the Broncos allow 279.1 passing yards per game. Also, Brady has gained 828 passing yards, five touchdowns and a 71.2 completion percentage in his last two games. With Rob Gronkowski back by his side, look for Brady to finish the season strong.

Eli Manning is playing like the confused amateur whom fans wanted out of town before accumulating two Super Bowl rings, but fantasy owners must hold back their disgust and jump back on board this weekend. The Cowboys allow a league-high 329.9 passing yards and 21.4 fantasy points per game against opposing quarterbacks, and Manning registered 450 yards and four touchdowns during their earlier meeting.

For the daring owner needing to replace Russell Wilson or Nick Foles, Mike Glennon is going up against the NFL's No. 30 passing defense that made Ben Roethlisberger last week's premier fantasy quarterback. The rookie has thrown a touchdown in every game, most recently completing 20 out of his 23 passing attempts with two scores against the Atlanta Falcons.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Matchup
1	Matt Forte	St. Louis Rams
2	Jamaal Charles	San Diego Chargers
3	Adrian Peterson	at Green Bay Packers
4	Eddie Lacy	Minnesota Vikings
5	Frank Gore	at Washington Redskins
6	Zac Stacy	Chicago Bears
7	Andre Brown	Dallas Cowboys
8	Alfred Morris	San Francisco 49ers
9	Rashad Jennings	Tennessee Titans
10	Reggie Bush	Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bears and Rams are both repugnant against the run, so expect that matchup to consist of heavy handoffs. Matt Forte and Zac Stacy are both strong bets to scoop up plenty of yards on Sunday.

Washington and Tennessee have each surrendered a baker's dozen rushing touchdowns against the opposition. After an off week, Frank Gore should rediscover his hot hand for San Francisco.

With 431 total yards through his last three games, Rashad Jennings has earned his touches regardless of Darren McFadden's availability. But come on, are you really counting on McFadden getting healthy?

Remember that part about the Cowboys stinking against the pass? They also stink against the run. Their 22.3 points allowed against running backs also represents a career worst. Andre Brown has already notched 212 yards from scrimmage through two games.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Matchup
1	Calvin Johnson	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2	Brandon Marshall	at St. Louis Rams
3	Dez Bryant	at New York Giants
4	Vincent Jackson	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5	Andre Johnson	Jacksonville Jaguars
6	Victor Cruz	Dallas Cowboys
7	Jordy Nelson	Minnesota Vikings
8	Demaryius Thomas	New England Patriots
9	Alshon Jeffery	at St. Louis Rams
10	Antonio Brown	at Cleveland Browns

Victor Cruz and Jordy Nelson are both facing defenses they torched earlier in the season. 

Cruz opened the season with 118 receiving yards and three touchdowns against Dallas, but he has since put on his dancing shoes just once to salsa in the end zone. The Giants have operated conservatively against vanilla opponents, but they'll have to open up the passing game with Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten on the other side. 

Nelson earned seven receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings. Aaron Rodgers isn't feeding him this time around, but he has caught 14 passes for 173 yards in two weeks without his star quarterback.

Also, Calvin Johnson is still awesome. 

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Matchup
1	Rob Gronkowski	at Denver Broncos
2	Julius Thomas	New England Patriots
3	Vernon Davis	at Washington Redskins
4	Jason Witten	at New York Giants
5	Coby Fleener	at Arizona Cardinals
6	Greg Olsen	at Miami Dolphins
7	Delanie Walker	at Oakland Raiders
8	Garrett Graham	Jacksonville Jaguars
9	Antonio Gates	at Kansas City Chiefs
10	Jordan Cameron	Pittsburgh Steelers

Due to an alluring matchup against Denver and Jimmy Graham's Saints taking the Thursday night shift, Rob Gronkowski returns to the warm, cushy No. 1 ranking at tight end. 

The Cardinals allow 14.0 points per game against opposing tight ends, with the Jaguars coming in at No. 2 at 10.6. Coby Fleener didn't need help morphing into a fantasy starter after recording 107 yards last week, but he's got it. As expected, he's becoming a bigger part of the Colts offense in Reggie Wayne's absence. He's received 10 targets in each of his last two outings, making him a focal option for Andrew Luck.

If you see any strange Twitter updates about Vernon Davis suffering a leg injury, don't be alarmed. They're either referencing the season-ending episode of The League or trying to mimic the show's scheme to trick an opponent into thinking the tight end was hurt. He's ready and playing a Washington defense that has yielded seven touchdowns to opposing tight ends.