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

For many fantasy football leagues, the playoffs are only two weeks away. It's regular-season crunch time, and there's no room for errors for fantasy owners.

That's why it's important to keep doing research about matchups and make the right decisions for your lineups, especially at the flex positions. A wrong decision could prevent a fantasy owner from making the playoffs.

Here's a look at Week 12's fantasy football rankings for the three eligible flex positions (running back, wide receiver and tight end) along with ESPN's projected points for each player this week in terms of points-per-reception scoring.

Top 15 Running Backs

1. Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (at New Orleans Saints): 23.8 projected fantasy points

2. New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara (vs. Carolina Panthers): 21.4

3. Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb (vs. Miami Dolphins): 19.3

4. Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars): 19

5. Jacksonville Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette (at Tennessee Titans): 18.9

6. New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley (at Chicago Bears): 18.8

7. Oakland Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (at New York Jets): 16.7

8. Seattle Seahawks RB Chris Carson (at Philadelphia Eagles): 16.7

9. San Francisco 49ers RB Tevin Coleman (vs. Green Bay Packers): 16.7

10. Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott (at New England Patriots): 16.5

11. New York Jets RB Le'Veon Bell (vs. Oakland Raiders): 16

12. Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley (vs. Baltimore Ravens): 15.5

13. Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones (at San Francisco 49ers): 14.9

14. New England Patriots RB James White (vs. Dallas Cowboys): 13.8

15. Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Samuels (at Cincinnati Bengals): 13.7

Jaylen Samuels hasn't had the most productive season, but this week could be his best opportunity for a big game.

James Conner, the Steelers' starting running back, will be out with a shoulder injury for the third time in four weeks. But unlike the other times when Samuels had to fill in, the Steelers have a much more favorable matchup as they travel to take on Cincinnati.

Samuels typically doesn't do much in the running game, as he hasn't had more than 29 yards on the ground in a game this season. But he can be productive in the passing game out of the backfield. Samuels had 13 receptions for 73 yards in Week 9 vs. the Colts, and he had eight catches for 57 yards the last time the Steelers played the Bengals in Week 4.

Another strong play this week should be Bell, who has scored a rushing touchdown in each of the past two weeks and has a solid matchup against a Raiders defense that has struggled to stop running backs in recent weeks.

Top 25 Wide Receivers

1. New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas (vs. Carolina Panthers): 22.7 projected fantasy points

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (at Atlanta Falcons): 19

3. Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 18.9

4. Green Bay Packers WR Davante Adams (at San Francisco 49ers): 16.9

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin (at Atlanta Falcons): 16.7

6. Seattle Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett (at Philadelphia Eagles): 16.4

7. Jacksonville Jaguars WR DJ Chark Jr. (at Tennessee Titans): 16.3

8. New England Patriots WR Julian Edelman (vs. Dallas Cowboys): 16.2

9. Carolina Panthers WR DJ Moore (at New Orleans Saints): 16.1

10. Atlanta Falcons WR Calvin Ridley (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 13.9

11. Chicago Bears WR Allen Robinson (vs. New York Giants): 13.5

12. Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp (vs. Baltimore Ravens): 13.4

13. Cleveland Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. (vs. Miami Dolphins): 13.4

14. Dallas Cowboys WR Amari Cooper (at New England Patriots): 13.2

15. Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton (at Buffalo Bills): 12.9

16. Buffalo Bills WR John Brown (vs. Denver Broncos): 12.9

17. New York Jets WR Jamison Crowder (vs. Oakland Raiders): 12.9

18. Miami Dolphins WR DeVante Parker (at Cleveland Browns): 12.9

19. Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf (at Philadelphia Eagles): 12.7

20. Cleveland Browns WR Jarvis Landry (vs. Miami Dolphins): 12.7

21. Detroit Lions WR Kenny Golladay (at Washington Redskins): 12.5

22. Washington Redskins WR Terry McLaurin (vs. Detroit Lions): 12.3

23. Philadelphia Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery (vs. Seattle Seahawks): 12.3

24. Carolina Panthers WR Curtis Samuel (at New Orleans Saints): 12.2

25. San Francisco 49ers WR Emmanuel Sanders (vs. Green Bay Packers): 11.8

Le'Veon Bell isn't the only Jets player with a touchdown streak, as Jamison Crowder has gotten into the end zone each of the past three weeks. Crowder is becoming a reliable option for quarterback Sam Darnold, as he's totaled 18 receptions for 240 yards over the last three games.

The Raiders have a weak pass rush, so Darnold should have plenty of time to get the ball to his top weapons, especially Crowder. He's emerged as one of the Jets' top offensive players, and that should continue this week.

Another strong receiver play will be Kenny Golladay, who has a favorable matchup against the Redskins and should have a bounce-back performance this week. With Matthew Stafford out the past two weeks, Golladay has had only four receptions for 91 yards.

However, backup quarterback Jeff Driskel has played well, and he should find a way to get the ball to Golladay this week at Washington.

Top 10 Tight Ends

1. San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle (vs. Green Bay Packers): 15.2 projected fantasy points

2. Oakland Raiders TE Darren Waller (at New York Jets): 13.8

3. Philadelphia Eagles TE Zach Ertz (vs. Seattle Seahawks): 13.5

4. Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews (at Los Angeles Rams): 13.2

5. Carolina Panthers TE Greg Olsen (at New Orleans Saints): 10.6

6. New Orleans Saints TE Jared Cook (vs. Carolina Panthers): 9.5

7. Los Angeles Rams TE Gerald Everett (vs. Baltimore Ravens): 9.4

8. Pittsburgh Steelers TE Vance McDonald (at Cincinnati Bengals): 9.3

9. Denver Broncos TE Noah Fant (at Buffalo Bills): 9.2

10. Dallas Cowboys TE Jason Witten (at New England Patriots): 8.7

As long as George Kittle plays, he'll be the top fantasy tight end this week in a matchup in which the 49ers will likely need to score a decent number of points to win.

Kittle has been out the past two weeks with knee/ankle injuries. But after being designated as doubtful last week, he's questionable for Sunday's night game against the Packers.

The 26-year-old is one of the most reliable options at tight end for fantasy owners, so there's no reason to ever take him out of the lineup if he's active. If he plays, expect a solid performance as usual.