Throughout the season, Jake Ciely (*@allinkid*) will give you the expert takes on New Orleans Saints players from fantasy perspectives, while letting you know which performers will help you take home a championship. The Saints return from the bye to face the Texans in Week 12.
With the bye week done and plenty of rest, you can count on Saints quarterback Drew Brees picking up where he left off. Brees threw for 1,101 yards and 12 touchdowns in the three games leading up to the bye. The Texans have allowed five quarterbacks to throw for two or more touchdowns this season with Alex Smith, Blake Bortles and Ryan Tannehill registering three or more. Brees is the number seven fantasy quarterback on the year and a clear QB1 with the chance to crack the Top 5. He is a must-start in every league, no matter the format.
On the other side, Brian Hoyer (Texans) is a solid streaming option at quarterback. The Texans will have to pass plenty to keep up, and Hoyer has two-plus touchdowns in five of his seven games. The Titans' Marcus Mariota has several nice games this year with four going for 20 or more fantasy points. Like Hoyer, he's a solid streamer as the Raiders allow the fourth most FPPG to quarterbacks with more than 3,000 passing yards given up already. One more decent option for streaming purposes is Kirk Cousins (Redskins) against the Giants. As with the Raiders, the Giants have allowed more than 3,000 passing yards but with even more touchdowns (19). Andy Dalton (Bengals) faces the tough Rams defense, giving all three of the streaming options higher ceilings than Dalton in Week 12.
The Texans' defense struggles to stop the run, as they allow 19.5 fantasy points per game to running backs. That includes 1,454 total yards and nine touchdowns. They let Devonta Freeman and Lamar Miller both top 30 points (standard scoring) this year. Mark Ingram is the fifth best running back on the year with 12.8 fantasy points per game (NFL.com) and is a must-start in all formats. C.J. Spiller is a nice deep league option thanks to his big-play ability, as those numbers allowed for the Texans include 47 receptions, 419 yards and three receiving touchdowns.
T.J. Yeldon (Jaguars) has four double-digit performances with two games of 100-plus yards. Week 12 brings a great opportunity for Yeldon to add to both areas, as the Chargers allow a league-high 24.9 FPPG to running backs. Chris Ivory (Jets) can bounce back this week, as the Dolphins are only second to the Chargers in FPPG allowed and have 1,231 rushing yards against them. Javorius "Buck" Allen (Ravens) is a great waiver pickup and immediate starter, as the Browns have given up the most rushing yards this year (1,325). Even with the tough matchup, Thomas Rawls (Seahawks) is a must-start off many waiver wires as well. He has the talent to put up numbers against any defense. DeAngelo Williams (Steelers) and Lamar Miller (Dolphins) have to start in all leagues but could see low fantasy scores with matchups against the Seahawks and Jets, respectively.
The Texans are decent in limiting opposing receivers, but that won't stop the saints' Brandin Cooks. Just as with Brees, Cooks was on fire heading in to the bye with 257 yards and five touchdowns in the last three games. He's now in the Top 10 on the year and an every-week WR1 consideration, especially in PPR leagues. Willie Snead will bounce back thanks to the time off. His upside is evident in the two games before the Redskins matchup, as he had 165 yards and two touchdowns. Consider Snead a strong WR3 with upside for more. Ben Watson is an every-week starter at tight end, ranking eighth overall through 11 weeks. The Texans haven't faced many top-end tight ends, but Travis Kelce, Greg Olsen, Julius Thomas and Delanie Walker all had at least 6.2 standard or 12.2 PPR points against them.
The Lions have the best matchup of the week for receivers, meaning Calvin Johnson could have a Top 5 game. Golden Tate becomes start-worthy in many leagues and those digging deep can find value in Lance Moore. The Ravens have been very forgiving against receivers, which makes Travis Benjamin (Browns) a high-upside play, especially in DFS. With John Brown back for the Cardinals and the 49ers as the opponent this week, he (along with Larry Fitzgerald) needs to be in your lineup. The 49ers allow an average of 26.4 FPPG to receivers on NFL.com. Dwayne Harris (Giants) has come on of late and is a valuable outlet for Eli Manning. He has deeper value against the Redskins secondary. The Patriots group of receivers will have a tough time putting up points, as the Broncos hold receivers to just 12.4 FPPG and have still allowed just one receiver touchdown.
Jordan Reed (Redskins) has been terrific and is a must-start at this point, especially against the Giants. Delanie Walker is quietly inside the Top 10 for tight ends and faces a Raiders team that's allowed the most tight end touchdowns (10). The Seahawks are great on defense overall but rather forgiving to tight ends. They have allowed the fourth-most FPPG to them, which puts Heath Miller in fringe TE1 territory. Charles Clay (Bills) has been valuable at times this year, but you'll want a different option this week, as the Chiefs defense is the toughest on tight ends. The same goes for Eric Ebron (Lions) against the Eagles. Just as with the Chiefs, the Eagles have given up only two touchdowns to tight ends.
The Chiefs have been playing great defense of late. They are now inside the Top 10 overall and have a great stretch run for anyone looking for a "set it and forget it" DST. The Giants are second in takeaways, despite the fact that they give up plenty of yards and points. Their schedule is mostly friendly the rest of the way too. While the Eagles are a great matchup for receivers, they still force turnovers, which the Lions allow often. Consider their DST a high upside/risk play for Week 12.
For more in-depth Fantasy Football coverage, visit Jake Ciely and the team over at RotoExperts.com. Saints fans get a special discounted rate on the RotoExperts Xclusive Edge premium package by **clicking here*.*
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