Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings: Flex and PPR Outlook for Each Position

With six teams playing on Thanksgiving Day, you may already have a large chunk of your fantasy production in the books. Hopefully, you didn't forget to start Kenny Golladay (five catches, 90 yards) or Calvin Ridley (eight catches, 93 yards, one touchdown) like I did.

Regardless of where your fantasy team sits after Thursday, you're likely going to need some help from the Sunday and Monday games to finish things off and win the week.

We're here to help by looking at the top players at each flex position—running back, wide receiver and tight end—and examining some of the top matchups. We'll base our analysis on points-per-reception (PPR) scoring formats. All fantasy statistics and rankings are from FantasyPros.

Top 20 Running Backs

1. Saquon Barkley at Philadelphia Eagles: 105 rushing yards, 4 catches, 55 receiving yards, 2 TDs

2. Nick Chubb at Cincinnati Bengals: 135 rushing yards,  2 catches, 15 receiving yards, 2 TDs

3. David Johnson at Los Angeles Chargers: 85 rushing yards,7 catches, 75 receiving yards: 1 TD

4. Christian McCaffrey vs. Seattle Seahawks: 95 rushing yards, 5 catches, 65 receiving yards, 1 TD

5. James Conner at Denver Broncos: 100 rushing yards, 5 catches, 50 receiving yards, 1 TD

6. Matt Breida at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 130 rushing yards, 3 catches, 20 receiving yards, 1 TD

7. James White at New York Jets: 25 rushing yards, 6 catches, 90 receiving yards, 1 TD

8. Joe Mixon vs. Cleveland Browns: 80 rushing yards, 4 catches, 45 receiving yards, 1 TD

9. Marlon Mack vs. Miami Dolphins: 125 rushing yards, 2 catches, 20 receiving yards, 1 TD

10. Phillip Lindsay vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 95 rushing yards, 2 catches, 10 receiving yards, 1 TD

11. Dalvin Cook vs. Green Bay Packers: 65 rushing yards, 5 catches, 60 receiving yards

12. Leonard Fournette at Buffalo Bills: 85 rushing yards, 1 TD

13. Aaron Jones at Minnesota Vikings: 80 rushing yards, 1 TD

14. Duke Johnson Jr. at Cincinnati Bengals: 25 rushing yards, 5 catches, 60 receiving yards

15. Austin Ekeler vs. Arizona Cardinals: 50 rushing yards, 4 catches, 30 receiving yards

16. Dion Lewis at Houston Texans: 20 rushing yards, 5 catches, 55 receiving yards

17. Lamar Miller vs. Tennessee Titans: 50 rushing yards, 20 receiving yards

18. Sony Michel at New York Jets: 95 rushing yards

19. Gus Edwards vs. Oakland Raiders: 80 rushing yards

20. Chris Carson at Carolina Panthers: 70 rushing yards

Nick Chubb, Duke Johnson Jr. at Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb is one of our top options at any position this week both because of his floor and his ceiling. He's the primary runner in Freddie Kitchens' new-look Browns offense. At minimum, he's going to have a heavy workload.

That workload could result in a massive day for fantasy owners. He'll be going up against a Cincinnati Bengals defense that ranks dead last against the run (153.8 yards per game allowed) and in total defense (449.4 yards).

Duke Johnson Jr., Cleveland's primary receiving back, is also a tremendous play against Cincinnati. In the two weeks since Kitchens took over the Browns offense, Johnson has produced 13 receptions, 132 combined yards and three touchdowns.

No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing running backs than Cincinnati.

Austin Ekeler vs. Arizona Cardinals

You may have noticed that Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon isn't sitting at the top of our rankings. This is because Gordon is questionable with knee and hamstring issues, and the Chargers are seriously considering sitting him.

"We just have to decide if it's worth holding him back or letting him go," head coach Anthony Lynn said Friday, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com.

If Gordon gets the go-ahead, he's a must-start in fantasy. The Cardinals have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. We're ranking backs with the assumption that Gordon won't play, though, and this moves backup Austin Ekeler into top-15 territory.

Given the matchup, Ekeler could be a low-end flex play even if Gordon does start. He had two receptions and 69 total yards last week against the Denver Broncos.

Top 20 Wide Receivers

Ben Margot/Associated Press

1. Odell Beckham Jr. at Philadelphia Eagles: 9 catches, 160 receiving yards, 2 TDs

2. Adam Thielen vs. Green Bay Packers: 8 catches, 120 receiving yards, 2 TDs

3. DeAndre Hopkins vs. Tennessee Titans: 8 catches, 140 receiving yards, 1 TD

4. Antonio Brown at Denver Broncos: 7 catches, 120 receiving yards, 1 TD

5. Mike Evans vs. San Francisco 49ers: 7 catches, 110 receiving yards, 1 TD

6. T.Y. Hilton vs. Miami Dolphins: 6 catches, 105 receiving yards, 1 TD

7. Davante Adams at Minnesota Vikings: 6 catches, 100 receiving yards, 1 TD

8. Keenan Allen vs. Arizona Cardinals: 6 catches, 95 receiving yards, 1 TD

9. Julian Edelman at New York Jets: 7 catches, 90 receiving yards, 1 TD

10. Stefon Diggs vs. Green Bay Packers: 6 catches, 95 receiving yards, 1 TD

11. JuJu Smith-Schuster at Denver Broncos: 5 catches, 105 receiving yards

12. Jarvis Landry at Cincinnati Bengals: 7 catches, 70 receiving yards

13: Josh Gordon at New York Jets: 5 catches, 90 receiving yards

14. Emmanuel Sanders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 catches, 85 receiving yards

15. Tyler Boyd vs. Cleveland Browns: 5 catches, 80 receiving yards

16. Alshon Jeffery vs. New York Giants: 5 catches, 80 receiving yards

17. Sterling Shepard at Philadelphia Eagles: 5 catches, 80 receiving yards

18. Doug Baldwin at Carolina Panthers: 5 catches, 75 receiving yards

19. Christian Kirk at Los Angeles Chargers: 5 catches, 75 receiving yards

20. Courtland Sutton vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 catches, 70 receiving yards

Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard at Philadelphia Eagles

If you have Odell Beckham Jr. on your fantasy team, you're going to start him. That goes without saying. However, it's worth noting that Beckham has one of the best fantasy matchups this week.

He's going against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. That defense is also dealing with multiple injuries in the secondary this week:

Because of this, New York's No. 2 receiver, Sterling Shepard, also becomes a must-start for most lineups. Shepard hasn't been a regular fantasy standout this season, but he's had his moments—like the five-catch, 167-yard outing against the Atlanta Falcons.

Shepard will have a chance to shine this week, as will Giants tight end Evan Engram.

DeAndre Hopkins vs. Tennessee Titans

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has plenty of confidence in his No. 1 wideout, DeAndre Hopkins.

"Regardless of if he's wide open or if somebody's on him, he's going to bring it down," Watson said Wednesday, per Mark Lane of Texans Wire. "If he doesn't bring it down, no one will."

Hopkins also has the confidence of fantasy owners, and that confidence should remain in place this week against the Tennessee Titans. Yes, Tennessee has had some strong defensive performances this season, and it does rank ninth in pass defense (234.9 yards per game allowed). However, it hasn't shut down opposing wide receivers.

In fact, the Titans have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing receivers this season. Stick with Hopkins, even if you have other matchups that seem more favorable.

Top 10 Tight Ends

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

1. George Kittle at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 125 receiving yards, 1 TD

2. Jack Doyle vs. Miami Dolphins: 85 receiving yards, 1 TD

2. Zach Ertz vs. New York Giants: 80 receiving yards, 1 TD

4. Greg Olsen vs. Seattle Seahawks: 75 receiving yards, 1 TD

5. David Njoku at Cincinnati Bengals: 65 receiving yards, 1 TD

6. Rob Gronkowski at New York Jets: 60 receiving yards, 1 TD

7. Jared Cook at Baltimore Ravens: 95 receiving yards

8. C.J. Uzomah vs. Cleveland Browns: 70 receiving yards

9. Eric Ebron vs. Miami Dolphins: 65 receiving yards

10. Vance McDonald at Denver Broncos: 65 receiving yards

George Kittle at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If you're a casual NFL fan, you may not be familiar with San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. If you're a fantasy aficionado, though, you know the name well. Kittle has become one of the top pass-catching tight ends in the league this season—he already has 50 catches, 775 yards and three touchdowns—and he's been San Francisco's top target with Nick Mullens under center.

In two games with Mullens at quarterback, Kittle has produced 191 yards and a touchdown on 13 receptions.

This week, Kittle and the 49ers travel to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa allows an average of 282.3 yards per game through the air (28th in the NFL) and the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends.

Kittle is this week's TE1 by a significant margin.

C.J. Uzomah vs. Cleveland Browns

Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah isn't as big a name as Kittle, even in fantasy football circles. Heck, he isn't even Cincinnati's top tight end. He's been thrust into that role, though, by the season-ending injuries suffered by Tyler Eifert and Tyler Kroft.

Uzomah has himself a favorable matchup this week against the Browns. While the young Cleveland defense does have some game-changing talent, it also has a penchant for giving up yardage. Only two teams allow more than the 287.6 passing yards per game that the Browns do.

Cleveland allows the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, which makes Uzomah a viable start in Week 12.