This article is part of our Weekly Rankings series.
Week 12 Byes: Atlanta, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, New Orleans, New York Jets
Welcome to the Weekly Value Meter Rankings. This is a guide to help you decide who to start and sit in a given week. It's is not a season-long ranking nor a draft guide, and it's also not really intended as a free agent guide. While I appreciate that you want my opinion on pickups, every league is different, and your decision on whether to add/drop a particular player might also be dictated by other factors than who is rated higher in a given week.
Here are my operating assumptions for the rankings:
- The RB/WR/TE position rankings are for PPR leagues.
- The Flex rankings are for Standard leagues.
- 1 point per 10 rushing/receiving yards.
- 1 point per 20 passing yards.
- 4 points per passing touchdowns.
These are the rankings I use when I make my start/sit decisions. Please consult the rankings first before asking "Should I start Patrick Mahomes or Bryce Young?"
These are my particular rankings. If you want a second opinion elsewhere on the site, you can see our Weekly Projections.
Each week after Week 1, the first set of rankings will be posted late on Tuesday night. I will then do a set of updates before kickoff on Thursday, and again before kickoff on Sunday morning.
When setting your lineups, make sure to refer to the NFL inactives to ensure all of your players are set to receive snaps.
Week 12 Byes: Atlanta, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, New Orleans, New York Jets
Welcome to the Weekly Value Meter Rankings. This is a guide to help you decide who to start and sit in a given week. It's is not a season-long ranking nor a draft guide, and it's also not really intended as a free agent guide. While I appreciate that you want my opinion on pickups, every league is different, and your decision on whether to add/drop a particular player might also be dictated by other factors than who is rated higher in a given week.
Here are my operating assumptions for the rankings:
- The RB/WR/TE position rankings are for PPR leagues.
- The Flex rankings are for Standard leagues.
- 1 point per 10 rushing/receiving yards.
- 1 point per 20 passing yards.
- 4 points per passing touchdowns.
These are the rankings I use when I make my start/sit decisions. Please consult the rankings first before asking "Should I start Patrick Mahomes or Bryce Young?"
These are my particular rankings. If you want a second opinion elsewhere on the site, you can see our Weekly Projections.
Each week after Week 1, the first set of rankings will be posted late on Tuesday night. I will then do a set of updates before kickoff on Thursday, and again before kickoff on Sunday morning.
When setting your lineups, make sure to refer to the NFL inactives to ensure all of your players are set to receive snaps.
I welcome debate on the rankings in the comments. Please keep it friendly.
Quarterbacks
| 1. | Lamar Jackson BAL at LAC |
| 2. | Jalen Hurts PHI at LAR |
| 3. | Justin Herbert LAC vs. BAL |
| 4. | Jared Goff DET at IND |
| 5. | Kyler Murray ARZ at SEA |
| 6. | Jayden Daniels WAS vs. DAL |
| 7. | Patrick Mahomes KC at CAR |
| 8. | Jordan Love GB vs. SF |
| 9. | C.J. Stroud HOU vs. TEN |
| 10. | *Brock Purdy SF at GB Note: Purdy is day-to-day with a sore shoulder. |
| 11. | Anthony Richardson IND vs. DET |
| 12. | Tua Tagovailoa MIA vs. NE |
| 13. | *Geno Smith SEA vs. ARI Note: Smith had another preposterous fumble, but more than redeemed himself on the final game-winning drive against the Niners, that also saved his fantasy day when he got a rushing touchdown. |
| 14. | Bo Nix DEN at LV |
| 15. | Matthew Stafford LA vs. PHI |
| 16. | Baker Mayfield TB at NYG |
| 17. | *Russell Wilson PIT at CLE Note: Wilson will be playing in inclement weather Thursday night in Cleveland. |
| 18. | Sam Darnold MIN at CHI |
| 19. | *Jameis Winston CLE vs. PIT Note: Winston has clearly been an upgrade over Watson, and it's fun to watch. He could improve on his play-action and his scrambling under pressure. |
| 20. | *Tommy DeVito NYG vs. TB Note: DeVito leapfrogged Drew Lock and will start this week, with Daniel Jones getting demoted down to third string. |
| 21. | *Caleb Williams CHI vs. MIN Note: Williams ran more last week against the Packers under a new offensive coordinator. While the offense looked better overall, he has a really tough draw against Brian Flores's Vikings defense. |
| 22. | *Drake Maye NE at MIA Note: Maye continues to show a good amount of upside and a good amount of inexperience. He draws Miami this week, which seems to be a similar challenge as the Rams were in Week 11. |
| 23. | *Cooper Rush DAL at WAS Note: The Cowboys will stick with Rush after being blown out the last two weeks with Rush at QB. He threw for 354 yards Monday night, but also had a costly interception early and a fumble-six late as his OL disintegrated. |
| 24. | Will Levis TEN at HOU |
| 25. | *Gardner Minshew LV vs. DEN Note: Minshew had a reasonable fantasy day (282 yards and two touchdowns), aided in no small part by a late drive. He'll have a tough draw this week against the Broncos. |
| 26. | *Bryce Young CAR vs. KC Note: Young unsurprisingly will remain the starter after the bye week, after the Panthers won their previous two games. |
| 27. | *Daniel Jones NYG vs. TB Note: Jones has been demoted to third-string, and even that status is tenuous with the Giants also signing Tim Boyle to the practice squad. This is the Derek Carr scenario all over again - the Giants won't want him to play another snap. |
| 28. | Josh Allen BUF at |
| 29. | Joe Burrow CIN at |
| 30. | Kirk Cousins ATL at |
| 31. | Aaron Rodgers NYJ at |
| 32. | Derek Carr NO at |
| 33. | Mac Jones JAC at |
| 34. | Trevor Lawrence JAC at |
Running Backs
| 1. | Saquon Barkley PHI at LAR |
| 2. | Derrick Henry BAL at LAC |
| 3. | *Christian McCaffrey SF at GB Note: McCaffrey topped 100 total yards, but the big chunk plays haven't been there yet. |
| 4. | Jahmyr Gibbs DET at IND |
| 5. | Joe Mixon HOU vs. TEN |
| 6. | De'Von Achane MIA vs. NE |
| 7. | James Conner ARZ at SEA |
| 8. | Josh Jacobs GB vs. SF |
| 9. | Jonathan Taylor IND vs. DET |
| 10. | Kyren Williams LA vs. PHI |
| 11. | Kenneth Walker SEA vs. ARI |
| 12. | Aaron Jones MIN at CHI |
| 13. | David Montgomery DET at IND |
| 14. | Najee Harris PIT at CLE |
| 15. | Tyrone Tracy NYG vs. TB |
| 16. | Rachaad White TB at NYG |
| 17. | Brian Robinson WAS vs. DAL |
| 18. | Rhamondre Stevenson NE at MIA |
| 19. | *Kareem Hunt KC at CAR Note: It appears that Isiah Pacheco (ankle) could return this week, but I think that Hunt will still have a role and in fact will probably have the lead role this week. |
| 20. | J.K. Dobbins LAC vs. BAL |
| 21. | Chuba Hubbard CAR vs. KC |
| 22. | *Tony Pollard TEN at HOU Note: Pollard could go back to a heavy usage week against the Texans with Tyjae Spears nursing a concussion. |
| 23. | D'Andre Swift CHI vs. MIN |
| 24. | *Nick Chubb CLE vs. PIT Note: Chubb hasn't yet looked explosive since returning from his knee injury, but he made some strides against the Saints last week. |
| 25. | *Rico Dowdle DAL at WAS Note: Dowdle struggled with the Texans on Monday night, netting just 28 yards on 10 carries. |
| 26. | Bucky Irving TB at NYG |
| 27. | Javonte Williams DEN at LV |
| 28. | *Jaylen Warren PIT at CLE Note: Warren overcame his midweek back injury to get 13 touches in the win over the Ravens. |
| 29. | Isiah Pacheco KC at CAR |
| 30. | Austin Ekeler WAS vs. DAL |
| 31. | Cam Akers MIN at CHI |
| 32. | Gus Edwards LAC vs. BAL |
| 33. | Trey Benson ARZ at SEA |
| 34. | *Audric Estime DEN at LV Note: Sean Payton pulled a switch on us by giving Javonte Williams more carries, and most of the early carries ahead of Estime. It's a good matchup against the Raiders this week, at least, but it's hard to start either back confidently. |
| 35. | *Jonathon Brooks CAR vs. KC Note: The Panthers 'fully expect' Brooks (knee) to make his debut this week against the Chiefs. |
| 36. | Justice Hill BAL at LAC |
| 37. | Zach Charbonnet SEA vs. ARI |
| 38. | *Roschon Johnson CHI vs. MIN Note: Johnson has taken over the short-yardage role for the Bears, but how many of those carries will they have against the Vikings? |
| 39. | *Ameer Abdullah LV vs. DEN Note: Abdullah caught a late touchdown pass and could be in line for more work this week, should both Zamir White (quad) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) be forced to sit. |
| 40. | Dameon Pierce HOU vs. TEN |
| 41. | Devin Singletary NYG vs. TB |
| 42. | Jerome Ford CLE vs. PIT |
| 43. | Jaylen Wright MIA vs. NE |
| 44. | *Jordan Mason SF at GB Note: Mason was limited to just two carries in the loss to the Seahawks. |
| 45. | Jeremy McNichols WAS vs. DAL |
| 46. | Jaleel McLaughlin DEN at LV |
| 47. | Samaje Perine KC at CAR |
| 48. | Tyler Goodson IND vs. DET |
| 49. | Antonio Gibson NE at MIA |
| 50. | Dylan Laube LV vs. DEN |
| 51. | Kenneth Gainwell PHI at LAR |
| 52. | *Blake Corum LA vs. PHI Note: Corum's usage is slowly creeping upward, garnering 10 offensive snaps last week. |
| 53. | Julius Chestnut TEN at HOU |
| 54. | Ezekiel Elliott DAL at WAS |
| 55. | Carson Steele KC at CAR |
| 56. | Dare Ogunbowale HOU vs. TEN |
| 57. | Keaton Mitchell BAL at LAC |
| 58. | *Alexander Mattison LV vs. DEN Note: Mattison left last week's loss with an ankle injury. |
| 59. | *Raheem Mostert MIA vs. NE Note: Mostert left with a hip injury last week and later returned, but his role has been diminished anyhow. |
| 60. | *Zamir White LV vs. DEN Note: White left last week's loss to Miami with a quad injury. |
| 61. | *Tyjae Spears TEN at HOU Note: Spears suffered a concussion in the loss to the Vikings. |
| 62. | *Miles Sanders CAR vs. KC Note: Sanders (foot/ankle) is week-to-week and unlikely to play this week against the Chiefs. |
| 63. | Bijan Robinson ATL at |
| 64. | Breece Hall NYJ at |
| 65. | Alvin Kamara NO at |
| 66. | James Cook BUF at |
| 67. | Chase Brown CIN at |
| 68. | Travis Etienne JAC at |
| 69. | Tank Bigsby JAC at |
| 70. | Ray Davis BUF at |
| 71. | Tyler Allgeier ATL at |
| 72. | Braelon Allen NYJ at |
| 73. | D'Ernest Johnson JAC at |
| 74. | Khalil Herbert CIN at |
| 75. | Ty Johnson BUF at |
Wide Receivers
| 1. | Amon-Ra St. Brown DET at IND |
| 2. | Justin Jefferson MIN at CHI |
| 3. | A.J. Brown PHI at LAR |
| 4. | *Terry McLaurin WAS vs. DAL Note: Brutal result on Thursday night, but I think he bounces back in a sweet matchup against the Cowboys this week. |
| 5. | Puka Nacua LA vs. PHI |
| 6. | *Nico Collins HOU vs. TEN Note: Collins had a game-opening touchdown overturned by a penalty. Otherwise he had four catches in the comfortable win over the Cowboys. |
| 7. | CeeDee Lamb DAL at WAS |
| 8. | Marvin Harrison ARZ at SEA |
| 9. | Tyreek Hill MIA vs. NE |
| 10. | Cooper Kupp LA vs. PHI |
| 11. | George Pickens PIT at CLE |
| 12. | Malik Nabers NYG vs. TB |
| 13. | DK Metcalf SEA vs. ARI |
| 14. | Courtland Sutton DEN at LV |
| 15. | *Jayden Reed GB vs. SF Note: Reed was a victim of game flow last week, but at least he scored. The Packers only had 17 passes last week. |
| 16. | Jauan Jennings SF at GB |
| 17. | Zay Flowers BAL at LAC |
| 18. | *Cedric Tillman CLE vs. PIT Note: Tillman had a disappointing game when you consider how many yards that Jameis Winston threw for last week, but I'm at least encouraged that he still got eight targets. |
| 19. | Deebo Samuel SF at GB |
| 20. | Calvin Ridley TEN at HOU |
| 21. | *Ladd McConkey LAC vs. BAL Note: McConkey briefly left with a sore shoulder last week, but returned to have two big catches on the Chargers' game-winning drive. |
| 22. | *Jaxon Smith-Njigba SEA vs. ARI Note: The genie is out of the bottle - Smith-Njigba was frequently the target when the Seahawks needed to convert on third down, including on their game-winning drive against the Niners last week. |
| 23. | DeAndre Hopkins KC at CAR |
| 24. | Josh Downs IND vs. DET |
| 25. | *Mike Evans TB at NYG Note: Evans (hamstring) was spotted on the field Monday during the Bucs' first activity after the bye. |
| 26. | DeVonta Smith PHI at LAR |
| 27. | DJ Moore CHI vs. MIN |
| 28. | Jaylen Waddle MIA vs. NE |
| 29. | *Jordan Addison MIN at CHI Note: Addison left in the fourth quarter last week due to leg cramping. |
| 30. | Christian Watson GB vs. SF |
| 31. | Xavier Legette CAR vs. KC |
| 32. | Jakobi Meyers LV vs. DEN |
| 33. | Jameson Williams DET at IND |
| 34. | Romeo Doubs GB vs. SF |
| 35. | Tank Dell HOU vs. TEN |
| 36. | *Quentin Johnston LAC vs. BAL Note: Johnston managed only two catches among his eight targets, but at least one of them was a touchdown. |
| 37. | Michael Pittman IND vs. DET |
| 38. | *Adam Thielen CAR vs. KC Note: Thielen (hamstring) expects to return this week against the Chiefs. |
| 39. | *Alec Pierce IND vs. DET Note: All Pierce does is make big plays, including a 39-yard reception on the Colts' game-winning drive. |
| 40. | Nick Westbrook-Ikhine TEN at HOU |
| 41. | Rome Odunze CHI vs. MIN |
| 42. | Wan'Dale Robinson NYG vs. TB |
| 43. | *Elijah Moore CLE vs. PIT Note: Moore (shoulder) was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice. He and the Browns play on Thursday night. |
| 44. | *Jerry Jeudy CLE vs. PIT Note: I'm encouraged that not all of Jeudy's production last week came on one blown coverage, but rather that Jameis Winston kept going back to the well after Jeudy scored an 89-yard touchdown. |
| 45. | Rashod Bateman BAL at LAC |
| 46. | Devaughn Vele DEN at LV |
| 47. | DeMario Douglas NE at MIA |
| 48. | Keenan Allen CHI vs. MIN |
| 49. | JuJu Smith-Schuster KC at CAR |
| 50. | Jalen Coker CAR vs. KC |
| 51. | Michael Wilson ARZ at SEA |
| 52. | John Metchie HOU vs. TEN |
| 53. | Kayshon Boutte NE at MIA |
| 54. | Tyler Lockett SEA vs. ARI |
| 55. | Sterling Shepard TB at NYG |
| 56. | Jalen Tolbert DAL at WAS |
| 57. | *Ricky Pearsall SF at GB Note: Pearsall was targeted only twice in the loss to the Seahawks. |
| 58. | *Diontae Johnson BAL at LAC Note: Johnson played just 11 snaps in the loss to the Steelers. |
| 59. | Xavier Worthy KC at CAR |
| 60. | Mike Williams PIT at CLE |
| 61. | Tre Tucker LV vs. DEN |
| 62. | Noah Brown WAS vs. DAL |
| 63. | Demarcus Robinson LA vs. PHI |
| 64. | Adonai Mitchell IND vs. DET |
| 65. | Joshua Palmer LAC vs. BAL |
| 66. | Kalif Raymond DET at IND |
| 67. | Troy Franklin DEN at LV |
| 68. | Van Jefferson PIT at CLE |
| 69. | Greg Dortch ARZ at SEA |
| 70. | Tutu Atwell LA vs. PHI |
| 71. | Ja'Lynn Polk NE at MIA |
| 72. | Jonathan Mingo DAL at WAS |
| 73. | Darius Slayton NYG vs. TB |
| 74. | Jalen McMillan TB at NYG |
| 75. | Ja'Marr Chase CIN at |
| 76. | Garrett Wilson NYJ at |
| 77. | Drake London ATL at |
| 78. | Tee Higgins CIN at |
| 79. | Khalil Shakir BUF at |
| 80. | Davante Adams NYJ at |
| 81. | Darnell Mooney ATL at |
| 82. | Brian Thomas JAC at |
| 83. | Keon Coleman BUF at |
| 84. | Amari Cooper BUF at |
| 85. | Marquez Valdes-Scantling NO at |
| 86. | Curtis Samuel BUF at |
| 87. | Ray-Ray McCloud ATL at |
| 88. | Mack Hollins BUF at |
| 89. | Andrei Iosivas CIN at |
| 90. | Gabe Davis JAC at |
Tight Ends
| 1. | Brock Bowers LV vs. DEN |
| 2. | Trey McBride ARZ at SEA |
| 3. | Cade Otton TB at NYG |
| 4. | *George Kittle SF at GB Note: Kittle (hamstring) is expected to practice Wednesday and apparently was pretty close to playing last week. |
| 5. | Mark Andrews BAL at LAC |
| 6. | Travis Kelce KC at CAR |
| 7. | T.J. Hockenson MIN at CHI |
| 8. | Dalton Schultz HOU vs. TEN |
| 9. | *David Njoku CLE vs. PIT Note: Njoku (knee) was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice. |
| 10. | Dallas Goedert PHI at LAR |
| 11. | Pat Freiermuth PIT at CLE |
| 12. | Zach Ertz WAS vs. DAL |
| 13. | Jonnu Smith MIA vs. NE |
| 14. | Tucker Kraft GB vs. SF |
| 15. | Will Dissly LAC vs. BAL |
| 16. | Cole Kmet CHI vs. MIN |
| 17. | Isaiah Likely BAL at LAC |
| 18. | Brock Wright DET at IND |
| 19. | Hunter Henry NE at MIA |
| 20. | Noah Gray KC at CAR |
| 21. | *Luke Schoonmaker DAL at WAS Note: Schoonmaker will probably start with Jake Ferguson trying to recover from a concussion. |
| 22. | Theo Johnson NYG vs. TB |
| 23. | Ja'Tavion Sanders CAR vs. KC |
| 24. | Chigoziem Okonkwo TEN at HOU |
| 25. | Davis Allen LA vs. PHI |
| 26. | Charlie Kolar BAL at LAC |
| 27. | AJ Barner SEA vs. ARI |
| 28. | Lucas Krull DEN at LV |
| 29. | Sam LaPorta DET at IND |
| 30. | *Jake Ferguson DAL at WAS Note: Ferguson (concussion) is unlikely to play this week. |
| 31. | Evan Engram JAC at |
| 32. | Taysom Hill NO at |
| 33. | Kyle Pitts ATL at |
| 34. | Dawson Knox BUF at |
| 35. | Tyler Conklin NYJ at |
| 36. | Mike Gesicki CIN at |
| 37. | Juwan Johnson NO at |
| 38. | Brenton Strange JAC at |
| 39. | Dalton Kincaid BUF at |
Flex (RB/WR/TE)
| 1. | Saquon Barkley PHI at LAR |
| 2. | Derrick Henry BAL at LAC |
| 3. | Amon-Ra St. Brown DET at IND |
| 4. | *Christian McCaffrey SF at GB Note: McCaffrey topped 100 total yards, but the big chunk plays haven't been there yet. |
| 5. | Justin Jefferson MIN at CHI |
Kickers
| 1. | *Chris Boswell PIT at CLE Note: Twice this season Boswell has single-handedly accounted for the Steelers' points in a win, this time with six field goals against the Ravens. |
| 2. | Jake Bates DET at IND |
| 3. | Ka'imi Fairbairn HOU vs. TEN |
| 4. | *Justin Tucker BAL at LAC Note: Tucker's struggles continued, as he missed twice (47, 50) against the Steelers. |
| 5. | Cameron Dicker LAC vs. BAL |
| 6. | *Brandon Aubrey DAL at WAS Note: Aubrey missed a medium field goal when his plant foot slipped, and then had a 64-yard field goal pulled off the board due to a penalty on the Texans that gave the Cowboys a first down. |
| 7. | Jake Moody SF at GB |
| 8. | Chase McLaughlin TB at NYG |
| 9. | *Joshua Karty LA vs. PHI Note: Karty missed a 26-yard attempt right before halftime, hitting the right post. |
| 10. | Jason Myers SEA vs. ARI |
| 11. | Brandon McManus GB vs. SF |
| 12. | John Parker Romo MIN at CHI |
| 13. | Jason Sanders MIA vs. NE |
| 14. | Jake Elliott PHI at LAR |
| 15. | Matt Gay IND vs. DET |
| 16. | Wil Lutz DEN at LV |
| 17. | Spencer Shrader KC at CAR |
| 18. | Chad Ryland ARZ at SEA |
| 19. | Daniel Carlson LV vs. DEN |
| 20. | *Dustin Hopkins CLE vs. PIT Note: Hopkins has been awful all year, and he missed three kicks (two officially - one was wiped out due to a penalty on the Saints). |
| 21. | Nick Folk TEN at HOU |
| 22. | Joey Slye NE at MIA |
| 23. | Graham Gano NYG vs. TB |
| 24. | *Cairo Santos CHI vs. MIN Note: Had the potential game-winner blocked by the Packers. |
| 25. | Eddy Pineiro CAR vs. KC |
| 26. | Austin Seibert WAS vs. DAL |
| 27. | Matt Prater ARZ at SEA |
| 28. | Zane Gonzalez at |
| 29. | Younghoe Koo ATL at |
| 30. | Tyler Bass BUF at |
| 31. | Evan McPherson CIN at |
| 32. | Cam Little JAC at |
| 33. | Blake Grupe NO at |
| 34. | *Anders Carlson NYJ at Note: Signed to the Jets' active roster after he made a 58-yard attempt in the loss to the Colts. |
Defenses
| 1. | Kansas City Chiefs at CAR |
| 2. | Pittsburgh Steelers at CLE |
| 3. | Houston Texans vs. TEN |
| 4. | Minnesota Vikings at CHI |
| 5. | Denver Broncos at LV |
| 6. | Philadelphia Eagles at LAR |
| 7. | *Tampa Bay Buccaneers at NYG Note: The Bucs get Jamel Dean (hamstring) back *and* get to face Tommy DeVito. |
| 8. | *Washington Commanders vs. DAL Note: The Commanders should tee off against a Cowboys OL that's in tatters. |
| 9. | Detroit Lions at IND |
| 10. | Miami Dolphins vs. NE |
| 11. | Chicago Bears vs. MIN |
| 12. | Green Bay Packers vs. SF |
| 13. | Cleveland Browns vs. PIT |
| 14. | Arizona Cardinals at SEA |
| 15. | *San Francisco 49ers at GB Note: The Niners might be without Nick Bosa this week. |
| 16. | New England Patriots at MIA |
| 17. | Tennessee Titans at HOU |
| 18. | Los Angeles Chargers vs. BAL |
| 19. | Seattle Seahawks vs. ARI |
| 20. | Baltimore Ravens at LAC |
| 21. | Las Vegas Raiders vs. DEN |
| 22. | Los Angeles Rams vs. PHI |
| 23. | Indianapolis Colts vs. DET |
| 24. | New York Giants vs. TB |
| 25. | Dallas Cowboys at WAS |
| 26. | Carolina Panthers vs. KC |
