This week was one of the highest fantasy scoring weeks this season. Jonathan Taylor and Austin Ekeler are a realistic RB1 and RB2 on someone’s roster, and that was almost 95 points just between the two of them. Two NFC North receivers, Justin Jefferson and Davante Adams dropped over 65 points between them. There were also three quarterbacks this week with over 30 fantasy points. Justin Herbert, Aaron Rodgers, and Jalen Hurts were all featured in many winning lineups this past week. Week 11 was much different than Week 10 in the way that the studs showed out, instead of the sleepers. This makes for a very intriguing Week 12 as we don’t know what we will see.
Players like Jonathan Taylor and Davante Adams are must-start players every week. In this article, I will identify some not-so-obvious choices that you might have trouble deciding between this week.
Quarterbacks:
Start: Cam Newton CAR vs MIA
Cam Newton finally made his return in the NFL and looked pretty mediocre in his first full game. The fantasy output was there but he struggled to move the offense down the field at times. All fantasy owners care about is how many points he scores, and despite only throwing for 189 yards, Cam Newton scored just over 26 fantasy points. He accounted for all three of the Panthers’ touchdowns and looked like the best quarterback on Carolina. This week he gets one of the worst defenses in the NFL in Miami, which is bad enough to make Newton a possible candidate to finish the week as the overall QB1. Confidently start Newton in every format this week and you will reap the benefits.
Sleepers: Matt Ryan ATL vs JAX and Trevor Lawrence JAX vs ATL
Sit: Ryan Tannehill TEN vs NE
With an injured Derrick Henry, an injured Julio Jones, and an always banged-up AJ Brown, Ryan Tannehill is starting to look like the below-average quarterback we saw in Miami. Tannehill threw four interceptions last week against one of the worst defenses in the league in Houston. This week he gets one of the best defenses in the league, as they play the red-hot New England Patriots. Tannehill will be on my bench everywhere he is owned as New England is giving up the second least fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Busts: Justin Herbert LAC vs DEN and Tua Tagovailoa MIA vs CAR
Running backs:
Start: James Robinson JAX vs ATL
James Robinson (A.K.A. the garbage time king) did not impress last week against an average San Francisco defense. A late-game touchdown saved his fantasy day as he accumulated only 38 yards on 15 opportunities. This week should be much different as the Jaguars get another team on the struggle bus in the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs and the 8th most rushing yards per game. This game will be a close one from start to finish, and the Jaguars will have to rely on James Robinson to get the job done. Expect Robinson to return to his early-season RB1 form against a poor defense this week.
Sleepers: David Johnson HOU vs NYJ and Antonio Gibson WAS vs SEA
Sit: Myles Gaskin MIA vs CAR
Myles Gaskin currently holds one of the weirdest stats in the NFL. He is averaging 17.8 fantasy points per game on odd weeks and 5.3 fantasy points per game on even weeks. Every odd week Gaskin has scored in double digits, and every even week he has had a single-digit point total. This week is odd, and Gaskin is facing a team in Carolina that is allowing the 5th least fantasy points per game to running backs. There is a high chance the trend continues this week as this will be a fairly low-scoring game. Gaskin is nothing more than a flex consideration this week, and you should look elsewhere if you had to start him.
Busts: Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson NE vs TEN and Josh Jacobs vs DAL
Wide receivers:
Start: DJ Moore CAR vs MIA
After a slow start to the season, DJ Moore has fallen off a bit. This past week, however, Moore had 16 fantasy points. During his “slump” over the previous 7 weeks, he never eclipsed 13.5 fantasy points. Over that span, the Carolina receiver had 7 or more targets in every game. The addition of Cam Newton will be huge for DJ Moore, and that connection showed in their first full game together. Both Moore and Newton are on this column as both will benefit from an abysmal Dolphins secondary. DJ Moore has WR1 upside this week, and I am starting him everywhere I can.
Sleepers: Jakobi Meyers NE vs TEN and Brandon Aiyuk SF vs MIN
Sit: Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton DEN vs LAC
Outside of last week’s implosion, the Chargers have one of the top passing defenses in the NFL. The Broncos have one of the worst passing offenses in the NFL and will have to take advantage of LA’s poor run defense if they want to win this game. Courtland Sutton has not had over 5 targets in his last 4 games and has not had over 6 fantasy points in his last 3. Jeudy has been a little better but not spectacular as he has not eclipsed 13 fantasy points in his 3 games back from injury. Both players are nothing more than poor flex options this week, and I would start both Jakobi Meyers and Brandon Aiyuk over them.
Busts: Sterling Shepard NYG vs PHI and Jaylen Waddle MIA vs CAR
Tight ends:
Start: Dalton Schultz DAL vs LV
Dalton Schultz finally had a double-digit scoring week after three straight weeks under 10 fantasy points. Without Amari Cooper and probably CeeDee Lamb, the Dallas tight end could be in line for a huge week. The Raiders have a below-average pass defense, and Dalton Schultz will likely be the number one or two target in this offense. Schultz has an upper TE1 upside as he is a lock for 8 or more targets. Confidently start Dalton Schultz this week over the players I have mentioned later in the article—Mike Gesicki, Dawson Knox, and Jared Cook.
Sleepers: Noah Fant DEN vs LAC and Logan Thomas WAS vs SEA
Sit: Mike Gesicki vs CAR
It seems Mike Gesicki has cooled off a bit after being red hot in weeks 3-7. Over his last four games, he is averaging 3 receptions and only 7.3 fantasy points per game. This week he plays a team in Carolina that will look to shut down the entire Miami passing game. Because of this, I don’t see much upside in Mike Gesicki this week, and he shouldn’t be anything more than a very-low TE1 to a TE2. Noah Fant and Logan Thomas are much better options than Gesicki as we will likely have to wait one more week for his bounce-back.
Busts: Dawson Knox vs NO and Jared Cook LAC vs DEN
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