2024 Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings: QB

Lamar Jackson looks to bounce back from a disappointing divisional grudge match, Bo Nix goes hot streak hunting in Sin City, and Anthony Richardson confronts the toughest test of his young career.

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Week 12 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: Lamar Jackson is coming off his worst fantasy start of the season. Jalen Hurts is coming off his worst in seven weeks. Now they’re both headed to L.A. We don’t worry about one bad game for either quarterback, obviously. We’ll tie break at the top this week with Hurts’ Rams matchup being much easier than Jackson’s Chargers showdown. … Kyler Murray comes off bye as an imperfect QB3 overall, but one with the best claim to the honorific for Week 12. He’s been running hotter than banged up fellow dual-threat Jayden Daniels, and Justin Herbert is still a little early into his “actually passing” phase. Murray’s big days tend to be the product of only a handful of plays rather than methodical stone-stacking, but his big swings have been clearing the fence of late. … In addition to actually passing, Justin Herbert has also been actually running. 53.2 percent of his ground production has come over the past two weeks. Fully healthy and immersed in his new system, Herbert is being cut loose. The Chargers cannot afford to bottle him back up for a Monday night showdown with the Ravens’ league-worst pass defense with a game total north of 50.

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The Jared Goff home/road splits remain all too real, as does the possibility of the Lions simply running over the Colts on the ground. We still aren’t really allowed to drop him out of the top 10 vs. a bad overall defense, especially in a week with six teams on bye. … All the way up to QB13 overall status on the season, Bo Nix is the QB8 by average points over the past five weeks. “@LV” is no time for the momentum to stop. Nix is also aided in fantasy by Denver’s dysfunctional running game. The Broncos are having trouble taking over games on the ground right now. They should let Nix to go work through the air in Vegas. … The Commanders insist Jayden Daniels isn’t injured, but the time for a rankings correction until he re-proves his health and explosiveness has come. The previously sensational rookie has only four total scores over his past four starts, including zero on the ground. There are at several reasons for Week 12 optimism, including extra time to heal following Thursday Night Football and a delectable Cowboys matchup at home.

Brock Purdy is coming off one of his shakiest “real life” outings, but a ground score against Seattle still had him QB1 adjacent for Week 11. The Packers are a middle of the road matchup for a game that might force two reticent teams to shoot out. We do need to monitor Purdy’s shoulder health … Which brings us to Jordan Love. The Packers continue to run the ball whenever possible. It’s helped that they’ve spent the better part of a month facing offensively-challenged teams. That should not be the case for San Francisco. We could be looking at Love reaching 35-plus attempts for only the third time all year. … Matthew Stafford has finished as a QB1 three of four weeks since Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp’s return. That even includes the Week 9 contest in which Nacua got ejected. The Eagles continue to play solid defense, but “the bookmakers” aren’t really buying it for Week 12, putting the game total near 50. In Stafford’s volume and superstar wideouts we trust. … Baker Mayfield comes off bye to the best news he’s had in over a month: Mike Evans is playing. He’ll be doing so vs. a Giants defense that generates sack heat but not much else. Pro Football Focus has charted Mayfield as its eighth best QB under pressure this season.

Tua Tagovailoa finally had a three-score outing in Week 12. That is never going to be the most likely outcome in what has become a methodical, conservative offense, but the Patriots’ defense definitely makes it easier. We’re still skeptical with the Dolphins operating as touchdown home favorites. You won’t have to ask Mike McDaniel twice to take the air out of the ball, at least down the field. … Patrick Mahomes suddenly has two three-score efforts over his past three starts, but it’s looking more like overdue touchdown regression than improved overall play. This is just a limited offense with a shaky skill corps, one that should be getting back No. 1 RB Isiah Pacheco in Charlotte. Mahomes, unfathomably, has zero ceiling right now. … Geno Smith continues to not find the end zone. What he has found is an enhanced 1-2 punch at wideout. DK Metcalf’s recent injury absence seems to be the opportunity Jaxon Smith-Njigba needed to prove he is ready for more varied yet-still-prolific usage. The Cardinals are a good, not great pass defense as a Week 12 foe.

I highly doubt the Patriots want Drake Maye to keep throwing 40 times per game. He’s taking too many hits, and his supporting cast isn’t good. It’s still a likely Week 12 outcome with the Pats touchdown road ‘dogs against an admittedly feisty Dolphins defense. … C.J. Stroud has two total touchdowns over his past five starts. Stupefying. That does not include his called back 77-yard catch-and-run to Nico Collins on Monday evening. Collins’ presence is why I’m comfortable keeping Stroud in the mid-range QB2 mix despite his tough Titans matchup. … Anthony Richardson is coming off the best overall start of his career. Now he has the toughest test of his career, the Lions’ buzzsaw defense. Mistakes will be made, but there are too many potential big-play opportunities to rank Richardson outside the top 18 even in this foreboding setup. … I originally had Jameis Winston ranked higher, overlooking the Steelers’ solid defense. What I can’t overlook is Thursday evening’s hellacious Cleveland weather forecast. Nature and nurture are conspiring to make Winston a lower-end Week 12 streamer.

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