RADIO
How in the world is Week 12 here already? Thanksgiving is coming up with three games to satiate that football appetite, and if that doesn't do it then you can house a turducken in honor of John Madden.
While we'd all like to think we have a grasp on player and team trends, each week of football serves to remind us that "any given Sunday" is a real thing. We have upsets, expectations that are exceeded, injuries, and so on. For some of you the playoffs are already clinched, for many others you are in the middle of a dogfight for those last spots, and for some the dream is dead, but perhaps you are in a keeper or dynasty league and can make some moves based off of the changes we're noting.
Let's look at players who are on the rise heading into Week 12.
Week 12 Fantasy Football Risers
Matthew Stafford - QB, DET
There just might be something to Jim Bob Cooter's new system for the Lions. Or maybe it's just the general vibe being different after the coaching change that seems to have Detroit's spirits lifted. Perhaps there's really nothing that special happening at all.
Regardless, the Lions have only scored more than 20 points twice this year (the last being in Week 6 against the Bears), and Stafford continues to have a weekly completion rating a shade over 60%. His yards have increased game-by-game the past three games, and while Stafford owners would like to see some more out of him, a 23.2 point effort (according to Fleaflicker standard scoring) is going to please them. His past three games have come against the Chiefs, Packers, and Raiders. Oakland should have been the best game for him, and it was.
Moving forward, he sees the Eagles (who were just decimated by Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers), the Packers again, and the Rams. Then the fun part begins. In Weeks 15-17 Stafford will face the Saints, 49ers, and Bears. Those are layups, and if you are looking forward to the playoffs and can afford a bench spot on Stafford, well the guy did put up 40 points against the Bears in Week 6, and we all know how poorly the Saints and 49ers are playing.
Eddie Lacy - RB, GB
If you had to place a bet at the beginning of the season on Eddie Lacy's first 100 yard game of the 2015 season not coming until Week 11, you'd have been banking on him missing eight weeks with an bad knee sprain or something. Yet here we are, and we are coming off a weekend where Lacy ran for 100 yards on 22 carries against a good Vikings run defense. This is encouraging for Lacy owners and the Green Bay Packers alike. Now James Starks seems likely to head back into his change of pace role instead of needing to be "the man" for the Pack. Week 12 brings a tasty matchup with the weak Bears defense for Lacy, so hopefully he can really build up some great momentum heading into playoff time for fantasy owners.
James White – RB, NE
Most owners were leaning towards James White being the guy who would benefit the most from Dion Lewis going down rather than flocking to Brandon Bolden, and it appears they were correct. He only had two carries and three targets on Monday night against Buffalo, but he turned those into 46 total yards and two touchdowns. He fought to break the plane over a pile of defenders on a quick snap rush to the right side after a big Danny Amendola gain. He also ran a nice wheel route to the right which exploited a coverage issue resulting from a blitz where he broke a tackle and scampered into the end zone.
While the volume was troublesome, it was clear that the Patriots were not playing comfortable football. The result was a victory, but Brady was under pressure all night and had to throw a lot of balls into the dirt in order to avoid dying. Take solace in the fact that it was clear that White was the preferred option in the passing game, and also that he showed that he should be that guy again moving forward by scoring twice and performing well.
DeSean Jackson – WR, WAS
A lot of people (read: me) thought that DeSean Jackson would just be the next name to fall victim to Josh Norman and the Carolina defense. Well, that didn't happen, as DeSean Jackson broke free on a zero route down the right sideline and Kirk Cousins was able to hit him in stride. Jackson finished the game with five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. This is important obviously due to the opposition that he overcame in the Panthers to post that line, but also because it was his first good game of 2015. Sidelined for quite a while with a hamstring injury, the previous two games were the "bust" side of Jackson, whereas Week 11 provided the boom. You know what you've got with Jackson, but it has to feel good to finally get a good game under his belt.
Julius Thomas - TE, JAC
There weren't any really surprising performances out of the tight end position that warrant too much thought. I addressed Kyle Rudolph in my FAAB piece and I don't think his stock jumps much at all because the Vikings' passing attack doesn't appear able to sustain any consistent production, let alone from a guy who hasn't shown it all year. Ditto for Jordan Cameron.
Julius Thomas makes for an interesting case because the Jaguars cannot run the ball (especially when they attempt to pound it in three times with Denard Robinson) and Blake Bortles is showing to be a growing quarterback. Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns are both developing into solid #1 and #2 wide receivers, whereas Julius Thomas has just sort of been "a guy" out there for the Jaguars.
He has only one game this year with over 30 yards, but on Thursday night he caught his second touchdown of the year (his first since Week 6) and saw his targets bounce back up to eight from the previous week's five. It's good news for Thomas and his owners, and while it doesn't move the needle that much, it's worth noting moving forward. Thomas and the Jags get to beat up on the Saints defense in Week 16, so keep that in mind as well if you're planning for the playoffs.
Other Risers to Note: Jameis Winston (QB, TB), Doug Martin (RB, TB), LeSean McCoy (RB, BUF), James Jones (WR, GB), Tyler Lockett (WR, SEA), Terrance Williams (WR, DAL)
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