Reviewing Week 12

Star Of Stars

QB: Robert Griffin III – RGIII has had a phenomenal season, and the game on Thanksgiving day against the Cowboys was just another showcase for his talents. RGIII threw for 311 yards passing and 4 TDs (and 1 INT) against the Cowboys, and helped the Redskins jump back into the NFC playoff picture. Whether RGIII has a better career than fellow rookie Andrew Luck remains to be seen, but both players will be real life and fantasy monsters for years to come.

RB: Arian Foster – Also a Thanksgiving day participant, Foster had another sterling performance – 20 carries for 102 yards and 2 TDs. Foster has cemented his status as a top 2 fantasy RB (with Adrian Peterson the other plausible choice). Expect more of the same these coming weeks.

WR: Dez Bryant – Further continuing to stick with Thanksgiving day participants, Dez Bryant has rewarded his patient owners with three straight strong weeks, with this past week being his best of the season.  Bryant caught 8 passes for 145 yards and 2 TDs. Bryant has top 5 WR talent, and hopefully he is finally turning the corner. Most likely, he will still have ups and downs, but expect some very good games from Bryant in the last five weeks, with one or two subpar performances as well.

TE: Kyle Rudolph – With our favorite, Gronk, on the shelf, we have to dig a bit here to find a worthy candidate. Quiet day for TEs in general, but we’ll give Rudolph the nod here. He pulled in 5 catches for 55 yards and a TD. A popular sleeper in the preseason, Rudolph has put together a solid season, although not spectacular as a whole. Rudolph’s fortunes go hand in hand with the Ponder’s performance, he will have a decent (think TE2) performance the rest of the way. He’s a solid backup fantasy TE.

Unforeseen Explosions

QB: Colin Kaepernick – In what has been a swift turn of events in San Francisco, Alex Smith has been relegated to the bench in favor of Kaepernick. And anyone doubting Harbaugh’s track record for decision making, come on! Of course the move is going to work out – Coach Harbaugh knows best. While not quite an explosion, CK put up 231 yards passing along with 1 passing TD (and 1 INT), and also rushed for 27 yards and a TD against the Saints in the Superdome. He looks like a promising fantasy QB for the remainder of the season. Where exactly does he rank? Most likely as a high end QB2, with some solid starting matchups present as well. The 49ers remain a run-first operation, so keep your expectations in check. But, he will be an improvement over Alex Smith for fantasy purposes. Whether or not this is also the case for real life purposes remains to be seen.

RB: Bryce Brown – While Foster received recognition for his day up top, it was Bryce Brown who had the performance of the week. The little known Brown rushed for 178 yards and 2 TDs in only 19 carries. With LeSean McCoy on the shelf due to a concussion, and also with the Eagles out of the playoff picture (meaning no reason to rush back McCoy), it would not be surprising if Brown started a handful of the remaining games. If you need RB help and Brown is available, go get him for this week’s matchup against the Cowboys. He may be of use to you for more than just next week’s game as well.

WR: Chris Givens – The rising St. Louis Rams passing attack (it’s been almost 8 years since those words could be typed) has produced another useful WR for fantasy purposes. Givens had 5 catches for 115 yards and 1 TD against the Cardinals. Givens has had between 5-7 targets each of the last 6 games, and as such, he’s a solid backup WR (WR4) for the remainder of the 2012 season.

TE: Delanie Walker – Walker had a solid performance against the Saints, catching 3 passes for 81 yards. Walker plays in the shadow of Vernon Davis, but he is a good TE in his own right. For fantasy purposes though, he doesn’t move the needle much. At best, he profiles as a low end TE2, but even that’s a stretch. Walker is a better real-life player than fantasy player.

Week 13 Rankings

Quarterbacks

1. Tom Brady

2. Aaron Rodgers

3. Robert Griffin III

4. Drew Brees

5. Matt Ryan

6. Matthew Stafford

7. Peyton Manning

8. Tony Romo

9. Andrew Luck

10. Cam Newton

11. Eli Manning

12. Colin Kaepernick

13. Andy Dalton

14. Carson Palmer

15. Philip Rivers

16. Matt Shaub

17. Josh Freeman

18. Ryan Fitzpatrick

19. Jay Cutler

20. Joe Flacco

Running Backs

1. Arian Foster

2. Adrian Peterson

3. Trent Richardson

4. Ray Rice

5. Doug Martin

6. Alfred Morris

7. Jamaal Charles

8. C.J. Spiller

9. Marshawn Lynch

10. Frank Gore

11. Ahmad Bradshaw

12. Bryce Brown

13. Stevan Ridley

14. Chris Johnson

15. Mikel Leshoure

16. BenJarvus Green-Ellis

17. Ryan Mathews

18. Darren Sproles

19. Steven Jackson

20. Marcel Reece

21. Reggie Bush

22. Michael Bush

23. Beanie Wells

24. Michael Turner

25. Jonathan Dwyer

Wide Receivers

1. Calvin Johnson

2. A.J. Green

3. Andre Johnson

4. Demaryius Thomas

5. Dez Bryant

6. Julio Jones

7. Roddy White

8. Brandon Marshall

9. Victor Cruz

10. Wes Welker

11. Vincent Jackson

12. Randall Cobb

13. Hakeem Nicks

14. Reggie Wayne

15. Jordy Nelson

16. Marques Colston

17. Cecil Shorts

18. Eric Decker

19. Denarius Moore

20. Torrey Smith

21. Larry Fitzgerald

22. Steve Smith

23. Steve Johnson

24. Danario Alexander

25. Mike Wallace

Tight Ends

1. Jimmy Graham

2. Tony Gonzalez

3. Vernon Davis

4. Jason Witten

5. Owen Daniels

6. Aaron Hernandez

7. Brandon Pettigrew

8. Antonio Gates

9. Jermaine Gresham

10. Martellus Bennett

11. Jermichael Finley

12. Heath Miller

13. Greg Olsen

14. Kyle Rudolph

15. Brando Myers