Flex Heroes and Zeroes - Week 12 Fantasy Football Picks

Be honest, what's better: Thanksgiving dinner on the night itself or enjoying the leftovers the next day? The former might seem like the obvious answer but think about it - how much do you really get to enjoy the meal itself when you're obligated to sample Aunt Edna's brussel sprouts or your cousin's gluten-free stuffing that everyone should be eating because gluten-free is the only way to eat. Plus, you're rubbing elbows with family members you see twice a year (often by choice) and sometimes the reality of the meal are inferior to your heightened expectations.

I can't speak for anyone else, but personally, I prefer the day after Thanksgiving. So on Black Friday, rather than scarfing down a Chick-Fil-A sandwich on the way to Walmart to fight off the elderly and/or unemployed in order to save $5 on a karaoke machine or get a deal on some Air Pods (even though you don't even own an iPhone but hey, a bargain's a bargain), I'll pass. Instead, I savor the best of the Thanksgiving meal in the quiet of my own home and think to myself how Plan B sometimes turns out even better. There's an obvious parallel here to picking players off the waiver wire or from your bench to start in lieu of what are supposed to be "studs" or obvious starts because often times they turn out better. I could expand, but I've got a plate full of sweet potato casserole wating for me in the microwave.

Now, here are my fantasy flex and streamer "heroes" and "zeroes" at each position for Week 12 of the NFL season. These players are borderline start considerations for your flex (and superflex) spots that I believe will perform unexpectedly well or that might fare poorly relative to expectations in this week's matchups. To see how our staff feels about all the players you might possibly care about, look no further than our very own RotoBaller consensus weekly rankings.

Week 12 Lineup Heroes

QUARTERBACK

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns

I was going to go with Dak Prescott but apparently he already played on Thursday for some reason... Mayfield posted his first three-TD game in Week 10 and had a week off to feel dangerous, with nothing to do about it. It may not matter how he feels, as he could probably put up QB1 numbers in his sleep against the Bengals this week. They are allowing the second-most fantasy PPG to quarterbacks on the year. Only the fact that their run defense has been equally atrocious recently has spared their secondary from looking worse. Nick Chubb should have a field day but he'll already be in lineups everywhere. Mayfield isn't guaranteed to have a starting spot in many leagues, given the plethora of quality options at QB these days. While plucking someone like Jameis Winston off waivers and putting him in your lineup could pay off big, we also know he could be pack on the bench by halftime. Mayfield has a higher floor than risky streamers like Winston, Nick Mullens, or Lamar Jackson and should be trusted over his counterpart Andy Dalton, considering that A.J. Green is doubtful to play again.

RUNNING BACK

Peyton Barber, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Barber recorded his first 100-yard game of the season and second of his career in Week 11, running strong all afternoon over the Giants (his long was 28 yards). Barber is a back that could be more serviceable to fantasy owners with higher volume but that just doesn't happen most weeks. The Bucs are seventh in the league in passing play percentage at 64% and that doesn't figure to change real soon given the weakness of their defense. Barber hasn't carried the ball 20 times in a game yet and may not this week either, as the Bucs defense has several key injuries, which is akin to pouring gasoline into the dumpster that's already a raging fire. Why trust Barber then? He's got 17 red zone rush attempts, top-20 in the NFL, and should get his share of chances against a mediocre 49ers defense. I could be giving Dirk Koetter way too much credit but I've got to think at some point he tries to protect Jameis Winston from himself and gives Barber the chance to shine. Plus, it's not like Ronald Jones is going to be a threat to his workload. This team really needs to get blown up, doesn't it?

WIDE RECEIVER

Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers

Williams hasn't been close to the flex radar lately. Last week's two-catch, 56-yard performance represented Williams' best output in both categories since Week 5 and Week 3 respectively. He's been completely touchdown-dependent for any sort of value. I can't promise he'll see a big uptick in targets this week but with Tyrell Williams limited in practice this week and listed as questionable, that bodes well for the second-year wideout. A matchup with CB Jamar Taylor is certainly promising as well. PPR owners might be hesitant to risk a flex spot on Williams but think about some of the alternatives: Willie Snead, Adam Humphries, Dede Westbrook... those guys probably aren't reaching the end zone and they don't have Philip Rivers throwing them the ball.

TIGHT END

C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals

The state of the tight end position regained some promise as Greg Olsen and Jack Doyle returned from injury weeks ago. Now, with Travis Kelce on bye, Rob Gronkowski forever hurt and Kyle Rudolph's value seemingly unsalvagable, it's downright depressing again. The name C.J. Uzomah may not exactly serve as fantasy football Xanax but you need something to get you through the last of these lonely bye weeks, don't you? The list of replacements for Kelce is filled with sketchy characters, so with A.J. Green doubtful to play and a Cleveland defense in the bottom 10 against TEs, he's a better bet than most. Uzomah has seen at least four targets each of the last three games and should have enough involvement to give him a fighting chance to score, which is all you can ask from your tight end streamer after all. I'm not betting on Antonio Gates to do that two weeks in a row, after all.

Week 12 Lineup Zeroes

QUARTERBACK

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Last week was the time to fade Big Ben, as he took to the road to face his arch-nemesis, the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was completely held in check... for almost three quarters. Then, a switch flipped and he pulled off a 314-yard day with two passing touchdowns and a rushing score in the final 20 minutes, mostly offsetting the three picks he had already thrown. If he can manage low-end QB1 numbers vs the Jags, then Denver should be no problem. Except it took a busted coverage for a 78-yard Antonio Brown touchdown to happen and a defensive PI for Ben to get the chance for that rushing TD. The stat line alone is misleading if you didn't see how many things had to break right for the Steelers to eke out that victory. The Broncos aren't a top-five defense anymore but they are pretty strong at home, allowing only one 300-yard passing at Mile High, to the Chiefs of course. This could be a James Conner day, as the Broncos are yielding the sixth-most rushing yards in the league and will try to keep the ball on the ground themselves now that Royce Freeman is back at 100%.

RUNNING BACK

LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills

Speaking of the Jags, they now get a chance to face a slightly easier opponent in Buffalo. Jacksonville is one of the better run-stopping units in the league, as we know. Some personnel shifts on the offensive side of the ball for Buffalo may work against McCoy as well. Chris Ivory returns after missing Week 10's blowout victory over the Jets, while Josh Allen should finally be back under center. Allen was averaging almost six carries and 26 yards per game with three rushing scores in six games. His ability to scramble, especially in the red zone, could easily rob Shady of his own scoring chances. Coming off a season-high 113 yards and two TD before the bye to rest and get healthy, McCoy might be hard to bench outright but there are too many factors working against him to be optimistic.

WIDE RECEIVER

John Brown / Michael Crabtree, Baltimore Ravens

I'm so disgusted with the state of the Ravens' primary receivers that I'm making this a bonus two-fer. Brown was a top-15 fantasy receiver after one month of play. He's caught seven passes for 66 yards and no touchdowns the last three weeks. Crabtree laughs at talk of a decline, as he's been steadily crappy all season long, leaving no room to be disappointed any longer. For the record, he's averaging 4.2 receptions and 47.9 yards per game on the season with a total of two TD. The Lamar Jackson era doesn't show much promise for the passing game just yet but it was rough on both these players. The leading target last week, when the Ravens did allow him to pass, was Willie Snead with five catches for 51 yards. He's become the de facto WR1 in Baltimore and he's not worth starting either. Don't let the easy matchup against Oakland lure you into starting either of these players if you can help it. Gus Edwards may well be the star of the show once again.

TIGHT END

Evan Engram, New York Giants

Week 11 was the time for Engram to finally shine in an otherwise non-descript season. Well, 66 yards was his second-best output of the season so there's that. Engram has been a big draft bust and couldn't see more than two catches or targets in a smash spot. What hope is there against the Eagles, who allow the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends? Engram wasn't just targeted lightly last week, he actually finished third in snaps among Giants tight ends. The team has enough other weapons this year to relegate Engram to fourth fiddle and this isn't the Saints offense, where that's good enough to be fantasy-relevant.

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