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I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was a great day of football, and several players have a lot to be thankful for based on their performances.
Namely, the players whose names you never heard of.
Look at the list of some of the players who scored touchdowns Thursday: Dan Arnold, TommyLee Lewis, Austin Carr, Keith Kirkwood, Taquan Mizzell and Trey Quinn.
Those guys had more Fantasy points than Michael Thomas, Adrian Peterson, Jordan Howard, Allen Robinson and Mark Ingram. It was just one of those days.
But maybe it bodes well for sleepers in Week 12. Maybe this is a week where the lesser-known guys stand out and help your Fantasy team earn a win.
Let's find out if some of these sleepers listed here join some of the players from Thursday as surprise stars:
Quarterbacks
Jackson will remain the starter with Joe Flacco (hip) still out, so consider him a great streaming option this week -- and a potential No. 1 Fantasy quarterback. He had 27 carries for 117 yards in Week 11 against Cincinnati and completed 13 of 19 passes for 150 yards with an interception. The Raiders should be an easy matchup for him, especially playing on the East Coast with a 1 p.m. start, and it would not be a surprise to see Jackson have a breakout game.
Mayfield went into the bye in Week 11 on a nice roll as a Fantasy quarterback. He scored at least 21 Fantasy points in three of his past four games, including a season-best 28 points in Week 10 against Atlanta. This week he gets another favorable matchup against Cincinnati, which allows the most Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks for the season at 27.2. Only two quarterbacks this season have failed to score at least 22 Fantasy points against the Bengals.
After a dreadful start to the season, Manning has turned the corner as a Fantasy quarterback of late. He's scored at least 21 Fantasy points in three of his past four games, including two in a row, and he's facing a decimated Eagles secondary this week due to injuries. Manning struggled against Philadelphia earlier this year with nine Fantasy points in Week 6, and he has a terrible history in Philadelphia with an average of 262 passing yards in his past five games there with five touchdowns and seven interceptions, including one game with more than 20 Fantasy points over that span. But four quarterbacks in a row have scored at least 21 Fantasy points against the Eagles, and the secondary is just a mess. We know it's risky to trust Manning, but his recent play and the matchup should ease some of your concerns.
Running backs
Doug Martin (ankle) is expected to play this week, but Richard will still get plenty of playing time. And he's a great flex option in PPR. He's scored at least 10 PPR points in all but three games this season. He could also be more involved in the passing game now that Brandon LaFell (Achilles) is out and Jordy Nelson (knee) is banged up. With the Raiders likely chasing points on the road, Richard should be considered the best running back for Oakland.
Barber took advantage of a great matchup against the Giants last week with 18 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown, as well as two catches for 4 yards, and he's worth using as a flex option against the 49ers. His three best games this year have come with Jameis Winston on the field (Week 6 against Atlanta, Week 8 against Cincinnati and last week), and hopefully that continues against the 49ers.
McGuire has taken over for the injured Bilal Powell (neck), and he could play a prominent role in the passing game this week against the Patriots. In two games, McGuire has six catches for 64 yards on 11 targets, and he's also averaging 4.6 yards per carry. New England has struggled with pass-catching running backs this year, and I like McGuire as a flex option in PPR.
In two games since Freddie Kitchens took over as offensive coordinator, Johnson has at least 14 PPR points in each outing. He has four carries for 23 yards, along with 13 catches for 109 yards and three touchdowns over that span. He also has at least four catches in four of his past five games, and he's worth starting in PPR this week against the Bengals, who allow the most Fantasy points to opposing running backs.
Melvin Gordon is expected to play in Week 12 against the Cardinals despite dealing with hamstring and knee injuries, but Ekeler could still have a prominent role. The Chargers seemed to indicate Gordon could miss this game, which is a sign he might not get his usual workload. While Ekeler has been held to eight total touches or less in five of his past six games -- he had 17 total touches in Week 7 with Gordon out against Tennessee -- we might see that number rise in a great matchup. The Cardinals come into this game allowing the third-most Fantasy points to opposing running backs, and Ekeler is worth using as a flex in most formats.
Wide receivers
After being out the past two games with a hamstring injury, Coutee returned in Week 11 at Washington and led the team in targets (nine) and receiving yards (77). DeAndre Hopkins is clearly the No. 1 option in this passing game, but Coutee is No. 2 ahead of Demaryius Thomas. And this is a great matchup against the Titans, who have allowed 13 receivers to either score or gain at least 100 yards this year.
Amendola should stay hot coming off Miami's bye in Week 11, and he's a great option in PPR leagues. He's scored at least 13 PPR points in four of his past five games, and he has at least five catches in every game over that span. DeVante Parker (shoulder) could be out again for the Dolphins, who also lost Jakeem Grant (leg) and Albert Wilson (hip) for the season. With Miami likely chasing points at Indianapolis, look for Amendola to see 10-plus targets, which has happened twice in his past five outings. He's a great No. 3 receiver in PPR leagues this week.
Humphries has scored at least 14 PPR points in three of his past four games, with three touchdowns over that span. You know the Buccaneers are going to be throwing the ball all game, and Humphries could benefit with some additional targets with O.J. Howard (ankle) out. The 49ers just allowed three touchdowns to the Giants receivers in Week 10.
With Tyrell Williams (groin) banged up, Mike Williams could see a boost in Fantasy value with additional targets if Tyrell Williams is out. This isn't an easy matchup against the Cardinals, but in two games this season where Mike Williams has at least six targets, he has scored at least 13 PPR points. He's worth a flier in deeper leagues if Tyrell Williams can't play.
A.J. Green (toe) is expected to be out against the Browns, which should make Ross a solid sleeper in all formats. In the past two games with Green out against New Orleans and at Baltimore, Ross has four catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns on 13 targets. He's touchdown dependent, but the Browns have allowed 10 touchdowns to receivers this year. We hope Ross can score for the third week in a row.
With Pierre Garcon (knee) and Marquise Goodwin (personal) out in Week 12, look for Bourne to play a prominent role in a great matchup against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay allows the third-most Fantasy points to opposing receivers, and Bourne can be a low-end No. 3 receiver in most leagues. There have been 17 receivers to either score or gain at least 100 receiving yards against the Buccaneers this year. Bourne has a touchdown or at least 70 receiving yards in two of his past three games.
Tight ends
Even with Sam Darnold (foot) out this week for the Jets, I still like Herndon's Fantasy outlook. In four games prior to Week 10 when Darnold was out against Buffalo, Herndon had at least 10 PPR points in three of those outings. He scored three touchdowns over that span, and Herndon might be the most reliable option in this passing game. New England also is tied for second with Jacksonville with the most touchdowns allowed to tight ends with seven.
Heuerman didn't have a great game at the Chargers in Week 11 with just four catches for 20 yards on five targets, but I'm not bailing on him yet. He scored in the previous two games, and he should continue to be a top target in this Denver offense. The Steelers have allowed five tight ends this year to either score or gain at least 70 receiving yards, and Heuerman is a good streaming option in Week 12.
Smith has picked things up in his past three games, and the only concern now would be Marcus Mariota's health heading into Week 12 at Houston. Hopefully, we don't see Smith lose any of his recent momentum with Mariota playing at possibly less than 100 percent with his neck injury. In Smith's past three games against Dallas, New England and Indianapolis, he's scored at least 10 PPR points in each outing. He scored against the Cowboys and Patriots, but his most impressive performance might have been against the Colts with season highs in targets (eight) and catches (six), which resulted in 44 yards. It's not a dominating performance, but hopefully we continue to see more involvement for Smith moving forward. And the Texans have allowed a tight end to score in consecutive games with Heuerman in Week 9 and Jordan Reed in Week 11.
So who should you sit and start? And what shocking QB could win you Week 12? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy football rankings for every single position, and see which shocking QB finishes in the top 10 this week, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
