Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings, Projections and Matchups to Love

Week 12 kicked off on Thursday, and another 13 games are on this weekend's schedule. A few stars remain injured, though, and the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders are all on bye.

Which players can managers trust in what figures to be a pivotal week ahead of the fantasy postseason? Here you'll find updated rankings, fantasy projections and a look at the matchups we love most.

All rankings and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Quarterback

AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper

Patriots QB Drake Maye

1. Drake Maye, New England Patriots: 28.6 points

2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: 25.1 points

3. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: 25 points

4. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: 24.7 points

5. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: 20.4 points

6. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: 19.4 points

7. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: 18.7 points

8. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers: 18.4 points

9. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears: 17.9 points

10. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks: 17.6 points

11. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: 17.5 points

12. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals: 17.3 points

Matchup to Love: Drake Maye at Cincinnati Bengals

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has taken off in his second season. Not only has he become a legitimate MVP candidate, but he's also been a very reliable fantasy performer.

Maye has averaged an impressive 20.6 fantasy points this season, and he's not about to slow down against a bad Cincinnati Bengals defense this week. Only the Dallas Cowboys have surrendered more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks than Cincinnati. Over the past couple of weeks, though, Dallas has added to its defense. The Bengals have not.

The biggest potential obstacle in front of Maye is the fact that New England may get an early lead and look to grind things out on the ground. With Ja'Marr Chase suspended, the Bengals could struggle to keep pace in this one. However, Maye should produce plenty in the early goings, even if it becomes a blowout.

Running Back

AP Photo/Gary McCullough

Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson

1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers: 25.6 points

2. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions: 24.6 points

3. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts: 22.4 points

4. Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers: 20.7 points

5. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons: 19.8 points

6. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles: 19.6 points

7. TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots: 19.2 points

8. Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys: 18.4 points

9. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens: 17.6 points

10. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars: 17.5 points

11. Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders: 17.3 points

12. Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns: 17 points

13. Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals: 16.2 points

14. Breece Hall, New York Jets: 16 points

15. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams: 15.4 points

16. D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears; 15.3 points

17. Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings: 15 points

18. Kenneth Walker, Seattle Seahawks: 14.8 points

19. Emanuel Wilson, Green Bay Packers: 14.6 points

20. David Montgomery, Detroit Lions: 13 points

Matchup to Love: TreVeyon Henderson at Cincinnati Bengals

If the Patriots do end up fielding a run-heavy approach in Cincinnati, rookie back TreVeyon Henderson should have a huge outing. He's coming off a 32.3-point outing, and the Bengals are just as bad against the run as they are against the pass—maybe more so.

Cincinnati has surrendered more fantasy points to opposing running backs than any other team this season.

The only real concern with Henderson is the potential return of Rhamondre Stevenson from his toe injury. Henderson has starred in Stevenson's absence, but New England gave the rookie a limited role for most of the early season.

Given his recent production, though, the Patriots will find it incredibly hard to keep Henderson buried on the bench.

Wide Receiver

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

1. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams: 29.4 points

2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks: 26.5 points

3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions: 25.8 points

4. Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs: 20.9 points

5. Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 20 points

6. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys: 19.8 points

7. Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams: 19.4 points

8. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints: 18.4 points

9. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals: 18 points

10. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings: 17.5 points

11. Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots: 16.5 points

12. Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers: 16.3 points

13. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles: 16.2 points

14. George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys: 16.1 points

15. Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears: 16 points

16. Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants: 15.6 points

17. Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals: 15.4 points

18. Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions: 15 points

19. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles: 14 points

20. DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers: 13.8 points

21. Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers: 13.7 points

22. Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers: 12.4 points

23. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens: 12.3 points

24. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts: 11.5 points

25. Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts: 11.4 points

Matchup to Love: Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. New York Giants

On paper, there are better matchups than the one Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown faces this week. Detroit will host the New York Giants, who have surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.

However, managers aren't likely to find a better blend of matchup, role and venue this week.

St. Brown had a down game against the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday. The Lions will likely look to feature him in a bounce-back game at home. Detroit isn't shy about running up the score on bad teams either—they dropped 44 points on the Washington Commanders two weeks ago—and New York has struggled to defend the pass.

St. Brown had just 6.2 fantasy points against the Eagles, but he's poised to explode in this matchup.

Tight End

AP Photo/Samantha Chow

Cardinals TE Trey McBride

1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals: 27.5 points

2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers: 24.7 points

3. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders: 20.1 points

4. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts: 18.4 points

5. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs: 17.1 points

6. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles: 16.5 points

7. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys: 15.5 points

8. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints: 15 points

9. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots: 14 points

10. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears: 12.5 points

11. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens: 12.4 points

12. Theo Johnson, New York Giants: 12.2 points

13. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 12.1 points

14. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns: 12 points

15. Noah Fant, Cincinnati Bengals: 11.1 points

Matchup to Love: Trey McBride vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

It's sort of unfair that the top-producing tight end in fantasy also has one of the easier matchups of the week.

Trey McBride has been a reliable fantasy starter all season, but his production really took off after the Arizona Cardinals pivoted to quarterback Jacoby Brissett. He's averaging 18.5 fantasy points per week, and he's topped 20 points in four of his last five games.

This week, the Cardinals will host a Jacksonville Jaguars team that has surrendered the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Only the Bengals have surrendered more, and the Patriots aren't going to feature Hunter Henry the way the Cardinals will feature McBride—especially with Marvin Harrison Jr. set to miss a second straight game for Arizona.

*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros.