Fantasy sleepers NFL Week 12: Rookie quarterback among 10 high-upside lineup plays

It’s a tough week for streaming quarterbacks. Many of the players you’d look to as bye week backups either have tough matchups or are in offenses so challenged, you’d consider leaving the spot blank. Alas, with four teams having the week off, there’s a good chance some managers will be in a pinch at the QB spot. On that note, we take a deep sigh and turn our attention toward Shough. 

The Saints rookie went into last week’s bye on a high. He threw for 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a win over the Carolina Panthers. This week, he and the Saints face another division opponent when the Falcons come to town. After a strong start to the season, Atlanta’s pass defense has hit a lull. It has allowed nearly 300 passing yards per game with 10 TDs since Week 8. Shough is a risky start, best left to multiple QB formats, but there’s upside for those who are brave enough to choose him. 

It hasn’t been a secret that over the past few seasons, Sean McVay has been a one-running back coach. Not since the days of Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson have the Rams run a rotation in their backfield. I’m not ready to say those days are fully back. But the tide could be turning. 

Kyren Williams is undoubtedly the RB1 in Los Angeles, but Corum is forcing his way onto the field. The second-year back is seeing an increase in usage, playing one-third of the snaps and handling more than 40 percent of the rushing attempts since Week 7. He’s even seen a bump in his high-leverage carries with 45 percent of the rushing attempts inside the 5-yard line. Corum is best used as a flex option in leagues with 12 or more teams, but his added touches and touchdown upside make him worth the risk. 

Ask any fantasy enthusiast and they’ll tell you there is always a player or two they just can’t quit. It’s usually a player whose production hasn’t measured up, but one for whom the metrics seem to be in his favor. You know that promoting or starting this player might lead you to ruin, but you can’t bring yourself to let it go.  

Charbonnet is my trap player for 2025. After reading in the preseason that he was coming for Kenneth Walker III’s job, I got on board. Even if I’m not starting him, I can’t drop him. Weeks like this are the reason why. Charbonnet is getting steady work in the NFL’s most run-heavy (by percentage) offense. Yes, he’s incredibly touchdown dependent. But he’s facing a Titans offense that has allowed the second-most rushing scores. The stars are aligned for a solid fantasy week. I still believe. Even if it’s my fantasy downfall. 

Things are bleak around the Jets right now. I know that’s an evergreen statement, but it still bears repeating. They’re 2-8 with a defense that got measurably worse after trading away two of its best players. The starting quarterback just got benched in favor of a journeyman. And their best wide receiver was recently placed on injured reserve with no real indication of whether he’ll return this season. 

It’s with that backdrop that I present to you Adonai Mitchell. He came to New York last month in the trade that sent Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis. Now Mitchell is auditioning for a bigger role on Broadway. While the results weren’t great (one catch, 10 yards), the underlying metrics were better. He led the Jets in targets and was sought out on nearly 30 percent of his routes. He also had a gaudy 17.8-yard average depth of target. Put that against a Ravens defense that continues to have issues defending the pass and Mitchell could be a deep-league flex option. 

We are long past the days of believing Jeudy can be a consistent producer for fantasy managers. Apart from a short burst with Joe Flacco late in 2024, the former Alabama star has never put up steady numbers. But occasionally, he pops up on the radar just to tantalize us with what might have been. 

We’ve had a couple of those radar blips recently. Over the last two weeks, Jeudy has been targeted 19 times. It turned into nine catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. It hasn’t mattered who has been at quarterback for Cleveland, as Jeudy has been the top target for both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, who'll get his first career start Sunday. They'll get a Raiders defense that has been accommodating to wideouts. Las Vegas is surrendering the third-most points per game to receivers. Jeudy’s ceiling might not be the highest, but this matchup gives him a chance to reach it regardless. 

Henry occupies that weird fantasy space of being a player who no one is excited to draft, but who consistently gives you usable fantasy starts. He enters Week 12 as the TE13 overall and is averaging just under 10 PPR points per game. That might not sound great, but we are talking about the tight end position. The bar for “usable” is pretty low. 

He should be able to clear that bar this week. First, ... Bengals. Cincinnati continues to be the gold standard for tight end matchups. It has allowed far and away the most yards and touchdowns to the position. Henry himself has a steady spot in New England’s passing game with five or more targets in five games this year. The Pats offense is humming along with Drake Maye leading the offense. Henry should be a big part of what could be a big scoring game for New England and should be started in nearly all formats. 

It feels like it’s been a while since I wrote about the Titans offense. There’s a reason for that. Tennessee has the league’s least-potent attack. It has gained the fewest yards and scored the fewest points. Its most productive fantasy option has been Joey Slye, who is the 12th highest-scoring kicker. Our expectations for this offense were low … and still haven’t been met. 

But there is hope for Week 12 in the form of Okonkwo. He was a favorite of this column last season, thanks to a handful of double-digit performances late in the season. This year hasn’t brought the same fortune. But Okonkwo leads the Titans in receptions and receiving yards in one of the NFL’s most pass-happy offenses. And while the Seahawks defense has been good overall, it’s been a favorable matchup for tight ends.  

Loveland has caught a lot of heat from fantasy managers this year. Very little of it was deserved. The rookie was a victim of our expectations. When Ben Johnson took Loveland over Tyler Warren, many of us figured he had something special in mind for the former Michigan standout. Loveland started slowly while Warren was an immediate hit. In reality, Loveland has just followed the normal trajectory of rookie tight ends. We just expected more. That’s on us. 

But the Bears’ tight end has picked up steam recently. Since Week 8, Loveland is the TE6 in total scoring and the TE8 in points per game -- both better than Warren. The hot streak could continue this week against the Steelers. Pittsburgh has consistently been one of the most favorable matchups for tight ends this year. Five different TEs have had a top-12 weekly finish against the Steelers. With Loveland seeing more opportunity in Chicago, he could be No. 6. 

The Raiders defense has often been an easy target for fantasy managers looking to play matchups. This year, Las Vegas’ defense has been ... better. Not great. But it's also not an absolute doormat. It has had multiple usable weeks this season. It's also had multiple negative point weeks, but let’s not allow the facts to ruin a solid narrative. 

What’s important is that this week, the Raiders get to host the Browns and Shedeur Sanders. It's the rookie third-stringer's first start, but Cleveland has struggled to move the ball and doesn’t score points in bunches. If that’s not enough, Browns QBs are sacked at an above average rate. Huzzah! There aren’t many times you’ll think about streaming the Raiders defense, but this week should be one of them. 

J.J. McCarthy in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears is lethal. He did it for a come-from-behind win in Week 1 and nearly duplicated the feat again in Week 11. However, in any other situation and against everyone else, McCarthy has been harmless. The second-year quarterback failed to reach 160 yards for the fourth time in five career starts. He also threw multiple interceptions for the third time this season. 

That should give the Packers defense a chance to pad its INT total. Green Bay has picked off just four passes all season, one of the lowest totals in the league. The Pack is more accomplished at getting to opposing quarterbacks. They sacked Jameis Winston twice on Sunday, bringing their season-long total to 24. With McCarthy already facing constant pressure on his dropbacks, Green Bay is a quality streaming option in Week 12.