Fantasy Football: 6 Sleepers for Week 12

The word "sleeper" gets thrown around a lot in the world of fantasy football, to the point where an actual definition may vary from person to person. In general, sleepers are NFL players who may be flying relatively under the radar in a particular field. That could be an under-rostered player in season-long leagues, a player with an exciting matchup in a given week, or even a potential star just ahead of their true breakout.

In any case, we all need to find a sleeper from time to time. Whether you're a fantasy football hipster looking to roster an exciting new player before your league-mates hear about him, a daily fantasy manager looking for a lower-salary player to fill out a lineup loaded with studs, or even just a manager in a pinch due to byes or injuries, we have you covered. We'll be bringing you six fantasy sleepers each and every week throughout the season.

Fantasy Football Week 12 Sleepers

Gardner Minshew, QB, Indianapolis Colts

FanDuel Salary: $6,700

There aren't many better fantasy matchups for QBs than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which puts Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew in a strong position to outperform expectations this week. The Bucs' elite run defense pushes opposing offenses to throw the ball, where their banged-up secondary has been having trouble holding opponents in check. We most recently saw this translate to a perfect 158.3 passer rating and an absurd 13.32 yards per attempt for Brock Purdy in Week 11.

The Colts' passing game isn't quite as efficient as the San Francisco 49ers', but we should still see some solid production out of Minshew and company. The journeyman signal-caller has been a high-volume passer when called upon this year, averaging 36.2 attempts per start while filling in for Anthony Richardson. With enough volume, Minshew could be in line for a surprisingly strong performance against a defense allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing passers (20.1).

Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions

FanDuel Salary: $5,300

Few first-round picks have had rockier starts to their NFL careers than Detroit Lions wideout Jameson Williams, but it looks like the former Alabama Crimson Tide receiver has finally turned the corner and is ready to produce in the pros. Williams has drawn rave reviews from his teammates and coaches in recent weeks for his actions on and off the field and is becoming a consistent producer on game days.

The former 2022 first-rounder played a season-high 65% of the Lions' offensive snaps in Week 11, a high point in what has been a positive trend in his playing time since returning from his injury and suspension. That extra playing time resulted in two catches for an efficient 44 yards and a touchdown, his second of the year. We've already seen the Lions make use of him near the goal line -- he had another red zone touchdown called back in Week 10 -- which could result in a high-value role for fantasy in one of the league's most exciting offenses.

Williams is still available on waiver wires in most season-long fantasy leagues but likely won't be for long. If he continues stringing together positive performances it will only be a matter of time before he becomes an every-week starter in fantasy.

Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens

FanDuel Salary: $5,200

Update: Shortly after publishing this article, Bateman suffered an apparent foot injury in practice, putting his availability for Sunday's game into question. If Bateman is unable to play in Week 12, Nelson Agholor could become an interesting pivot. The veteran wideout -- himself a former first round pick -- notched a long touchdown of his own in Week 11 and has flashed upside at various points with the Ravens already this year. The matchup is appealing enough -- and the Ravens are banged up enough -- that Agholor would have upside if Bateman misses the game.

Speaking of former first-round picks with disappointing starts to their careers, Baltimore Ravens wideout Rashod Bateman could be in line for a season-best game in Week 12.

Bateman was millimeters away from a long touchdown in Week 11 against the Bengals and has seen his playing time rise to over 70% of the team's offensive snaps in each of the last two games. Just check out how close he was to scoring a second touchdown last Thursday:

The stars are aligning for a breakout performance from Bateman in Week 12. Teammate Odell Beckham picked up a shoulder injury last week and could be limited on Sunday, which would push more looks Bateman's way -- especially with Mark Andrews (ankle) headed to the injured reserve. The Ravens also get to take on the Los Angeles Chargers, whose defense is allowing the second-most fantasy points per game (34.8) to opposing wide receivers.

A spike in volume while playing against a weak defense in what should be a high-scoring game is a recipe for success for any wide receiver, which makes Bateman a sleeper candidate who needs to be on your radar this week.

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, New England Patriots

FanDuel Salary: $5,500

As of this writing, the New England Patriots still haven't announced which of their underwhelming quarterbacks will start against the New York Giants in Week 12, but it may not matter -- we should expect this team to keep the ball on the ground as often as possible against New York. And as bad as things have been in New England, they're still 3.5-point favorites over this Giants squad, according to FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds, meaning their offense should see plenty of favorable game scripts.

That should help get Ezekiel Elliott more involved than usual this weekend -- especially if teammate Rhamondre Stevenson is at all hampered by the back injury he picked up against the Colts before the team's Week 11 bye. Zeke recorded 15 touches in the Patriots' last game, which is the kind of volume that's often hard to come by on the waiver wire. It hasn't resulted in many fantasy points this year but could convert to a successful outing against a Giants defense that has given up the second-most rushing yards to opposing backs this year.

Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans

FanDuel Salary: $5,100

No defense has been worse at stopping the run this year than the Carolina Panthers -- which is exactly what fantasy managers rostering Derrick Henry want to see. There's a chance the Tennessee Titans run the ball all game against Carolina this weekend, and that could lead to fantasy points for both Henry and rookie teammate Tyjae Spears.

Spears has looked like an NFL-caliber back when given the chance this year, but the Titans' offense has struggled so much that we haven't seen him get many of those chances -- especially with Henry in front of him on the depth chart. So far, we've seen him take his 48 carries for 248 yards (5.2 yards per carry) with a strong 50% rushing success rate. He has even caught 28 passes for another 178 yards, illustrating his potential for three-down usage at some point in his career.

At a 3-7 record, the Titans don't have a reason to risk Henry's health by giving him the insane kinds of workloads he handled earlier in his career. The King should still see plenty of work, but don't be surprised if Spears gets one of his heaviest workloads of the season if this one becomes a blowout.

Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans Saints

FanDuel Salary: $4,700

Some defenses just seem to forget to cover the tight end position, and the Atlanta Falcons look like they have one of those defenses. The Falcons seem to give up big performances to each and every fantasy-relevant tight end they face and are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to the position despite surrendering just three touchdowns to tight ends.

The Falcons' apparent blind eye towards the tight end position puts New Orleans Saints pass-catcher Juwan Johnson into consideration for Week 12. In the last two weeks before the Saints' Week 11 bye, Johnson ran 55 routes -- by far the most among the Saints' tight ends and a top-15 mark at the position. It didn't turn into immediate production for the 27-year-old, but we have seen Johnson put up strong fantasy numbers in the past. And with teammate Michael Thomas (knee) landing on the injured reserve, the Saints could end up calling Johnson's number more often than we've seen so far this season.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.