Fantasy Football Week 12: Thanksgiving Players More Valuable Than Turkey

The next three players will draw more praise from their owners on Thanksgiving than the delicious turkey in going in their bellies.

Ravens Defense

Opponent: 49ers

The Harbowl is going to be a defensive battle. The Ravens will win this defensive battle with the kind of defensive performance that creates big fantasy points.

The Ravens are going to force the 49ers out of their comfort zone. They are No. 1 in the NFL in yards allowed per rush. The 49ers are fifth in the NFL in rushing attempts per game.

This will force Alex Smith to throw the ball more than he used to.

The Ravens are also sixth in the NFL in sack percentage. That means they are going to get pressure on Smith. That does not bode well for Smith. The 49ers haven't been terribly effective in pass protection this year. They are 21st in sacks allowed percentage.

This is going to force Smith into some bad decisions and throws. The 49ers QB has enjoyed the ability to play it safe this year. This has led to him throwing just four INTs on the season.

The Ravens have done a decent job of picking off passes. Baltimore's D is 14th in interceptions this season. They are averaging just over one a game.

The Ravens will better that number this week. They will get two INTs and may take one to the house. They will also get four to six sacks and keep the 49ers below ten points.

Lions WR Calvin Johnson

Opponent: Packers

Unlike the 49ers-Ravens game, this one is going to be a shootout. That means good things for Megatron.

Last week Matt Stafford threw five TD passes—none of which went to Johnson. That is a remarkable feat considering that Johnson had caught 11 of Stafford's 20 TD passes heading into that game.

What that does, though, is set Johnson up for future success. The Packers now have to game plan on stopping an entire passing offense and not just key on Johnson.

This will be a difficult task for a Packers secondary that has struggled this season. The Packers are 31st in passing yards allowed per game.

The Packers are allowing 1.8 passing touchdowns per game. That puts them 24th in the league.

This will lead to Johnson finding the endzone multiple times in this game. Johnson will go for over 100 yards and catch two touchdowns in this one.

Cowboys QB Tony Romo

Opponent: Dolphins 

The Cowboys will take to the air to take down the Dolphins. Suddenly resurgent Miami has used a strong run D to turn around their season.

The Dolphins are now seventh in rushing yards allowed per game and fifth in yards allowed per rushing attempt.

Miami has not turned things around with their passing defense. They are 25th in passing yards allowed per game and 21st in yards allowed per pass attempt.

Romo and the Cowboys passing attack will feast on the Dolphins secondary. The Cowboys are sixth in passing yards per game.

Romo should be able to find his favorite targets wide open in this one. Football Outsiders ranks the Dolphins 16 guarding opposing No. 1 WRs and 17th guarding opposing TEs.

That will lead to big days by Dez Bryant and Jason Witten, and it will lead to the biggest day coming from Romo.

Romo will throw for 320 yards and three touchdowns.