Trashman’s Fantasy Fallout Going Into Week 12 of the NFL Season

 

It’s time for that playoff push, so let’s cut the fat and bolster our starting lineups! Here’s the fallout going into Week 12 of the NFL Season!

Cardinals – 21 @ Seahawks – 28

 

• Chase Edmonds seems to be the more explosive back in Arizona, but Kenyan Drake resumed his role as bellcow upon returning from an ankle injury in Week 11. Drake out-touched Edmonds 15 to 9, but Edmonds stays involved enough in the passing game to warrant deep league flex status.

 

• Larry Fitzgerald led all Cardinals in targets(10), catching 8 balls for 62 yards. The fact that this was matched a season high in yardage tells you everything you need to know about Fitz’s upside in this offense. He’s a bye week PPR streamer at best. 

 

• Carlos Hyde came back from injury and started over DJ Dallas on Thursday, logging 16 touches for 79 yards and a TD. Dallas even got out-touched by Bo Scarbrough 6 to 3. Dallas can be dropped, and Hyde may not even be worth starting if Chris Carson returns this week as presumed. 

 

Bengals – 9 @ Washington – 20

 

• Joe Burrow suffered a brutal knee injury that tore his ACL on Sunday, ending his season. You hate to see this happen to such a promising player, or really any player for that matter, but he’s young enough to come back from it. Ryan Finley becomes the starting QB for the Bengals, and all Bengals pass-catchers are going to suffer from it. The Giants make for a great defensive play against the Bengals this week. 

 

• Samaje Perine had 6 touches to Gio Bernard‘s 13 on Sunday. Neither one could get much going, but the Bengals are going to have to lean on the run moving forward, so they’re both worth adding/flexing as long as Joe Mixon is out, which will be for at least 2 more games. 

 

• Washington managed to pull out the win, but the offense was pretty lackluster in the process, outside of Antonio Gibson, Terry McLaurin and Jd Mckissic to a lesser extent. Cam Sims played 84% of snaps, but with Alex Smith only throwing for 166 yards, he’s hard to get excited about in fantasy. It’s hard to imagine Washington sustaining more than 3 players in fantasy. 

 

Falcons – 9 @ Saints – 24

 

• Julio Jones was in and out of the game all day with a hamstring issue, rendering Matt Ryan useless. Seriously, Ryan has been abysmal in games that Jones hasn’t played this season. If Julio can’t go this week, Calvin Ridley is the only Falcon you can depend on in fantasy. Everyone else is a coin flip. Olamide Zaccheaus would be a boom or bust deep league flex. 

 

• Taysom Hill started over Jameis Winston and got the win, so it looks like he’ll be under center for the Saints until Drew Brees returns. Only Michael Thomas was viable in the passing game under Hill, but both Latavius Murray and Alvin Kamara saw double-digit touches. Kamara has been dealing with a foot injury, so Murray may continue to get significant usage this week. He’s worth flexing if Kamara misses practice time this week. Hill is also worth streaming due to his running ability. 

 

Steelers – 27 @ Jaguars – 3

 

• Benny Snell had 7 carries(including a TD) to James Conner‘s 13 on Sunday, but the Steelers already had the game well in hand when Snell saw most of his action. Pittsburgh is embracing the pass these days, so it’s going to be difficult to start any Steeler RB other than Conner. 

 

• JuJu Smith-Schuster injured his foot at some point and left the game, not to return. Apparently the injury wasn’t serious, and he could’ve returned if it had been a closer game. Make sure he practices this week before putting him in lineups this week.

 

• Jake Luton has been exposed as a subpar QB by this point, and all Jaguar WRs are downgraded until Gardner Minshew returns, which could be this week. DJ Chark is the only Jaguar pass-catcher worth gambling on this week if Gardner continues to sit, and that’s just because of his significant target share. 

 

Patriots – 20 @ Texans – 27

 

• Rex Burkhead left the game with what many assume is an ACL injury on Sunday, bringing life to James White, who ended up with 11 touches and 83 yards. White is available in 60% of leagues and should be added, but it also looks like Sony Michel will return to action in Week 12, which could complicate things. All three could be useful, considering how much the Patriots run, but their floors could be frighteningly low. 

 

• Damiere Byrd had a career day against the Texans, posting 132 yards and a TD on 7 targets. It’s probably an aberration, but considering Byrd will go up against his former Cardinals team this week, he could be an interesting deep league flex and daily play in a revenge narrative. 

 

• Duke Johnson has been pretty useless as a starting back with David Johnson sidelined, considering that Deshaun Watson is basically the goal line back. That being said, Duke will be the starter against the Lions on Thanksgiving, where you’re hoping he can break something off in the receiving game. 

 

• Both Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills left the game with injuries, making Keke Coutee the 3rd WR for Houston for the time being. Coutee was able to score on Sunday, and he could be in line for considerable work on Thanksgiving, should neither Cobb nor Stills be able to go. 

 

Eagles – 17 @ Browns – 22

 

• Dallas Goedert led the Eagles in receiving(5 rec, 77 yards, 1 TD) on Sunday. Zach Ertz could return as soon as this week, but Goedert should stay involved enough to warrant a start. 

 

• Travis Fulgham was first in targets(7) but didn’t do much with them(1 rec, 8 yards). Jalen Reagor was third in targets(5), and he posted 52 yards on the day. Both players are flex-worthy against Seattle’s league worst secondary this week, but Reagor has the higher upside. 

 

• Even in a win, the Browns passing game was anemic, with KhaDarel Hodge leading the team in receiving with 73 yards, 42 of which coming on one play. All Browns pass-catchers will be hit-or-miss on the weekly and are best left on the benches at this point in the season.

 

Lions – 0 @ Panthers – 20

 

• There was nothing of use to take away from this for the Lions, aside from Matt Stafford not suffering a setback to his injured hand. Hopefully D’Andre Swift and Kenny Golladay make it back for Thanksgiving. The Lions play the Texans so they should be able to have a better showing.

 

• PJ Walker had a mixed day in his first NFL start, winning the game but throwing 2 INTs in the end-zone. Walker was the XFL’s best player before the season ended due to Covid-19, and he showed glimpses why on Sunday, keeping plays alive out of the pocket. Teddy Bridgewater was close to playing, so I’m not banking on Walker making another start, but he would be worth streaming against Minnesota’s 2nd worst secondary this week if Teddy can’t go. 

 

• Rodney Smith had 8 carries to Mike Davis‘ 19 on Sunday and actually averaged more yards per carry(3.6). With Christian McCaffrey close to a return, this isn’t a lead worth chasing though. 

 

• Curtis Samuel has either scored or gone over 100 yards in 4 of his last 5 games. At only 50% ownership, he could help a lot of teams make a playoff push. 

 

Titans – 30 @ Ravens – 24

 

• Corey Davis‘ floor is rock bottom, but he’s doing too much to be rostered in only half of leagues. He’s had 100+ yards, and or a TD in 3 of his last 5 games. He has a rough matchup against Indy this week, but he was serviceable against them 2 weeks ago(5 rec, 67 yards). 

 

• TE Anthony Firsker is not going away. He had 5 targets to Jonnu Smith‘s 6 on Sunday, and Smith only salvaged his day with a TD. 

 

• JK Dobbins unexpectedly led the Ravens backfield on Sunday, getting 63% of snaps and touching the ball 17 times for 70 yards and a TD. Mark Ingram only logged 2 carries for 2 yards. This could be a move to see if the rookie can carry the load on his own. Either way, Dobbin’s arrow is up and Ingram can probably be dropped in most formats, as his low upside just isn’t worth the headache. 

 

• Willie Snead and Dez Bryant had 7 and 5 targets respectively, but Mark Andrews is the only Ravens pass-catcher worth starting these days. Lamar Jackson is struggling too much in that department. 

 

Jets – 28 @ Chargers – 34

 

• Despite implying that La’Mical Perine would be the lead back coming out of the bye, the Jets rolled with Frank Gore as their primary ball-carrier in Week 11. Gore had his best game of the season, with 61 yards and a TD, but Perine had a decent day as well with 33 yards and a score. Neither player offers much upside unless the other gets hurt. 

 

• Though Breshad Perriman had the best day through the air(54 yards and a TD), Denzel Mims led the Jets in yards(71) and targets(8). It may not pay off this year, but Mims is definitely worth stashing in dynasty and keeper leagues as a future game-breaker. 

 

• With Justin Jackson out at least one more game and no word regarding Austin Ekeler in weeks, Kalen Ballage looks primed to make another start for the Chargers this week after touching the ball 23 times for 2 weeks in a row. Joshua Kelley can be dropped outside of dynasty formats. 

 

Dolphins – 13 @ Broncos – 20

 

• Tua Tagovailoa was benched in the 4th quarter for Ryan Fitzpatrick, but the rookie will maintain his starting role for Week 12 against the Jets. There isn’t a QB controversy here.

 

• Salvon Ahmed remained the Dolphins’ primary back even with Matt Breida returning to the fold, picking up 74 yards on the day. Ahmed logged 85% of snaps, and Breida only touched the ball twice. Ahmed’s run could be short, as Gaskin might return to action as early as this week, but it seems like Ahmed would stay involved enough to warrant deep league flex consideration. 

 

• Jakeem Grant tied for second in targets(6) with Ahmed, just behind DeVante Parker(9), but Grant only came away with 12 yards on the day. He gets the Jets this week though, so he’s worth considering as a flex in PPR formats.

 

• There are a lot of mouths to feed in Denver’s passing game, but Tim Patrick keeps managing to eat(5 rec, 119 yards), despite often being third or fourth in the pecking order. Denver plays from behind most of the time, so perhaps they can sustain 4 fantasy pass-catchers in Patrick, Noah Fant, Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler. 

 

Cowboys – 31 @ Vikings – 28

 

• The Cowboys managed to look like a functioning NFL offense on Sunday, but keep in mind they were playing the league’s second worst secondary in the Vikings. The Cowboys face Washington’s league best secondary on Thanksgiving, so don’t rely on any of their pass-catchers to do much. CeeDee Lamb had 0.10 fantasy points when they faced Washington earlier this season, though Amari Cooper managed 80 yards. 

 

• Tony Pollard had 60 yards and a TD, though 42 of those yards and the TD came on one play. He’s not an advised flex against Washington.

 

• The Vikings are finally figuring out that a balanced offense is the best approach, so Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson are safe weekly plays again. 

 

Packers – 31 @ Colts – 34

 

• Robert Tonyan caught all 5 of his targets for 41 yards and a TD on Sunday, his first decent showing in 3 weeks. All pass-catchers not named Davante Adams could be in line for bland fantasy output against a stout Chicago defense this week though. 

 

• Just a week ago, we thought Jonathan Taylor was dead in the water, only to get 114 yards on 26 touches in a winning effort against Green Bay on Sunday. It was nice to see the Colts stop being so cute and just let the kid eat. Who knows if they’ll stick with that plan moving forward though. They’ve been going with the hot hand, and Taylor just so happened to have it on Sunday. Still, it’s good to know that he’s still startable in fantasy.

 

• For the second week in a row, Michael Pittman has led the Colts in receiving(66 yards, 1 TD). He needs to be rostered in all formats moving forward, as his schedule for the next 5 weeks is TEN, HOU, LV, HOU, PIT, and the Steelers actually have a pretty lackluster secondary. 

 

Chiefs – 35 @ Raiders – 31

 

• Both Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Le’Veon Bell were able to eke out fantasy relevance on Sunday night, with Bell logging 8 touches to CEH’s 15. Bell only had 36 yards outside of his TD though. With Tampa on deck, CEH is the only KC back I’d roll with. 

 

• Nelson Agholor seems to score a TD every other week, but he’s the epitome of boom-or-bust, as he has a rock-bottom floor otherwise. He gets a floundering Atlanta team this week, but he’s still a coin flip. He’s only had more than 4 targets in 2 of 10 games this season.

 

• When Henry Ruggs has 1 target in a game with KC, in which the Raiders score 31 points, that’s a bad sign. He’s droppable outside of dynasty leagues.