The Forgotten RB Ready For Liftoff

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Editors’ Picks

Week 12 kicks off tonight. It’s time to get right (or stay right). Start by making sure you catch up on some of the latest and greatest content that you may have missed on FantasyLife.com.

Week 12 Rankings: Brock Purdy, Tee Higgins and More Risers

Brock Purdy climbs to QB8 for fantasy football in Week 12.

Purdy returned to the lineup in Week 11 to deliver 19.3 fantasy points against the Cardinals. He has averaged 18.6 per contest in three games—in line with his 18.1 in 2024. In those three games, Purdy has averaged 262 yards and a sizzling 2.3 TDs through the air. Dating back to 

The 49ers are seven-point favorites with a 27.3 team total per oddsmakers. Freedman's NFL Betting Game Model likes San Francisco more: 8.8-point favorites with a 29.2 team total. That is the second-highest team total in the game model for Week 12.  

Projection Model (using my PPR projections):

• Xfinity Best (ceiling): 22.3

• Median: 17.7

• Floor: 14.1

Purdy is a mid-range QB1 against the Panthers.

Tee Higgins is a top-10 WR with Ja'Marr Chase suspended.

Chase won't play in Week 12 due to the spitting incident with Jalen Ramsey, leaving Higgins as the primary passing game weapon for Joe Flacco against the Patriots. In five games with Flacco, Higgins has averaged 18.1 points per game on an 18% target share. Higgins is the WR7 in fantasy over that span.

Christian Gonzalez has shadowed opposing WR1s often for the Patriots this year. Of corners to play at least 50% of their team's coverage snaps, Gonzalez ranks as the No. 5 toughest matchup. Opposing passers have an NFL passer rating of 59.1. Only 44% of targets against Gonzalez have been completed, and he has yet to give up a receiving touchdown.

Still, Gonzalez won't follow Higgins every play, and New England plays zone coverage 67% of the time. In those cases, depending on the route and coverage assignments, Higgins should often be the first read in a pass-first offense. Higgins has averaged 54.4 yards this season, and oddsmakers have his line at 63.5-67.5 yards. I have him projected for 66.7 yards.

Projection Model:

• Xfinity Best (ceiling): 23.2

• Median: 15.8

• Floor: 11.7

Higgins would be a top-five play if not facing Gonzalez, but he should still see a big enough volume bump to warrant a rank inside the top 10.

Dwain breaks down all of his Week 12 Rankings Risers and Fallers. ⬇️

(Boldly) Predicting Week 12: Jared Goff Lights Up the Giants

Lions QB Jared Goff hasn't quite lived up to the QB8 season he delivered last year when he posted 37 passing touchdowns and finished fifth in the MVP voting. Currently the QB16 in points per game, Goff has only finished inside the position's top 12 twice in 10 games. One of those happened to be the overall QB1 performance back in Week 2 when Goff threw five touchdown passes against the Bears. 

Still, fantasy managers were hoping for more out of Dan Campbell & Co. after the team led the league in scoring last year with 33.2 points per game. 

The thing is, the Lions are still scoring plenty of points, sitting fifth in the league to date with 29.2 PPG, and Goff isn't that far off the pace of last year's 4,629 passing yards. The veteran's current 249 yards per game (ninth in the league) and 21 passing TDs (second) come out to 4,233 and 36 over the full season. This would be the first time in three years that Goff finished below 4,500 yards passing, but he's been as efficient as ever, boasting a 110.8 QB rating that is right in line with the 111.8 he delivered last season, and ranking fifth in completion percentage and sixth in passing EPA. 

The good news for fantasy managers is that the Lions have absolutely smashed weak defenses this year while playing more small-ball in close games. All three of Goff's performances this year with more than two passing TDs came against bottom-seven defenses in fantasy points allowed to QBs (Bears, Bengals, Commanders). 

And that's where the New York Giants come in. 

New York has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks and the sixth-highest fantasy boost (+3.1 points). Their 1.7 touchdowns per game allowed ranks 10th on the season, and they've been even worse of late: Since Week 6, every QB room they've faced has scored two or more touchdowns. Even Malik Willis got in on the action with a garbage-time score last week. 

This looks like a get-right spot for a passing offense coming off a tough outing against the Eagles on Sunday night. Look for Campbell to squint at his playsheet long enough to find a few explosive plays through the air and reestablish the Lions' offense as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Bold prediction: Jared Goff throws four TD passes, finishes as QB1.

Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.

📺 Every fantasy-relevant note from every Week 12 matchup. Let’s go.

🤯 Wait, Joe Burrow could be back…on Sunday?!

📝 Jacoby Brissett headlines the best Week 12 bye week replacement options.

❤️ We wanted to wish Thor Nystrom the best of luck as he starts his new job at SKOR. Check out Purple Daily for his latest work!

🔮 Rico Dowdle called his own play … and then scored. Check him out mic’d up.

👀 It’s the final buy-sell-hold of the 2025 season. Shoutout cooterdoodle!

💪 Darnell Washington weighs how much??! Wow.

❌ It’s official. No Michael Penix Jr. for the rest of the season.

🥖 The NFL is headed to Paris next year. Obvious choice for our representative.