Fantasy Football Week 12: Matt Camp's Top Sleepers at Every Position

Last week's sleepers article discussed the keys to finding one-week wonders during such a weak season on the waiver wire.

Of course, one-week wonders don't have to be left in the past if there's a path to continued success, which is why Ryan Griffin, who finished at TE2 last week, and Derek Carr, who finished at QB11, are graduating from sleepers to starters. Randall Cobb (WR7) and Deebo Samuel (WR8) also have a chance to build on top-10 performances from Week 11. 

Extended injury absences also push one-hit wonders to become multi-week options.

George Kittle's health issues could make Ross Dwelley a useful fantasy tight end following his two-touchdown game against the Arizona Cardinals. Raheem Mostert didn't come through last week, but the San Francisco 49ers may call his number more against the Green Bay Packers if Matt Breida is sidelined once again this weekend. 

Regardless of where you are in the standings heading into the final weeks of the fantasy regular season, there's nothing wrong with calling on a sleeper to give your lineup a lift.

Jeff Driskel, QB, Detroit Lions

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Another week without Matthew Stafford (back) means another week with Driskel starting for the Lions. Believe it or not, that's not a bad thing.

In the two weeks Driskel has started, he's QB7 with 45.6 fantasy points. Sure, that's a small sample size, but we're not worried about the big picture. This is a one-week streamer with a good matchup. If Stafford is back for Thanksgiving or you have no interest in using Driskel against the Chicago Bears, that's fine. We only care about what he can do against the Washington Redskins this weekend. 

A big part of Driskel's fantasy appeal is what he can do with his legs. In his two games, he has 13 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown. The rushing numbers alone account for 14.8 fantasy points, which is nearly a third of his production.

Driskel also has 478 yards with three touchdowns and one interception through the air. While there's nothing special about those passing numbers, they're good enough when coupled with his running ability. 

There's nothing scary about facing the Redskins defense, especially after it gave up 293 yards and four touchdowns to Sam Darnold and the New York Jets last weekend.

Driskel has a lot going in his favor between his recent success and a beatable matchup. Yes, you may not have known who he was two weeks ago. But now you can use him as a fantasy starter for Week 12.

Ross Dwelley, TE, San Francisco 49ers

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Most of the time, relying on touchdowns to carry fantasy value is dangerous. That strategy is a little easier to stomach when the player is part of one of the better offenses in the league. 

With George Kittle out for the second straight week, Dwelley came through for those who had faith in an ideal matchup with the Arizona Cardinals. He caught four of five targets for just 14 yards but was able to find the end zone on two of those catches en route to 17.4 fantasy points and a TE6 finish.

The 49ers are fifth in yards per game (386.6) and second in points per game (29.5). So while Dwelley needed to score to be relevant, he was able to do so because of the fantasy-friendly nature of his team's offense. 

If Kittle is out again, Dwelley will get another nice matchup with the visiting Green Bay Packers. Even though that unit isn't as vulnerable as the Cardinals when it comes to defending tight ends, it can be had by the position. In the last four weeks, it's allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends.  

Dwelley is a calculated risk to land in your starting lineup for Week 12.

Dawson Knox, TE, Buffalo Bills

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I expected more from Knox this season. Even though he hasn't been bad, he's struggled to find consistency in the Bills offense.

From a fantasy perspective, he's posted two games all season with double-digit points. One of those came last week when he caught two of three targets for 32 yards and his second touchdown of the year. Those 11.2 fantasy points gave him a TE12 finish.

Knox is a distant third to John Brown and Cole Beasley in targets (35), receptions (20) and yards (279) in Buffalo. But once again, we're not really worried about what he's done this season or what he could become down the road.

Over the last four weeks, the Denver Broncos are the third-easiest matchup for tight ends. Meanwhile, they rank inside the top 12 of the toughest matchups for running backs and wide receivers. That could push Knox into a bigger role out of necessity.

Admittedly, he's probably the deepest reach besides Driskel for this week. So take a shot and hope there's enough working in his favor.

Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland Browns

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Does Mayfield even belong in this article? Honestly, I'm not even sure.

He went from a highly drafted breakout star to one of the biggest busts of the season. If you dropped Mayfield at some point this season, you were certainly justified. Even on a two-game winning streak, he checks in at QB21 for the season.

If a quarterback is out of the top 20, then he qualifies as a sleeper. 

In wins over the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, Mayfield totaled 431 yards through the air with four touchdowns and no interceptions on 43-of-70 passing, and he added the second rushing touchdown of his young career. That's not big yardage, but playing smarter football has pushed him into the top 10 over the last two weeks. 

With the Miami Dolphins traveling to Cleveland this weekend, there's no reason to worry about the matchup. Miami is average at best on defense, as it ranks fifth in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.

You don't have to believe in a Browns playoff run to think Mayfield may have righted the ship. He's in the top-10 conversation this week.

Hunter Renfrow, WR, Oakland Raiders

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Renfrow may not be lighting up the fantasy leaderboard, but he is heating up coming into the more important part of the season. Week 11 marked the third straight game in which he had at least five targets and the third time in four outings he accumulated at least 54 receiving yards.

Before Week 9, Renfrow didn't have a single game with at least five receptions. He's hit that mark twice in the last three weeks. He's also scored his only two touchdowns of the season in the last four. The uptick in production has been enough to land him at WR19 during that time span, so he's been a useful WR2.

Yes, much of this article has been spent talking about not worrying too much about the past or the future. But it makes it much easier to slide someone into your lineup when things are going well.

That's not just the case for Renfrow, but also for the Raiders as a whole. Oakland sits a 6-4 and is riding a three-game win streak. 

The Raiders could make it four straight if they can get over the long trip across the country to take on the New York Jets. For the season, only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have allowed more fantasy points to wide receivers. In the last month, the Jets have surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to the position.

The bottom line is that this defense is vulnerable, and Renfrow has a good opportunity to remain in the top-20 conversation.

Bo Scarbrough, RB, Detroit Lions

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Maybe this will be the week we figure out the right Lions running back to use before the game starts and not come to the realization somewhere around halftime. In four contests without Kerryon Johnson, a different back has led the team in carries each week.

In Week 8, it was Tra Carson (12 carries, 34 yards), and he's not even on the team anymore. In Week 9, Ty Johnson was the man with nine carries for 29 yards. J.D. McKissic followed in Week 10 with 10 carries for 36 yards. And just last week, Bo Scarbrough had the best week of any replacement with 14 carries for 55 yards and a score.

Could Scarbrough be the one the Lions actually stick with for more than one week? 

Assuming that's the case, he would be facing the 10th-easiest matchup for running backs in the Washington Redskins. There's nothing scary about the defense, and traveling isn't a big deal considering Washington is one of the worst teams in the league.

Scarbrough needs to buck the backfield trend to come through in fantasy, but there's enough evidence to believe he can do so.

James Washington, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

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While nowhere near as hyped as Mayfield, Washington could be another post-hype sleeper for Week 12.

Unfortunate circumstances might push him into a bigger role this week, as James Conner (shoulder) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion/knee) have yet to practice, per Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. Diontae Johnson is going through full practice but remains in the concussion protocol. 

Two of Washington's best games of the season have come during the last three weeks.

In Week 9, he turned four targets into four receptions for 69 yards. The following week, he hauled in six of seven targets for 90 yards and a touchdown. If the Steelers don't have Smith-Schuster, that would open up a target share that currently sits at 12.8 percent for the season.

Washington would be stepping into more targets at an opportune time. No team has allowed more yards per game than the Cincinnati Bengals (425.1), who are also giving up the fifth-most points (27.8). Moreover, the Bengals are a bottom-12 defense against fantasy wide receivers in the last month.

With the matchup and potential opportunities looking favorable for Washington, you could try him in your Week 12 lineup.

All stats, unless otherwise indicated, courtesy of FantasyPros, NFL.com and Pro Football Reference.