With injuries and byes, there’s a good chance you’re looking for fantasy sleepers this week. With that in mind, Touchdown Wire presents nine fantasy football sleepers for Week 12 of the NFL season:
9. Bo Scarbrough, RB, Detroit Lions
Scarbrough was brought up from the practice squad before Sunday’s game with Dallas. He ended up getting the bulk of the carries ahead of J.D. McKissic and Ty Johnson. He rushed 14 times for 55 yards. That should earn him more carries going forward, and he’s got a favorable matchup Sunday against Washington.
8. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers’ Week 12 game against the Packers could be a shootout, and that could mean good things from Samuel, who has blossomed the past two weeks. In games against Seattle and Arizona, Samuel has caught 16 passes for 246 yards. Even with Emmanuel Sanders back from injury, Samuel will remain a big part of the offense going forward.
7. Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos
You may be hesitant to play a tight end who is playing with a backup quarterback in Brandon Allen. But tight end is such a tough fantasy position that you need to grab points wherever you can. Fant may be able to bring some points Sunday against Buffalo. He is becoming a bigger part of the Denver offense, as evidenced by his 24 targets over the past three games.
6. Ryan Griffin, TE, New York Jets
Griffin is now a legitimate starter with Chris Herndon on injured reserve. He caught five passes for 109 yards and a touchdown Sunday against Washington. His matchups are going to remain favorable with the Jets facing the Raiders, Bengals and Dolphins in the next three weeks.
5. Derrius Guice, RB, Washington Redskins
Guice could be a big sleeper against Detroit. Now that Guice is fully healthy, it appears Washington’s plan is to have him split carries fairly evenly with Adrian Peterson, who no longer is a breakaway threat. Guice has good speed, as shown by his lone reception against the Jets on Sunday. He caught a screen pass and took it 45 yards for a touchdown. Guice is just starting to do what the Redskins envisioned before a knee injury kept him out from Week 2 through Week 10. He’ll play a bigger role the rest of the season, because the Redskins want to get him experience.
4. Randall Cobb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys found their identity in Sunday’s win against Detroit. They’re quarterback Dak Prescott’s team, as shown by his 444 passing yards. Yes, Ezekiel Elliott remains a force as a runner, but the Cowboys are going to be slinging the ball around. Even though Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup are ahead of Cobb on the depth chart, there are enough passes to go around. Over the past three games, Cobb has 16 catches for 256 yards and two touchdowns.
3. Sam Darnold, QB, New York Jets
Darnold had his best statistical game Sunday against the Redskins. He threw for 293 yards and four touchdowns. That should continue. Darnold has upcoming matchups with the Raiders, Bengals and Dolphins. With Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Philip Rivers and Kirk Cousins on bye this week, Darnold should be a solid fantasy starter.
2. Jonathan Williams, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Marlon Mack had become an automatic starter in any league. But he fractured his hand against the Jaguars on Sunday and will miss some time. Williams was the next man up against Jacksonville, and he fared quite well, carrying 13 times for 116 yards and catching one pass for 31 yards. Williams will get the start and even more carries Thursday night against Houston. The Colts are a run-first team, so start Williams if you have him.
1. Jeff Driskel, QB, Detroit Lions
Assuming Matthew Stafford remains sidelined, Driskel isn’t a bad option if you need a quarterback due to injury or a bye. First, he’s got a favorable matchup against Washington this week. Second, he put up some solid fantasy points Sunday. He threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown. Driskel is quick and is capable of doing even more damage as a runner.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
