Week 12 was certainly one to remember in a fun pairing of some blowout Thanksgiving games along with a fun Sunday filled with some surprises. Fantasy football continues to prove it is not something that can always be predicted with great accuracy, throwing surprises and disappointments at every turn.
This week showed off some quarterback-wide receiver pairings that resulted in monster days that put both the quarterback and wide receiver in the top-10 performances from Week 12. What this week provided is more information and evidence to help make lineup decisions and find DFS value plays going forward.
1. Russell Wilson, Quarterback, Seattle Seahawks
Points: 35.2
Stats: 21/30, 345 passing yards, 14 rushing yards and five passing touchdowns
Wilson has been one of the bigger fantasy disappointments this season, in large part because of a struggling supporting cast around him. But it appears the Seahawks figured things out over the bye week and are now taking more chances, allowing Wilson to use his arm strength and touch more frequently.
After a three-touchdown game last week, Wilson surpassed that with a five-touchdown performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While Jimmy Graham has been seen as the primary weapon in the passing game, Wilson relied more on his receivers Sunday. It is a good thing now considering Graham left Sunday's game and is out for at least a year with a torn patella tendon. One other change which has made Seattle's offense better and could be a good sign moving forward, Thomas Rawls is starting and is the best running back on Seattle's roster.
2. Matthew Stafford, Quarterback, Detroit Lions
Points: 34.78
Stats: 27/38, 337 passing yards, 13 rushing yards and five passing touchdowns
The Philadelphia Eagles marked a spot for fantasy owners and DFS players to target Stafford, hoping he could put up similar numbers to Jameis Winston's five-touchdown performance the week before. Stafford delivered an even better performance than Winston, throwing five touchdowns and passing for over 300 yards.
The Lions' offense looks better under play caller Jim Bob Cooter. The running game is starting to pick up with Ameer Abdullah earning a larger role, Stafford is being given more time to throw and freedom to work within the offense. Theo Riddick has emerged as an excellent pass-catching threat out of the backfield and with a healthy receiving core, more big performances could be on the way.
3. Doug Baldwin, Wide Receiver, Seattle Seahawks
Points: 32.5
Stats: Six receptions, 145 receiving yards and three touchdowns
As mentioned in the introduction, this was a great week for quarterback-wide receiver duos and none had a greater week than Wilson and Baldwin. Baldwin has had a fairly quiet year until now, but he exploded against the Steelers' secondary, exposing them all over the field.
Whether it was his 80-yard touchdown, coming off a short pass and slipping past the tackle to sprint down the sideline for the touchdown, or his red-zone touchdowns. Baldwin surprised everyone on Sunday and while these games can't be expected again, he had 194 yards combined in the two games leading up to Week 12. With Graham out, Baldwin could make for a nice WR3 with upside.
4. Adrian Peterson, Running Back, Minnesota Vikings
Points: 30.7
Stats: 29 carries, 157 rushing yards, two receptions, 29 receiving yards and two rushing touchdowns
Many fantasy owners expected Peterson to shred the Green Bay Packers defense, instead he was bottled up and left many disappointed. Peterson took out his anger from a bad week on the Atlanta Falcons, toasting them for 186 total yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Peterson continues to be a fantasy monster this season, the best running back in fantasy football once again. His upcoming schedule is favorly favorable, especially for the playoffs when he faces the Chicago Bears and New York Giants. He is the best fantasy running back out there and should drop in another 110-plus yard, two-touchdown performance soon.
5. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Quarterback, New York Jets
Points: 29.18
Stats: 22/37, 277 passing yards, 21 rushing yards and four passing touchdowns
The bearded Harvard graduate came through against the Miami Dolphins. Fitzpatrick has never been a sexy name in the fantasy community but he has been put in great position to succeed. With a productive, physical running game to balance the offense, it opens up the passing game for Fitzpatrick to work magic with Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall.
Each week it seems to be a different Jets' receiver who has the big game, while Decker had a solid 5/62/1 line, Marshall was the star on Sunday. Marshall turned Brent Grimes into extra-crispy toast on Sunday, finishing with nine receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns. With upcoming matchups against the Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots, Fitzpatrick and the Jets wide receivers should have some more strong games.
6. Philip Rivers, Quarterback, San Diego Chargers
Points: 28.9
Stats: 29/43, 300 passing yards and four passing touchdowns
Despite all the injuries, a beat up offensive line and receiving core filled with backups, Rivers put on a display against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rivers needed some time to get adjusted to his new, weakened supporting cast but has now made it work.
On Sunday, Rivers connected with Stevie Johnson for 92 yards and a touchdown, Antonio Gates for two touchdowns and Dontrelle Inman for 65 yards and a touchdown. Rivers has shifted from his reliance on Danny Woodhead to letting his wide receivers and tight ends make plays. Next week marks a brutal matchup against the Denver Broncos, but the next three weeks (Kansas City, Miami, Oakland) are all favorable matchups.
7. Sammy Watkins, Wide Receiver, Buffalo Bills
Points: 27.8
Stats: Six receptions, 158 receiving yards and two touchdowns
The Kansas City Chiefs defense had been stout before their matchup against the Bills, but on Sunday they had no answers for Watkins. Even before the first half was over, Watkins had already beaten them deep on multiple occasions and surpassed the 100-yard mark while sitting at two touchdowns.
Watkins has been vocal all year practically demanding the football be thrown his way, games like this prove his point about getting him a chance in one-on-one coverage. A matchup against the Houston Texans could be tough in Week 13, but the following matchups against Philadelphia, Washington and Dallas scream out great opportunities for Watkins.
8. C.J. Anderson, Running Back, Denver Broncos
Points: 27.3
Stats: 15 carries, 113 rushing yards, four receptions, 40 receiving yards and two rushing touchdowns
Before the fantasy season started, Anderson was a top-12 fantasy draft pick and expected to be a major contributor in Gary Kubiak's system. Then the Broncos' offense fell off a cliff and Anderson lost his job to Ronnie Hillman, then Hillman lost it to Anderson for a week and the cycle repeated. But since Denver made a change from Peyton Manning to Brock Osweiler, the running game has improved.
While Anderson only saw 12 carries against the Chicago Bears, he finished with 59 rushing yards, a very respectable 4.9 yards per carry. He carried over that momentum into Week 12 against the Patriots, clobbering them for 153 total yards on 19 touches. Anderson found the end zone twice, including the game-winning 48-yard rushing touchdown in overtime. While he will be splitting carries with Hillman, Anderson has established himself as an RB2 the rest of the way
9. Calvin Johnson, Wide Receiver, Detroit Lions
Points: 27.3
Stats: Eight receptions, 93 receiving yards and three touchdowns
The Eagles made a very poor decision on Thanksgiving when Nolan Carroll left the game, they left rookie Eric Rowe alone in coverage against Megatron. After the first touchdown the Eagles didn't learn, nor did they learn their lesson after Johnson's second touchdown. While Johnson never had any of the big bomb plays we've seen from him in the past, his size, physicality and great hands showed up inside the red zone as he finished with three touchdowns. Fantasy owners were waiting for that big performance to come, now they have it from the top-10 receiver.
10. Tyrod Taylor, Quarterback, Buffalo Bills
Points: 26.24
Stats: 21/38, 291 passing yards, 46 rushing yards and three passing touchdowns
Very few, if anyone, saw this type of game coming from Taylor. After seeing him hurt his shoulder on Monday Night Football and struggle to really throw the football without grimacing in pain, who could have seen a 291-yard, three-touchdown game coming. But despite barely practicing, Taylor had the deep ball working with Watkins, who accounted for 54 percent of Taylor's yards.
If Taylor's shoulder is healthy and the Bills are more committed to giving Watkins more opportunities in one-on-one coverage, Taylor could be an excellent quarterback during the fantasy playoffs.