Fantasy Football Week 12 Reaction: Tyreek Hill Wins; Austin Ekeler Surprises
There were some great and not-so-great Week 12 performances
Some fantasy football owners needed just one quarter from Kansas City Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill to win their Week 12 game.
Others, however, may have lost their contest based on how the Atlanta Falcons defense had its way with star tight end Darren Waller and the turnover-happy Las Vegas Raiders.
Here are some fantasy football winners, losers and surprises from Week 12:
Winners:
Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs star receiver was incredible Sunday, recording seven receptions, 200-plus yards and two touchdowns (!!) in the first quarter alone. Hill finished with 13 catches for 269 yards and three touchdowns, good for a season-high 50-plus points in PPR leagues.
Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
King Henry torched a usually good Indianapolis Colts defense for 178 yards on 27 carries (6.6 per rush) with three touchdowns. Henry’s Week 12 production made for one of his two best fantasy performances on the season.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
The star signal-caller led the Packers to a dominant win over the Chicago Bears on “Sunday Night Football,” and made many fantasy owners happy in the process. Rodgers threw for four touchdowns despite just 211 yards on 21-for-29 passing.
Losers:
Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Waller entered Week 12 as, yet again, one of the highest-ranked tight ends ahead of a clash with the Atlanta Falcons. He finished with just four catches on seven targets for 23 yards and was held without a touchdown. It was his worst fantasy performance of the season.
Ezekiel Elliot, RB, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys star running back has seen his production slip ever since the injury to Dak Prescott, but his Thanksgiving Day performance against the Washington Football Team was his worst of the campaign. Elliot had just 13 touches for 39 yards with his fifth fumble of the season.
Jared Goff, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Goff’s Rams were among the biggest surprises of the Week 12 slate, losing to the injury-depleted San Francisco 49ers. Goff’s individual performance — 19-for-31, 198 yards passing, two INTs, fumble — left a lot to be desired as he too recorded his fewest fantasy points of the season.
Surprises:
Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
It didn’t take long for the Chargers running back to see a big work load. Ekeler, who hadn’t played since Week 4, returned from injured reserve this week to tally 25 touches (14 rushes) for 129 yards of offense. Fantasy managers should be encouraged with his Week 12 production, and what it could mean for the rest of the season.
Latavius Murray, RB, New Orleans Saints
In an offense highlighted by Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, Murray rarely gets the shine he did against the quarterback-less Denver Broncos. The veteran rusher scored the most points of his season with a performance which included 126 yards of offense on 20 touches (19 rushes) and two scores.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
The 2019 No. 1 overall pick certainly could be the MVP for many fantasy teams this season, recording 50 or even 60-point weeks. That wasn’t the case Week 12, though, as the New England Patriots defense limited Murray to 170 yards passing and just 31 yards rushing without a single touchdown.
