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Each Monday, fantasy football analyst Joel Smyth will go over 10 important stats that you may have overlooked from this week. Week 12 had plenty of notable stats. What keys to fantasy success do you need to know that your leaguemates may have missed?​​

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70.0%​

Kenneth Walker III’s percent of Seattle RB touches, the only time a Seahawks RB has crossed 60% on the season. This is Walker’s second straight game of 100+ scrimmage yards. Zach Charbonnet was the clear RB2 on Sunday as his first touch came with two minutes left in the first half. The two areas that have shown improvement are the receiving and red-zone work. In Week 12, the red-zone work (including the two goal-line attempts) was split 50-50, not perfect, but better. In terms of receiving, Walker tied his season high in routes that he set last week. However, the percentage of RB routes increased from 51.6% to 72.7%.

Walker has been consistently improving for the first time this season and can be a lower-end fantasy RB2 the rest of the season, with a chance at returning to his RB1 level of play we saw in 2024.

72.4%

Of the Patriots' RB touches went to TreVeyon Henderson, easily a career high in games with Rhamondre Stevenson available. Henderson's previous high was 52% all the way back in Week 1. Although it wasn’t an elite fantasy day, it was another day of elite usage with 21 touches, bringing his average over the last month to 19.5 per game. A 20-touch RB is gold in an offense that ranks seventh in scoring. 

The two worries with Stevenson’s return were that the volume would dip and the red-zone work would disappear. The first worry was avoided with Stevenson only recording seven touches. The second wasn’t great, but it was an improvement. After the other New England backs were stuffed at the goal line three times in one drive, Henderson ultimately had the final goal-line attempt on the day, his first since Week 4 with Stevenson available. With Henderson’s success rate in the red zone being better than Stevenson’s, hopefully, more changes are coming for the Patriots' RB usage.

2.4

Rushing fantasy PPG since Week 2 for Lamar Jackson. Ever since his big rushing day to open the season, Jackson’s rushing volume and production fell off dramatically. In comparison, the Ravens’ QB averaged 6.4 rushing PPG last season on 7.5 QB runs per game (excluding kneels). We have seen Jackson play in eight games this season, and his QB runs per game sit at 4.9. This has mainly been due to playcalling. His designed runs have been cut in half this season from 4.8 per game in 2024 to 2.4. Over the last four games since returning from injury, it’s been even lower.

The conservative attack has made him more pass-dependent, leading to three floor games in a row as Baltimore has just one passing touchdown in November. The good news is that the schedule coming up is incredible. The Ravens stay in the division over the next three weeks with Cincinnati twice and Pittsburgh (ranking 31st and 27th vs. passing fantasy points). He will then play New England (29th) before getting Green Bay (8th) to end the fantasy playoffs. Other good news is that the Ravens will need his rushing production in big moments. The only good rushing game of the season came versus Buffalo to open the year, a primetime spot versus top competition. With a 6-5 record, Baltimore may need to lean on Jackson’s rushing more going forward, especially in big-time games versus playoff teams.

27-15

The snap advantage for Kyle Monangai after D’Andre Swift fumbled this Sunday. Swift started the game with 11 snaps to Monangai’s seven, but after his fumble in the second quarter, the rookie RB became the focus. He also had nine of the 12 remaining RB touches as Swift only had three in the final 42 minutes of game action.

The main hit Swift has taken with the rise of Monangai has come in the receiving game. With the Bears utilizing the RBs the same way rather than having distinct roles, Swift has simply not been on the field enough on passing downs to carve out consistent passing production. Monangai now has more routes over the last two weeks of the two running backs, and only six fewer since Swift returned in Week 10.

43.5

Jacoby Brissett’s pass attempts per game this season, the highest in the NFL. QB volume is just as important as any other position. Over the last two weeks without Marvin Harrison Jr., Brissett has thrown the ball 106 times. Michael Wilson has been dominant over the two-game stretch with 10+ receptions and 100+ yards in each. Although Harrison is returning, I don’t think he replaces Wilson 1-to-1.​

In Weeks 7-10, when both Cardinals WRs were playing with Brissett, Wilson played exactly one fewer snap than his counterpart. Harrison led the way with a 26% target share, nearly double Wilson’s, but does that change going forward? Not only were the targets high in this pass-heavy attack, but Wilson’s target share was 32% with an impressive catch rate of 76% these past two weeks. It’s hard to believe that it will drop all the way back down. I believe Wilson can still be of use while also hurting Harrison upon his return next week. Either way, Brissett himself will continue to be a great option in fantasy as he’s currently the QB4 since his first start in Week 6.

88.0%

The percent of snaps played for Devin Neal after the Alvin Kamara injury. I had this same stat last week for Emanuel Wilson. A RB that is on the field constantly can be of use to anybody. Neal’s snap rate over the last three quarters would’ve been the third-best on the week, behind only Jonathan Taylor and Chase Brown. Neal's primary role in a trailing game was as a receiving back, running 37 routes, the most among any RB in Week 12.

The fantasy production wasn’t dominant, but 14 opportunities are great for a backup RB in a shortened time as the RB1. All of the RB touches went to Neal following the injury, along with Taysom Hill getting increased work. With depth lacking at this time of year, Neal could provide some relief in Week 13 against a Miami defense that’s been friendly to fantasy RBs this season.

2.8%

Touchdowns per target for CeeDee Lamb this season. In 2023, with Dak Prescott, Lamb’s rate was 6.6%, resulting in 12 TDs. Even with George Pickens in Dallas, Lamb’s TD total has been lower than expected this season when compared to his targets. In games with Pickens this season, Lamb has more red-zone targets as well as goal-line targets. Dak Prescott’s touchdowns per attempt is nearly identical to the Cowboys' 2023 season, leading me to believe that better days are still ahead for Lamb.

Of players with 72 targets or more (Lamb’s 2025 total), only Jerry Jeudy and Zay Flowers have fewer scores. Flowers' red-zone usage is almost non-existent and Jeudy’s QB play will keep him low, but Lamb has both of what they lack. For example, Pickens has six more touchdowns this season on just 20 more targets. Lamb is currently averaging 13.9 half-PPR PPG in complete games this season. If he were to have the 6.6% TD/Target he had in 2023, his production would still rise to 16.3 PPG.

86.1%

Puka Nacua’s route share with Tyler Higbee on IR. Since returning from injury, Nacua’s route share has been much lower with more involvement from the TE position, failing to cross 70% once. With Higbee moving to IR, however, Nacua ran just one fewer route than Davante Adams. A huge reason why is that Adams only played two snaps out of the Rams 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TEs).

Although the general route share was much better, the red-zone routes were not fully back. His routes compared to Adams in the red zone stayed exactly the same, running only two routes inside the 20 and targeted once. Hopefully, his red-zone work increases as well, but Nacua’s playing time bumping back up is great for his floor going forward. In his five games with over 70% of routes run, Nacua averaged 12.4 targets per game. In the other five games, it dropped down to 7.2.

14-3

The route differential between Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet in 1TE sets. Last week, it was 9-6 in favor of Kmet. Loveland’s overall route share has been increasing throughout the season and peaked at 70.3% on Sunday. That’s the highest this season in a game where Kmet wasn’t dealing with an injury.

After Loveland’s ceiling performance versus Cincinnati, he has averaged 10.5 PPR PPG in his three games. That is solid TE1 numbers, but what makes it more impressive is it’s not via good QB play. Caleb Williams has been in a slump, averaging only 217 pass yards with a total of four passing touchdowns. In those three games, the rookie TE has 22% of the Bears receiving fantasy points. If Williams can get it going, Loveland would move from a fringe TE1 to a solidified option.

10.2

Fantasy PPG for Evan McPherson since Joe Flacco became the starter. That would be fifth-best among kickers this season after scoring 8+ fantasy points in five straight games. After not having a single game with multiple field goal attempts to begin the year, McPherson has had multiple tries in five of the six games with Flacco as the Bengals offense has turned it around. If you want the full list of kicker research for the fantasy playoffs, the link is below.

A crescendo is building, and the Rams might be best to ignore it.

So much can happen from week to week in the NFL — check out Philadelphia’s loss to Dallas — that the Rams can’t get too comfortable, even with the way they’re playing.

In the last five games, culminating with their 27-point stomping of Tampa Bay on Sunday night, the Rams have outscored opponents in the opening quarter, 63-3.

Matthew Stafford has thrown 27 touchdown passes without an interception.

In four of the games in this six-game winning streak, the Rams defense has allowed 10 points or fewer.

But it’s uncomfortably early for anyone in the organization to be thinking about Santa Clara in February. The Rams need to play with blinders on. Yes, they’ve secured the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the moment, but they have a one-game lead over the Eagles, who beat them earlier this season and therefore have the tie-breaker. There’s no wiggle room.

The glide path is far different than 2021, when the Rams wound up winning the Super Bowl on their home field. That season, they went 0-3 in November games.

This bears a closer resemblance to 2018, Sean McVay’s second season, when the last game before Thanksgiving was an instant classic at the Coliseum, Jared Goff and the Rams beating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, 54-51.

There’s no ignoring that we’re watching something special in Stafford, who takes the snap, scans the field and delivers a laser with remarkable reliability. He processes with the speed of AI.

It was 10 years ago at Levi’s Stadium that Denver’s Peyton Manning, quarterbacking his second franchise, won his second Super Bowl ring and decided to retire.

Could that be Stafford? Second franchise. Potential for a second ring. Then again, Manning’s body was breaking down on him and he wasn’t at the top of his game. Those Broncos ran the ball and had a great defense.

At the moment, Stafford is playing as well as anyone who has ever played the position. He looks nothing like a 37-year-old guy who sat out training camp with back problems.

His streak of 27 touchdown passes without a pick is, according to Elias, the longest such streak by any player since play-by-play was first tracked in 1978.

“It’s hard to conceptualize the fact that you can throw — put the ball in the end zone that much,” said Rams receiver Davante Adams, who has 12 touchdown receptions this season. “Most quarterbacks can’t throw 27 passes without throwing a pick.”

Stafford’s the leading Most Valuable Player candidate, and this could be the season that secures him a bronze bust in Canton.

As for the poetry of him walking off the biggest stage the way Manning did, that’s all fantasy football now, especially with more than a quarter of the regular season remaining.

Read more:Rams surge to top of NFC, blowing out Buccaneers for their sixth straight win

(A little more premature conjecture: It’s not inconceivable that the Rams and New England Patriots could meet in the Super Bowl for a third time.)

What is irrefutable is the Rams are continually deepening their foothold on the Los Angeles market. They set their regular-season attendance record Sunday night (75,545 tickets distributed), surpassing the mark they set a week earlier with a home game against Seattle.

This is what Rams owner Stan Kroenke was talking about when he brought the team back in 2016, and when he built SoFi Stadium with the idea of making the nearly-300-acre campus a center of gravity on the West Coast.

It’s not just home to the Rams and Chargers, but it’s the integral role the stadium will play in the World Cup, the 2028 Olympics, and in early 2027, the second Super Bowl it will host. No matter how you feel about UCLA trying to wriggle out of its Rose Bowl deal, there’s a reason the school has turned its attention to SoFi.

Kroenke always told his development team that undershooting L.A. would be a huge mistake, that the opportunity here was immeasurable.

“Sometimes when you’re a real estate developer, I think you have to be tremendously optimistic,” Kroenke told the Los Angeles Times. “You encounter so many issues. ... With the NFL, you saw how difficult that whole thing was. So you had to be the optimist.

“Then you get a night like tonight, and it’s just awesome.”

The stadium was loud and overwhelmingly blue, with only a sprinkling of Tampa Bay fans. That’s progress.

The peril for the Rams now is letting down their guard. They travel across the country next weekend to play at Carolina, a team that won four of five not so long ago, including an upset of Green Bay.

In his postgame news conference, cornerback Cobie Durant was asked how it feels to have the No. 1 seed in the conference.

“I didn’t know that,” he said, sounding pleasantly surprised. “I don’t keep up with that.”

Smart answer.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.