Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings: Projections for Players with Matchups We Love

We don't have time for clever intros, or fancy prose or well-crafted metaphors. The fantasy playoffs are just around the corner and what you need is wins and solid advice, not a well-turned phrase. 

Luckily for you, I'm barely capable of well-crafted metaphors or a well-turned phrase in the first place, so I focused on the whole solid advice thing. And I'm hoping my in-depth look at some of the top matchups to exploit this week in fantasy football will qualify. 

Because, like you, I'm fighting to ensure my place in the playoffs. We can save the self-indulgent writing for a different article.

Schedule

Sunday, Nov. 23	Time (ET)	TV
Monday, Nov. 24	Time (ET)	TV
Tennessee at Philadelphia	1 p.m.	CBS
Cleveland at Atlanta	1 p.m.	CBS
Detroit at New England	1 p.m.	FOX
Green Bay at Minnesota	1 p.m.	FOX
Jacksonville at Indianapolis	1 p.m.	CBS
Cincinnati at Houston	1 p.m.	CBS
Tampa Bay at Chicago	1 p.m.	FOX
Arizona at Seattle	4:05 p.m.	FOX
St. Louis at San Diego	4:05 p.m.	FOX
Miami at Denver	4:25 p.m.	CBS
Washington at San Francisco	4:25 p.m.	CBS
Dallas at NY Giants	8:30 p.m.	NBC
NY Jets at Buffalo	7 p.m.	CBS
Baltimore at New Orleans	8:30 p.m.	ESPN

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Andrew Luck	22
2	Aaron Rodgers	20
3	Drew Brees	19
4	Peyton Manning	17
5	Jay Cutler	17
6	Tom Brady	16
7	Joe Flacco	16
8	Russell Wilson	16
9	Tony Romo	15
10	Philip Rivers	15
11	Colin Kaepernick	14
12	Josh McCown	14
13	Matt Stafford	13
14	Ryan Tannehill	12
15	Kyle Orton	12

More often than not, Joe Flacco and Josh McCown likely won't be in the QB1 conversation. But in a week when many of the top options at the position have brutal matchups and both Flacco and McCown have favorable ones, you can consider them for your starting lineup.

Flacco is inconsistency defined from a fantasy perspective, with three weeks of 18 or more fantasy points and four weeks of 10 or fewer points. Still, he has solid wide receivers in Torrey and Steve Smith and a matchup against a New Orleans Saints defense that is giving up 17.3 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks per week, 26th in the NFL. 

Don't be afraid to take Flacco for a spin this week.

McCown, meanwhile, has 17 or more fantasy points in all three of the game's he's started and finished, and has established chemistry with talented rookie wide receiver Mike Evans. Add in veteran Vincent Jackson, and the Bucs certainly have firepower in the passing game.

Firepower the Chicago Bears are going to have a tough time dealing with. The Bears have given up 23 or more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in three of the past four weeks, and given the Bucs' poor defense and Chicago's solid passing attack, this game could easily turn into a shootout. That means plenty of chances to sling the ball around the field for McCown. 

Plus, the former Bear might have a bit more impetus in this one taking it to his former team. Of course, he'd never admit that, and he quickly deflected any such talk, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN:

"

It’ll be fun to see the guys and all that, but at the end of the day our focus is on going up there and getting a win because we need it for our team. When you’re 2-8, you need wins. So that’s my focus. But I’m looking forward to it.

It’s fun. I have so much love for all those guys up there, and anytime you get to do that—against guys you know—it just makes it more fun because you know how they’re going to prepare, and you know they’re going to give you their best. So I’m looking forward to that.

"

McCown owners should be looking forward to this matchup, too.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	DeMarco Murray	23
2	Arian Foster*	20
3	Matt Forte	19
4	LeSean McCoy	17
5	Eddie Lacy	16
6	Giovani Bernard**	16
7	Denard Robinson	15
8	Marshawn Lynch	15
9	Andre Ellington	14
10	Justin Forsett	14
11	Isaiah Crowell	12
12	Lamar Miller	12
13	C.J. Anderson	12
14	Trent Richardson	11
15	Rashad Jennings	10
16	Joique Bell	9
17	Jerick McKinnon	9
18	Mark Ingram	9
19	Alfred Morris	9
20	Ryan Mathews	9
21	Darren Sproles	8
22	Terrance West	8
23	Fred Jackson*	7
24	Reggie Bush*	7
25	Frank Gore	7
26	Chris Ivory	7
27	Bishop Sankey	6
28	Steven Jackson	6
29	Tre Mason	5
30	Charles Sims	5

LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles against a Tennessee Titans defense giving up 21.6 fantasy points to opposing running backs per week, 32nd in the NFL?

Yes please.

DeMarco Murray against pretty much everyone, but especially against a New York Giants defense giving up 21.4 fantasy points to opposing backs, 30th in the NFL?

Yes please. 

Denard Robinson against an Indianapolis Colts defense that just gave up 201 rushing yards and four touchdowns against Jonas Gray?

Sign me up. 

Truly, there are a ton of great matchups for running backs this week. But those three are the ones I'm most excited about. If you have any of those players, this week should be very good for you.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	A.J. Green	20
2	Brandon Marshall	19
3	Jordy Nelson	18
4	Alshon Jeffery	17
5	Randall Cobb	16
6	Dez Bryant	15
7	T.Y. Hilton	15
8	Demaryius Thomas	14
9	Julio Jones	14
10	Jeremy Maclin	14
11	Calvin Johnson	13
12	DeSean Jackson	12
13	Emmanuel Sanders*	12
14	Josh Gordon	12
15	Sammy Watkins	11
16	Torrey Smith	11
17	Mike Evans	10
18	Steve Smith	9
19	Mike Wallace	9
20	Mohamed Sanu	8
21	Reggie Wayne	8
22	Anquan Boldin	8
23	Kendall Wright	8
24	Golden Tate	7
25	Roddy White	7
26	Odell Beckham Jr.	7
27	Jordan Matthews	7
28	Percy Harvin	6
29	Vincent Jackson	6
30	Michael Crabtree	6
31	Julian Edelman	6
32	Brandon LaFell	5
33	DeAndre Hopkins	5
34	Pierre Garcon	5
35	Eric Decker	5
36	Terrance Williams	5
37	Larry Fitzgerald	5
38	Andre Johnson	5
39	Rueben Randle	5
40	Michael Floyd	5

In Week 12, let's focus on two pairs of wide receivers. We'll start in Cincinnati, where A.J. Green seems destined to explode again this week against a Houston Texans defense that has given up the most fantasy points per week to opposing wideouts, including 20 or more points to opposing receivers in nine straight games.

Green returned to his elite ways last week, torching the New Orleans Saints for six catches, 127 yards and a score. Don't be surprised if he posts even bigger numbers this week.

I'm a little more reserved when it comes to Mohamed Sanu, though I do love the matchup. Sanu has cooled off since Green returned from injury, with just five catches for 43 yards in the past two weeks. He really seemed to develop a solid rapport with Andy Dalton earlier in the season, however, so I don't think you should ditch him just yet.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

I really, really love Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery this week. Here are a few stats about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that will have you loving the receiving pair too:

• The Buccaneers have given up 50 or more fantasy points—yes, 50!—to opposing wide receivers twice this season. That's nuts.
• They've given up 20 or more fantasy points to the position six times.
• An opposing wide receiver has reached the end zone at least once against them in seven of 10 games.
• They are 30th in pass defense.

I could probably keep going, but you get the gist. Start Marshall and Jeffery, and do an evil laugh like an archvillain might do as he reveals his master plan to take over the world while the fantasy points come pouring in.  

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Rob Gronkowski	15
2	Jimmy Graham	13
3	Julius Thomas	12
4	Coby Fleener	10
5	Martellus Bennett	9
6	Antonio Gates	8
7	Jason Witten	8
8	Larry Donnell*	8
9	Kyle Rudolph	6
10	Delanie Walker	6

I know Larry Donnell has been streaky this year, but you have to like the matchup. In Week 7 he caught seven passes for 90 yards against the Dallas Cowboys, a defense giving up 10 fantasy points per week to opposing tight ends, 29th in the NFL. 

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Yes, Donnell is touchdown reliant, I get that. But he's had a touchdown in two of the last three weeks and the Cowboys have given up eight touchdowns to opposing tight ends this season.

The matchup favors Donnell, in other words. You have to be a bit bold to start a streaky player like Donnell, sure, but fortune favors the bold.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Defense	Projected Points
1	Buffalo Bills	14
2	Green Bay Packers	13
3	San Francisco 49ers	12
4	Philadelphia Eagles	10
5	Arizona Cardinals	10
6	New England Patriots	9
7	San Diego Chargers	9
8	Houston Texans	8
9	Indianapolis Colts	8
10	Dallas Cowboys	7

If you've read this article at any point throughout the season, you know how this works—always pick the defense facing the Jacksonville Jaguars. This week, that's the Indianapolis Colts. 

But sure, I'll give you the stats. The Jaguars have given up seven or more points to every defense they've faced this year. Every...single...one. They're allowing opposing defenses to average 13.9 points per game against them, worst in the NFL. They have a rookie quarterback, a dearth of offensive playmakers and, you know, they're the Jaguars. 

Start the Colts with confidence this week.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Adam Vinatieri	15
2	Cody Parkey	14
3	Dan Bailey	13
4	Mason Crosby	12
5	Justin Tucker	11
6	Dan Carpenter	10
7	Phil Dawson	10
8	Steven Hauschka	9
9	Caleb Sturgis	9
10	Stephen Gostkowski	8

Kickers are pretty tough to project on a weekly basis, so I generally focus on consistent kickers in good offenses who are playing in a game that could end up being a shootout. Baltimore's Justin Tucker (seventh in fantasy points on the season) facing the Saints fits that criteria. 

All point totals and points-against statistics via ESPN standard-scoring leagues. Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. It's more fun than being Aaron Rodgers right now. OK, not quite. Fine, it's not like that at all. Jeez.