• Starts of the Week, not sit-your-studs: This is a list of players poised to beat expectations, accompanied by my confidence rating at the end of each outlook. Use them to win close decisions, not to bench superstars.

• Jacoby Brissett streamer alert: Brissett has quietly been one of the most reliable quarterbacks in fantasy when he starts. He’s opened five games this season and ranks as the QB9 since Week 7, as he has finished as a QB1 in every single start during that stretch.

• Get PFF+ for 40% off: Use promo code BLACKFRIDAY to unlock the PFF Player Prop Tool, Premium Stats, fantasy dashboards, the PFF Mock Draft Simulator, industry-leading fantasy rankings and much more — everything you need to win your season.

Quarterbacks

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals

Jacoby Brissett has started five games this season and currently sits as the QB9 overall from Week 7 to Week 11. In that stretch, he has finished as a QB1 (top 12) in every single start.

That shouldn’t change this week. Brissett draws a matchup with the Jaguars, who are now without Travis Hunter in the secondary and have allowed the 10th-most passing yards to opposing quarterbacks this season.

Brissett is rostered in just 38% of ESPN leagues, so if you need a strong Week 12 streamer, he should be at the top of your list.

Confidence Level: Low-end QB1 

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

We backed Goff a few weeks ago, and it paid off. So now we’re going back to the well.

The Giants are allowing more than 20 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this season, and Goff — paired with Detroit’s playmakers — is well positioned to attack a passing defense that ranks 29th in team coverage grade.

Even better for Detroit, Amon-Ra St. Brown draws mismatches against both Giants corners he’s projected to face most often in Week 12.

The Lions’ offense should be firing on all cylinders.

Confidence Level: Top-12 Upside

On paper, this looks like a tough matchup for Caleb Williams and the Bears offense. But the Steelers defense — particularly the secondary — has been trending in the wrong direction. Since Week 6, Pittsburgh has allowed the second-most passing yards in the NFL (2,817).

The Steelers have also surrendered 20-plus points in four of their last five games, with two of those outings topping 30.

Don’t let a “strong on paper” matchup push you away from starting Caleb in Week 12.

Confidence Level: Top-10 

Wide receivers

Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks

Shaheed shapes up as a start of the week thanks to one of the most favorable wide receiver matchups on the entire slate. He’s projected to see most of his snaps against Jaylen Armour-Davis — a matchup you want to attack — especially with defenses shifting extra attention toward Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

According to the PFF Strength of Schedule Tool, this is the easiest receiver matchup of the week, giving Shaheed a clear runway for big-play upside.

Confidence Level: Top-25 WR

Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons

Drake London is out for Week 12, and so is Michael Penix Jr., which elevates Kirk Cousins to QB1 and Darnell Mooney to WR1.

With Cousins under center for the first 14 weeks of the 2024 season, Mooney earned a 23.5% adjusted target rate — even with Drake London commanding 29.5% of the looks. With London sidelined, a significant chunk of that volume is now available for Mooney and Kyle Pitts in Week 12.

Add in the fact that Mooney draws the seventh-easiest receiver matchup of the week, and he’s positioned for a sizable opportunity bump.

Confidence Level: Mid-tier WR2 

Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

Chris Olave is quietly sitting as the WR12 on the season and is in a great spot to climb even higher in Week 12.

The Falcons have allowed more than 900 yards after the catch this year and have given up 20-plus points to opposing offenses in five straight games. Olave also draws a favorable matchup, according to the PFF Matchup Tool, with a clear advantage over Billy Bowman Jr., the corner he’s projected to face most often in this game.

Confidence Level: Top-10 upside

Running backs

TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

We’ve been here before: good running back vs. the Bengals defense. We start them every time.

Henderson draws the easiest RB matchup of Week 12, facing a Bengals unit allowing 34.1 PPR points per game to opposing backfields. He has also been elite for fantasy managers recently, averaging 24.3 PPR points over the last three weeks, and there’s no reason to expect that to slow down now.

This is a smash spot — Henderson has clear top-12 upside this week.

Confidence Level: Top-five upside in week 12

Walker enters Week 12 coming off his best game of the season, and the matchup only strengthens his outlook.

Even if Zach Charbonnet steals a touchdown, the Titans are likely to be playing from behind, keeping both Seattle backs heavily involved. Walker already ranks sixth in missed tackles forced, and now he gets a Titans defense that has missed 31 tackles this season — second-most in the league — so this is a perfect recipe for explosive runs.

Confidence Level: High-end RB2 

Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns

We backed Quinshon Judkins last week and got burned — but we’re not letting that scare us off a good spot in Week 12.

The Browns are rolling out Shedeur Sanders at QB1 with Dillon Gabriel still dealing with a concussion, meaning the rookie makes his first start. Cleveland should lean on the run early and often, and this matchup sets up perfectly for that approach.

Judkins ranks eighth in the NFL in rushing yards after contact, and the Raiders defense sits 22nd out of 32 teams in yards allowed after contact to opposing running backs. This profiles as a tight game — with real potential for the Browns to pull away if their defense can slow down Geno Smith and the Raiders offense — creating a runway for Judkins to feast.

Confidence Level: High-end RB2