Struggling to find players to start while your stars are on bye in your season long fantasy football league? Well, at FantasyScore.com, you don't have to fight the waiver wire to find value -- you just pick your favorite players every week while playing weekly fantasy football for cash prizes.
If you've never played before and aren't sure who to pick, our fancy algorithms have you covered for Week 12. Take a look at this week's FantasyScore Perfect Lineup.
Quarterback
Brian Hoyer, Houston Texans
The Saints' defense is bad, and when I say bad, I mean really bad. New Orleans ranks dead last in both overall defense and pass defense in terms of our our schedule-adjusted Net Expected Points (NEP) metrics, and both are far worse than the league's second-worst ranked defense. The Saints have earned a 153.69 overall Adjusted Defensive NEP and a 125.92 Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP. Both are more than 30 points higher than the Raiders, who rank 31st in both categories, with a difference of less than 10 between Oakland and the teams ranking behind them. Although Hoyer is far from an elite quarterback, he costs just $6,600 this week and should have little trouble moving the ball against the worst defense in the league. He provides great value at his very low cost.
Running Back
Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks
With Marshawn Lynch out for the foreseeable future following hernia surgery, Rawls now finds himself as the unquestioned lead back in Seattle. The Seahawks' rookie has been very impressive when given the opportunity, ranking third among all running backs in our player power rankings with a 14.62 Rushing NEP and ranks third in Rushing NEP per rush among all running backs who have carried the ball at least 50 times. Although a matchup with the Steelers is less than ideal, Rawls should see more than enough touches to reach value while he is still somewhat priced as a backup.
Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers
The criticism surrounding Stewart throughout his career has rarely been in regards to his talent but more so about his inability to stay on the field. Well, injuries have not been an issue for the the Panthers' running back this season, as he has managed to suit up for every game of the year and is on pace for the most productive year of his career. Stewart comes into this week scorching hot, averaging 94.5 yards from scrimmage per game with 6 total touchdowns over his last six outings and has touched the ball at least 20 times in every single one of those games. Additionally, the Panthers get a juicy Thanksgiving matchup against a Cowboys defense that has given up the sixth most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this season. Stewart is an absolute steal at just $5,600 this week.
Wide Receiver
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
After the aging Andre Johnson signed with the Colts this offseason, Hopkins became the true number-one option in Houston, and boy, has he delivered. The impressive third-year wide receiver leads the league in targets with 137 and leads all wide receivers in receiving touchdowns with 9 on the year, ranking second only behind Bengals' tight end Tyler Eifert. He also ranks third in the NFL in both receptions (76) and receiving yards (1,045) and sits atop our player power rankings with a 103.78 Reception NEP. With a matchup against the sieve-like Saints' secondary, Hopkins is easily this week's number-one overall wide receiver.
Stevie Johnson, San Diego Chargers
The Chargers are one of the most banged-up teams in the league, especially at the wide receiver position. San Diego has already lost their number-one receiving threat, Keenan Allen, for the season due to a ruptured spleen and will likely be without the veteran deep threat Malcom Floyd this week as well. That leaves Johnson as the lone healthy reliable wide receiver left for Philip Rivers to throw to, with Danny Woodhead and Antonio Gates filling most of the remaining void. Johnson has secured 14 of his 18 targets for 122 yards over the past two games and should see a high volume of targets for the third consecutive week. Against a Jaguars defense that ranks just 28th in the league in schedule-adjusted Defensive Passing NEP, Johnson should cash in.
DeSean Jackson, Washington Redskins
Finally recovered from his early-season hamstring issues, Jackson looked spectacular last week, torching the vaunted Panthers secondary for 5 catches, 87 yards and a touchdown. This week, Jackson draws a much more favorable matchup against a short-handed Giants secondary that has given up the 13th most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers and have allowed an opposing receiver to eclipse the 100-yard mark in 7 of their 10 games this season. Jackson makes a strong play at just $5,500.
Tight End
Benjamin Watson, New Orleans Saints
Watson has been a revelation for New Orleans in the absence of Jimmy Graham. The Saints' veteran tight end has already secured 46 catches for 551 and 3 touchdowns this season with most of his production coming over the past two months. Watson ranks fifth among all tight ends with a 50.88 Reception NEP on the season -- two spots higher than the aforementioned Graham -- and should remain a major part of the Saints' passing attack as New Orleans comes out of their bye. Watson provides a relatively high floor and tremendous upside at a very low price of just $3,500.
Flex
Kamar Aiken, Baltimore Ravens
Similarly to the Chargers' Johnson, Aiken gets a significant boost due to the lack of healthy players surrounding him. The Ravens are now without their two best offensive players -- Steve Smith and Justin Forsett -- for the remainder of the season, leaving Aiken and Crockett Gillmore as the two main focal points of the Ravens passing attack. The Ravens' young receiver has hauled in 12 of his 22 targets for 123 yards and a touchdown over the past two weeks and should continue to see similar volume for the remainder of the season. While losing Joe Flacco for the season certainly doesn't help, given the number of targets Aiken should receiver, he should make a strong play in PPR formats as long as his price remains reasonable.
Defense
The Chargers defense has not been great this season. They have struggled to keep opposing teams out of the end zone and have been especially poor against the pass. However, they draw a decent matchup against Blake Bortles and the Jaguars and cost a minuscule $1,500 this week. With their price tag so ridiculously low, you take on very little risk by playing the Chargers. They are definitely a viable option at their price point.