Fantasy Football Week 12: Big Board and Advice for 'Monday Night Football'

It's Week 12 of the 2015 NFL season. While we have had plenty of time to gain a grip on the state of the league, there have still been plenty of late-season surprises.

This is especially true when it comes to fantasy football.

Just consider that backup running backs Tevin Coleman (110 yards rushing) and Spencer Ware (114 yards rushing with a touchdown) were two of the top producers on Sunday, or that No. 3 Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Markus Wheaton dominated with 201 yards receiving and a score.

Also consider that the Steelers went on to lose their game, despite getting 456 yards passing from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. 

The potential for a few fantasy surprises is one of the reasons why it will be worth watching an otherwise underwhelming Monday-night matchup.

There aren't any real-life playoff implications in a game between the 3-7 Baltimore Ravens and 2-8 Cleveland Browns. With guys like Gary Barnidge, Crockett Gillmore, Kamar Aiken and Duke Johnson on the field, however, the fantasy implications are real.

If you're still in the fantasy playoff mix, this means that, yes, this game is important. Try to enjoy it. 

Big Board

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Here's the Monday-night big board:

Name	Rank	Pos.	Team
1	Gary Barnidge	TE	Cleveland Browns
2	Javorius Allen	RB	Baltimore Ravens
3	Josh McCown	QB	Cleveland Browns
4	Travis Benjamin	WR	Cleveland Browns
5	Kamar Aiken	WR	Baltimore Ravens
6	Matt Schaub	QB	Baltimore Ravens
7	Crockett Gillmore	TE	Baltimore Ravens
8	Duke Johnson	RB	Cleveland Browns
9	Chris Givens	WR	Baltimore Ravens
10	Brian Hartline	WR	Cleveland Browns

Injury Report

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Baltimore Ravens

• Marlon Brown, WR, Doubtful (Back)
• Justin Forsett, RB, Out-IR (Arm)
• Joe Flacco, QB, Out-IR (Knee)

 Cleveland Browns

• Andrew Hawkins, WR, Out (Concussion)
• Taylor Gabriel, WR, Out, (Concussion)
• Joe Haden, CB, Out (Concussion)

Injury reports courtesy of ESPN.com.

Quarterbacks

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Cleveland Browns: Josh McCown

Browns quarterback Josh McCown had his best game of the season—and one of the best overall games in league history—the last time these two teams met. However, McCown hasn't started a game since Nov. 1, due to a variety of injuries.

The fact that McCown passed for 457 yards and had three total touchdowns against the Ravens earlier this season should bring a bit of confidence to those starting him in Week 12. The fact that Baltimore is ranked just 24th in pass defense (257.0 yards per game allowed) should as well.

There may be a bit of rust to knock off, but it shouldn't last.

I wouldn't quite expect McCown to put up the same kind of numbers he did last time the Ravens and Browns clashed, but I do expect him to have a strong evening at home. 

Projections: 350 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 lost fumble, 16 rushing yards

Baltimore Ravens: Matt Schaub

Ravens quarterback Matt Schaub hasn't started a game since the 2013 season, and he didn't play particularly well then (10 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, passer rating of 73.0).  This is why I would be a lot more concerned with starting Schaub than McCown.

The Ravens, though, won't be making any changes to accommodate Schaub.

“We haven’t tried to limit the offense or do any less than we’ve been doing. We’re going to gear things towards what we’ve been doing and what Matt’s familiar with,” offensive coordinator Marc Trestman said, per Rich Dubroff of CSN Mid-Atlantic.

The Browns defense, which is ranked 30th in scoring (27.7 points per game allowed) has been bad enough that Schaub should still find some production on Monday. However, I think he makes a number of costly mistakes as well.

Projections: 255 passing yards, 2 TDs

Running Backs

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens: Javorius "Buck" Allen

Now that Justin Forsett is done for the year, it seems that backup Buck Allen is going to get his opportunity to show what he can do as a starter. This is probably the perfect week to kick things off.

Allen will go up against a Browns defense that is allowing an average of 138.8 yards rushing per game (31st in the NFL) and that is rated 31st overall against the run by Pro Football Focus.

Allen is averaging just 3.9 yards per carry on the season, but that should change this week. The last time he saw the Browns, he gashed their defense for 58 yards on just eight carries.

Former Browns back Terrance West might get some run in this one too, but I'd largely expect it to be the Buck Allen Show for most of the evening.

Projections: 115 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 30 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

Cleveland Browns: Duke Johnson

Duke Johnson is the only Browns running back with any real value at this point in the season, and he's really only valuable in points-per-reception (PPR) leagues.

Johnson is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry and has just 189 yards rushing on the season. However, he does have 39 receptions for 387 yards and two scores. He has been targeted 43 times in the passing game.

The coaching staff in Cleveland likes what Johnson can do as a pass-catcher and often lines him up at wideout. With both Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel out, this could be a common occurrence this week. Johnson is probably a fairly safe start if you're playing in a PPR league. He's a bit more of a gamble in standard.

Projections: 25 rushing yards, 6 receptions, 50 receiving yards

Wide Receivers

Don Wright/Associated Press

Cleveland Browns: Travis Benjamin

Affectionately known as Rabbit, Cleveland wideout Travis Benjamin has the quickness needed to shake defenders and also to take the top end off of the defense.

This year, however, he has also become a legitimately good overall receiver. So far this season, he has produced 48 receptions for 736 yards and four touchdowns. The fact that he has been targeted 76 times in 10 games should tell you all you need to know about Benjamin's role in the offense. 

With the Cleveland receiving corps on the depleted side, his role might be even bigger this week.

Projections: 6 receptions, 90 yards, 1 touchdown

Baltimore Ravens: Kamar Aiken

Receiver Kamar Aiken has inherited the role of No. 1 receiver in the Baltimore offense ever since legendary veteran Steve Smith was lost for the season to a torn achilles. He hasn't exactly responded with shining numbers, but this could change on Monday night.

Aiken, who has averaged six receptions over his past three games, draws a Browns defense that has allowed 21 receiving touchdowns this season. Only six teams have allowed more. 

There has to be a little bit of caution with Aiken because it's difficult to predict how drastically the quarterback change affects the game plan. However, I would expect Aiken to remain a focal point of the offense and to find his way into the end zone.

With Joe Haden out, he'll likely draw 32-year-old Tramon Williams in coverage.

Projections: 5 receptions, 70 yards, 1 touchdown

Baltimore Ravens: Chris Givens

Ravens receiver Chris Givens has only played in six games with one start since the Ravens acquired him from the St. Louis Rams. However, his diminutive role in the Baltimore offense (just 12 receptions so far) should be growing. The problem is that losing Flacco may set Givens back a bit.

“He’s starting to feel it a little bit,” head coach John Harbaugh said in early November, per the Ravens' official website. “He and Joe [Flacco] are starting to develop something, an understanding for one another.”

Flacco, of course, is out for the year with a torn ACL.

I would still expect Givens to find some room to make plays against the banged-up Browns secondary. I would expect a couple of those plays to be of the chunk and of the scoring varieties.  

Projections: 3 receptions, 50 yards, 1 touchdown

Cleveland Browns: Brian Hartline

Six-year veteran Brian Hartline probably isn't going to wow anyone with his production on Monday night. However, he is a bigger target at 6'2" and will probably be counted on to be the team's possession receiver.

Last week, he had six catches for 77 yards. 

With the Browns thin at receiver, Hartline will probably start opposite Benjamin. I'd expect to see him get his fair share of targets, especially on third down.

Projections: 5 receptions, 70 yards

Tight Ends

John Cordes/Associated Press

Cleveland Browns: Gary Barnidge

Browns tight end Gary Barnidge is really the only elite fantasy player in this game. 

Yes, Barnidge has been elite this season. It might sound a little strange considering this is a guy playing in his seventh season (he didn't play in 2011) who never had more than 13 receptions in a season prior to 2015.

He's got 48 of them for 667 yards and seven touchdowns this year, though. Only four tight ends have more receiving yards than Barnidge right now, and only two have more touchdowns. The only tight end topping Barnidge in both categories is Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots.

Barnidge has terrific chemistry with quarterback Josh McCown, and he should be a huge part of the game plan this week.

Projections: 8 receptions, 100 yards, 1 touchdown

Baltimore Ravens: Crockett Gillmore

Ravens tight end Crockett Gillmore hasn't had quite the breakout season that Barnidge has had in 2015, but he has been a consistent and reliable piece of the Baltimore offense.

Gillmore is currently averaging 13.3 yards per reception and has scored four touchdowns on the year. He is also coming off of his best game of the season, in which he caught five passes for 101 yards.

He probably won't equal those numbers this week against Cleveland, but expect Gillmore to see plenty of work as a security blanket for Matt Schaub.

Projections: 6 receptions, 75 yards

Defense/Special Teams

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Cleveland Browns Defense/Special Teams

Neither of these defenses are top shelf, but you could give a slight edge to Cleveland. Facing backups at the running back and quarterback position should help, and mistakes by the Ravens could lead to some cheap, easy turnovers.

We can't discount the potential of Travis Benjamin to take a punt back for a touchdown, either. He's done it three times in his pro career.

Projections: 24 points allowed, 3 sacks, 2 turnovers

Baltimore Ravens Defense/Special Teams

The Ravens are currently allowing an average of 24.9 points per game. The last time they played Cleveland—which has the home portion of the series—they gave up 31. What's even more discouraging is the fact that if Matt Schaub tosses a pick-six, it's going to count against your defense.

I'd stay away.

Projections: 30 points allowed, 3 sacks, 1 turnover

Best Sleeper Add

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Brian Hartline, WR, Cleveland Browns (owned in 1.2 percent of ESPN Leagues)

If you're in need of a wide receiver, there's an excellent chance that Browns wideout Brian Hartline is still available. He hasn't been incredibly productive this season (just 22 receptions for 259 yards and two scores), but he is a decent sleeper play for a couple of reasons.

For starters, he should come in as Cleveland's No. 2 receiver because both Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel are out. Hartline should have value there because the Browns basically have to throw the ball to have any chance in this one. Cleveland possesses the league's second-worst rushing offense in the NFL (75.6 yards per game).

Hartline should also benefit from facing a Ravens defense that is giving up an average of 257.0 yards passing per game (24th in the NFL) and that is rated 22nd overall in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

Start or Sit?

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Isaiah Crowell, RB, Cleveland Browns

Browns running back Isaiah Crowell was a productive breakout player as a rookie in 2014 (607 yards rushing and eight touchdowns), and he is still owned in 42.0 percent of ESPN leagues. However, Crowell hasn't looked at all like the same back in 2015.

The former Alabama State standout is only averaging 3.1 yards per carry and has scored just two total touchdowns. He's also been giving up reps in passing situations to rookie Duke Johnson. It's likely that the only way he'll provide any value on Monday night is if he finds the end zone. This is something he has done with no regularity.

Verdict: Sit

All advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus. Fantasy numbers courtesy of ESPN.com.