Fantasy Football Week 12 Low-Ranked Starters: Matthew Stafford, David Montgomery, and More

Last week's attempt at finding players ranked outside of the fantasy starters at their position who would enter that lofty group was far from our best effort, resulting in a lot of low fantasy scores:

• J.J. McCarthy looked inept against the Bears (who usually look inept on defense), throwing for just 150 yards on 4.7 per attempt with a touchdown and two interceptions. Running is often part of his game, but McCarthy didn't attempt a single rush.
• Rachaad White had an efficient performance, with 51 yards on 10 carries, but he was overshadowed by Sean Tucker, who turned 19 carries into 106 yards and two touchdowns and caught a TD pass as well.
• Tre Tucker is the one guy who met my expectations, catching four passes for 47 yards and a touchdown in a fantastic matchup against the Cowboys.
• We took two shots at tight end with Pittsburgh's Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth, but they combined for just one catch and 19 yards, which came from Freiermuth. Instead, third tight end Darnell Washington, who is usually more of a blocker, had the best day, catching four passes for 67 yards.

That's rough. Tucker is the only one who lived up to the prediction of a good week, and it took a touchdown to get him there, otherwise he would have fallen short. Let's do it again, though, and find a guy at each offensive fantasy position ranked below the starters who will reach that top group.

We are using FantasySP's projections for the rankings. The “starters” will be represented as the top 10 quarterbacks and tight ends and the top 20 running backs and wide receivers. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's weekly projections to compare players and help make your toughest lineup decisions!

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Stafford finally had a rough game last week in a tough matchup against the Seahawks, throwing for 130 yards on just 4.6 per attempt, though he did have two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was by far his worst game of the season and the first time he failed to top 180 yards.

Stafford is still on an MVP pace, throwing 27 touchdowns to just two interceptions and averaging 255.7 passing yards per game. His lack of running is the only thing that keeps him from being a top-line fantasy player, but Stafford is doing enough with his arm to make up for it, ranking as QB6 entering Week 12.

The matchup is also in his favor here, as the Bucs have allowed the fifth-most yards per pass attempt and the seventh-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They only allow a moderate amount of rushing to QBs, being beaten more often through the air, which matches up well for Stafford.

This game could be something of a shootout on Sunday night, and even if it's not, Stafford is still in line to put together a nice performance. With his MVP case still needing more plaudits, a primetime game could be the right time to show the world that LA is for real.

Running Back

David Montgomery, Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants

Detroit's second running back has a great outlook this week because of the matchup: New York has allowed the most yards per rush attempt and the third-most fantasy points per game to running backs. There's also a good chance that the Lions could control this game and do a lot of work on the ground while leading, which would help both Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs build volume.

Gibbs is a must-start player, so the question is when Montgomery also meets the flex grade. Montgomery is on pace for 838.1 rushing yards, a number that falls in line with his career marks. The fantasy downside comes from scoring fewer touchdowns, as Montgomery is on pace for 8.5 scores after 13 and 12 the past two years.

That all makes Montgomery a fine fantasy player who can score a touchdown any week. He should only be in your lineup in the right matchups, and this is one of those games. Montgomery is a strong flex player who could border on RB2 value.

Wide Receiver

Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks @ Tennessee Titans

In two games with the Seahawks, Shaheed caught three passes for 30 yards and ran three times for 22 more. He was brought in to add speed and create more of a downfield threat, but that hasn't been the case yet (though he has gotten a few looks).

Those contests were against tough defensive teams in the Cardinals and Rams, but this is a much nicer matchup against the Titans. Tennessee has allowed the sixth-most yards per pass attempt and the eighth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.

Teams haven't put up huge numbers passing against Tennessee, but that has more to do with volume, as the Titans have gone down early and often, causing opponents to focus more on the run. Shaheed only needs to hit one big shot for a good fantasy day, and with the matchup in his favor, this is a bet on finding that first big play with Seattle.

There's also a low floor, as we've seen. Shaheed joined a new scheme on the fly, so it's reasonable to expect some growing pains, but this is now his third week in Seattle, so Shaheed should be getting more comfortable. There's upside to the speedy receiver in Week 12.

Tight End

Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Loveland has found a place in Chicago's offense after a slow start, averaging close to four receptions and 55 yards per game over the past five weeks. That includes a six-catch, 118-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Bengals, but Loveland has also been involved in the other contests, something that wasn't true before.

The matchup is in his favor in this one, as the Steelers have given up the sixth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends (though they are right near the middle in yards per pass attempt allowed). Pittsburgh is susceptible to the pass and most vulnerable to tight ends.

Loveland's issue here is getting enough work, as he has to fight for targets with fellow TE Cole Kmet and a full complement of talented wide receivers. There is always a low floor, so even when he has a decent ceiling, like this week, there is risk involved, bringing Loveland down a notch.

He is still a decent streamer, and I can see Loveland having another big day against an AFC North opponent that struggles to stop tight ends.