Arizona Cardinals
Marquise Brown ran a route on 97 percent of Kyler Murray's dropbacks.
Brown was playing in his first game back from an ankle injury. Kliff Kingsbury wasted no time throwing him back into the fire. Brown only missed one of Murray's 34 dropbacks. He earned a 28 percent target share and led the team with six catches.
Atlanta Falcons
Olamide Zaccheaus saw 59 percent of the Falcons' air yards.
This was our first game without Kyle Pitts in the lineup, so it was obviously time to get Drake London more involved. Instead of doing that, the Falcons zeroed in on Zaccheaus with a 33 percent target share and the bulk of their air yards. Isn't fantasy football fun?
Baltimore Ravens
Gus Edwards saw 84 percent of the Ravens' backfield carries.
Edwards has been in and out of the lineup this year, but his Week 12 return was a strong showing. He rushed 16 times for 52 yards and a score while dominating Baltimore's running back reps. Edwards appears to have a stranglehold on the RB1 role until J.K. Dobbins returns.
Buffalo Bills
Devin Singletary has at least 80 yards from scrimmage in four of his past six games.
The trade for former Colts running back Nyheim Hines has had no impact in the Bills' backfield. Hines has three touches in four games with Buffalo. James Cook has been playing a secondary role all year. Singletary remains Buffalo's top back, touching the ball at least 14 times in five of his past six games.
Carolina Panthers
No player earned a higher share of his team's air yards than D.J. Moore (77 percent).
When the Panthers wanted to move the chains, they went to Moore. Carolina's alpha also earned a 35 percent target share. Moore posted a 4/103/1 line on the day. The Sam Darnold experiment got off on the right foot, though the bottom could fall out at any time.
Chicago Bears
Darrynton Evans set a career-high in carries (nine).
There's not much to say about a game that featured Trevor Siemian starting and Darnell Mooney going down with an injury early. Instead, let's give Evans some love. The former dynasty hype train jumped Trestan Ebner on the depth chart and stole some work from David Montgomery. Despite being blown out, Montgomery earned Chicago's final carry, so Evans' role can't be entirely written off as the product of garbage time.
Cincinnati Bengals
Tyler Boyd hasn't topped 50 yards since Week 7.
Week 7 was the last time Ja'Marr Chase played. Boyd's target depth has gone slightly down since the Bengals lost Chase and he was forced to play outside receiver more than usual in one game. However, the simplest answer for Boyd's struggling production is likely the correct one. Chase draws the attention of defenses, making Boyd's life easier. Chase is expected to return this week.
Cleveland Browns
Kareem Hunt has more than seven touches in one of his past six games.
Nick Chubb has taken over Cleveland's backfield, rendering Hunt nothing more than a backup. Hunt also hasn't found the end zone since Week 7. After starting the season with a handful of strong performances, Hunt has become a dead-weight fantasy player.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have a negative five percent pass rate over expected since Week 8.
Dallas does not have a single game with a pass rate over expected above zero this year. They are 8-3 and have a punishing defense, so the run-heavy approach shouldn't be too surprising. The Cowboys face three teams with losing records over the next three weeks, so don't expect to see much of Dak Prescott until he squares off with the Eagles in Week 16.
Denver Broncos
Latavius Murray saw 87 percent of the Broncos' backfield carries.
Murray only gave up one touch to Marlon Mack. He ran for 92 yards on 13 attempts. Denver's offense is putrid, but Murray is dominating the few touches it can afford its running backs. There are worse options out there for desperate fantasy teams.
Detroit Lions
Jared Goff ranks seventh in EPA per dropback since Week 8.
Amon-Ra St. Brown played in Weeks 5 and 7 but took the field for less than a third of the team's snaps in both contests. Week 8 was his first in a full-time role since the start of the season. He and Jared Goff haven't looked back since. Goff hasn't been setting the league on fire, but he is avoiding mistakes. Having St. Brown as a safety valve has allowed him to throw just one interception while taking five sacks in his past five games.
Green Bay Packers
Only Davante Adams has more fantasy points than Christian Watson over the past three weeks.
Watson has put up 74.5 PPR points and is less than a point behind Adams. Scoring twice per week will do that. Watson's touchdown totals will regress, but he ranks second in the NFL in end zone targets and fifth in total air yards in that span. He is also second in yards per route run, verifying his status as an elite playmaker.
Houston Texans
Dameon Pierce has eight yards before contact over the past two weeks.
That is on 15 carries. Pierce is routinely being stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage. Pro Football Focus ranks the Texans' offensive line as No. 26 in run-blocking situations. Pierce also contributes little as a receiver, averaging just four yards per target while splitting the routes with Rex Burkhead.
Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman has at least six catches for 50 yards in Matt Ryan's past three starts.
After struggling in the opening two months of the season, Matt Ryan was benched for Sam Ehlinger. That experiment failed, Frank Reich was fired, and Jeff Saturday was hired as the interim head coach. Saturday re-installed Ryan as the quarterback and Pittman has been a consistent fantasy option ever since.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Zay Jones earned a career-high in receptions (11) and yards (145).
Jones paced the Jags with 15 targets in their Week 12 shootout with the Ravens. He didn't find the end zone, but he did get nab a two-point conversion catch to cap a career day. He and Christian Kirk are now in a race for WR1 duties in Jacksonville.
Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes did not score on any of his six red zone trips.
Mahomes, with the help of some horrible drives from the Bryce Perkins-led Rams, got in the red zone six times. Isiah Pacheco scored a rushing touchdown, Mahomes threw an interception, and the Chiefs kicked four field goals. Don't expect the Chiefs to play as conservatively in their Week 13 matchup with the Bengals.
Las Vegas Raiders
Josh Jacobs became the 11th player to top 300 yards from scrimmage in NFL history.
This stat was shamelessly stolen from Patrick Daugherty.
Jacobs capped his already-incredible Week 12 with an 86-yard touchdown. His walk-off score earned the Raiders their fourth win of the year. Jacobs also reached 20 receiving yards for the seventh time this year. His 74 yards through the air blew past that measly milestone. Jacobs should be treated as a top-five fantasy back going forward.
Los Angeles Chargers
Austin Ekeler saw 15 targets.
Ekeler posted an 11/60/1 receiving line versus the Cardinals. He is on pace to see 151 targets and catch 124 passes this season. Both marks would be the NFL record for a running back in a single season. The most incredible part of Ekeler's Week 12 line was the fact that Keenan Allen was back in the lineup. Impervious to competition for targets, Ekeler has a strong case to be ranked as the RB1 for the rest of the season.
Los Angeles Rams
Bryce Perkins averaged 4.3 yards per pass attempt.
Van Jefferson secured the Rams' only touchdown of the day but posted a measly 3/29/1 receiving line. With Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, and likely Matthew Stafford out for the foreseeable future, fantasy managers can forget the Rams exist.
Miami Dolphins
Tyreek Hill has more games over 150 yards than games under 70 yards this year.
Miami crushed the Texans and sat their starters for much of the second half in Week 12. Because of that, there's not much to break down. Instead, I'll use Hill's six catches for 85 yards as a reminder that he is the WR1 overall. His ceiling and his ability to consistently reach a high-end outcome are unmatched.
Minnesota Vikings
Dalvin Cook is still looking for his first 30-point performance in 2022.
The 30-point threshold is a high bar to clear, but Cook, a former first-round pick in fantasy leagues, should be able to topple that number in an offense that looks better than any he has played in as a pro. Instead, he is forced to take a backseat to the passing game. Cook remains a strong RB1 option, but his ceiling has been capped by a lack of touchdowns or receiving work.
New England Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson set a career-high in targets (10), receptions (nine), and receiving yards (76).
Damien Harris left his Week 12 matchup with the Vikings with a thigh injury. He is expected to miss at least Week 13, and likely more games, because of the issue. Stevenson already had an elite receiving role. The Harris injury now opens him up to an every-down job between the tackles once again. He can be treated as an RB1 until Harris returns.
New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara hasn't topped 100 yards from scrimmage since Week 8.
The Andy Dalton experiment is starting to come apart at the seams. The Saints are averaging 12.5 points per game over their past four contests and Kamara hasn't scored a touchdown in four weeks. Seeing plenty of work, Chris Olave and Kamara remain viable fantasy options, but the ceiling of both players is capped by a miserable offense.
New York Giants
Darius Slayton is averaging 2.38 yards per route run since Week 5.
Week 7 was the first time Slayton caught more than one pass in a game this year. His numbers have skyrocketed since that performance. He is the WR25 in total PPR points since Week 7. With no one else to throw to, Daniel Jones has turned Slayton into a reliable fantasy option.
New York Jets
In five career appearances, Mike White's offenses have averaged 426 yards per game.
White has started four games, one of which he left early, and appeared in the bulk of a fifth contest, all of which are counted in the above stat. Given that other quarterbacks played a small part in those games and he's Mike White, this is seemingly an anti-Zach Wilson nugget. However, as long as White remains the starter, Jets players will continue to be great fantasy options.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts' 157 rushing yards are the most for a quarterback in a game won in regulation.
That mark is the fourth-most rushing yards ever achieved by a quarterback. Michael Vick topped that number twice but required overtime to secure a win in his one victory of the two blowup spots. Hurts is the QB3 with a 2.4-point gap between him and the QB4 by points per game.
Pittsburgh Steelers
George Pickens earned a 53 percent air yards share.
Diontae Johnson once again led the Steelers in targets, but Pickens was the receiver of choice when Kenny Pickett wanted to move the sticks. Pickens turned six targets into a 3/57 line. The Steelers' offense doesn't offer much upside, but Pickens is the obvious way to find a ceiling game in Pittsburgh.
San Francisco 49ers
Brandon Aiyuk leads the 49ers in targets (36) since Christian McCaffrey joined the team.
Deebo Samuel has missed one game over that span, but Aiyuk's game-adjusted, 22 percent target share is still slightly higher than Deebo's. Aiyuk has also been the go-to option for San Francisco in the red zone. He has a 29 percent target share in the red zone since the CMC trade.
Seattle Seahawks
Over the past five weeks, DK Metcalf has 15 more targets than Tyler Lockett and two fewer touchdowns.
Metcalf has a 30 percent target share and a 43 percent air yards share since Week 8. He also leads the Seahawks by a wide margin in end zone targets (seven) and red zone targets (eight). A blowup game is coming.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rachaad White ran a route on 81 percent of Tom Brady's dropbacks.
White also earned 78 percent of the Bucs' running back carries. Without Leonard Fournette in the lineup, Tampa Bay treated White as a workhorse running back. He totaled 109 yards on 23 touches, nine of which were receptions.
Tennessee Titans
Treylon Burks is 12th in yards per route run since returning from his foot injury.
Burks came back in Week 10 after missing five weeks. He is averaging 2.6 yards per route run. Burks has also dominated the passing game for Tennessee, earning a 21 percent target share and a 30 percent air yards share. This is what a breakout looks like.
Washington Commanders
Brian Robinson had three carries of 10+ yards.
Robinson had never had more than two long runs in a game. He rushed 18 times for 108 yards and saw 58 percent of the Commanders' backfield carries. Robinson also scored on one of his three targets. The Commanders dabbled Robinson as their lead-back once again, but this time they got the results they were looking for.