It’s already Week 12 and the best teams in your league are getting prepared for the fantasy football playoffs. The rookie pool shrinks as injuries hit and roles tighten, but opportunity pops for the few who can change a Sunday. Each week, we take a look at rookie names who could swing a matchup — the risers you start with conviction, the stashes you scoop before waivers lock and the streamers you deploy when your lineup needs upside.
Rookie Report Week 12 — let’s get it.
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Patriots vs. Bengals
I don’t know if anyone has been hotter the past two weeks than TreVeyon Henderson. Since stepping in as the feature back with Rhamondre Stevenson and Terrell Jennings banged up, the rookie has stacked five touchdowns in two games. He ripped Tampa Bay for 147 rushing yards and two scores, then followed it on Thursday night against the Jets with 3 more touchdowns and the second-most receiving yards of his young career. Henderson is straight-up explosive. Each and every touch can go the distance.
Cincinnati’s defense has been dreadful and now has to deal with an efficient Patriots operation piloted by Drake Maye. New England doesn’t boast a room full of superstar pass catchers, but the execution is sharp and the tempo keeps the offense moving. Even if Stevenson returns (and there’s buzz he could), Henderson’s role should hold because he’s been the team’s most explosive finisher and he’s earned high-leverage touches. Over the last three weeks, he’s the RB4 in half-PPR at 20.6 fantasy points per game, trailing only De’Von Achane, Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor.
That’s not fluky usage either. He’s handling early downs, inside-the-10 work and he’s been viable as a checkdown option when defenses sit back. Against a Bengals unit that’s struggled to tackle and fit the run, this sets up as one of the most favorable scripts on the slate, whether Stevenson suits up or not.
Ray’s Rookie Read: Locked-in top five play in Week 12 with multi-touchdown upside even if Stevenson returns.
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Browns at Raiders
Quinshon Judkins has turned in a strong rookie season with 620 rushing yards, but the splash plays cooled after that 3-touchdown eruption against Miami in October. Since then, he’s cleared 60 yards just once and he hasn’t scored a rushing touchdown. He’s been non-existent in the passing game. Cleveland is slated to start fifth-round rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders in what should be a spectacle of its own. Dallas just lit up the Las Vegas team that Cleveland will face, but this is not Dak Prescott. There is no CeeDee Lamb. There is no George Pickens to make defenses pay. The Raiders run defense has tightened over the past month. Javonte Williams had to grind for 93 yards on 20-plus carries, which tells you this is a body-blow fight between the tackles.
With a rookie under center, Cleveland’s path is straightforward. Heavy personnel, condensed formations and a steady diet of inside zone and duo to protect the quarterback and live in second-and-manageable. Judkins’ receiving drought caps his floor if the Browns chase points, but early downs belong to him and his short-yardage work keeps a clean path to six on one snap. If Cleveland can keep this game neutral and string first downs, touch volume climbs into the sweet spot, where opportunity trumps efficiency. The Raiders’ front can win reps, yet they’ve also yielded chunk gains when backs get downhill before contact. That’s Judkins’ game.
The Browns don’t have many options with a rookie quarterback on the road, so expect them to ride Judkins and let the defense do the heavy lifting.
Ray’s Rookie Read: Volume-play RB2 with multi-touchdown upside in Week 12 at Las Vegas.
Tyler Shough, QB, Saints vs. Falcons
The last time we saw rookie Tyler Shough was two weeks ago. New Orleans, off of a bye, returns home to face a 3-7 Falcons team that’s reeling. Before the break, Shough posted his best game as a pro in a 17-7 win over the Panthers, throwing for a career-high 282 yards with 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He finished QB11 with 18.9 fantasy points. The arrow is at least pointing up, and the context this week is friendly.
Atlanta is limping in without Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London. Just last week, the Falcons got lit up by Bryce Young and the Panthers for 448 passing yards and 3 scores while Tetairoa McMillan went nuclear. Now, they have to deal with Chris Olave. Shough’s tape against Carolina was solid. They utilized the quick game, he had much better ball placement and fewer hero throws. If New Orleans keeps him in that lane with play action and defined reads, he’s got a path to stacking efficient drives.
You’re not chasing rushing upside here; you’re betting that Olave wins outside, the backs handle blitz pickup and Shough distributes on time. Beyond Week 12, the schedule stays interesting for a rookie you’re monitoring, not marrying. After Atlanta, Shough gets the Dolphins, then the Panthers again, the Jets and the Titans. Given how the quarterback position has been wrecked by injuries, that’s a runway where volume and competent decision-making can keep him streamer-relevant.
Ray’s Rookie Read: In desperate spots, Shough is a viable Week 12 streamer, but more importantly, his fantasy playoff runway is good enough to keep him on speed dial if you need volume-based production at quarterback.
Jayden Higgins, WR, Texans vs. Bills
Jayden Higgins deserves a shout for a steady two-week climb. He’s seen 7 targets in back-to-back games, scored against the Jaguars, then posted 4 catches for 55 yards at Tennessee — where he was forced out at the 1 on what could’ve been a second straight week with a touchdown. With C.J. Stroud out, Davis Mills has thrown the ball 40-plus times in consecutive weeks. Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz lead but Higgins has settled in as the third option and the usage drumbeat is real.
Buffalo’s defense hasn’t been at its best and Houston’s veteran quarterback is being trusted to operate the full menu. Higgins’ profile fits what this passing game needs behind Collins — big frame, catch radius, downfield ball skills. If the Bills tilt coverage to No. 12 and squeeze the seams on Schultz, Higgins is going to see single coverage on the perimeter and in the red zone. The last two weeks showed the staff is comfortable dialing him up on schemed in-breakers, glance routes and boundary shots. If volume holds anywhere near seven to eight looks again, one chunk play or a goal-line fade can flip a lineup decision.
Higgins isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it starter yet, but the role is stabilizing. He’s running live routes with the starters, he’s trusted near the end zone and Mills has shown no hesitation to throw when game script tilts pass-heavy. In deeper leagues or formats that reward big plays, he fits as a bench stash who can be elevated when injuries and/or byes hit. If Houston stays near that 40-attempt range again, Higgins’ path to five-plus targets is clear and any bump in red-zone usage can turn a fringe flex into a big-play touchdown threat.
Ray’s Rookie Read: Stash off waivers and you can roll him as a deep, desperation flex with big-play and red-zone upside.
Bhayshul Tuten & LeQuint Allen Jr., RBs, Jaguars at Cardinals
Bhayshul Tuten left last Sunday with an ankle injury, then told reporters he was good to go earlier this week. Before exiting, he out-carried Travis Etienne 15-12 and looked like he was grabbing the hot-hand baton. He logged 15 touches for 74 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers, a sharp spike after seeing just four carries the week prior and nine the week before that. With Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter sidelined, the Jags were hunting explosives, and they found them in the rookie Tuten. If he is somehow on waivers, that’s the move — push priority and empty the budget because the role was expanding before the ankle twist.
Arizona just let Christian McCaffrey do whatever he wanted, and Jacksonville draws that same defense Sunday. If Tuten’s ankle responds, this sets up for a downhill script with early-down volume and red-zone chances behind a staff that clearly wants to lean on him.
If Tuten can’t go, LeQuint Allen Jr. is the contingency you stash now, then activate late. The seventh-rounder has been praised for execution and physicality on third downs, he’s already played decent snaps and he profiles as the next man up for passing downs with enough burst to handle 10 to 12 carries if needed. In deep leagues, this is the exact kind of Saturday night add that can swing in your direction early Sunday morning.
Ray’s Rookie Read: Tuten is a priority add with RB2 upside this week. If he’s out, LeQuint Allen Jr. is a viable late-week plug-in flex against a soft Cardinals run defense.