Stars of Week 12
QB: Drew Brees, NO: 35-45, 420 yards, 3 TDs
RB: Justin Forsett, BAL: 22 carries, 182 yards, 2 TD
WR: Odell Beckham Jr., NYG: 10 catches, 146 yards, 2 TDs
TE: Delanie Walker, TEN: 5 catches, 155 yards, 0 TDs
Drew Brees makes his way on this list for the first time this year. He’s having a better statistical season than many realize, but his owners rightfully expected top-level QB numbers, and he has mildly disappointed on that front. Brees has been more “top 5” than “top 3”. As for someone who has not disappointed, look no further than Justin Forsett. Considered nearly all NFL folks to be too small to be a lead RB for a team, Forsett has made his case to prove his critics wrong. He’s been a solid RB2 this season for fantasy purposes. Delanie Walker has quietly had a solid season, posting consistently useful numbers during weeks when he’s been healthy. Now for Odell Beckham making what was possibly the best catch ever in NFL history (not in relation to the significance of the catch, but purely from a skill standpoint), one can only be in awe! We covered Beckham a few weeks back – he’s a WR2 and must start in all leagues, with an ascension to WR1 status looking like a reasonable possibility for next season.
Week 12 Takeaways – A Closer Look
Each week we take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.
- CJ Anderson, RB – DEN: 27 carries, 167 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: As mentioned here a few weeks back, with Ronnie Hillman out, CJ Anderson was the likely candidate to get the bulk of the carries. That’s exactly what has happened, as this week Anderson had 27 carries compared to Juwan Thompson’s 5 carries (no other RBs had any carries for Denver). This will certainly continue while Hillman remains out. It’s much harder to predict how things will shake out upon Hillman’s return, but the guess here is that Anderson will still retain the majority of the carries even when Hillman returns, albeit more along the lines of a 60/40 split. John Fox indicated a few weeks back that he intends to go with the hot hand, and if he is to be believed, then that should be Anderson even once Hillman returns. Continue to start Anderson until further notice.
- Isaiah Crowell, RB – CLE: 12 carries, 88 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: What do we have here – clarity with the Cleveland RB picture? Perhaps the answer is finally yes. With Ben Tate surprisingly cut last week by the Browns, which left Crowell and Terrance West as the duo to carry the Browns’ running game (pun intended). Between these two, Crowell is the one you want for the remainder of the season. He has averaged five yards per carry for the season, and it looks like the coaching staff will finally give him the chance to consistently get touches. From the eye test, Crowell has more talent than West, and hopefully the coaches continue to pick up on this as well. You should view Crowell as an RB2 for the remainder of the season. If he’s available, make sure to grab him.
- LeGarrette Blount, RB - NE: 12 carries, 78 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: So let’s get this straight – a backup NFL running back is insubordinate to his coaching staff in Pittsburgh, and his punishment.is to go start the next game for the Patriots and score two TDs? Only in America, as they say. Hopefully you remember the warning I gave you last week regarding Jonas Gray and how you can’t trust Bill Belichick! That’s what happens when you’re late to practice. The Patriots’ RB situation is a week-to-week proposition. Based on where things sit now, between Blount and Gray, I’d roll with Blount. Even if Gray gets back into the mix, Blount will also be involved and will likely get the goal line carries. Blount needs to be watched, but I’d lean towards a flex label for him moving forward.
- Daniel Herron, RB – IND: 12 carries, 65 yards, 0 TDs (5 catches, 31 yards, 0 TDs)
Analysis: With Ahmad Bradshaw out for the season, it means that Trent Richardson’s value spikes upward, right? Well, not quite. It appears that the Colts have finally given up hope that Richardson will be anything more than a mediocre RB, which is a smart move on their part. The beneficiary of Bradshaw’s injury is none other than Daniel Herron, as evidenced by Herron’s contribution in both the rushing and passing games. Look for Herron to continue to put up numbers similar to what he posted this past Sunday. He should be viewed as a low end RB2 / high-end flex play.
- Latavius Murray, RB – OAK: 4 carries, 112 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: Latavius Murray was one of the rapid fire pickups from last week, so hopefully you snagged him if you needed a running back. Only injury could stop him last week against the Chiefs. His performance was quite promising to say the least, and the Raiders have every incentive to play him for the remainder of the season. Murray also bumps up against low end RB2 / high-end flex territory, and should be owned in all leagues.
- Jarvis Landry, WR – MIA: 7 catches, 50 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: Jarvis Landry was also listed in the rapid fire pickups section last week, and he performed well for his fantasy owners this past Sunday. While Odell Beckham has been the premier rookie WR from LSU, his LSU teammate Landry has had a strong rookie season as well. With 11 targets this past Sunday against the Broncos, Landry is making his case as the best Dolphins’ WR to own. Landry has been targeted an average of 8 times over the last four games and has also found the end zone four times during that span. Landry should be viewed as a solid WR3, with upside to move a bit higher, for the remainder of the season.
Rapid Fire Pickups
Each week we throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case 1) someone who has NOT been referenced above, and 2) a player available in most leagues.
QB: Zach Mettenberger, TEN
RB: Carlos Hyde, SF
RB: Theo Riddick, DET
WR: Charles Johnson, MIN
WR: Robert Woods, BUF
TE: Tim Wright, NE
Week 13 Rankings
Quarterbacks
1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Peyton Manning
3. Tom Brady
4. Andrew Luck
5. Drew Brees
6. Tony Romo
7. Ben Roethlisberger
8. Matthew Stafford
9. Ryan Tannehill
10. Mark Sanchez
11. Eli Manning
12. Russell Wilson
13. Philip Rivers
14. Josh McCown
15. Cam Newton
16. Colin Kaepernick
17. Matt Ryan
18. Joe Flacco
19. Andy Dalton
20. Jay Cutler
Running Backs
1. Le'Veon Bell
2. DeMarco Murray
3. Arian Foster
4. Jamaal Charles
5. Eddie Lacy
6. LeSean McCoy
7. C.J. Anderson
8. Justin Forsett
9. Matt Forte
10. Marshawn Lynch
11. Andre Ellington
12. Alfred Morris
13. Rashad Jennnings
14. Denard Robinson
15. Mark Ingram
16. Ryan Mathews
17. Jeremy Hill
18. Giovani Bernard
19. Lamar Miller
20. Joique Bell
21. Tre Mason
22. Fred Jackson
23. Isaiah Crowell
23. Frank Gore
24. Daniel Herron
25. Latavius Murray
26. Jerick McKinnon
27. LeGarrette Blount
28. Darren Sproles
29. Trent Richardson
30. Shane Vereen
31. Chris Ivory
32. Steven Jackson
33. Terrance West
34. Bishop Sankey
35. Reggie Bush
Wide Receivers
1. Demaryius Thomas
2. Antonio Brown
3. Dez Bryant
4. A.J. Green
5. T.Y. Hilton
6. Jordy Nelson
7. Emmanuel Sanders
8. Calvin Johnson
9. Odell Beckham Jr.
10. Josh Gordon
11. Julio Jones
12. Randall Cobbs
13. Mike Evans
14. Alshon Jeffery
15. Brandon Marshall
16. Jeremy Maclin
17. Kelvin Benjamin
18. Golden Tate
19. Mike Wallace
20. Roddy White
21. Alshon Jeffery
22. DeSean Jackson
23. DeAndrew Hopkins
24. Sammy Watkins
25. Julian Edelman
26. Keenan Allen
27. Jordan Matthews
28. Torrey Smith
29. Anquan Boldin
30. Steve Smith Sr.
31. Brandon LaFell
32. Jarvis Landry
33. Andre Johnson
34. Martavis Bryant
35. Marques Colston
Tight Ends
1. Rob Gronkowski
2. Jimmy Graham
3. Julius Thomas
4. Greg Olsen
5. Antonio Gates
6. Delanie Walker
7. Jason Witten
8. Larry Donnell
9. Martellus Bennett
10. Travis Kelce
11. Owen Daniels
12. Kyle Rudolph
13. Mychal Rivera
14. Coby Fleener
15. Zach Ertz
Neema Hodjat is the fantasy sports expert for RealGM. He can be reached via email at nhodjat@gmail.com and followed on twitter at @NeemaHodjat.