As many as three backup quarterbacks could be waiver adds this week in two-QB leagues, while plenty of surprising breakout performers will keep fantasy managers up all night trying to decide who to grab. And with that, here's the most notable fantasy impact of each Sunday team.
Cowboys -- Amari Cooper took a step back, and possibly Atlanta's Desmond Trufant contributed to the letdown. The high-priced Amari is averaging 5-56 since coming to Dallas three weeks ago. It's hard to imagine him closing the year as anything more than a TD-dependent WR3/4.
Falcons -- How Tevin Coleman out-touched Ito Smith only 11-8 is beyond me. If Atlanta had won comfortably, it might have made sense. But with their season on the line, the Falcons barely used their best back. Smith remains nothing more than a glorified, over-used handcuff.
Panthers -- I was publicly big on Devin Funchess and D.J. Moore this weekend and down on the overvalued Greg Olsen. Two out of three ain't bad. The WR5 Moore has a fantastic series of matchups that should keep him in the streaming conversation.
Lions -- Kerryon Johnson's injury could have a sizable ripple effect on this backfield, with the on-his-last-leg LeGarrette Blount and the versatile-but-non-bellcow-material Theo Riddick sharing the load. It's a less-than-ideal combo for fantasy purposes, though Riddick will get the bigger bump.
Titans -- Marcus Mariota was just starting to find a small groove the past couple weeks when he ran into a surprisingly stifling Indy defense. If his elbow injury is serious, former first-round bust Blaine Gabbert will be thrown to the wolves in Houston.
Colts -- Andrew Luck tacked on his seventh straight 3+ TD performance. Incredible. I didn't see him doing this much damage after his 18-month injury hiatus.
Buccaneers -- Why is it that every time a Bucs starting QB is benched, the backup looks like a Hall-of-Famer? Ryan Fitzpatrick played as bad as one can play against the Giants, making Jameis Winston one of this week's most compelling fantasy pickups. Color me shocked.
Giants -- On cue, Eli Manning manhandled Tampa Bay as only he (and every other NFL QB) can. His next games are @Philly, Chicago, and @Washington. Despite the state of the Eagles' defense, don't expect Eli to reach QB1 territory in any other contest this year.
Texans -- Keke Coutee (5-77) outshined Demaryius Thomas (0-0). After averaging seven targets per game this season in Denver, DT has averaged two in Houston.
Redskins -- Washington's offseason signing of the vastly overrated Alex Smith was always going to end in disappointment. $71 million guaranteed for a 34-year-old game manager coming off a career year that had less to do with him than it was having an elite RB, WR, and TE at his disposal? I warned about him this summer; he was my 25th ranked QB (through 11 weeks he's the 24th best fantasy QB). Colt McCoy will start the rest of the way and possibly next September while Smith recovers from a broken leg. Washington's receivers shouldn't be downgraded, but that's not saying much.
Steelers -- Circle this game. If Pittsburgh clinches a 1 or 2 seed, it will be because of this unlikely comeback, which found the Jacksonville up 10 with a first down at their own 43 with a little over six minutes left. This was Big Ben at his best, and credit the defense for clamping down. Armed with the best supporting cast of his career, Ben will remain a near-elite QB the rest of the way.
Jaguars -- If it was a mistake for the leading Jags to run it at 3rd-and-5 at their own 30 with under two minutes left, it was an even bigger mistake to give it to Leonard Fournette. It might seem like sacrilege to question Fournette's dominance (yes, he's damn good). But he's averaged below 4.0 YPC in 13 of 17 NFL games. Despite racking up 13 TDs in his brief career, Fournette is better in fantasy than he is on the field. He's averaged 3.7 YPC a little under three catches per game. Consider that backups T.J. Yeldon Corey Grant have run far more effectively the past two seasons.
Joe Mixon -- It's rare for an RB to be fantasy relevant when rushing for 14 yards on 12 carries. But Joe Mixon managed an RB2 day. Note that he's top-10 in RB fantasy scoring when inside the opposing 10-yard line, and has played fewer games than any RB in the top 20. He remains undervalued.
Ravens -- With the TD-dependent Alex Collins sputtering. Baltimore paired rookie QB Lamar Jackson with undrafted rookie RB Gus Edwards. Edwards is the more intriguing of the two, as most fantasy managers could use some RB help. While it remains unclear whether Edwards is a legit NFL talent, he'll get Oakland at home next week. Can't ask for a better streaming scenario than that one.
Raiders -- Hard to believe Oakland pulled this one out -- and with the out-of-nowhere Marcell Ateman leading all receivers. Most notably, Doug Martin suffered an ankle injury, dropping his fairly low stock even further. Jalen Richard (14 touches) and DeAndre Washington (12 touches) will battle for RB3/4 numbers next week of Martin sits.
Cardinals -- Two terribly-timed Josh Rosen interceptions handed Oakland some cheap points, and that proved to be the difference. It will be hard to trust any Arizona fantasy option -- except, perhaps, David Johnson -- the next two weeks @Chargers and @Packers.
Broncos -- How did Denver pull this one out? Credit Phillip Lindsay for continuing to impress on 15 touches. Interestingly, Royce Freeman had only eight.
Chargers -- Antonio Gates turned back the clock about six years. Don't run out and add him.
Eagles -- Despite warning that Carson Wentz was way overvalued as Week 11's 5th-ranked QB, I never anticipated Sunday's collapse. He has too many weapons not to snap back. Notably, Josh Adams continues to serve as the unquestionable lead back, though he's not yet earning enough volume to be a reliable fantasy starter.
Saints -- A complete pummeling. Tre'Quan Smith is the biggest story. The arrival of Brandon Marshall probably will cut into Smith's usage . . . but it shouldn't.
Vikings -- It's been a season to forget for Dalvin Cook, though he can be forgiven for getting shut down by Chicago's league-best run D. All five of his upcoming matchups are somewhat-to-very favorable.
Bears -- Tarik Cohen maintains his comfortable fantasy points lead over Jordan Howard, though interestingly Howard has outscored Cohen in five out of 10 games. This is because Howard has become almost entirely TD-dependent. Four of his five touchdowns have come inside the opposing 2-yard line.
Cowboys -- Amari Cooper took a step back, and possibly Atlanta's Desmond Trufant contributed to the letdown. The high-priced Amari is averaging 5-56 since coming to Dallas three weeks ago. It's hard to imagine him closing the year as anything more than a TD-dependent WR3/4.
Falcons -- How Tevin Coleman out-touched Ito Smith only 11-8 is beyond me. If Atlanta had won comfortably, it might have made sense. But with their season on the line, the Falcons barely used their best back. Smith remains nothing more than a glorified, over-used handcuff.
Panthers -- I was publicly big on Devin Funchess and D.J. Moore this weekend and down on the overvalued Greg Olsen. Two out of three ain't bad. The WR5 Moore has a fantastic series of matchups that should keep him in the streaming conversation.
Lions -- Kerryon Johnson's injury could have a sizable ripple effect on this backfield, with the on-his-last-leg LeGarrette Blount and the versatile-but-non-bellcow-material Theo Riddick sharing the load. It's a less-than-ideal combo for fantasy purposes, though Riddick will get the bigger bump.
Titans -- Marcus Mariota was just starting to find a small groove the past couple weeks when he ran into a surprisingly stifling Indy defense. If his elbow injury is serious, former first-round bust Blaine Gabbert will be thrown to the wolves in Houston.
Colts -- Andrew Luck tacked on his seventh straight 3+ TD performance. Incredible. I didn't see him doing this much damage after his 18-month injury hiatus.
Buccaneers -- Why is it that every time a Bucs starting QB is benched, the backup looks like a Hall-of-Famer? Ryan Fitzpatrick played as bad as one can play against the Giants, making Jameis Winston one of this week's most compelling fantasy pickups. Color me shocked.
Giants -- On cue, Eli Manning manhandled Tampa Bay as only he (and every other NFL QB) can. His next games are @Philly, Chicago, and @Washington. Despite the state of the Eagles' defense, don't expect Eli to reach QB1 territory in any other contest this year.
Texans -- Keke Coutee (5-77) outshined Demaryius Thomas (0-0). After averaging seven targets per game this season in Denver, DT has averaged two in Houston.
Redskins -- Washington's offseason signing of the vastly overrated Alex Smith was always going to end in disappointment. $71 million guaranteed for a 34-year-old game manager coming off a career year that had less to do with him than it was having an elite RB, WR, and TE at his disposal? I warned about him this summer; he was my 25th ranked QB (through 11 weeks he's the 24th best fantasy QB). Colt McCoy will start the rest of the way and possibly next September while Smith recovers from a broken leg. Washington's receivers shouldn't be downgraded, but that's not saying much.
Steelers -- Circle this game. If Pittsburgh clinches a 1 or 2 seed, it will be because of this unlikely comeback, which found the Jacksonville up 10 with a first down at their own 43 with a little over six minutes left. This was Big Ben at his best, and credit the defense for clamping down. Armed with the best supporting cast of his career, Ben will remain a near-elite QB the rest of the way.
Jaguars -- If it was a mistake for the leading Jags to run it at 3rd-and-5 at their own 30 with under two minutes left, it was an even bigger mistake to give it to Leonard Fournette. It might seem like sacrilege to question Fournette's dominance (yes, he's damn good). But he's averaged below 4.0 YPC in 13 of 17 NFL games. Despite racking up 13 TDs in his brief career, Fournette is better in fantasy than he is on the field. He's averaged 3.7 YPC a little under three catches per game. Consider that backups T.J. Yeldon Corey Grant have run far more effectively the past two seasons.
Joe Mixon -- It's rare for an RB to be fantasy relevant when rushing for 14 yards on 12 carries. But Joe Mixon managed an RB2 day. Note that he's top-10 in RB fantasy scoring when inside the opposing 10-yard line, and has played fewer games than any RB in the top 20. He remains undervalued.
Ravens -- With the TD-dependent Alex Collins sputtering. Baltimore paired rookie QB Lamar Jackson with undrafted rookie RB Gus Edwards. Edwards is the more intriguing of the two, as most fantasy managers could use some RB help. While it remains unclear whether Edwards is a legit NFL talent, he'll get Oakland at home next week. Can't ask for a better streaming scenario than that one.
Raiders -- Hard to believe Oakland pulled this one out -- and with the out-of-nowhere Marcell Ateman leading all receivers. Most notably, Doug Martin suffered an ankle injury, dropping his fairly low stock even further. Jalen Richard (14 touches) and DeAndre Washington (12 touches) will battle for RB3/4 numbers next week of Martin sits.
Cardinals -- Two terribly-timed Josh Rosen interceptions handed Oakland some cheap points, and that proved to be the difference. It will be hard to trust any Arizona fantasy option -- except, perhaps, David Johnson -- the next two weeks @Chargers and @Packers.
Broncos -- How did Denver pull this one out? Credit Phillip Lindsay for continuing to impress on 15 touches. Interestingly, Royce Freeman had only eight.
Chargers -- Antonio Gates turned back the clock about six years. Don't run out and add him.
Eagles -- Despite warning that Carson Wentz was way overvalued as Week 11's 5th-ranked QB, I never anticipated Sunday's collapse. He has too many weapons not to snap back. Notably, Josh Adams continues to serve as the unquestionable lead back, though he's not yet earning enough volume to be a reliable fantasy starter.
Saints -- A complete pummeling. Tre'Quan Smith is the biggest story. The arrival of Brandon Marshall probably will cut into Smith's usage . . . but it shouldn't.
Vikings -- It's been a season to forget for Dalvin Cook, though he can be forgiven for getting shut down by Chicago's league-best run D. All five of his upcoming matchups are somewhat-to-very favorable.
Bears -- Tarik Cohen maintains his comfortable fantasy points lead over Jordan Howard, though interestingly Howard has outscored Cohen in five out of 10 games. This is because Howard has become almost entirely TD-dependent. Four of his five touchdowns have come inside the opposing 2-yard line.