The Yahoo Fantasy Football crew reveals their boldest takes for Week 12. Check out what Scott Pianowski, Matt Harmon, Ray Garvin, Chris Allen, Justin Boone and Joel Smyth have to say.
[Upgrade to Fantasy Plus and gain your edge in player projections and much more]
Jameson Williams posts his third straight top-10 fantasy WR finish
Williams has been on fire since the Lions’ Week 8 bye with stat lines of 4-66-1, 6-119-1 and 4-88-1. All three results put him inside the top 14 fantasy receivers each week, but the two most recent outings landed him in the top six. Now, he gets to go back to Detroit and the friendly domed confines of Ford Field, where the Lions’ passing attack tends to do its best work.
His opponent, the Giants, are the sixth easiest matchup for fantasy wideouts this season and the game is tied for the highest projected point total on the week at 50.5, so be prepared for a lot of scoring. With Williams in the ideal environment for a favorable matchup, he’s about to keep his hot streak going. — Justin Boone
Zay Flowers scores his first TD since Week 1
Zay Flowers' last touchdown came in Week 1 versus Buffalo. Sixty-five targets later, and he has yet to score, including being tackled inside the 10-yard line six times. Although the Ravens may not be in a pass-heavy gamescript, I believe Flowers is set up beautifully to have better odds at getting into the end zone.
The Jets secondary is a fraction of what they once were. With a new secondary, New York allowed over 200 yards to Patriots WRs last week, a season high to a below-average receiver room. Playing against the 27th-ranked defense versus explosive passes also pairs well with Flowers finding the end zone on a big play. — Joel Smyth
Chris Olave is a top 10 receiver in Week 12
The Saints wideout was seeing a ton of volume the first five weeks of the season, as he was second in the NFL in targets in Weeks 1 to 5 but ranked 40th in yards per game. From Weeks 6 to 10, he was still seeing plenty of volume but ranked seventh in yards per game and has scored three times. That’s just simple regression for a talented wideout, who is still underrated as a star-level player.
Olave had a season-high 141 air yards in Week 10 before the bye. Rookie Tyler Shough was much more willing to rip it to Olave downfield and outside the numbers. Shough finished 11 of 16 for 202 yards and both of his touchdowns on throws outside the numbers before the bye. He can look to attack the Falcons the same way, as they use single-high coverage on a league-high 69% of their defensive plays, per Fantasy Points Data. Olave averages 2.57 yards per route run against single-high coverage this season and 4.04 in the two games Shough started. — Matt Harmon
Sean Tucker does it again
I’m going right back to the well. Sean Tucker finds the paint twice on Sunday night in Los Angeles. On 20 fewer rushes, he’s sitting at 235 yards with a team-best 4.6 yards per carry and 4 rushing touchdowns. Rachaad White is solid but Tucker is the most explosive back on this roster. Against a Rams offense that can put you in a track meet, the Bucs counter by shortening the game and leaning on their ground attack. That’s how you keep Stafford, Nacua, Adams and Williams watching.
If Bucky Irving misses again, the high-value touches consolidate and Tucker gets the goal-line calls. Tampa needs physical answers in the red area and Tucker supplies them.
Book it. Tucker punches in two scores on Sunday Night Football and kicks off a backfield conversation in Tampa that won’t go away the rest of the season. — Ray Garvin
Jakobi Meyers posts WR2 numbers against the Cardinals
Jakobi Meyers broke a lot of the “rules” we associate with receivers and their ability to earn targets. Some think it takes time to establish a rapport. Meyers gave that concept the "Nah" wave as he hoarded 30% of Trevor Lawrence’s targets after his first full week of practice with the Jaguars. Also of note, Brian Thomas Jr. nor Travis Hunter ever saw their single-game shares get to Meyers' level during the season.
It’s also reasonable to assume that if a receiver becomes the focal point quickly, the play-caller has to use screens or other manufactured looks to get the ball to their new pass-catcher. That also wasn’t the case for Meyers. The majority of his targets came on timing routes to the outside or across the middle of the field. And with Arizona allowing the 12th-highest passing success rate to WRs over their last six games, Meyers continuing to get in sync with Lawrence should land him in the top 24 for Week 12. — Chris Allen
Raiders stifle Shedeur, finish as a top-five D/ST
Shedeur Sanders looked lost in his 4-for-16 show at Baltimore, and while first-team reps should help in theory, he’s always had a sack problem, dating back to his Colorado days. The Las Vegas defense hasn’t played well for most of the year (29th in DVOA), but this is a spot to take advantage of. — Scott Pianowski
Content Original Link: