Fantasy Football Week 12: Full Position Rankings and Hidden Gems Who Will Shine

That sense of uneasiness around your neighborhood isn't the dread that comes from an early winter arriving. It's the panic every fantasy football player feels knowing that the playoffs are right around the corner, so there's precious little time left to make a move. 

Even the owner with the most stable and secure position isn't feeling any better because of how quickly things can fall apart. All it takes is one wrong hit to a quarterback or twisted knee by a running back to hit DEFCON 1. 

In a fair effort to ease everyone's fear, just take a deep breath and understand that everything will be OK. Instead of falling into a full-blown panic, take a look at these rankings and hidden gems that are going to have a big Week 12. 

Rank	QB	RB	WR	TE
1	Andrew Luck, IND (vs. JAX)	Jamaal Charles, KC (at OAK)	Demaryius Thomas, DEN (vs. MIA)	Rob Gronkowski, NE (vs. DET)
2	Aaron Rodgers, GB (at MIN)	Matt Forte, CHI (vs. TB)	Jordy Nelson, GB (at MIN)	Coby Fleener, IND (vs. JAX)
3	Peyton Manning, DEN (vs. MIA)	DeMarco Murray, DAL (at NYG)	Julio Jones, ATL (vs. CLE)	Jimmy Graham, NO (vs. BAL)
4	Jay Cutler, CHI (vs. TB)	Justin Forsett, BAL (at NO)	Calvin Johnson, DET (at NE)	Larry Donnell, NYG (vs. DAL)
5	Drew Brees, NO (vs. BAL)	Arian Foster, HOU (vs. CIN)	A.J. Green, CIN (at HOU)	Julius Thomas, DEN (vs. MIA)
6	Colin Kaepernick, SF (vs. WAS)	Eddie Lacy, GB (at MIN)	T.Y. Hilton, IND (vs. JAX)	Travis Kelce, KC (at OAK)
7	Mark Sanchez, PHI (vs. TEN)	Mark Ingram, NO (vs. BAL)	Jeremy Maclin, PHI (vs. TEN)	Martellus Bennett, CHI (vs. TB)
8	Joe Flacco, BAL (at NO)	LeSean McCoy, PHI (vs. TEN)	Mike Evans, TB (at CHI)	Jason Witten, DAL (at NYG)
9	Tony Romo, DAL (at NYG)	Marshawn Lynch, SEA (vs. AZ)	Dez Bryant, DAL (at NYG)	Antonio Gates, SD (vs. STL)
10	Philip Rivers, SD (vs. STL)	Isaiah Crowell, CLE (at ATL)	Brandon Marshall, CHI (vs. TB)	Scott Chandler, BUF (vs. NYJ)

Hidden Gems

Quarterback: Mark Sanchez, Philadelphia

Last week, I bought into the Mark Sanchez hype and said that he was a good play against a Green Bay defense that's had issues at times this season. I apologize for that error, but I will not back down on my stance to bet on the Eagles quarterback one more time. 

Unlike the Packers, who have been solid against the pass and are tied for 11th with 25 sacks, the Tennessee Titans are the antidote to curing Sanchez's woes. 

Tennessee's artificial stats are solid, ranking ninth against the pass and sixth with 29 sacks, but teams have gashed this team up the middle with the run. It's also worth noting that five of those sacks came against a Pittsburgh offensive line that has been spotty in pass protection. 

One reason the Titans pass rush should be neutralized this week is because of how the Eagles offense is run. According to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com, Philadelphia has run an NFL-high 131 play-action passes. 

The Titans have the second-worst run defense in the NFL, going against LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. They will have to sell out in order to prevent the Eagles from running all over them like Le'Veon Bell did on Monday. 

It doesn't take a genius to know that if you are selling out against the run, something is going to be open in the passing game that a mediocre quarterback like Sanchez can exploit. 

Running Back: Jerick McKinnon, Minnesota

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

There's a great danger in picking a running back to have a strong game in which his team is expected to lose by a lot. Green Bay has scored 108 points in the last two games, which doesn't bode well for a Minnesota team with a rookie quarterback.

It also doesn't help that the first time Minnesota played Green Bay, the Packers won 42-10. However, there is one big difference between this game and those numbers that have come before: Green Bay is playing on the road. 

As impressive as the Packers have been at home this year, they are 2-3 on the road and are allowing 28 points per game. While no one is calling for a Minnesota upset, Jerick McKinnon does boast a lot of fantasy value in this matchup. 

Entering last week, according to NFL.com's Gil Brandt, McKinnon was one of four running backs with at least five yards per carry:

That has changed since Week 11, as McKinnon is down to a paltry 4.9 yards per carry. If you're looking for more optimism, Arif Hasan of VikingsTerritory.com has this stat about Minnesota's running back from Pro Football Focus:

The Packers' weakness on defense is against the run. They are 29th in rushing yards allowed per game and are allowing 17.2 points per game to opposing running backs. 

If the Vikings want to have a shot at winning this game, McKinnon has to run all over Green Bay's defense to keep the ball away from Aaron Rodgers and that offense. It's a risky bet, but one worth taking because of how effective McKinnon has been in 2014. 

Wide Receiver: Kendall Wright, Tennessee

Richard Lipski/Associated Press

There's nothing sexy about the Titans right now. They are clearly in a transition phase on offense, starting with the quarterback position and rookie Zach Mettenberger. The one constant they have is Kendall Wright, who is making life easier on whomever is throwing the ball. 

Wright isn't an explosive receiver, which limits his ability to take over in fantasy circles, but there's something to be said for consistency. He's got seven games this year with at least four receptions and five games with at least five receptions. 

B/R NFC North Lead Writer Zach Kruse made a very astute observation about Wright if he played with a better team:

Now, Wright has a matchup against a Philadelphia defense that is 28th in pass yards allowed and 30th with 22 passing touchdowns given up. 

Any game involving the Eagles figures to be high-scoring, so Wright shouldn't have any problems getting targeted by Mettenberger. He's been as reliable as any receiver when the football is in a catchable position and will be able to exploit a bad Philadelphia secondary to put up a lot of cheap points. 

Stats via ESPN.com

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