Welcome to the Week 12 NFL fantasy and betting cheat sheet, a one-stop shop for The Athletic’s game previews, injury and weather updates, and expert analysis. Bookmark this page and check back often, as we offer regular updates to assist with fantasy lineups and betting decisions.
Player rankings (PPR) referenced in this article are current as of Nov. 24. For updated rankings, see the “Fantasy football player rankings” section.
The latest NFL news and headlines
Last updated: 6:50 p.m. ET, Nov. 25
Injury news | Week 12 takeaways
Featured games
Week 12 recap | Fantasy football player rankings
Injury news
Updated through 6:50 p.m. ET, Nov. 25
Monday night
Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers (shoulder) — Active
McConkey was limited at practice on Friday but is active for Monday Night Football. In Weeks 10 and 11 combined, Will Dissly led the Chargers with 12 targets; McConkey had 11, Quentin Johnston saw 10, and Joshua Palmer was targeted six times. Jake Ciely has McConkey as WR18 this week and Johnston as WR23.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens (knee) — Active
Bateman didn’t practice Friday due to a knee injury but is active for Week 12. While many thought Diontae Johnson’s arrival in Baltimore could affect Bateman’s targets, it hasn’t. Since being traded to the Ravens in Week 9, Johnson has had only four total targets and one reception, and his highest PPR total in Baltimore is 1.6. In that time, Bateman has had 11 receptions on 17 targets. In Week 10, he scored 17.4 PPR points, but in each of Weeks 9 and 11, he scored only 5 PPR points.
Week 12 Injury Report
| Player | POS. | Team | Inj. | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
WR |
BAL |
Knee |
Active |
|
|
WR |
CAR |
Quadriceps |
Out |
|
|
WR |
CAR |
Hamstring |
Active |
|
|
RB |
CAR |
Knee |
Active |
|
|
RB |
CHI |
Groin |
Active |
|
|
WR |
CHI |
Ankle |
Active |
|
|
WR |
DAL |
Knee |
Injured reserve |
|
|
TE |
DAL |
Concussion |
Out |
|
|
WR |
DAL |
Back/Foot |
Active |
|
|
RB |
GB |
Appendicitis |
Out |
|
|
RB |
GB |
Quadriceps |
Active |
|
|
RB |
KC |
Ankle |
Out |
|
|
WR |
LAC |
Shoulder |
Active |
|
|
RB |
LV |
Quadriceps |
Out |
|
|
RB |
LV |
Ankle |
Out |
|
|
WR |
MIA |
Wrist |
Active |
|
|
QB |
MIN |
Foot |
Active |
|
|
WR |
NYG |
Concussion |
Active |
|
|
WR |
NYG |
Groin |
Active |
|
|
QB |
PHI |
Ankle |
Active |
|
|
WR |
PHI |
Hamstring |
Out |
|
|
TE |
SF |
Hamstring |
Active |
|
|
QB |
SF |
Shoulder |
Out |
|
|
TE |
SEA |
Groin |
Out |
|
|
WR |
TB |
Hamstring |
Active |
|
|
RB |
TEN |
Concussion |
Out |
|
|
WR |
TEN |
Illness |
Active |
|
|
K |
WAS |
Hip |
Active |
Jake Ciely’s Week 12 fantasy football player rankings
Find out Jake’s top QB, RB, WR and TE for the week!
- There is no perfect widget out there, sadly, still. I know many view this on your phone, but 1) use the rankings widget on a PC/laptop/etc. if possible or 2) open in your phone’s browser, especially for Android users, to get the scrolling to work (or Android people can try a two-finger scroll).
- ECR = “Expert” Consensus Ranking (which isn’t updated by everyone consistently, so take with a grain of salt).
- Updated regularly, so check up to lineups locking.
Get Ciely’s full Week 12 analysis. Plus sleepers and projections.
Featured games
Game-specific previews and live updates are available on the day of the game.
Monday night
Baltimore Ravens (7-4) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3)
- Venue: SoFi Stadium — Inglewood, Calif.
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN, ABC
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
Coming off a tough Week 11 loss to the Steelers, the Ravens are favored by less than a field goal on the road against the Chargers in this AFC matchup that has head coaches Jim and John Harbaugh meeting for the first time since Super Bowl XLVII. The Jim Harbaugh-led Chargers have been rolling lately. Justin Herbert is throwing more and ranks sixth in passer rating (102.1), J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards are handling backfield work, and Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston lead the Chargers’ wide receivers in targets, receiving yards and yards after the catch.
Lamar Jackson has had an MVP season for Baltimore (excluding last week’s poor performance), but Derrick Henry has taken a step back lately with under 80 net yards in three of his last four games. Zay Flowers continues to impress (though somewhat inconsistently), while Diontae Johnson has become a fantasy drop, averaging two targets and 0.5 receptions per game. The Chargers defense is tough, and Tuli Tuipulotu has led the NFL over the past three weeks with six sacks, but Jackson has the third-most time to throw in the league. This Harbaugh brothers matchup is full of talent and intrigue.
Read the full preview.
Statistics in this section come from TruMedia.
Fantasy football Week 12 takeaways
Michael Salfino recaps Week 12’s action through a fantasy lens.
Jayden Daniels had a good game again, accounting for three TDs, fueled mostly by one late miracle play. But I don’t understand why he’s such a heavy favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year over Bo Nix. Nix has the same record as Daniels and has 16 TD passes and just two picks in his past nine games, plus two games with at least 61 rushing yards.
Jaylen Waddle punished us for benching him, though the byes hopefully forced your hand. But now we have a Tyreek Hill problem. His 17-game pace in 2024: 76-882-5. Yikes.
De’Von Achane is averaging 4.3 yards per carry, which his believers would have found unfathomable in August. However, the catches and five receiving TDs have made him worthy of his ADP anyway. I will be fading this receiving production in 2025, you can be certain.
— Salfino
Read all of Salfino’s Week 12 takeaways
Fantasy football Week 12 recap
KC Joyner answers lingering Week 12 fantasy football questions.
Can Saquon Barkley break the all-time record for RB points in a season? He could get close.
Barkley racked up an incredible 46.2 points against the Rams on Sunday night. It marked only the ninth time since the 2020 season that a running back has posted 46 or more points in a game. He now leads the league in games with 32-plus points, which he’s had in two straight weeks. He and Derrick Henry are the only running backs to put up back-to-back performances of over 30 PPR points this season.
This incredible scoring largesse leads one to ask if Barkley can break LaDainian Tomlinson’s all-time record for RB fantasy points in a season. Tomlinson tallied 481.1 with the San Diego Chargers in a 16-game season in 2006.
Barkley currently has 265.9 points, which means he needs to score at least 215.3 points in the Eagles’ remaining six games to break Tomlinson’s record. Some quick math shows that is a 35.9-point per-game pace, a figure Barkley has only surpassed once this year (Sunday night against the Rams).
Evidence would suggest Barkley cannot break this record, but the Eagles have four green-rated rush defenses left in those six games. If Barkley can rack up a couple of 40-plus point games (a difficult but not impossible proposition), he still has a puncher’s chance at overtaking LT for the best RB season in fantasy football history.
— Joyner
See all of Joyner’s Week 12 notes.
(Photo of Ladd McConkey: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
