Russell Gage could have the chance for a big Week 12 against Tampa Bay, making him a sleeper to consider in deeper leagues. In Week 11, Gage had a touchdown called back at Carolina, and he finished with a mediocre stat line with two catches for 32 yards on four targets. But he should have the chance to rebound this week against the Buccaneers, who allow the most Fantasy points to opposing receivers.
Prior to Week 11, Gage had 14 targets in the first two games for Atlanta after trading Mohamed Sanu to New England. And with Austin Hooper (knee) still out, Gage could be valuable to Matt Ryan and Fantasy players this week.
While Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley should go off against Tampa Bay, there could be enough production for all the Falcons receivers to succeed. The Buccaneers have allowed two receivers on the same team to score at least 11 PPR points in seven games this season. And there have been two times where three receivers reached that total in the same game against Tampa Bay.
I'm confident Jones and Ridley will be good. But Gage could surprise us in this matchup, and he's someone to consider if you need a starting receiver or flex in a deeper league.
Gage is one of several sleepers we're recommending this week. And we also have DFS lineups to consider on DraftKings and FanDuel. Hopefully, all of these suggestions are successful for you in Week 12.
Week 12 Sleepers
Driskel just scored 31 Fantasy points against Dallas in Week 11. He also had 18 points at Chicago in Week 10, and Washington just allowed 33 Fantasy points to Sam Darnold in Week 11. One of my favorite stats for Driskel this week is he has more rushing yards in his past two games (88) than Kalen Ballage has in his past five games combined (86). With Matthew Stafford (back) out again, Driskel is worth using as a low-end starting option in all leagues.
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Darnold comes into Week 12 against Oakland with consecutive games of at least 23 Fantasy points. And while the Raiders have been better against quarterbacks of late, holding Philip Rivers and Ryan Finley to a combined 18 Fantasy points in the past two games, they still allow an average of 24.8 Fantasy points to the position for the year. I like Darnold as a low-end starter and top streaming option for this week.
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Tannehill doesn't have an easy matchup in Week 12 against the Jaguars, although two of the past four quarterbacks against Jacksonville have scored at least 20 Fantasy points. But Tannehill went into his bye in Week 11 having scored at least 22 Fantasy points in four games in a row. Hopefully, he stays hot in a key AFC South showdown.
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Scarbrough is the new lead running back in Detroit after he had 14 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown in Week 11 against Dallas. His 14 carries were the most for a Lions running back since Kerryon Johnson had 26 in Week 4. Now, it's the Lions, and they'll still continue to give touches to J.D. McKissic, especially in the passing game, as well as Ty Johnson. And Scarbrough didn't have a catch or target against the Cowboys. But the matchup against Washington is great in Week 12 because the Redskins have allowed a running back to score in four of the past five games.
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You should stick with Williams as a flex option this week against the 49ers, who have allowed a running back to score or gain at least 80 total yards in five games in a row. Aaron Jones is still the best running back for the Packers and a must-start option, but Williams has scored at least 12 PPR points in four of his past five games in a secondary role, with four receiving touchdowns over that span.
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I wouldn't be shocked if this is a breakout game for Guice, who returned from an eight-game absence with a knee injury in Week 11 against the Jets and finished with 69 total yards and a touchdown. He's still sharing work with Adrian Peterson, but it's a great matchup against the Lions. Detroit allows the most Fantasy points to opposing running backs, giving up 17 total touchdowns to the position this year.
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Murray is worth using as a flex option this week with the hope he finds the end zone against the Panthers, who have allowed the most touchdowns to running backs this year with 18 total. Carolina has allowed 14 of those touchdowns in the past six games – hello, Alvin Kamara – and multiple running backs have scored in two of those outings over that span.
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I'll stick with Sanders this week as a low-end starter if Jordan Howard (shoulder) remains out for the Eagles. While Sanders didn't have a great game in Week 11 against New England with just 47 total yards on 13 total touches, he should do better with a similar workload against Seattle, especially in the passing game. Seven running backs have caught at least three passes against the Seahawks this year, and Sanders came into Week 11 with 16 catches in his previous five games.
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I like David Montgomery this week, but I wouldn't be shocked if Cohen also plays well against the Giants. He just had a season-high nine carries for 39 yards at the Rams in Week 11, and he also added five catches for 35 yards and a touchdown on six targets. It would be great if Cohen started getting this kind of workload on a consistent basis, and he's scored a touchdown in consecutive games coming into Week 12. He's worth trusting in PPR this week.
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Metcalf continues to produce on a weekly basis, and he should play well again this week against the Eagles. He's scored at least 11 PPR points in three games in a row, and he has three touchdowns over that span as well. He's now facing an Eagles defense that allows the fourth-most Fantasy points to opposing receivers for the year.
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We'll see if JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion/knee) or Diontae Johnson (concussion) are able to play this week for the Steelers, but if one or both are out, Washington will be thrust into a prominent role against the Bengals, who have allowed four touchdowns to receivers in the past four games.
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Gabriel has scored at least 12 PPR points in each of his past two outings and at least nine PPR points in four games in a row. He just had seven catches for 57 yards on 14 targets in Week 11 at the Rams, and now he faces a Giants secondary that has allowed seven receivers to either score or gain at least 95 receiving yards in their past five games.
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Renfrow has scored at least 11 PPR points in three of his past four games, and he's done a nice job stepping up as the No. 2 receiver behind Tyrell Williams. Now, Renfrow is also behind Darren Waller and Josh Jacobs, but Renfrow can be a No. 3 receiver in PPR in Week 12 at the Jets, who allow the third-most Fantasy points to opposing receivers for the year.
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Mohamed Sanu (ankle) and Phillip Dorsett (concussion) are hurt, so we could see Harry getting a bigger role in just his second game this season. He made his debut in Week 11 at the Eagles with three catches for 18 yards on four targets, and this week he's facing a Cowboys defense that has allowed three touchdowns to receivers in their past three games. Jakobi Meyers is also in play this week with Sanu and Dorsett banged up.
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Patrick returned in Week 11 at Minnesota after being out since Week 1 with a shoulder injury. He had four catches for 77 yards on eight targets and was the No. 2 receiver for the Broncos opposite Courtland Sutton. He has a tough matchup in Week 12 at Buffalo, but multiple receivers have either scored a touchdown or scored at least nine PPR points in consecutive games against the Bills with Cleveland (Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins) and Miami (DeVante Parker and Allen Hurns). Patrick is a sleeper to consider in deeper leagues.
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Hollister went into Seattle's bye in Week 11 having scored 39 PPR points in his past two games against Tampa Bay and San Francisco. The Eagles have been tough on tight ends this year, but Hollister has 16 targets in his past two outings and should continue to be a prominent part of the game plan this week. He's worth using as a low-end starter in all formats.
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With Delanie Walker (ankle) not expected to play in Week 12 against the Jaguars, Smith will get another opportunity as the starting tight end. This is a good matchup if you want to trust him, and Walker beat up Jacksonville in Week 3 with seven catches for 64 yards on nine targets at Jacksonville. The Jaguars have allowed three touchdowns to tight ends in the past three games, and Smith has at least nine PPR points in two of his past four starts.
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Witten hasn't been good of late, but he might be needed against the Patriots. New England has allowed three touchdowns to tight ends in the past three games, with four tight ends scoring at least 11 PPR points over that span. Witten hasn't scored since Week 2, but he could be a reliable weapon for Dak Prescott against the Patriots.
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DFS LINEUPS
DraftKings
QB - Jeff Driskel ($5,500) at WAS
RB - Alvin Kamara ($8,200) vs. CAR
RB - Derrick Henry ($6,900) vs. JAC
WR - Calvin Ridley ($6,500) vs. TB
WR - Jamison Crowder ($6,200) vs. OAK
WR - DeVante Parker ($5,200) at CLE
TE - Dallas Goedert ($3,700) vs. SEA
FLEX - Derrius Guice ($4,700) vs. DET
DST - Lions ($3,100) at WAS
I'm excited about this lineup with Driskel, who should be good against Washington. And I like the Lions defense against the Redskins, who have allowed 14 sacks in the past three games. Washington also has scored 17 points or less in every game since Week 2.
Kamara should be awesome against Carolina, and I love Henry against the Jaguars. I also expect Guice to have a breakout game against the Lions this week.
At receiver, I'll ride the hot hand with Ridley, Crowder and Parker. Ridley should be amazing against Tampa Bay. And Goedert will hopefully find the end zone for the fourth time in his past five games.
FanDuel
QB - Baker Mayfield ($7,500) vs. MIA
RB - Jaylen Samuels ($6,900) at CIN
RB - Phillip Lindsay ($6,300) at BUF
WR - Odell Beckham ($7,000) vs. MIA
WR - Calvin Ridley ($6,700) vs. TB
WR - D.K. Metcalf ($6,700) at PHI
TE - Zach Ertz ($6,100) vs. SEA
FLEX - Alvin Kamara ($8,300) vs. CAR
DST - Browns ($4,500) vs. MIA
It's easy to stack the Browns against the Dolphins, and I expect Mayfield and Beckham to have season-high performances in Week 12. I'm also playing Kamara and Ridley in this lineup because I expect both to go off.
Samuels should have a big game against the Bengals with James Conner (shoulder) hurt, and Lindsay should have the chance to dominate against the Bills, who have struggled against the run all year. I also expect a big game from Ertz, who has 18 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown on 22 targets in his past two games.
At receiver, I'll play Metcalf with Beckham and Ridley, and Metcalf has 12 catches for 193 yards and a touchdown on 19 targets in his past two games.
So who should you sit and start this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 12 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
