Below you’ll find my tiers for Week 12 fantasy football. These are based on standard scoring and cover every position.
As a reminder, these tiers are not updated after publication. If you want my most up-to-date rankings for PPR, Standard and Half-Point PPR leagues, check out this post.
Jump to a position: Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker | Defense
Quarterbacks
Tier 1
Drew Brees (vs. ATL)
The Rams and Chiefs are both on BYE this week which removes a ton of fantasy football studs from the player pool. As a result, Drew Brees gets Tier 1 all to himself. He has a cupcake matchup at home against the Falcons on Thanksgiving night. The Saints have an eye-popping 36.5 implied team total this week.
Tier 2
Cam Newton (vs. SEA)
Jameis Winston (vs. SF)
Andrew Luck (vs. MIA)
The Tampa Bay quarterback situation is arguably the most tilting thing about the 2018 season. No matter who is starting for the Bucs, he will be a high-end QB1 — but also a threat to be benched in-game.
Head Coach Dirk Koetter is on the hot seat and in “win now” mode. He couldn’t care less about the future of the team, or the need to just roll with Jameis the rest of the season so the franchise can assess if he should be the QB of the future.
I’m tentatively expecting Jameis to be the starting QB the rest of the way and be a fantasy QB1 through the last several weeks of the season. Cam Newton and Andrew Luck are much safer high-end QB1 options this week.
Tier 3
Matt Ryan (@ NO)
Carson Wentz (vs. NYG)
Kirk Cousins (vs. GB)
All three of these QBs are on teams that are seeing their playoff chances slip away. I can see all three of them having big games this week.
Ryan may have no choice but to throw early and often to try to keep up with Brees and the Saints.
Tier 4
Tom Brady (@ NYJ)
Lamar Jackson (vs. OAK)
Aaron Rodgers (@ MIN)
I have been waiting for the first official start from Lamar Jackson all year. We finally got to see it in Week 11 when Joe Flacco was forced to miss with a hip injury that could cost him a few games.
When making projections for Jackson last week, it was tough to gauge just how many rushing yards he’d gain. As you know from reading my Tiers every week, I tend to stress the overlooked value of rushing yards for fantasy QBs. Relying on rushing yards helps raise a quarterbacks’ floors and ceilings, and as a result, they’re less reliant on TD luck to return fantasy value.
As expected, Jackson put up eye-popping numbers in his debut with a 100+ rushing yard performance with very little production through the air (150 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT). This type of stat line massively downgrades all pass catchers on the Ravens, but Jackson is a low-end QB1 this week in a matchup against the Raiders we could see him rack up a ton of yards on the ground again this week.
Tier 5
Mitch Trubisky (@ DET)
Philip Rivers (vs. ARI)
Ben Roethlisberger (@ DEN)
Deshaun Watson (vs. TEN)
There is a real danger that Mitch Trubisky could miss Week 12 with a shoulder injury. It seems as if he might have been fine if the Bears played on Sunday, but due to them playing the first game on the Thanksgiving slate, he may not be able to beat the clock and get healed in time to play.
Chase Daniel playing instead of Trubisky would mean a downgrade across the board to the Bears pass-catchers. As always, be sure to check out my updated rankings before making any start/sit decisions.
Tier 6
Dak Prescott (vs. WAS)
Russell Wilson (@ CAR)
Baker Mayfield (@ CIN)
Andy Dalton (vs. CLE)
For Jared Goff/Patrick Mahomes owners, this would be an ideal Tier from which to pluck your BYE week replacement. Andy Dalton would get a big boost if A.J. Green is able to return this week.
Baker Mayfield gets to face his former coach, Hue Jackson, who recently joined the Bengals coaching staff. Baker playing with a little extra motivation could be a good thing, given his chip-on-the-shoulder mentality.
Tier 7
Nick Mullens (@ TB)
Mullens gets a Tier all to himself this week. He is not a QB you want to trust quite yet, but he has one of the best matchups in all of football against the Buccaneers. After having a BYE week to continue to learn the offense, we could see another breakout game from him. He is a recommended 2-QB-league play only this week.
Tier 8
Blake Bortles (@ BUF)
Ryan Tannehill (@ IND)
Matthew Stafford (vs. CHI)
Eli Manning (@ PHI)
Ryan Tannehill is tentatively expected to return this week. He’s very difficult to trust but if you are desperate for a BYE week fill-in and he happens to be the top guy available, go for it.
Eli Manning only attempted 18 passes in a 38-35 win over the Buccaneers. The Eagles secondary has suffered injuries at an alarming rate the past couple weeks. As a result, the Giants may have a pass-heavy scheme this week, which would make Eli a sneaky 2-QB play again this week.
Tier 9
Marcus Mariota (@ HOU)
Case Keenum (vs. PIT)
Marcus Mariota is a game-time decision for MNF, but with only two teams on a BYE, you shouldn’t be in a situation where you are being forced to start him this week. If you are in a deep league that starts two QBs be sure to add Blaine Gabbert as a backup play in case we don’t find out about Mariota’s status ahead of Sunday’s games.
Tier 10
Colt McCoy (@ DAL)
Josh McCown (vs. NE)
Josh Allen (vs. JAX)
We still aren’t 100% certain who will be starting for the Bills or Jets this week, doesn’t matter much, but be sure to check my updated rankings to see how these decisions may affect the pass-catchers on each offense once we know who is starting for each team.
Tier 11
Derek Carr (@ BAL)
Josh Rosen (@ LAC)
I would avoid starting either QB this week in any league size/format, if possible.
Running Backs
Tier 1
Melvin Gordon (vs. ARI)
Ezekiel Elliott (vs. WAS)
With Todd Gurley on a BYE this week, it opens the door for others to be in Tier 1. Melvin Gordon is in a fantastic spot with a home game vs. the Cardinals. The Chargers should win easy and lean on their running game even more.
Tier 2
Saquon Barkley (@ PHI)
Alvin Kamara (vs. ATL)
There’s a chance that Falcons stud LB Deion Jones returns this week. He is their only chance at being able to contain Alvin Kamara. If Jones is unable to suit up or only expected to play limited snaps, it will only boost Kamara’s outlook this week.
Tier 3
James Conner (@ DEN)
Christian McCaffrey (vs. SEA)
David Johnson (@ LAC)
David Johnson has played like the high-end RB1 we all thought he’d be ever since the Cardinals made Byron Leftwich the offensive coordinator. The Cardinals will likely be in comeback mode for most of their matchup against the Chargers, so we could see a 5-8 catch game from DJ this week, boosting his value in PPR formats.
Tier 4
Nick Chubb (@ CIN)
Joe Mixon (vs. CLE)
Leonard Fournette (@ BUF)
Nick Chubb is poised to close out the last several weeks of the 2018 season with a bang. New OC Freddie Kitchens seems more willing to involve Chubb in the passing game. This will allow Chubb to stay involved in games where the Browns are trailing (which should be quite often), so this helps raise his weekly floor.
Leonard Fournette appears to be over the nagging hamstring injury that had derailed his 2018 season. He seems to be peaking at the right time heading into the fantasy playoffs with touch counts of 29 and 30 in his past two games.
Tier 5
Matt Breida (@ TB)
Marlon Mack (vs. MIA)
Aaron Jones (@ MIN)
Matt Breida should be close to 100% after getting the BYE week at the perfect time to let his injured ankle heal. He has a dream matchup this week against Tampa and with Raheem Mostert on the shelf, he should see the lion’s share of work the rest of the way. Alfred Morris is nothing more than a change-of-pace back that could steal a goal-line TD or two the rest of the way. The window to “buy low” on Breida is this week before Sunday’s game.
Tier 6
James White (@ NYJ) +2
Phillip Lindsay (vs. PIT)
Both backs are incredibly efficient, which allows them to put up elite numbers, even with a limited amount of touches. It was encouraging to see Lindsay’s percentage of snaps not be impacted by Royce Freeman’s return, as the Oregon product mostly just split backup duties with Devontae Booker.
It’s probably not possible for Lindsay to maintain this level of production unless Denver starts giving him more carries, I would be willing to “sell high” on him right now but wouldn’t fault you for wanting to squeeze out as much value as possible out of what could be one of the best in-season waiver wire adds of 2018.
Tier 7
Dalvin Cook (vs. GB)
Tevin Coleman (@ NO)
Mark Ingram (vs. ATL)
Lamar Miller (vs. TEN)
Dalvin Cook has been one of the biggest disappointments of 2018. Not only has he missed a handful of games, he has been impossible to trust with limited touches in the games he has been healthy enough to suit up.
Last week’s brutal game was likely more a result of the mismatch of the Vikings’ offensive line versus the Bears’ defensive front. I’m thinking Cook has to be closer to 100% than we realize heading into this week and think we could see a breakout game and even go as far to say he will score his first TD of 2018.
He’s another RB who’s an ideal “buy low” candidate. You could get him for very cheap due to how frustrating he has been to own this year.
Tier 8
LeSean McCoy (vs. JAX)
Sony Michel (@ NYJ)
Adrian Peterson (@ DAL)
Peyton Barber (vs. SF)
LeSean McCoy had a breakout game before heading into the BYE. He should keep it going this week, especially if Chris Ivory ends up sitting again. Sony Michel should be closer to 100% after a much needed BYE last week. I’m tentatively expecting him to return to getting 15-20 carries this week.
Tier 9
Jordan Howard (@ DET)
Dion Lewis (@ HOU)
Tarik Cohen (@ DET)
Gus Edwards (vs. OAK)
LeGarrette Blount (vs. CHI)
Kenyan Drake (@ IND)
Chris Carson (@ CAR)
After breaking out with a 100-yard game against the Bengals last week, Gus Edwards is one of the more interesting players to project for Week 12. There is no question that if he ends up seeing 15-plus touches this week against the Raiders that he will be an elite RB2 play, but that’s far from a guarantee.
Edwards could very well end up getting more run when Jackson is the starter, since they practiced together with the second-team offense and may have more chemistry with specific RPO plays.
I’m taking the bait on Gus this week and rolling him out on a few teams as a high end FLEX play this week based on the easy matchup against the Raiders.
As Matthew Freedman pointed out on our Week 12 Fantasy Flex pod this week, the Ravens have a propensity to go with the hot hand at RB and never feel obligated to stick with any one back as their workhorse (which is part of the reason why I had Alex Collins in my Frozen Pond Tier before the season).
Tier 10
Frank Gore (@ IND)
Isaiah Crowell (vs. NE)
Josh Adams (vs. NYG)
Alex Collins (vs. OAK)
Elijah McGuire (vs. NE)
Duke Johnson (@ CIN)
Jalen Richard (@ BAL)
Theo Riddick (vs. CHI)
As mentioned above, Alex Collins scored in his third straight game and still managed to have his value take a huge hit. How the Ravens intend on splitting up the RB workload this week is a bit of a mystery, but I think it’s safe to assume that Collins should see all of the goal-line work, making him a shaky TD-dependent back whose lack of passing game work takes him out of consideration in PPR leagues.
Josh Adams is trending up and should be the back to own in the Eagles’ three-way RBBC after Jay Ajayi’s season ending injury. I still hesitate to trust any Eagles back unless I am forced to.
Frank Gore is a name to watch this week as Kenyan Drake appears to be a game-time decision. It’s also worth noting that this is a revenge game for him at the Colts. You have to wonder if this ever-so-slightly boosts Gore’s TD odds this week, as Adam Gase could lean toward forcing the ball to Gore near the goal line.
Wide Receivers
Tier 1
Michael Thomas (vs. ATL)
MT is the perfect storm of a high-floor/high-ceiling play this week. The Saints WR depth chart has been decimated by injuries the past month and now even Tre’Quan Smith seems in danger of missing this week’s game against an exploitable Falcons pass defense.
Tier 2
Julio Jones (@ NO)
Adam Thielen (vs. GB)
DeAndre Hopkins (vs. TEN)
Antonio Brown (@ DEN)
Odell Beckham (@ PHI)
Davante Adams (@ MIN)
Take your pick out of any of the above as to who deserves to be ranked as the No. 2 WR this week.
Tier 3
Mike Evans (vs. SF)
T.Y. Hilton (vs. MIA) -1
Keenan Allen (vs. ARI)
Stefon Diggs (vs. GB)
Kenny Golladay (vs. CHI)
The window to “buy low” on Golladay has been closed shut. It appears the Lions will be without Marvin Jones again this week, making it a guarantee Golladay sees 10-plus targets again this week. We can nitpick things a bit about his matchup against the Bears being less than ideal, but he needs to be treated as a high-end WR2 and in everyone’s lineup this week.
Tier 4
JuJu Smith-Schuster (@ DEN)
Emmanuel Sanders (vs. PIT)
Tyler Boyd (vs. CLE)
Josh Gordon (@ NYJ)
Julian Edelman (@ NYJ)
A.J. Green (vs. CLE)
Jarvis Landry (@ CIN) +1
A.J. Green is tentatively due back this week from his toe injury. It seems possible he’ll suffer an in-game setback, making his floor much lower than we’d like, but with a player of Green’s caliber, we have to risk starting him because the reward is too great to pass up. I also think Green’s presence (at less than 100%) helps boost Tyler Boyd’s value some.
Tier 5
Alshon Jeffery (vs. NYG)
DeSean Jackson (vs. SF)
Amari Cooper (vs. WAS)
Tre’Quan Smith (vs. ATL)
Tyler Lockett (@ CAR)
Courtland Sutton (vs. PIT)
Allen Robinson (@ DET)
Doug Baldwin (@ CAR)
Corey Davis (@ HOU)
The Amari Cooper hype train took a bit of a detour last week as we were reminded of his lack of consistency. This week he will likely see a ton of Josh Norman but is a fade-matchup, bet on talent WR3 play.
Tre’Quan Smith is going to be a game-time decision this week after having a massive 10/157/1 game in Week 11. The Saints playing Thursday has me worried they’ll handle TQS with caution and rest him with a home game against the Falcons they should win easy.
Be sure check my updated rankings once we know his status to see how it impacts other Saints pass-catchers.
Courtland Sutton has yet to have a breakout game since the Broncos traded away Demaryius Thomas, but it should be coming any week now. Unlike Kenny Golladay, there is still time to “buy low.” I would think that owners who have Sutton on their teams are pretty sharp fantasy football players, so it may be tougher to trick them into giving up Sutton for cheap.
Tier 6
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (@ MIN)
Chris Godwin (vs. SF)
Calvin Ridley (@ NO)
Larry Fitzgerald (@ LAC)
Tyrell Williams (vs. ARI)
Sterling Shepard (@ PHI)
Devin Funchess (vs. SEA)
Marquise Goodwin (@ TB)
Keke Coutee (vs. TEN)
DeVante Parker (@ IND)
D.J. Moore (vs. SEA)
Danny Amendola (@ IND)
Golden Tate (vs. NYG)
You’ll find a ton of upside in this massive WR3 Tier.
I think Chris Godwin is being overlooked as someone who could benefit a bit from O.J. Howard being sent to the IR. He could see an uptick in snaps and even a target or two over the middle of the field. It would also be beneficial to him and all Tampa Bay pass-catchers if the team could stick with a starting QB the rest of the season to help build better chemistry.
Larry Fitzgerald typically starts the season off on fire and then fades away as the season comes to a close. This year he has done the opposite. After seeming washed up and becoming nearly droppable after Week 6, the future HOFer has 4 TDs in his past four games.
You have to wonder if the change to new OC Byron Leftwich is a big part of this. Regardless, it’s nice to see rookie QB Josh Rosen lean on his veteran WR down the stretch. Fitz is a solid WR3 play this week in a matchup where the Cardinals should be forced to throw to keep up with the Chargers.
Tier 7
Kenny Stills (@ IND)
Taylor Gabriel (@ DET)
Christian Kirk (@ LAC)
Quincy Enunwa (vs. NE)
Dede Westbrook (@ BUF)
Marvin Jones (vs. CHI)
John Brown (vs. OAK)
Mohamed Sanu (@ NO)
Anthony Miller (@ DET)
Donte Moncrief (@ BUF)
Adam Humphries (vs. SF)
As mentioned earlier, there’s a strong Marvin Jones sits out again this week. Unfortunately, that doesn’t open the door for anyone on the waiver wire to become a plug-and-play at WR. You will likely need to have other backup plans in place.
John Brown and the rest of the Ravens’ pass-catchers take a massive hit with Lamar Jackson is under center. There’s always the chance defenses sell out to stop the run and leave Brown wide open for a deep TD, but I’m afraid he is going to need that to happen to have any fantasy relevance in the coming weeks.
If/when Joe Flacco returns he will again enter into the WR3 discussion.
Tight Ends
Tier 1
Zach Ertz (vs. NYG)
We finally saw Zach Ertz’s floor last week with a dreadful 2/15/0 performance. There was the possibility that Golden Tate’s presence could lower Ertz targets some weeks, but this was not the reason for the TE’s worst game of the season.
It’s a no-brainer to bet on Ertz bouncing back this week — in a big way.
Tier 2
George Kittle (@ TB)
Kittle is set up for a massive game against this Bucs defense. His value this week at TE is boosted even more with Travis Kelce on a BYE.
Tier 3
Rob Gronkowski (@ NYJ)
One of the biggest busts of 2018 so far, Gronk needs to finish the season strong to not single handedly cost his fantasy owners a chance at the title. He required second-round capital in most leagues, and his owners have been forced to carry two TEs most of the season, which is a brutal way to waste one of your bench slots.
Coming off a BYE, I’m thinking he should be closer to 100% and start to deliver as soon as this week.
Tier 4
Greg Olsen (vs. SEA)
Jared Cook (@ BAL)
Jack Doyle (vs. MIA)
Jordan Reed (@ DAL)
Cameron Brate (vs. SF)
David Njoku (@ CIN)
Austin Hooper (@ NO)
Vance McDonald (@ DEN)
Trey Burton (@ DET)
Evan Engram (@ PHI)
Only 1 projected point separates the top of this Tier with the bottom. Even the slightest tweaks to any of the projections could send one of these TEs way up or down the rankings. Be sure to check my updated rankings before making sit/start decisions with any of the above.
Tier 5
Eric Ebron (vs. MIA)
Kyle Rudolph (vs. GB)
C.J. Uzomah (vs. CLE)
Jimmy Graham (@ MIN)
Jeff Heuerman (vs. PIT)
Christopher Herndon (vs. NE)
Ben Watson (vs. ATL)
Ricky Seals-Jones (@ LAC)
This Tier offers some potential BYE-week fill-in options for Travis Kelce owners. These are nothing more than TD-dependent dart throws. You can’t bank on any sort of useful yardage numbers to help you out in the event they don’t score.
Jimmy Graham will try to play through a broken finger but I decided to cut bait with him for Cameron Brate while I had the chance.
Kickers
Tier 1
Wil Lutz (vs. ATL)
Tier 2
Adam Vinatieri (vs. MIA)
Stephen Gostkowski (@ NYJ)
Justin Tucker (vs. OAK)
Tier 3
Cairo Santos (vs. SF)
Mike Badgley (vs. ARI)
Dan Bailey (vs. GB)
Robbie Gould (@ TB)
Jake Elliott (vs. NYG)
Graham Gano (vs. SEA)
Randy Bullock (vs. CLE)
Matt Bryant (@ NO)
Cody Parkey (@ DET)
Chris Boswell (@ DEN)
Tier 4
Brett Maher (vs. WAS)
Ka’imi Fairbairn (vs. TEN)
Mason Crosby (@ MIN)
Matt Prater (vs. CHI)
Tier 5
Sebastian Janikowski (@ CAR)
Brandon McManus (vs. PIT)
Jason Sanders (@ IND)
Greg Joseph (@ CIN)
Josh Lambo (@ BUF)
Tier 6
Ryan Succop (@ HOU)
Aldrick Rosas (@ PHI)
Steven Hauschka (vs. JAX)
Jason Myers (vs. NE)
Dustin Hopkins (@ DAL)
Tier 7
Phil Dawson (@ LAC)
Daniel Carlson (@ BAL)
Defenses
Tier 1
Los Angeles Chargers (vs. ARI)
Jacksonville Jaguars (@ BUF)
Houston Texans (vs. TEN)
Baltimore Ravens (vs. OAK)
Dallas Cowboys (vs. WAS)
Tier 2
New England Patriots (@ NYJ)
Chicago Bears (@ DET)
Pittsburgh Steelers (@ DEN)
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. NYG)
Buffalo Bills (vs. JAX)
Indianapolis Colts (vs. MIA)
Tennessee Titans (@ HOU)
Cincinnati Bengals (vs. CLE)
Tier 3
Minnesota Vikings (vs. GB)
Carolina Panthers (vs. SEA)
Denver Broncos (vs. PIT)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. SF)
San Francisco 49ers (@ TB)
Detroit Lions (vs. CHI)
Washington Redskins (@ DAL)
Cleveland Browns (@ CIN)
Green Bay Packers (@ MIN)
Tier 4
New Orleans Saints (vs. ATL)
Seattle Seahawks (@ CAR)
New York Giants (@ PHI)
Oakland Raiders (@ BAL)
Tier 5
Arizona Cardinals (@ LAC)
New York Jets (vs. NE)
Miami Dolphins (@ IND)
Tier 6
Atlanta Falcons (@ NO)
