Fantasy Football Week 12: Top 50 Players for Flex and PPR Rankings

Following a bizarre NFL slate when several stars disappeared, all 32 teams will take the field for a packed Week 12.

Every fantasy football manager will welcome a full assortment of players with postseason spots on the line. Yet nobody will feel confident after receiving a sobering reminder of the game's maddening randomness.

After witnessing the likes of Thomas Rawls, Spencer Ware, Ahmad Bradshaw, Patrick DiMarco and J.J. Nelson dominate Week 11, several bitter owners will wonder how their teams with Devonta Freeman, Lamar Miller, Charcandrick West and Amari Cooper fell apart. 

With a huge week ahead, starting early with three Thanksgiving games on Thursday, let's go back to the drawing board and assemble early flex rankings for standard and point-per-reception (PPR) leagues.

Rank	Standard	PPR
1	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
2	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
3	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
4	Todd Gurley, RB, STL	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG
5	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
6	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET
7	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
8	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE	Todd Gurley, RB, STL
9	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
10	DeMarco Murray, RB, PHI	Mike Evans, WR, TB
11	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
12	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL
13	Darren McFadden, RB, DAL	Allen Robinson, WR, JAX
14	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF
15	Mark Ingram, RB, NO	DeMarco Murray, RB, PHI
16	Doug Martin, RB, TB	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
17	Mike Evans, WR, TB	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
18	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ
19	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
20	A.J. Green, WR, CIN	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA
21	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAX	Matt Forte, RB, CHI
22	Allen Robinson, WR, JAX	Danny Amendola, WR, NE
23	Chris Johnson, RB, ARI	Darren McFadden, RB, DAL
24	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ
25	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO
26	Javorius Allen, RB, BAL	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR
27	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI
28	Matt Forte, RB, CHI	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
29	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ	Doug Martin, RB, TB
30	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR
31	Danny Amendola, WR, NE	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD
32	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
33	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAX
34	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI	Javorius Allen, RB, BAL
35	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK	Delanie Walker, TE, TEN
36	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	Chris Johnson, RB, ARI
37	Alfred Blue, RB, HOU	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK
38	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
39	Allen Hurns, WR, JAX	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA
40	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN	Randall Cobb, WR, GB
41	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB	Stevie Johnson, WR, SD
42	Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN	Allen Hurns, WR, JAX
43	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE	Alfred Blue, RB, HOU
44	Delanie Walker, TE, TEN	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN
45	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT
46	Charcandrick West, RB, KC	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND
47	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ
48	Randall Cobb, WR, GB	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
49	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK	Charcandrick West, RB, KC
50	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT	John Brown, WR, ARI

The Baltimore Ravens' season is making a Game of Thrones episode look like a peace summit. Despite beating the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, they experienced their Red Wedding, as both Joe Flacco and Justin Forsett sustained season-ending injuries. Head coach John Harbaugh confirmed Flacco's prognosis, per the team's Twitter page, and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reported Forsett's status:

Without Flacco, Forsett and wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., Baltimore's offense becomes a barren wasteland devoid of weekly fantasy contributors. If there's anyone who can escape from the debris and establish fantasy relevance, it's Javorius Allen.

Once Forsett went down on Sunday, Allen immediately assumed a featured role in Baltimore's backfield. The rookie running back, selected in the fourth round, earned Harbaugh's praise by turning 27 touches into 115 yards (67 rushing, 48 receiving).  

“He played like a top-caliber NFL running back,” Harbaugh said, per BaltimoreRavens.com's Ryan Mink. “He made guys miss. He made plays in the passing game, plays in the run game.”

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Allen is averaging a paltry 3.9 yards per rush this season, and Forsett wasn't running wild with the Ravens' starting gig. He was, however, getting plenty of work, averaging 19.8 touches per game before Week 11.

The sidelined starter enjoyed his best game of a letdown campaign against the Cleveland Browns, amassing 170 total yards and a touchdown during Week 5's 33-30 overtime defeat. Now Allen gets a crack at a Cleveland defense allowing an NFL-worst 138.8 rushing yards per contest. Because of the matchup, treat Allen—a must-add if still available—as a No. 2 fantasy back or flex play this weekend.

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

Randall Cobb appeased fantasy owners by submitting his sixth touchdown of the season, but the score shouldn't get concerned investors off his case. The Green Bay Packers wideout, who compiled 1,287 receiving yards last year, accrued two catches for 24 yards against the Minnesota Vikings.

While Green Bay reclaimed the NFC North with a convincing 30-13 win, its offensive woes remained prevalent. Aaron Rodgers only completed 16 of his 34 passes for 212 yards, including seven incompletions to Cobb.

Over the past three games, the pairing has successfully connected on 11 of 31 attempts for 176 yards. Usually a sturdy target, the slot receiver's catch rate has plummeted to an alarming degree: 

Year	REC	TAR	Catch %	YPC
2014	91	126	72.2	14.1
2015	47	87	54.0	11.8

Since Week 3's three-touchdown outburst against the Kansas City Chiefs, he's averaging 44.0 receiving yards per game. Perceived as a PPR maven, he has 27 receptions over those seven bouts. He's essentially Doug Baldwin with more red-zone activity.

Even after a rough day against Osweiler's Denver Broncos, the Chicago Bears rank No. 4 against the pass. But Rodgers tends to carve them up, and Cobb has benefited with 278 yards and five scores during their last four meetings. 

Usually a no-brainer to start, playing him will now add some stress to Thanksgiving. He's no longer a top-tier stud, but benching him takes a step too far in the opposite direction. 

Playing a tight end against the Oakland Raiders isn't foolproof. Several players learned the hard way on Sunday, when Eric Ebron didn't even enter the box score for the Detroit Lions.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Delanie Walker, however, doesn't need a great matchup to warrant gamers' attention. His eight catches and 109 yards on Thursday night led the position throughout Week 11. The performance led him to leapfrog Travis Kelce as NFL.com's No. 5 fantasy tight end under standard scoring.

Rank	Player	PTS
1	Rob Gronkowski, NE	132.3
2	Tyler Eifert, CIN	114.2
3	Gary Barnidge, CLE	108.7
4	Greg Olsen, CAR	107.8
5	Delanie Walker, TEN	81.7
6	Travis Kelce, KC	80.0
7	Jordan Reed, WAS	76.2
8	Benjamin Watson, NO	71.1
9	Jimmy Graham, SEA	65.0
10	Crockett Gillmore, BAL	62.5

Ebron didn't even get targeted once against Oakland, but the Tennessee Titans don't have that option with Walker. The tight end leads the team in targets (66), catches (53) and receiving yards (617), and runner-up Kendall Wright isn't particularly close (46 targets, 28 catches and 343 yards) after missing the last three games.

Per the team's Twitter page, head coach Mike Mularkey expressed optimism of the receiver returning this weekend. Don't use that information to shy away from Walker, as Wright registered 130 combined receiving yards over his last four games. Besides, the matchup avoids treating them as a one-or-the-other scenario.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota has proved capable of exploiting a weak opponent. In four games against currently bottom-10 passing defenses, the rookie has averaged 306.5 passing yards per bout with eight touchdowns through the air. Oakland rates No. 30 and has still relinquished a league-high 10 touchdowns to tight ends, per NFL.com.

Treat Walker as a top tight end in both standard and PPR leagues, where his stability creates an added advantage at a volatile position.