Week 12 Fantasy Rankings: Ranking the Best QBs

Whether it's the matchup or just the player himself having yet another impressive outing in a year full of them, a good performance out of your fantasy quarterback is never unwelcome.

In the following slides, I detail four quarterbacks who should have an excellent day for your fantasy team should you be fortunate enough to have one of them on your roster.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (at Detroit Lions)

To say that Aaron Rodgers is having a spectacular year would be an understatement, with 3,168 yards, a 72.3 percent completion rate and 31 passing touchdowns (and two more rushing) to four interceptions through the Green Bay Packers' first 10 games.

It's one of the most impressive performances put up by a quarterback that we've seen in recent years, and his success is clearly the top reason why the Packers sit undefeated heading into Week 12.

With division rivals the Detroit Lions up ahead for Rodgers and his team on Thursday, his production shouldn't take an unexpected dip.

Though Detroit has a brutal defense led by their top-10 pass rush, that pressure won't result in a bad outing by Rodgers for the Packers or your fantasy team.

Rodgers had a more modest (for him) showing in Week 11's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, completing 23 of his 34 passes for 299 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. But if he matches these numbers this week, it will still be a serious point total from the fantasy stud.

Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (vs. Green Bay Packers)

If there's one guarantee in fantasy football this year, it's that whichever quarterback is facing the Green Bay Packers is already set up for a good day.

With the Packers offense being so productive (thus drawing teams into passing the ball while playing from behind) and their defense playing softly in comparison, a big-armed quarterback can expect to have a good day when matched up against them.

And a big arm is the defining feature of the Detroit Lions' Matthew Stafford, who, at 25 touchdowns, is the second highest-scoring quarterback in the NFL.

Stafford has completed 244 of his 398 pass attempts on the year for 2,843 yards, those 25 scores and 10 interceptions.

Last week against the Carolina Panthers, Stafford was picked off twice early in the game but rallied back in a big way, going 28-of-36 for 335 and a whopping five touchdowns.

While the Lions may not manage to pull off a victory over the undefeated Packers this Thursday, Stafford will likely have a big performance that will put you well on your way to a fantasy win in the ever-important week leading up to the playoffs.

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (at Indianapolis Colts)

There's another thing clearly guaranteed when it comes to fantasy football this season—start any and every offensive player you have if they're up against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts have the dubious honor of fielding the league's worst defense, ranking 32nd against the pass and 29th against the run, and this week the Carolina Panthers come to town, with dual-threat rookie quarterback Cam Newton leading the way.

Even with more interceptions than passing touchdowns on the year, Newton is still the second-highest scoring fantasy quarterback this season, with 2,885 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and 77 rushes for 411 yards and nine scores on the ground through 10 games.

Though he threw four picks last week against the Detroit Lions, he also had one passing and two rushing touchdowns for 317 total yards.

With the Colts' weak defense up ahead, those interception numbers will drop while the rest of his stats should rise.

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (at Kansas City Chiefs)

Though Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is dealing with a broken thumb on his throwing hand, the injury is nowhere near as severe as the one suffered by the Chicago Bears' Jay Cutler, and it won't keep him off the field for Monday night's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

And with the Chiefs fielding a weak defense (despite flashes of a consistent pass-rush against the New England Patriots in Week 11), the mobile and dangerous Roethlisberger should have himself quite the good day.

That thumb injury will be mitigated by the talented receivers around him.

Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, tight end Heath Miller, and even Hines Ward, Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery make Roethlisberger's job significantly easier.

So far this season, Roethlisberger has completed 224 of his 354 pass attempts for 2,877 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and he's averaging 287 yards per game.

While he may struggle to throw many long bombs with the thumb injury, he should have a successful enough outing to boost your fantasy team and grab you that satisfying Monday night win.