Trashman’s Fantasy Fallout Going Into Week 12 of the 2023 NFL Season

Fantasy is a fickle mistress, but we’re making the most of what she gives us going into Week 12. These are the action items…

 

Bengals – 20 @ Ravens – 34

• Joe Burrow is out for the year and with him go the fantasy stocks of Ja’Maar Chase and Tee Higgins. Jake Browning(8/68/1) is the Browns QB for the foreseeable future, and maybe things aren’t as bleak as they seem. Browning threw a TD and ran for 40 yards in relief of Burrow, indicating he may have some fantasy juice. Of course it could be the kind of situation where a new QB has a couple of hot games before defenses figure him out, a la Will Levis, but maybe Browning can sustain at least some of the fantasy value of Cincy’s skill players. If anyone might get a boost, it’s TE Tanner Hudson(4/49), who could become a safety valve for Browning.

 

• The Ravens had their own devastating loss, as Mark Andrews reportedly suffered a cracked fibula Thursday night. No word yet on how long he’ll be out, but Andrews could go on IR after further evaluation. Isaiah Likely slots in as the next man up at the position and should provide streaming value as long as Andrews is out.

 

• Odell Beckham(4/116) is heating up at the right time, going over 100 yards or scoring in his last 3 games. With Andrews gone for now, targets are freed up, and Beckham will be the likely recipient of a chunk of them.

 

Steelers – 10 @ Patriots – 13

• The Pittsburgh offense was stagnant outside of Jaylen Warren(12/145/1) in his first game as the “starter”. The Steelers need to take a step back and reevaluate what they’re doing on offense, as they aren’t reaping what they sow.

 

• The Browns managed the win, but it would’ve been hard to tell based on the box score. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson mustered up a pitiful 32.4 QB rating but avoided making a lot of mistakes. What was notable was the 15 targets that David Njoku(7/56) accumulated as DTR’s safety outlet.

 

Cardinals – 16 @ Texans – 21

• Greg Dortch(6/76) led the Cardinals in receiving, in some part due to Michael Wilson‘s absence. If Wilson can’t find his way onto the field this week, Dortch has some juice as a PPR flex.

 

• Marquise Brown(2/18, 5 tgts) had another down day, but the Texans secondary isn’t a pushover. Brown is someone to target before your trade deadline, if it hasn’t passed yet.

 

• I would be shocked if Devin Singetary(24/118/1) doesn’t hold onto the starting role in the Houston backfield when Dameon Pierce returns, as he’s just been more effective in the role.

 

• Robert Woods(5/44) had 8 targets on the day, with Noah Brown sitting. It’s unlikely Brown misses another game, but Woods would have flex consideration in the offense in WK 12 if he does.

 

Titans – 14 @ Jaguars – 34

• No Titans had more than 2 targets on the day, save for DeAndre Hopkins(4/59/1). Levis'(13/158/2) line is deceptive, as he struggled most of the day before getting a couple of scores in garbage time. Things won’t be any easier this week against a Panthers defense that’s actually decent. The Jags were a top 10 matchup for QBs.

 

• Zay Jones(4/20) saw his first action in 4 weeks, putting up a pedestrian line but coming out no worse for the wear. He’ll be an intriguing PPR flex in what could be a shootout with the Texans this week.

 

Raiders – 13 @ Dolphins – 20

• Rookie WR Tre Tucker had the 2nd most Raiders targets(7) on the day behind Davante Adams(13). O’Connell looks for Tucker deep, and the speedy rookie has some juice moving forward.

 

• De’Von Achane(2/ 5) left many an owner wanting, as he exited the game after his knee, the same knee that put him on IR, was landed on. The Dolphins were allegedly just exercising caution with the young back, and he’s not in danger of sitting WK12. If for some reason he can’t make it, Salvon Ahmed(6/31/1) could see more run.

 

Cowboys – 33 @ Panthers – 10

• Finally Tony Pollard(16/80/1) scored a TD, his first since WK1. Pollard hasn’t been the RB1 we expected coming into the season, but the Cowboys defense has been playing so well that the offense hasn’t had to fire on all cylinders for the most part. The competition is stiffer moving forward, so hopefully they lean on Pollard more.

 

• Chuba Hubbard(12/65) and Miles Sanders(12/52) split the backfield almost evenly against Dallas, touching the ball 12 times a piece. The Carolina running game gets a little reprieve this week when they face Tennessee, but they get a murderers row the following 3 games(TB, NO, ATL). Hubbard is still the best bet of the two.

 

Bears – 26 @ Lions – 31

• No need to worry about which Bears RB is the lead right now, as Justin Fields led Chicago in rushing yards(104 yards). JK. Khalil Herbert had 16 touches his first game back, though Roschon Johnson looked the best(5.0 YPC) between the tackles. D’Onta Foreman scored a TD, but he re-aggravated an injury he suffered earlier in the season. If Foreman can’t go this week, both Johnson and Herbert could get significant touches.

 

• Jameson Williams(2/44) scored his 2nd TD of the season, though he only had 3 targets on the day. He’s still not getting enough action to start in most leagues.

 

Chargers – 20 @ Packers – 23

• Donald Parham(4/57) got a bump in action with Gerald Everett sidelined. Should Everett miss again this week, Parham has a tough matchup with Baltimore. We’re hoping for red-zone action to mitigate.

 

• WIth Josh Palmer and Jalen Guyton both sitting on Sunday, we were hoping Quentin Johnson would finally erupt. He really does have terrible hands though. He whiffed on what would have been a long TD catch and run late in the game, and he’s been underwhelming otherwise. It’s probably best to look elsewhere for upside.

 

• Aaron Jones escaped an ACL tear, but he’ll still probably miss some time, making AJ Dillon a hot pickup if he’s available in your league, even against a stout Detroit front this week.

 

• Christian Watson(2/21/1) finally found the endzone, but the rest of his line was meager. 6 Packers ended up with more receiving yards and 4 players had more targets.

 

Giants – 31 @ Commanders – 19

• My first inclination when making the Garbage Grab last weekend was to put Tommy DeVito(18/246/3) in the QB spot, and I should’ve gone with my gut. DeVito takes chances, which is more than I can say for Daniel Jones, so he gives the skill players chances to thrive too.

 

• DeVito’s favorite target was Darius Slayton(4/82/1), who has some juice going into WK12.

 

• Chris Rodriguez(7/48, 7.2 YPC) had a decent day with Antonio Gibson(toe) sidelined, though the fact that Washington still lost doesn’t help his chances moving forward whenever Gibson is back – a lost fumble didn’t do him any favors either. He’s not someone to gamble with against Dallas this week.

 

Buccaneers – 14 @ 49ers – 27

• Cade Otton(4/49) led Tampa in receiving on a lamentable day for their offense. Otton is streamable, but barely.

 

• I mean, we have to know at this point that aside from Purdy, McCaffrey, Kittle, Aiyuk, and Samuel, every other 49er skill player is a non-playable character.

Jets – 6 @ Bills – 32

• The Zach Wilson experiment is over, for now at least, moving Tim Boyle into the driver’s seat for WK12. Boyle may not be much better, but he can’t get much worse. The Jets have a plus matchup with Miami this week, but aside from Breece Hall and maybe, just maybe, Garett Wilson, there’s not much to look forward to.

 

• Khalil Shakir(3/115/1) and Ty Johnson(3/47/1) had big days, with Stefon Diggs going silent versus Gardner and co. Johnson had a revenge narrative to help his production, while Shakir had an 81 yard scorcher to beef up his line. Gabe Davis didn’t log a target, but that won’t be the case most of the time. Shakir has been heating up and could see more looks as the underneath receiver against a sieve-like Eagles secondary.

 

Seahawks – 16 @ Rams – 17

• Geno Smith has a bruised elbow and is questionable to play this Thursday against the 49ers, already a tough draw. Expect Seattle to lean heavily on the run this week.

 

• Zach Charbonnet(21/69) played 55 of 65 snaps on Sunday, with Ken Walker leaving due to an oblique injury. Dee Dallas(2/14) could see extra run this week, but this looks like Charbonnet’s chance to shine.

 

• Darrel Henderson(10/29/1) saved his day with a score, but Royce Freeman(17/73) out-touched him 17 to 10 on Sunday. Unfortunately for both of them, Kyren Williams is set to return from IR this week. I’d hold onto them, but I wouldn’t start either in WK12.

 

• Special teamer Austin Trammell(3/23) saw 6 targets with Cooper Kupp going down to an ankle injury Sunday. He could see more looks against Arizona this week, should Kupp miss more time, though Tutu Atwell is the better pickup.

 

Vikings – 20 @ Broncos – 21

• Ty Chandler(14/110) had 5 fewer touches than Alexander Mattison(19/80) but 30 more yards on Sunday night. He’s a prime flex candidate this week against Chicago.

 

• TE Josh Oliver(4/47/1) is usually mainly a blocker, but he got some usage as a pass-catcher Sunday night. With Joshua Dobbs playing like a bonafide starter, he could see some use as a streamer.

 

• Both Samaje Perine(8/67) and Jaleel McLaughlin(6/15) saw significant targets Sunday night up against a Vikings team that defends the run well. They’ll face a Panthers team that is similarly focused this week, so perhaps we’ll get more passing game involvement for them in WK12.