Baker Mayfield couldn't ask for a better matchup. Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Week 12 is already here and I’m back to give out more sleeper plays. Remember to set your lineups early with 3 games being played on Thursday. My standard for a good fantasy game is around 100 total yards and/or a TD, and this is for PPR scoring. A game with a lot of catches helps too, obviously. Of course, the bar is a little lower for TEs.
I went 6-6 last week, and you can check out that article here. I counted both QBs as a loss, even though they were middle of the pack-ish. Sorry, Week 11 was my worst week of the year. I will continue to look for players that can help you with playoff implications on the line heading forward. These players are in no particular order.
QB
Baker Mayfield (CLE): The Bengals are allowing over 32 FPTS/G to QBs over their last 4 games. Is that good?
Andy Dalton (CIN): I’m a little concerned that A.J. Green may not be back, but the matchup is tasty. Plus, our rule on QBs says that if we expect Mayfield to have a big game, we should expect the opposing QB to do the same. Here's hoping that rule comes through again this week!
RB
Nick Chubb (CLE): The Bengals defense is getting torched, so make sure you fire up Chubb this week. Cincinnati is allowing almost 39 FPTS/G to RBs over their last 4, and over 5 yards/carry.
Mark Ingram (NO): I put Ingram in this article 2 weeks in a row and he’s been money. Why mess with a good thing? The Falcons are a Top 2 matchup for RBs allowing over 33 FPTS/G to the position.
Marlon Mack (IND): Mack should come through again as long as he’s healthy. The Colts offense is really heating up.
Phillip Lindsay (DEN): The Steelers are an average matchup for RBs over their last 4 games allowing over 25 FPTS/G to the position.
Matt Breida (SF): I get it. He's brittle, but the matchup is too good to pass up. The Bucs are allowing just under 30 FPTS/G to RBs in their last 5.
WR
Allen Robinson (CHI): *Proceed with caution. His QB situation is concerning now.
He’s in a great spot to put up some points on Turkey Day against the Lions. Detroit is giving up over 43 FPTS/G to WRs over their last 5 games, and he smashed the Lions for over 100-yards and 2 TDs only 2 weeks ago.
Calvin Ridley (ATL): He had his best game of the year against the Saints earlier this season, so he’s worth taking a flyer on. His involvement in the offense lately has been concerning, so he’s no lock to blow up. This matchup is good however, and when you’re dealing with sleepers, beggars can’t be choosers.
Amari Cooper (DAL): I put Cooper in this article last week and he killed me, but I’m going to give him another shot. Washington is giving up over 41 FPTS/G to WRs in their last 5 games.
Doug Baldwin (SEA): He’s not perfect but he seems to be a lot healthier and starting to come on. He’s in a good spot against a Carolina D that is allowing almost 37 FPTS/G to WRs in their last 5. They really struggle with TEs as well, so Baldwin could come up BIG in the slot this week.
TE
Jordan Reed (WAS): He had a nice game against Houston in Week 11, and now he gets a Dallas defense that allowed 25 catches in their last 4 games to TEs, and over 17 FPTS/G.
C. J. Uzomah (CIN): He hasn’t been very good, but this is purely about the matchup. The Browns have given up an insane 37 catches to TEs over their last 4 games, and are allowing almost 23 FPTS/G to the position.
That’s all I have for this week. For more fantasy info, make sure you check out my show Moneyline on ESPN 97.5 every Sunday from 10-noon. Jerry Bo and I will get you ready for kickoff and answer any questions you may have. Also, follow us on Twitter.
Good luck in Week 12 and Happy Thanksgiving!
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.