Week 12 is here and some might consider this week as one of the greatest weeks for football that the season has to offer. Eating festive foods while watching a pigskin fly through the air and an inevitable Lions loss can be one of the most enjoyable experiences of Thanksgiving.
It can also be considered one of the most important weeks for fantasy football as managers are going to be checking their matchups while sneakily avoiding awkward conversations with distant family. The playoff push is upon us and now is the time to get your team together and ready for that championship opportunity you have been preparing for since August. With that introduction behind us, here are your risers and fallers heading into Week 12.
Keep in mind that Jonathan Taylor is not included on this list because anybody with a brain should know that he is undoubtedly the top player in fantasy football right now. Yes I played against him in Week 11, yes I lost, and yes I am bitter about it. Let’s get into these risers and fallers.
Week 12 Fantasy Football Risers
D.J. Moore (WR, CAR)
D.J. Moore finally returned to a decent box score after failing to reach 10 Half-PPR fantasy points in 5 out of his past 6 games. On the Panthers’ opening drive against Washington, Cam Newton hit Moore for a 10-yard touchdown that was his first one since Week 4. He didn’t have an amazing yardage total but he did finish with 5 receptions on 7 targets for 50 yards. D.J. didn’t have a game-breaking fantasy day, but things seem to be pointing in the right direction for Carolina.
With Cam Newton in as quarterback instead of the dreaded Sam Darnold, this Panther’s offense should be moving more effectively which will spell better days for D.J. Moore in the future.
Cam Newton (QB, CAR)
The return of Cam Newton to Carolina was nice for everyone as the Panthers just haven’t seemed right without their former first overall pick. After his return in Week 10, Cam was trusted as quarterback for the Panther’s Week 11 game against Washington and he did not disappoint. He played well as a passer with a rating of 120.5 while completing 21 of 27 for 189 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also provided his typical rushing prowess with 10 carries for 46 yards and a touchdown.
People were skeptical about what impact Cam would have on this offense but this game proves that he is leagues better than what the Panthers had previously with Sam Darnold leading the team. Despite people continuously pointing at his poor stretch with the Patriots in 2020, Newton has proved that he is not a bad quarterback while his weapons with this Panthers roster are immensely better than what he had available in New England last year.
Cam could be a great addition to any fantasy roster for the final stretch of games this season as he provides the sought-after skillset of a quarterback who can get it done through the air as well as on the ground.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB, KC)
Clyde Edwards-Helaire resumed lead-back duties for the Chiefs after his 5-week stint on IR. It was up in the air whether or not CEH was going to return to a decent workload or if he and Darrel Williams were going to work as more of a committee. Those questions were answered with his stat line of 12 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown along with 2 receptions for 13 yards.
Meanwhile, Darrel Williams was given only 5 carries while being targeted 3 times so he might not be as involved as he was without CEH. As the Chiefs improve their play as a team, Clyde looks like he might be a beneficiary of that improvement.
Elijah Moore (WR, NYJ)
Elijah Moore has been one of the few bright spots in this Jets offense recently. If you look at the best wide receivers in Half-PPR scoring since Week 8, Elijah Moore is second on that list only to Deebo Samuel. When the Jets were celebrating on draft day after picking Moore in the second round, this is what they envisioned.
Moore has been an electric receiver in the absence of Zach Wilson. Maybe his success was being hampered previously by Wilson but hopefully, that is not the case as the second overall pick is set to return in Week 12. Moore has certainly proven that he is a talented receiver and the only question now is whether or not his success is sustainable with Zach Wilson running the offense.
Darnell Mooney (WR, CHI)
While Allen Robinson has been nursing a hamstring injury and contemplating free agency destinations, the supposed number 2 receiver in Chicago has been looking great. Since Week 8, Darnell Mooney has been the 13th best wide receiver in Half-PPR fantasy leagues and he doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
With Allen Robinson struggling to be utilized in this offense effectively, Mooney has taken a de facto number 1 role for the Bears. During their most recent game against Baltimore, Mooney totaled 5 receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown. He also managed to see a very high 16 targets come his way.
With Justin Fields out and Andy Dalton taking on the Lions on Thanksgiving, Mooney will look to provide number 1 production against their struggling division rivals.
Week 12 Fantasy Football Fallers
Kyle Pitts (TE, ATL)
Kyle Pitts’ fall off has been an unfortunate byproduct of the Atlanta Falcons completely forgetting how to move the ball effectively on offense. In their most recent game against the Patriots, Pitts was only targeted 5 times throughout the entire game. While Calvin Ridley is absent from the team, it has been easy for opposing defenses to focus on Pitts as the only real receiving threat in this offense outside of Cordarrelle Patterson being used in creative packages.
The star rookie out of Florida has failed to put up double-digit Half-PPR points in 4 straight weeks, a frustrating run for managers who thought they had a breakout on their hands after Week 7. Pitts has a matchup against a steadily improving Jacksonville defense on Sunday and hopefully, this Falcons team can get it together because it’s been ugly, to say the least.
Michael Carter (RB, NYJ)
Michael Carter has been a nice option for fantasy rosters over the last few weeks for the receiving upside he provides out of the backfield. Unfortunately, Carter suffered an ankle sprain that is supposed to sideline him for the next 2-3 weeks. The Jets will most likely pivot to a combination of Tevin Coleman and Ty Johnson out of the backfield who will serve similar roles to what Carter was providing on his own. With the possibility looming that Carter heads to IR, fantasy managers will have to look for other options at running back for the next few weeks.
CeeDee Lamb (WR, DAL)
During the Cowboys’ struggle against the Chiefs on Sunday, CeeDee Lamb was taken out of the game after a few catches with a concussion. While his concussion shouldn’t keep him out for the long term, Lamb will have a tough time coming back for Dallas’ upcoming Thanksgiving matchup against the Raiders. It is pretty unlikely that Lamb is able to prove he has passed up his concussion symptoms in time for Thursday but who knows. The NFL has a history of pushing out players as quickly as possible so a Lamb return isn’t out of the question but it would be in the Cowboy’s and Lamb’s best interest to sit out Thanksgiving.
Ja’Marr Chase (WR, CIN)
Along with the rest of the Bengals’ passing offense, Ja’Marr Chase has been heading in the opposite direction from where he was just a few weeks ago. In the past 3 weeks, Chase has been increasingly touchdown reliant as his yardage totals haven’t jumped over 50 yards once. The Bengals have also moved more toward a run-first offense with Joe Burrow struggling against tougher pass defenses. We’ve seen Ja’Marr Chase as an all-world talent this season and hopefully, he and the rest of the Bengal’s passing attack can get back to where they were prior to Week 9.
Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson (RB, NE)
With the emergence of Rhamondre Stevenson and the Patriots realizing that benching him for random games might not be the best plan, this New England backfield has turned into even more of a committee than it was before. That committee was shown on full display against the helpless Falcons team.
The Patriots were in a positive script for nearly the entire game while Harris and Stevenson were splitting carries down the middle. Harris finished with 10 carries while Stevenson finished with 12 and neither had over 10 Half-PPR fantasy points.
This most recent game shows what we should be seeing for the foreseeable future in this backfield as both of these talented running backs will be limiting each other’s upside. Add in that their rest of season schedule is one of the worst for running backs and it should be obvious that you don’t want any part of this backfield from here on out.
