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.