NFL Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings: Jonathan Taylor RB1 After Historic Game

Week 11 was a fun one for fantasy football, with some tremendous performances across the board. Jonathan Taylor had a massive, historic, five-touchdown game against what had been the number one defense in points allowed. Austin Ekeler did his best to replicate that epic performance with four total touchdowns on Sunday Night Football. The wide receivers weren’t as dominant as Taylor and Ekeler, but Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams, and rookie Elijah Moore had some memorable games. Who will come through with the massive production this week? In this weekly column, you can find my fantasy football rankings and brief analysis of each position. Let’s dive in.

NFL Week 12 Quarterback Rankings

Dak Prescott: I played the Dallas passer in a ton of DFS lineups last week, and it destroyed me as he finished as the QB28 on the week with just 4.6 fantasy points. The Chiefs-Cowboys game didn’t come close to living up to the hype it received, and we’re left wondering what to do with Dak Prescott moving forward. Amari Cooper has already been ruled out for the Thanksgiving game, and CeeDee Lamb is a significant question mark with a concussion. If Lamb sits, I’ll probably move Prescott down quite a bit in my rankings, and I’d rather play some widely available quarterbacks such as Cam Newton and Carson Wentz in that case.

Russell Wilson: The Seahawks’ passer has struggled since coming back from his injury, and it’s difficult to trust him at this point. Wilson has averaged just over seven fantasy points per game over the past two weeks, and he’s completed under 55% of his passes in both of those appearances. The Washington defense has been playing much better lately, and while Wilson should start to improve this week, it’s tough to recommend starting him this week. I’d likely play Taylor Heinecke, the other quarterback in this Monday night matchup, over Wilson.

NFL Week 12 Running Back Rankings

David Montgomery: I’ve been hyping up David Montgomery in my writing all week, and I’m excited for him to have a nice bounce-back game after scoring ten or fewer fantasy points in both games since his return. Montgomery is a talented rusher, and he racked up 27.1 fantasy points against the Lions towards the end of last season and 22.6 points against them earlier this year. He’s a clear-cut RB1 this week who has to be in your lineup, and he’s going to be one of my favorite targets for those Thanksgiving DFS lineups.

Antonio Gibson: It’s been great to see Gibson get back to his usual workload since his bye week, and he’s faced two brutal matchups and still had decent fantasy success on the ground. This week, Gibson gets to play the Seahawks, who have allowed the third-most fantasy points to running backs this season. Gibson has averaged 21.5 carries per game over the past two weeks, and in this plus matchup against Seattle, I have Gibson as a borderline RB1.

NFL Week 12 Wide Receiver Rankings

Darnell Mooney: The Bears have lost five straight games, Andy Dalton has taken over for an injured Justin Fields, and Matt Nagy’s days are reportedly numbered in Chicago. However, one bright spot for this team recently has been the play of second-year wideout Darnell Mooney. He saw a whopping 16 targets on Sunday, and while he only caught five passes, he finished with 121 yards and a touchdown. Against the Lions this week, he’s a strong WR2 with obvious WR1 upside, with Allen Robinson likely out again on the short week.

Elijah Moore: Rookie wide receivers have a habit of breaking out over the second half of the season, and Elijah Moore is doing just that. The Jets’ wideout is coming off the best performance of his young career as he caught eight balls for 141 yards and a touchdown. Moore has scored four touchdowns in his last three games, and while it’s unclear who the Jets’ starting quarterback will be, Moore has to be in your lineup moving forward.

NFL Week 12 Tight End Rankings

Dalton Schultz: Last week was Schultz’s first game with double-digit PPR points for the first time in a month, and it was great to see him get back on track after a few down weeks. The Cowboys could be without Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb this week, which would leave Schultz as likely the top target in the passing game. The Raiders have been a sieve against tight ends, allowing the second-most fantasy points to this position, so this could be a massive week for Schultz.

Rob Gronkowski: It was great to see Rob Gronkowski back in the lineup for the Buccaneers, but it’s unlikely he was in your fantasy lineup as he wasn’t ruled in until just before the game on Monday. He finished with six catches for 71 yards and now faces the Colts, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends this season. Gronk should be good to go for fantasy, and I have confidence in starting him.