• Saquon Barkley is a fantasy league winner: Barkley led all running backs in Week 12 in rushing yards (255), yards after contact (156), yards per carry (9.8, minimum 25 snaps) and yards before contact (99). He also had three rushes of 10-plus yards, four forced missed tackles, and seven first-down runs.
• The Broncos' running back room is a headache: Javonte Williams flopped in Week 12, and Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin remain inconsistent.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!
Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
BOOMS
RB Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
The Los Angeles Rams stood no chance against Barkley with a full head of steam. The first-year Eagle totaled 302 yards and two touchdowns in a 46.2-point effort in PPR leagues.
It marked the fifth time this season that Barkley put up 30-plus PPR points for fantasy managers.
Saquon Barkley has put up 30+ PPR points in HALF of his games this season
League. Winner. pic.twitter.com/ntAi0FTW3F
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) November 25, 2024
Barkley led all running backs in Week 12 in rushing yards (255), yards after contact (156), yards per carry (9.8, minimum 25 snaps) and yards before contact (99). He also had three rushes of 10-plus yards, four forced missed tackles and seven first-down runs.
The Eagles have a middle-of-the-pack running back schedule for the fantasy playoffs (17th), but Barkley should be able to turn those matchups into more chunks of fantasy points — making him a bona fide league winner.
Going Forward: The RB1
WR Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
It’s about time Courtland Sutton gets his deserved respect.
His past five weeks have gone as follows:
- Week 8: 17.1 PPR points
- Week 9: 23.2 PPR points
- Week 10: 19.0 PPR points
- Week 11: 14.8 PPR points
- Week 12: 29.7 PPR points (career high)
This stretch has Sutton as the PPR WR9 on the season.
In those five weeks, Sutton has recorded 46 targets (fifth most), 36 receptions (fourth), 467 yards (most), 22 first-down receptions (second), seven contested catches (fifth) and 14 receptions of 15-plus yards (most).
Plain and simple, the Bo Nix–to-Courtland Sutton connection has been one of the best in the league as of late.
Going Forward: Mid-tier WR1 or high-end WR2
RB Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In a game where all three Buccaneers running backs scored a touchdown, Bucky Irving still found a way to put up a career-high 27.1 PPR fantasy points.
Bucky Irving Receiving on Sunday:
🏴☠️ 6 Receptions (1st among RBs)
🏴☠️ 64 Yards (1st among RBs)
🏴☠️ 78 Yards After the Catch (1st among RBs)
🏴☠️ 5 Missed Tackles Forced on Receptions pic.twitter.com/CX7wLwHiG5— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) November 25, 2024
With 87 yards on the ground and 89 yards after contact, Irving was a wrecking ball in Week 12. The Giants were getting pressure on him before he could cross the line of scrimmage, but he averaged more than 7 yards per carry on the day, regardless.
Going Forward: High-end RB2
BUSTS
RB Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
The Dolphins stomped the Patriots, 34-15, and Rhamondre Stevenson handled only eight rushes — his third fewest this season.
Stevenson has been a boom-or-bust player due to the Patriots often falling behind. He has five outings with 15-plus PPR points and five with sub-10 PPR points.
At this point in the fantasy season, it may be wise to play Stevenson only when the Patriots could be in a positive game script. Otherwise, keep him on the bench.
Temperature Check: Matchup-dependent RB2
RB Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos
If you’re reading this, you had more rushing yards than Javonte Williams on eight fewer attempts in Week 12.
The Broncos running back turned eight carries into -2 yards against the Raiders, finishing with 2.4 PPR fantasy points thanks to a couple of receptions.
Las Vegas hit Williams in a hurry, leading to his -17 rushing yards before contact — the worst mark among players with a rushing attempt in Week 12.
Denver's running back room will be tricky to navigate going forward, and I would not want to be a manager of anyone in the backfield right now.
Temperature Check: Broncos have a headache-inducing RB room
RB Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Taylor has failed to put up 10-plus PPR fantasy points in three of the past four weeks:
- Week 9: 8.9 (13 carries)
- Week 10: 14.2 (21)
- Week 11: 7.0 (24)
- Week 12: 3.5 (11)
This week's minuscule output was partly a product of the Colts playing from behind against the Lions' high-powered offense for almost the whole game. Quarterback Anthony Richardson attempted 28 passes (third most this season) and ran the ball 10 times himself.
Ideally, the Colts will keep games closer moving forward and Taylor will return to form as the fantasy playoffs near. However, he faces a 19th-ranked strength of schedule for running backs the rest of the way.
Temperature Check: Worried, but not benching
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.