We're entering a particularly busy and chaotic Week 12 with four teams on a bye and too many injuries to count. There are still a lot of unknowns, which is why my responses to recent questions sometimes begin with "too early to know." But with waivers starting back up today, many of us need to make decisions. Here's a division-by-division look at where things stand with a few key players.
Starting with the AFC East, Khalil Shakir has gone from streamer to starter to . . . who knows. He hasn't practiced this week for non-injury reasons and is at risk of missing tomorrow's game. Buffalo's receiving corps has been hit pretty hard by injuries and disciplinary actions, which is why managers see Tyrell Shavers and think, "Why not?" And when Gabe Davis and Mecole Hardman are getting targets, it seems clear that Josh Allen and the Bills are desperate for someone like Shavers to step up.
The AFC North is chaos central, with Ja'Marr Chase appealing a one-game suspension for spitting on Jalen Ramsey; Aaron Rodgers and Jaylen Warren hobbled; and serious questions about whether anyone in Cleveland will be startable if Shedeur Sanders is under center. The biggest losers in all this (aside from the players mentioned) would be DK Metcalf and every Cleveland player, including the formerly must-start Quinshon Judkins. It's hard to trust RBs playing in anemic offenses.
In the AFC South, Davis Mills has come into his own spot-starting for CJ Stroud, which at least has kept some of Houston's receivers relevant. More notably, many eyes should be on Brian Thomas's status. Trevor Lawrence's regression makes it hard to trust guys who should be startable, especially when everyone's healthy, because there simply aren't enough yards and touchdowns to go around.
The AFC West features an impressive Broncos team with a muddled backfield. Yes, RJ Harvey probably will remain "the guy" as long as JK Dobbins is sidelined. But that doesn't mean he'll get enough work to be a sure-fire fantasy starter.
Over in the NFC East, Jalen Hurts is averaging the fewest fantasy points per game since his partial rookie campaign. DeVonta Smith is also slightly underperforming. AJ Brown has been a minor disaster. Saquon Barkley isn't even a top-10 RB. Dallas Goedert is the only Eagle playing better than his ADP, though three of his worst performances have come in his last four games. Altogether, it's a rough fantasy situation.
The NFC North includes a horrendous QB situation for the Vikings that's sapping fantasy value from their receivers. In Green Bay, Josh Jacobs might miss Week 12, while Jayden Reed might be on the verge of returning, which won't be good news for those rostering any other Packer WR.
The NFC South's Buccaneers have had miserable injury luck, yet they remain atop the division. Who knows how their backfield will shake out once Bucky Irving returns, and who knows whether Emeka Egbuka will remain the #1 WR when Chris Godwin and Mike Evans are back.
Finally, the NFC West has three playoff contenders and the almost finished Cardinals. We don't yet know if Marvin Harrison Jr. will return this week, and the backfield is still a crapshoot. Michael Wilson's range of realistic Week 12 outcomes is as wide as any fantasy player.
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