Still Better than Field Yates, Week 12 Fantasy Football picks

Must Start QBs

Cam Newton, Carolina: The Carolina Panthers star quarterback Cam Newton has had a down season so far just like his team, the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers (4-6). With almost his whole offensive line going down with injury, it’s been hard for Cam to find success and time in the pocket each and every week. This week they play the number one team in the AFC, the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are one of the best offenses in the NFL. With the Panthers defense struggling of late and now the recent injury to their star linebacker Luke Kuechly, it seems that the Raiders will be putting points on the board early and often. This is going to force the Panthers to be throwing the ball quite often in a must win game and should lead to a boat load of fantasy points for the reigning MVP. Expect a huge day from Cam and the Carolina Panthers this Sunday.

Eli Manning, New York: The New York Giants have been playing very well recently and are in line to be headed back to the playoffs. A big part of their success this season and throughout the past few seasons has been Eli Manning. The two-time Super Bowl champ has played very well since Ben McAdoo took over the offense two years ago. This season Manning has thrown for 17 touchdowns through 11 games and has really turned it up in the past few weeks with huge performances against Philadelphia and Cincinnati, where he combined for 7 touchdowns in those games. Last week he played the Chicago Bears in a game where he threw two touchdowns and helped his team pull out the victory. This week he gets the privilege of playing the Cleveland Browns in a game where fantasy points should be getting passed around left and right. With the help of star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Manning gets ready for yet another big day and a likely win for the New York Giants.

Must Start RBs

Todd Gurley, St. Louis: Gurley has been arguably the biggest disappointment in all of fantasy football this season. With huge expectations after last season, he came into this season as the top projected running back in all of fantasy. He hasn’t shown the same production this season and has really let everyone down who spent a first-round pick on him, which could be because of his weak offensive line and the lack of talent at receiver for the Rams. Good news is the Rams have finally benched Case Keenum and have given the #1 overall pick from the 2016 NFL draft Jared Goff his opportunity, which could prove very helpful for Gurley and the Rams overall offense. Gurley also has one of the best schedules to end the season in all of fantasy including this week’s fantastic matchup against the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are one of the worst defenses in the NFL and get torched by the pass and run each and every week, so it would not be surprising to see an extremely talented back like Gurley to find his groove again Sunday in a game where fantasy points should be flying.

Jay Ajayi, Miami: Arguably the biggest surprise in all of fantasy this season, Jay Ajayi has turned into one of the best running backs in the NFL. Within a span of 3 games, Ajayi ran for 529 yards and 4 touchdowns just a few weeks ago. He has cooled off some since then, like expected, but he is still performing very well running for at least 70 yards in each and every game since becoming the starter. This week he plays the worst run defense in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers, in a matchup that should be defiantly noted. The 49ers have been torn apart by the run in just about every game this season, and I’m not expecting anything to change this week as the Dolphins run game as a whole has been very efficient. Ajayi is in line for an absolute monster game and may very well be the highest scoring player in all of fantasy this week.

Must Start WRs

Odell Beckham Jr., New York: OBJ has had an interesting season to say the least. I wouldn’t say he has let his owners down this year, but he just hasn’t fully lived up to their big expectations consistently yet with a few games where he has gone off and then games where he has gone silent. The good news is this week Beckham gets a fantasy owner’s dream matchup as he plays the Cleveland Browns Sunday. Heading into last week’s matchup against the Chicago Bears, he scored 3 touchdowns in the past two games with a total of 14 catches and 143 yards. He has seemed to be turning it up recently and with a matchup like this against the worst defense in the whole NFL, Sunday could be a very big day for Odell Beckham owners.

Rishard Matthews, Tennessee: Over the last few weeks, Rishard Matthews has quietly become one of the best options week in and week out as receiver in all of fantasy. With the help of an extremely soft schedule and a scorching hot Marcus Mariota, he has put up very good numbers recently and looks to continue his success Sunday against the horrendous Chicago Bears defense. The Bears have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers so far this season. With over 500 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns (5 Red Zone touchdowns) this season, Matthews looks to continue his breakout campaign with another big game against another bad team. Expect a huge day from Matthews and his star Quarterback Mariota.

Must Start TEs

Delanie Walker, Tennessee: One of the most consistent tight ends in all of football year in and year out, Delanie Walker is putting together yet another good season.
After scoring a touchdown in back to back games coming into last week, Walker looked like he was set to continue his success but ended up having an off game. But this week, he is a good bounce back candidate against the Chicago Bears in a game that is sure to have a large amount of offense from the Tennessee Titans. The Bears have been arguably the absolute worst pass defense in the NFL, and with Marcus Mariota on fire over the last couple weeks, Walker looks to be set for a monster game.

Antonio Gates, San Diego: Arguably the best tight end of all time Antonio Gates seems to be immortal. At the age of 36, he is putting together yet another good season. His chemistry with long time quarterback Philip Rivers has been a crucial part of his success over the years and is part of the reason why he is still so productive to this day. With a touchdown in each of his last 3 games, Gates looks to continue his streak of red zone dominance against the Houston Texans Sunday. The Texans defense has been very underwhelming as a whole against tight ends this season, making Gates a very strong play at a position that does not have to many good options this week. Start Gates and look for his streak of touchdowns to continue.

Sneaky Streamer Start

Wendell Smallwood, Philadelphia: This week the Philadelphia Eagles will be without running back Ryan Mathews, and Darren Sproles is questionable and isn’t likely to suit up. So that means the next man up is the rookie back out of West Virginia, Wendell Smallwood. Smallwood has impressed in games where he has seen an expanded workload, like in Week 3 where he ran for 79 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries and Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons where he ran for 70 yards on 13 carries. This week he is sure to get a large amount of touches throughout the day against the lackluster Green Bay Packers defense. In their last 4 games, the Green Bay Packers have allowed an average of 20 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, making Smallwood a very strong play in every league and format.