Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings: Targets for This Week's Injured Stars

Many of the top fantasy football players are healthy and ready to go this week. However, there are also some injuries to monitor ahead of Sunday's games.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Pittsburgh Steelers playmakers James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster and San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle are all on their respective team's injury report heading into the weekend. However, some of them have more serious concerns than others.

Heading into Week 12, here are rankings for each position this week, along with more on injuries to monitor and potential streaming options to use as fill-ins.

Quarterback

1. Lamar Jackson, BAL (at LAR)

2. Matt Ryan, ATL (vs. TB)

3. Jameis Winston, TB (at ATL)

4. Russell Wilson, SEA (at PHI)

5. Drew Brees, NO (vs. CAR)

6. Josh Allen, BUF (vs. DEN)

7. Carson Wentz, PHI (vs. SEA)

8. Jeff Driskel, DET (at WSH)

9. Tom Brady, NE (vs. DAL)

10. Dak Prescott, DAL (at NE)

Injury/Waiver Outlook

Brady is questionable for Sunday's game with a right elbow injury, but it seems unlikely he won't be leading the Patriots' offense. He hasn't missed a game because of injury since 2008 when he tore his ACL and MCL in New England's first game of the season. So, fantasy owners shouldn't have a true concern with Brady.

The Lions have a favorable matchup against the Redskins on Sunday, but Matthew Stafford will be out with a back injury for the third consecutive week. However, his backup, Jeff Driskel, is available in a lot of leagues, and he should have a solid showing at Washington.

Driskel passed for 478 yards and three touchdowns over the past two weeks against the Bears and Cowboys. He'll be a solid streaming option at quarterback again this week.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is also a solid fill-in quarterback option this week. He passed for 292 yards, one shy of his season high, and a touchdown against the Bengals last week, and he has another favorable matchup against the Jets on Sunday.

Running Back

1. Christian McCaffrey, CAR (at NO)

2. Alvin Kamara, NO (vs. CAR)

3. Nick Chubb, CLE (vs. MIA)

4. Derrick Henry, TEN (vs. JAX)

5. Leonard Fournette, JAX (at TEN)

6. Saquon Barkley, NYG (at CHI)

7. Josh Jacobs, OAK (at NYJ)

8. Chris Carson, SEA (at PHI)

9. Tevin Coleman, SF (vs. GB)

10. Ezekiel Elliott, DAL (at NE)

Injury/Waiver Outlook

Most of the top fantasy running backs are healthy entering the weekend, but Pittsburgh's James Conner will be out with a shoulder injury.

It's not the first time that Conner will miss games because of his shoulder this season. He was also out in Weeks 9 and 10, missing the Steelers' games against the Colts and Rams. Conner returned last week, but he had only five carries for 10 yards and a six-yard reception vs. the Browns.

If fantasy owners need a running back to fill in for Conner—or just a solid streaming option for their flex position—then Atlanta's Brian Hill should be a decent option.

Devonta Freeman will be out for the Falcons for the second straight week, so Hill will get plenty of touches. That makes him a better choice than most available running backs, even against a tough Buccaneers rush defense, because of his volume of opportunities.

Wide Receiver

1. Michael Thomas, NO (vs. CAR)

2. Mike Evans, TB (at ATL)

3. Julio Jones, ATL (vs. TB)

4. Davante Adams, GB (at SF)

5. Chris Godwin, TB (at ATL)

6. Tyler Lockett, SEA (at PHI)

7. DJ Chark Jr., JAX (at TEN)

8. Julian Edelman, NE (vs. DAL)

9. DJ Moore, CAR (at NO)

10. Calvin Ridley, ATL (vs. TB)

Injury/Waiver Outlook

The Steelers will also be missing one of their top wide receivers this week, as JuJu Smith-Schuster will be out with a concussion. It's already been a tough season for Smith-Schuster, who has 38 receptions for 524 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games.

That's a big step back in production for Smith-Schuster after he had 1,426 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season. Even if he wasn't out injured, he was already becoming a borderline starting option in fantasy.

A solid streaming option at wide receiver is Miami's DeVante Parker, who is coming off his best game of the year. He had seven receptions for 135 yards, both season highs, in the Dolphins' loss to the Bills.

Parker has had 10 targets in three of his last five games, and he should be a big part of Miami's offense again this week at Cleveland.

Tight End

1. George Kittle, SF (vs. GB)

2. Darren Waller, OAK (at NYJ)

3. Zach Ertz, PHI (vs. SEA)

4. Mark Andrews, BAL (at LAR)

5. Greg Olsen, CAR (at NO)

6. Jared Cook, NO (vs. CAR)

7. Gerald Everett, LAR (vs. BAL)

8. Vance McDonald, PIT (at CIN)

9. Noah Fant, DEN (at BUF)

10. Jason Witten, DAL (at NE)

Injury/Waiver Outlook

Kittle missed the 49ers' last two games against the Seahawks and Cardinals with knee/ankle injuries. However, he's questionable for Sunday night's home matchup vs. the Packers, which is an encouraging sign that he could be back in San Francisco's lineup.

If Kittle plays, then he should be in fantasy lineups because he's one of the only must-start tight ends every week. He also has a favorable matchup against the Packers, who have struggled to stop opposing tight ends.

But because the 49ers play in the Sunday night game, fantasy owners should have a backup option in case Kittle is out. A solid choice is San Francisco's backup tight end Ross Dwelley, who scored a pair of touchdowns last week vs. Arizona in Kittle's absence.