Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

Week 12 is upon us and brings with it bonus Turkey Day games to watch while the inevitable food coma sets in. No bye weeks this week so you should be at full strength assuming the week 11 injuries didn't hit your team too hard. Don't forget to put your waiver claims in, set your lineup for Thursday morning and Happy Holidays!

Note: all waiver picks listed here will have only been owned in 50% or less of Yahoo! leagues at the time of publication.

Quarterback

Colin Kaepernick (SF) - 18% owned - There aren't any teams on bye this week so most people should be ok at the quarterback position, but if not you should look towards Kaepernick.  He has been averaging QB1 numbers this season at 20 pts per game and his rushing yards gives him a high floor.

Running Back

Wendall Smallwood (PHI) - 5% owned - Smallwood should be up for an increased workload this week against the Packers since Ryan Mathews is dealing with a sprained MCL and Darren Sproles suffered a fractured rib. Should be a great volume play against an injured Packers defense.

Mike Gillislee (BUF) - 25% owned - LeSean McCoy may have to sit out this week after having surgery to repair an injured thumb. If McCoy does sit then Gillislee will be a great play in a run heavy offense against a Jaguars defense allowing 113 yards per game on the ground.

Honorable mentions: Tim Hightower (NO) - 50% owned, Adrian Peterson (MIN) - 32% owned

Wide Receiver

Michael Floyd (ARZ) - 48% owned - Arizona receivers not named Larry Fitzgerald have been very inconsistent this season but I think this is the week Floyd will have a big game in a dream matchup against the Falcons defense who are giving up a league-worst 29 receptions and 297 yards per game.

Tyler Boyd (CIN) - 6% owned - With A.J. Green looking at a multi-week hamstring injury and Giovanni Bernard out for the remainder of the season with an ACL tear, the Bengals will need to look elsewhere for pass catching options. Boyd, LaFell and Eifert should all see boosts in targets but I believe Boyd has a higher upside than LaFell going forward if you need some depth at the WR position.

Honorable mentions: Brandon LaFell (CIN) - 11% owned, Sammy Watkins (BUF) - 42% owned

Tight End

Vance McDonald (SF) - 8% owned - McDonald appears to have developed some chemistry with Colin Kaepernick lately as he has 180 yards and two touchdowns over the last three weeks. Not a bad play if you are desperately looking for points at TE.

Defense/Special Teams

Baltimore Ravens (BAL) - 48% owned - Baltimore has been a top ten fantasy defense all season long and draws a Bengals team in week 12 who is depleted of playmakers. Look for another solid performance from the Ravens defense.

We've reached the final week before the fantasy playoffs. If you are desperately looking for a win to make it in or if you're already in and just looking ahead to your playoff matchups or if you are eliminated and just want to play spoiler then I'm here to help you out. TWO teams on bye this week; Browns and Titans. Good Luck!

Note: all waiver picks listed here will have only been owned in 50% or less of Yahoo! leagues at the time of publication.

Quarterback

Colin Kaepernick (SF) - 24% owned - Kaepernick has been on a tear lately averaging just over 25 fantasy points per game over his last four which is good for 7th best for all QBs in standard scoring during that stretch.  There shouldn't be any slowing down for him this week as he draws a depleted Bears defense.

Honorable mention: Alex Smith (KC) - 25% owned

Running Back

Kenneth Dixon (BAL) - 29% owned - It looks as though Dixon has finally surpassed Terrance West in the Ravens backfield as he out-snapped West for the first time this season.  This will most likely be a timeshare situation next week, but if Dixon plays well or if West falters then we should see Dixon take a larger role going forward.

Bilal Powell (NYJ) - 42% owned - Powell has been getting consistent work lately and he has averaged almost 10 fantasy points per game over his last four starts. If you're in a pinch for a running back you can look this way as the Jets play against a weak Colts team giving up the 10th most fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Honorable mention: Adrian Peterson (MIN) - 43% owned

Wide Receiver

Tyreek Hill (KC) - 37% owned - Hill made a name for himself on Sunday night after catching 9 of 10 targets for 52 yards and a touchdown, rushing for another touchdown and returning a free kick after a safety for a third score. If he can put up this fantasy production against the Broncos then he shouldn't have any issues this week in a great matchup with the Falcons.

Quincy Enunwa (NYJ) - 28% owned - Enunwa looked to be falling out of fantasy relevance the past few weeks but he had a resurgence against the Patriots catching 5 of 5 targets for 109 yards and a touchdown. He has two great matchups coming back to back, first against the Colts and then against 49ers.

Honorable mention: Tyler Boyd (CIN) - 50% owned

Tight End

Vance McDonald (SF) - 10% owned - Rolling with McDonald for the second straight week as he continues to put up numbers with Kaepernick under center. He is the number eight tight end in standard scoring over the past four weeks and has consistently been getting 6 or 7 targets a game.

Honorable mention: C.J. Fiedorowicz (HOU) - 35% owned

Defense/Special Teams

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (TB) - 5% owned - Not many great streaming options available for this week, but the Bucs have  the second highest fantasy scoring defense over the past four games. They have been getting good pressure and sacks on opposing quarterbacks in this stretch so expect that to continue against Rivers this week.