Quarterback
Mitchell Trubisky, CHI (at Green Bay)
Heeeee’s back! Well probably back. Nick Foles didn’t practice on Wednesday, and Trubisky did. He’ll add a running element to the quarterback position and he has actually had decent fantasy games against the Packers three of the last four times he has faced them. Green Bay just allowed three passing scores to Philip Rivers so maybe Trubisky could have some success against them with the coaches having two weeks to prepare.
Teddy Bridgewater, CAR (at Minnesota)
Bridgewater is very likely to return to the lineup this week and he’ll face a Vikings defense that just Andy Dalton get right against them. We’ll know after Thanksgiving whether that is a sign of the Cowboys offense getting right in a larger way after they face the Washington defensive line that smothered them earlier this year. Either way, Bridgewater and his wide receiver trio should have success upon his return to Minnesota as only Nick Foles and the Bears failed to throw multiple touchdowns against them over the last seven games.
Taysom Hill, NO (at Denver)
Let’s go back to the well with Hill another week, as he’ll face a Broncos defense that allowed 76 yards and a rushing score to Cam Newton, the only running quarterback they have faced this year. That was Newton’s highest rushing yardage total of the season and he didn’t have Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders to throw to. The Saints defense should set Hill up with short fields and scoring opportunities.
Alex Smith, WAS (at Dallas) **Thanksgiving**
Smith didn’t do much last week because he didn’t have to, so recommending him this week is expecting some success from Andy Dalton on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys defense is still a weakness, especially against the pass, with eight of the last nine quarterbacks to face them throwing multiple scores, and that includes Kirk Cousins on 30 attempts, Carson Wentz on 27, Kyle Allen on 25 in the first meeting between these teams, and Kyler Murray on only nine completions.
Running Back
Kalen Ballage, LAC (at Buffalo)
This could be Ballage’s last game as a starter with Austin Ekeler returning to practice this week, and it might be a big one. The Bills run defense gave up over 150 yards on the ground to the Cardinals the last time they played, and even the Jets notched 99 rushing yards and a score vs. Buffalo in the last meeting. Ballage also has 12 receptions over the last two games to give him a high PPR floor.
Update: Ballage might have suffered an injury in practice on Thursday, stay tuned.
Wayne Gallman, NYG (vs Cincinnati)
Gallman has scored in four straight games, and the loss of Joe Burrow for the Bengals will likely give the Giants the ability to control this game and allow Gallman to extend that streak to five. Washington running backs had 30 carries for 165 yards and a score last week and the Bengals defense will probably be tired assuming Brandon Allen isn’t able to sustain many drives in his first start of the year.
Duke Johnson Jr, HOU (at Detroit) **Thanksgiving**
Johnson and the Texans running game has been stalling out, but the Lions seem to be the tonic for every backfield they have faced lately. Detroit has allowed 12 touchdowns to running backs over the last five games, and one running back has multiple scores against them in four of those games. Johnson is basically the only game in the Texans backfield so if this trend continues, he’ll be the beneficiary.
David Montgomery, CHI (at Green Bay)
The Packers run defense has been one of the best units to target in fantasy football, although the Bears dysfunctional running game will be a test for just how good a matchup it is. Montgomery should be well-rested coming off a bye and missing Week 10 with a concussion. Every team that has faced the Packers this year has notched either a running back score or over 100 rushing yards from their backfield.
Gus Edwards, BAL (at Pittsburgh)
UPDATE: Lamar Jackson won't be available for this game and it might not be played.
It doesn’t look like J.K. Dobbins or Mark Ingram will be cleared in time for the delayed Steelers-Ravens game, so Edwards should be the main back in the running game. There’s hope for a good game after the Ravens ran all over the Steelers in the first matchup, and the Steelers defense should be focused on Lamar Jackson. Edwards had 16-87-1 in the first game and Dobbins had 15-113, so the lanes should be there for Edwards.
Zack Moss, BUF (vs Los Angeles Chargers)
Moss isn’t going to get a high volume of carries in this Josh Allen-centric offense, but he will get any running back goal-line carries and this could be one of the highest-scoring games of Week 12. The Chargers have given up seven rushing scores to running backs in the last five games, including two to Jets backs last week and two to Raiders backs in Week 9. Salvon Ahmed had a strong game against them in between those games and the Chargers have allowed at least 94 rushing yards to opposing backs in each of the last five games.
Wide Receiver
Keke Coutee, HOU (at Detroit) **Thanksgiving**
Coutee is a longshot for deep leagues and unique GPP lineups on Thanksgiving, but he could hit. With Kenny Stills and Randall Cobb out, he should basically be a starter, and the Lions have given up over 240 yards to opposing receivers in each of the last two games. The No. 3 receiver in the last two games has 7-46 (Robby Anderson) and 5-46 (Steven Sims Jr), so there’s a potentially solid PPR floor there for Coutee and Deshaun Watson threw two scores to the slot receiver last week, one of which went to Coutee.
Nelson Agholor, LV (at Atlanta)
Agholor has been the very definition of up and down lately, but most passing games are up when they face Atlanta. The Falcons have made Taysom Hill and Drew Lock into prolific passers over the last two games, and 13 wide receivers have at least 75 yards against them this year. Agholor led the Raiders wideouts in snaps last week, so he’s the most likely to take advantage of the Falcons secondary.
Mecole Hardman, KC (at Tampa Bay)
Hardman was eased back in coming off of the covid list the day before the game last week, but he should see more action this week against a Tampa defense that let the Rams receivers run free on Monday night. Hardman’s speed could create chunk plays or a long score against the Bucs, who have allowed five wide receiver scores over the last three weeks. They’ve also allowed long scores to the likes of Nelson Agholor, Tyron Johnson, and Jalen Guyton this year.
Jakobi Meyers, Damiere Byrd, NE (vs Arizona)
Meyers was a disappointment in Week 11, but he confirmed that the Texans gave him more attention, which freed up Damiere Byrd for a big game. The Cardinals may choose to try to take him away, extending Byrd’s sleeper window, or they could leave Meyers matched up one-on-one against a member of a secondary that has allowed nine touchdowns to wide receivers in the last four games (and one that was dropped by DK Metcalf).
Jamison Crowder, NYJ (vs Miami)
We’ll need Sam Darnold to start to make Crowder viable this week. Darnold got in a limited practice on Wednesday and could return to face the Dolphins, who ate Joe Flacco alive in the first matchup, shutting out the Jets. Crowder has been a favorite target of Darnold’s, with at least seven catches and 100 yards in both games they have played together. He should be a priority this week with Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims facing the Dolphins talented outside corner duo.
Willie Snead, BAL (at Pittsburgh)
UPDATE: Lamar Jackson won't be available for this game and it might not be played.
Snead was a letdown last week, but he is still worth looking at in deep leagues this week as he had 5-106 in the first matchup with the Steelers. Throwing outside the numbers just hasn’t been working out for Lamar Jackson, who should focus his efforts in the middle of the field, which is where Snead got loose multiple times against the Steelers in Week 8. Randall Cobb, Greg Ward, and CeeDee Lamb have also scored from the slot against the Steelers this year.
Tight End
Jordan Akins, HOU (at Detroit) **Thanksgiving**
Akins put up his best game of the year last week, just in time for the Lions, who have been generous to opposing tight ends lately. The Panthers didn’t do anything against them last week, but in the four weeks before that Logan Thomas put up 4-66, Irv Smith scored twice, Colts tight ends put up 8-64-1, and Hayden Hurst posted 6-68. Deshaun Watson is red hot right now and the Lions defense has been playing the matador.
Austin Hooper, CLE (at Jacksonville)
Hooper has to row upstream in a low volume Browns passing game, but he tied for the team lead in targets last week, and he got the only red-zone target. Jacksonville got up to eight touchdowns allowed to opposing tight ends last week when Eric Ebron scored and the Browns wide receivers haven’t caught a touchdown in the last three games. This one will get the Browns out of the terrible Cleveland weather, which could also jumpstart Hooper.
Robert Tonyan Jr, GB (at Chicago)
Tonyan had his best fantasy game with Davante Adams in the lineup last week, and he should be lined up for a solid performance against a Bears pass defense that has been stingy to opposing wide receivers but giving to opposing tight ends. The Bears have surrendered six scores to opposing tight ends and in the games when they didn’t, Kyle Rudolph had 4-63, the Bucs tight ends went for 9-105, Evan Engram went for 6-65, and they faced the Panthers.
Mike Gesicki, MIA (at New York Jets)
Gesicki could hit this week against the Jets, who allowed two touchdowns to Dolphins tight ends in the first matchup. Gesicki didn’t catch either of them, but that doesn’t dilute the quality of this matchup, which saw Hunter Henry score, Tyler Kroft post 4-64, Jordan Reed 7-50-2, and Mo Alie-Cox post 3-50-1 in games earlier this season.
