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A week in the NFL isn’t complete without someone needing a trip to the hospital for an MRI or any other fancy medical diagnosis tool. For Week 12, it’s Los Angeles Chargers’ running back Melvin Gordon, who’s the flag-bearer for the group of banged up players. That brings us to the second stringers who could spell the difference between your team missing and punching a ticket to the rapidly approaching fantasy football playoffs.
10. Justin Jackson – Los Angeles Chargers RB (0.2% owned in ESPN)
There’s one Jackson many fantasy owners are eyeing for on the waiver wire, but here’s another you should be paying attention to — Justin Jackson. This Jackson hasn’t done anything worth a nickel this season, as he only has 64 rushing yards on 12 carries through 12 weeks, but it’s his potential to produce in the future, which is why he’s on this list. Chargers starting running back Melvin Gordon suffered an MCL knee injury in Week 12’s win over the Arizona Cardinals and is deemed week to week, meaning Jackson is in line to see an increase in snaps for at least in the upcoming game against the Steelers as Austin Ekeler’s primary backup. Against the Cards, Jackson had 57 rushing yards on seven carries.
9. Dante Pettis – San Francisco 49ers WR (0.7% owned in ESPN)
Pettis took advantage of the absences of Marquise Goodwin and Pierre Garcon due to a personal issue and a knee problem, respectively, in Week 12’s road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as he paced the 49ers with 77 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches and seven targets. While both Goodwin and Garcon could come back as soon as Week 13, Pettis may have established a significant role in the Niners’ passing attack after getting targeted at least six times in each of the last two games.
8. Curtis Samuel – Carolina Panthers WR (6.3% owned in ESPN)
Devin Funchess could miss multiple weeks with a back injury. He had already missed last Sunday’s date with the Seattle Seahawks in which Curtis Samuel was on the field for a season-high 54 snaps. Samuel only got three touches, but mustered 42 total yards and a touchdown. His potential to break out for big plays compensates for his lack of touches. That said, he could see an uptick in the latter, so long as Funchess is out.
7. David Moore – Seattle Seahawks WR (6.8% owned in ESPN)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A67cPloB38U
Moore is coming off his best game of the season so far, aiding the Seahawks' passing attack with 103 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches and five targets. Doug Baldwin is always going to be the Seahawks’ top downfield option, and Tyler Lockett is a constant threat to eat up shares in secondary targets, but Moore always seems to put up good value as a FLEX or WR3 option.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson should be able to find Moore this coming weekend against the 49ers’ defense that allows 26.6 points per game. Moore has found the end zone five times over his last seven appearances, a stretch that includes his two-touchdown performance against the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 7.
6. LeGarrette Blount – Detroit Lions RB (18.5% owned in ESPN)
Blount’s fantasy value is contingent on the status of rookie running back Kerryon Johnson, who missed Week 12’s meeting with the Chicago Bears at Ford Field due to a knee injury. The Lions are not going anywhere this season, so they could see it as a prudent move to keep Johnson sidelined until he’s truly 100 percent back. But even if Johnson returns sooner than expected, Blount isn’t a bad item to have as a FLEX option, especially in PPR leagues, after he had 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in the Chicago game.
5. Adam Humphries – Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR (28.2% owned in ESPN)
With O.J. Howard gone for the rest of the season, Humphries has become one of the receivers Tampa Bay is expecting to cover the void left by the tight end. And step up he did over the last two games, as Humphries had 114 receiving yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions and 11 targets in that span.
He was a perfect 6-for-6 in last week’s home win over San Francisco, giving him some nice momentum ahead of Week 13’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers. Humphries’ outlook should only trend better if DeSean Jackson needs time away from the field due to a thumb injury that he needed a second opinion on.
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4. Josh Reynolds – Los Angeles Rams WR (33.8% owned in ESPN)
Reynolds was an automatic add for many fantasy owners right after Cooper Kupp went down with an ACL tear in Week 1o that erased his chances of seeing any action for the rest of the season. Owners who did was reciprocated by a robust performance by the second-year pro in Week 11’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs, during which Reynolds had 80 receiving yards and a touchdown on six receptions and eight targets.
The Rams aren’t always going to be involved in a historic offensive shootout like that of the Chiefs game, but Reynolds has carved out an ideal role for a WR3 who carries a potential to become a WR2, depending on how he fares at least in Week 13’s tussle with the Chicago Bears.
3. Carlos Hyde – Jacksonville Jaguars RB (38.8% owned in ESPN)
Carlos Hyde, remember him? Hyde lost much of his fantasy luster when the Browns shipped him to Jacksonville to become Leonard Fournette’s safety net. Well, it’s time for the Jaguars to cash in that insurance policy, as Fournette has been suspended for one game by the NFL after getting into an on-field skirmish against the Buffalo Bills in Week 12. Against the Bills, Hyde had 33 rushing yards on 11 carries. Hyde will start in Week 13 at home opposite the visiting Indianapolis Colts.
2. Baker Mayfield – Cleveland Browns QB (42.9% owned in ESPN)
Mayfield has been unleashed since the Browns decided to rid themselves of Hue Jackson. The former Oklahoma Sooners gunslinger has racked up 474 passing yards and seven touchdowns with zero interceptions in the last two games. He roasted the Cincinnati Bengals’ punching bag defense last week by going off for 258 passing yards and four touchdowns, and he’s going to meet that same wet paper bag stop unit in Week 16 – just in time for the playoffs. Since Cleveland handed Jackson his walking papers, Mayfield has accumulated a 129.5 passer rating.
1. Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens QB (49.1% owned in ESPN)
The Ravens may be on the precipice of making a major franchise decision, which is to whether to continue starting Jackson over Joe Flacco even if the latter gets the green light to play after getting sidelined the past two games with a hip injury. Although he’s made some mistakes typical for a rookie, Jackson has given the Ravens wins in his two starts.
In last week’s trouncing of the Oakland Raiders at home, Jackson had 178 passing yards with a touchdown and two interceptions (both on tipped passes). It’s his legs that give him a high ceiling, though. The dual-threat QB out of Louisville has 190 rushing yards and a touchdown in the last two games, giving him the distinction of having the most yards on the ground by a signal-caller in his first two starts in the Super Bowl era.
