Below you will find our Week 12 quarterback rankings, to help determine your QB starts/sits for this week, brought to you by Bill Dubiel (@Roto_Dubs), Nick Mariano (@NMariano53) and Ben Ruppert (@Ben_Ruppert_21).
Featured writer Ben Ruppert also highlights some QB rankings and matchups analysis for Week 12, and draws some matchup conclusions. He tells you who he likes, who he doesn't, and most importantly who he thinks you should be starting in Week 12. You can also check out RotoBaller's overall player rankings.
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Week 12 Quarterbacks - Rankings & Matchups Analysis
Carson Palmer finally began turning a corner in his lackluster 2016 season up until last week, when he did not perform well against the Vikings. He threw for only 198 yards with two TDs and two INTs, one of which was returned 100 yards for a TD. Before that game he had thrown for over 340 yards in three straight games. This week he gets a great chance to rebound against a weak Falcons secondary, which has given up the most fantasy points this season to the QB position. They have given up the second most passing touchdowns this season, and given up the fourth most passing yards. He has top-5 upside this week.
On the flip side, we have Matt Ryan, who has looked like an MVP candidate this season. He ranks second in passing yards (3,247), third in touchdowns (24), and fourth in completion percentage (68.2). The offense leads the NFL in yards per play with 6.73. The Cardinals defense leads the NFL in yards per play at 4.64, and they will be getting safety Tyrann Mathieu this week after he missed the past two games with a shoulder injury. They have given up the fewest passing yards and passing touchdowns in the league this season. We have Ryan ranked higher than Palmer this week, but the matchup shows this game clearly favors Palmer.
This should be the last week you have to sit Jameis Winston before you can start him the rest of the season. After this game against Seattle (one of only four teams who have more interceptions than passing touchdowns against), he gets @SD, NO, @DAL, @NO. All three of those teams are in the middle pack at defending opposing QB, and these games have shootout potential with the weak Buccaneers defense against these solid offenses. These games will be in great weather conditionals also, making Winston a great QB to have in fantasy for the stretch run. All you have to do is wait until after this week; this Seattle defense is a different animal.
Blake Bortles heads to Buffalo to take on the Bills and their sputtering secondary. During the teams four game winning streak the defense was dominant, limiting opposing QB to 238 yards passing, allowing only one TD to six INT. Over the next three weeks that jumped to 267 yards, with seven TD and zero INT. They came out of the bye week and looked much better against Andy Dalton, holding him to 207 yards with one TD and two INT. Bortles faced this Bills team last season, and completed 13-of-29 passes for 182 yards with two TD and an INT. He will need to be sharp and cut down on his league leading 13 INT if he wants to find success against this tough secondary.
Over the past four weeks, the Packers secondary has been extremely generous to opposing QB. Over that span, opposing QB have averaged 310 yards passing with a 71.7% completion percentage and a 11:2 TD:INT ratio. Carson Wentz hasn’t kept things going since his hot start to the season, but he did throw more touchdowns last week than he had the previous five games combined (two). Over the past six weeks, Wentz has averaged 222 yards passing per game with a 60.6% completion percentage and only four TD to six INT. Wentz is being pegged as a popular fill-in for those looking to replace Andrew Luck, but even with the prime matchup I’m not sure Wentz can take advantage with how he has been playing.
Marcus Mariota has been on an absolute tear this season. After a slow start to the year where he threw two TD and four INT through his first three games, Mariota has thrown for 21 TD and only four INT. Chicago has been in the middle of the pack at defending the pass this season, but amidst all the injuries and suspensions this season it has been a lost season for Chicago. With how strong Mariota has been rolling he is a definite start if you own him, and you should expect QB1 numbers in return. This may be one of the last times you can start Mariota comfortably, with a tough schedule upcoming for the young QB: a bye week, DEN, @KC, and @JAX. Start Mariota this week, then it may be time to look for another option the final few weeks of the season.
Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings - Quarterbacks
Rank | Player Name | Pos |
1 | Tom Brady | QB |
2 | Drew Brees | QB |
3 | Russell Wilson | QB |
4 | Ben Roethlisberger | QB |
5 | Aaron Rodgers | QB |
6 | Cam Newton | QB |
7 | Marcus Mariota | QB |
8 | Dak Prescott | QB |
9 | Derek Carr | QB |
10 | Eli Manning | QB |
11 | Kirk Cousins | QB |
12 | Matt Ryan | QB |
13 | Tyrod Taylor | QB |
14 | Matthew Stafford | QB |
15 | Carson Palmer | QB |
16 | Carson Wentz | QB |
17 | Philip Rivers | QB |
18 | Colin Kaepernick | QB |
19 | Jameis Winston | QB |
20 | Ryan Tannehill | QB |
21 | Blake Bortles | QB |
22 | Joe Flacco | QB |
23 | Sam Bradford | QB |
24 | Andy Dalton | QB |
25 | Brock Osweiler | QB |
26 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | QB |
27 | Alex Smith | QB |
28 | Josh McCown | QB |
29 | Trevor Siemian | QB |
30 | Jared Goff | QB |
31 | Scott Tolzien | QB |
32 | Matt Barkley | QB |
Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.