Marvin Harrison was rolling … until appendicitis got the best of him (he’s already been ruled out for this week).
Hell, even Michael Wilson exploded for 26 fantasy points in Week 11—something that would have been truly impossible with Kyler Murray at the helm.
Really, the only thing in Arizona that hasn’t been fruitful for fantasy has been the messy running back room.
That could change as soon as Week 12, however, with the Cardinals opening up Trey Benson’s 21-day practice window.
With both Emari Demercado (already ruled out) and Bam Knight dealing with ankle injuries, the runway is cleared for Benson to quickly assume RB1 duties in a suddenly competent offense.
If you’ve been sitting patiently on Benson, congrats. You should have a difference maker down the stretch.
McBride has already locked up league-winner status thanks to this god tier run, but don’t be surprised to see other Cardinals deliver fantasy championships thanks to their juicy Week 17 matchup vs. the Bengals.
With trade deadlines looming, now’s the time to act like a wealthy retiree and relocate your squad to Arizona.
It’s Time To Lock In Your TNF Starts For Week 12
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Then Xfinity asked if they could make it FREE for everyone.
So now you can enjoy our excellent start/sit column AND the accompanying tool, all at the low price of $0.00, thanks to Xfinity.
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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 toÂ
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. Â
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.
(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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
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).Â
And that's where the New York Giants come in.Â
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.Â
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.
