Sleepers at Quarterback

Sam Darnold, Minnesota (at Chicago)

Darnold benefited from a few penalties that kept drives alive against Tennessee, but the fantasy points count just the same. The Vikings running game is slowing down, so even more should be on Darnold’s shoulders against a Bears defense that allowed a good fantasy game to Jordan Love last week despite his only throwing 17 times. The Bears didn’t give up a lot to Kyler Murray and Drake Maye in recent weeks, but that’s because the team was getting blown out, and the offenses were in conservation mode. The revival of the Bears offense should help Darnold’s bottom line this week.

Caleb Williams, Chicago (vs Minnesota)

Is the Vikings defense a tough matchup, or have they just been facing the right quarterbacks lately? Will Levis, Mac Jones, and Joe Flacco combined for two total touchdowns the last three weeks, but Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, and Jared Goff combined for 12 in the four games before that, with none accounting for fewer than two and none posting fewer than 244 passing yards. Williams was so much more comfortable as a runner and passer last week under new play-caller Thomas Brown, which should give him ample opportunity to come through for fantasy teams needing bye-week help.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami (vs New England)

Tagovailoa will have all hands on deck in the passing game against a Patriots defense that couldn’t figure out how to cover Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp last week. Even if New England does a good job on Tyreek Hill and/or Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins can make big plays with De'Von Achane and Jonnu Smith. Odell Beckham Jr and Malik Washington are also very skilled players to have as complementary targets. Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, and C.J. Stroud have all posted multi-touchdown passing days against the Patriots. Barring a three-touchdown day on the ground from Achane, Tagovailoa should be next.

Sleepers at Running Back

Dylan Laube, Las Vegas (vs Denver)

Laube should get a big part of the Raiders backfield with Alexander Mattison and Zamir White hurting. Laube is a highly advanced receiver out of the backfield, and he has some Austin Ekeler/Danny Woodhead burst as a runner. The Broncos are a tough matchup, but if Gardner Minshew II has to focus on short passing to slow down the Denver pass rush, Laube could be a PPR gold mine off the waiver wire.

Trey Benson, Arizona (at Seattle)

The Cardinals were surging going into the bye and shouldn’t be making too many fixes to a very much "ain't-broke" offense. Benson had gone over 10 PPR points in Weeks 9 and 10 with 9 and 12 touches, which could be his floor against Seattle. James Conner has been outstanding, but there’s no reason for the Cardinals to overwork him with Benson’s emergence and their spot atop the division standings. This could become a 1-2 punch with an every-week RB1 in Conner and upside flex play with Benson if the trend going into the bye continues.

Jonathon Brooks, Carolina (vs Kansas City)

Brooks is a deep sleeper because the Panthers just gave Chuba Hubbard an extension that indicates they see him as the starter. Of course, moving up for Brooks in the second round of the draft indicated that they saw him as a starter, too. Brooks has fresh legs and should have an adrenaline boost in his NFL action. He could hit on a limited workload if he isn’t too rusty after a year layoff.

Roschon Johnson, Chicago (vs Minnesota)

Johnson already has some standalone value as the short yardage back in the revived Bears offense. D'Andre Swift missed practice with a groin injury, but there’s hope he’ll play in Week 12. Even if Swift can go, Johnson could have an expanded role, and Swift will be at risk of aggravating his injury and giving way to Johnson for the remainder of the game. Johnson’s three-down back skillset could get more use vs. the Vikings.

Jerome Ford, Cleveland (vs Pittsburgh) **Thursday**

Ford has a chance to hit as a longshot in PPR leagues this week. The Browns could play from behind against the Steelers and abandon Nick Chubb and the running game, but the cold and wet conditions in the forecast might make passing downfield more difficult for Jameis Winston. Ford is a competent receiver out of the backfield, so if Winston is relegated to dinking and dunking, Ford will be a frequent target.

Sleepers at Wide Receiver

Jordan Addison, Minnesota (at Chicago)

Addison could be an important target for Sam Darnold in Week 12. Josh Oliver has been productive as a receiving tight end, but he suffered an ankle injury last week. T.J. Hockenson hasn’t gone over 50% of snaps and might not be ready for a full-time role. The Bears will surely focus coverage on Justin Jefferson, and the Vikings running game has been sagging, so Addison makes sense as a sleeper who could hit in an outsized role. He usually gets high-value targets downfield against single coverage, so even if his role doesn’t increase much, he can still come through for you.

Quentin Johnston, Joshua Palmer, LA Chargers (vs Baltimore)

Johnston and Palmer are perpetual sleepers because they are at the intersection of some combustible factors for fantasy. Justin Herbert is a very accurate downfield passer who can extend plays with his athleticism. The Chargers offense sets up chunk plays in the passing game by establishing the run, and both Palmer and Johnston can break big plays - Palmer with his ability to win at the catch point and Johnston with his speed. Add in a Ravens pass defense prone to giving up the big play and the possibility that the Chargers have to open up the offense to keep pace with Lamar Jackson, and you have the recipe for a WR3/Flex hit or two.

Devaughn Vele, Denver (at Las Vegas) 

The Broncos are peaking in pass efficiency, but who can you play to take advantage of a good matchup against the Raiders other than Courtland Sutton? The undrafted rookie Vele has been second in snaps after Sutton in each of the last two weeks, and he was second in targets last week. Vele also has gone over 10 PPR points in each of the last two games, so he has momentum going into Week 12.

Alec Pierce, Indianapolis (vs Detroit)

Pierce has one of the highest ceilings at wide receiver in Week 12, even though he also has a low floor. He doesn’t get many targets, but when Pierce is targeted, it is often on deep balls. Anthony Richardson found his accuracy throwing downfield last week, and against the Lions, the Colts are going to have to be hyper-aggressive on offense to have a chance to hang in what will surely be a high-scoring game. Pierce has already had a 20-PPR-point game with Richardson (and one with Joe Flacco), so he could be a week-winner for you.

Michael Wilson, Arizona (at Seattle)

Marvin Harrison Jr. should have a stiff test against the long, strong, and fast Seattle corners. If he has trouble getting free, Wilson could be a big hit against a Seahawks secondary that otherwise has been generous to wide receivers. Jauan Jennings had ten catches as a score last week, Cooper Kupp had 11 catches and Demarcus Robinson two scores after Puka Nacua got thrown out of the game in Week 9, and Khalil Shakir went over 100 yards and Keon Coleman posted a 5-70-1 in Week 8.

Sleepers at Tight End

Cole Kmet, Chicago (vs Minnesota)

Kmet’s production was modest last week,  but the groundwork was laid for better production down the stretch with the switch to Thomas Brown at play-caller. Gerald Everett was a Shane Waldron favorite with ties to the deposed offensive coordinator in Seattle and with the Rams, but Everett’s snap count fell to only 8 in Week 11. Kmet got all of the tight end targets for the second straight week, and he could be an important target if the Bears have to rely on the pass more with the Vikings run defense surging now that Blake Cashman is back on the field.

Luke Schoonmaker, Dallas (at Washington)

Jake Ferguson was already looking unlikely to play in Week 12 after suffering a concussion on Monday night, but head Mike McCarthy confirmed that he’s probably not going to play in Washington to give us clarity on this situation. The Cowboys liked Schoonmaker enough to take him in the second round last year, and if it weren’t for injuries, we probably would have seen more from him by now. Cooper Rush threw 55 times last week, so even though this offense is on the skids, the volume is there for Schoonmaker to be a hit as a waiver-wire, bye-week fill-in, especially in PPR leagues. 

Will Dissly, LA Chargers (vs Baltimore)

Maybe Dissly doesn’t qualify as a sleeper with solid fantasy numbers in five of the last six games, but his best came last week, and he’ll be needed in a game that will require the Chargers to move the ball at more than a glacial pace to keep pace with the Ravens. Baltimore has been a good matchup for tight ends this year, including a 6-95 game for Jake Ferguson and an 8-100 game for Cade Otton.