Week 12 of the 2021 fantasy football season is upon us. It’s time to identify the best streamers at the quarterback, tight end and defense/special teams positions.
The quarterback position is loaded with talented options, but tight end is slim with New York Giants TE Evan Engram sporting the one decent matchup.
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Quarterback
Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts | 54% rostered
Wentz is entrenched in QB1 territory, coming in as the QB10 through 11 weeks. He has scored just 7 and 10 points over the past two games, but that's because Jonathan Taylor has stolen the show. The Colts have a much tougher matchup in Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have allowed the fewest rushing yards and the third-fewest rushing touchdowns this season.
The Colts will still pound the rock, but Wentz will need to throw it much more this week. The Bucs rank 23rd in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks.
Buccaneers defense vs. QBs | 2021
| Fantasy points allowed (Rank) | |
| Week 1 | 27.4 (27th) |
| Week 2 | 16.3 (12th) |
| Week 3 | 29.5 (30th) |
| Week 4 | 16.9 (11th) |
| Week 5 | 15.0 (13th) |
| Week 6 | 25.0 (23rd) |
| Week 7 | 1.1 (1st) |
| Week 8 | 20.8 (22nd) |
| Week 10 | 15.7 (17th) |
The Bucs aren’t easy to beat, but they can be susceptible in the secondary, and Wentz has been up to the task more often than not this season.
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers | 51% rostered
At this point, Newton may as well set up camp in this streamer list until he’s rostered in the vast majority of leagues. His dual-threat ability is just too rich to pass on, and he proved it by putting together a QB4 performance with 26.1 fantasy points in his first start. He has a shot to repeat that type of performance this week against the Miami Dolphins, who have conceded 182 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown to quarterbacks this season.
They also happen to rank just below league average in passing yards per attempt, explosive pass percentage allowed and EPA per play against. Newton is a must-start player with top-five upside in this fruitful matchup.
Mac Jones, New England Patriots | 40% rostered
There might not be a more boring player than Jones, but he’s as stable and consistent as a rookie QB can be. Jones has scored double-digit fantasy points in nine of 11 games but has topped 20-plus points just once this season. Like both players listed above, Jones has a good matchup against the Tennessee Titans this week, even though they’ve played better in recent games.
Only one defense has been beaten for more passing yards, and only six have conceded more passing touchdowns than the Titans on the season. They do rank 12th in EPA per play against and seventh in PFF’s overall defense grades, however. This contest won’t be a cakewalk, but Jones is capable of putting together a double-digit performance.
Tight End
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers | 52% rostered
Freiermuth is bordering TE1 territory, having scored the 14th-most fantasy points on the season. The rookie has been particularly good of late, coming in as TE5 since taking over the team’s starting tight end duties in Week 6. His 18% target share and four receiving touchdowns rank second and first on the team during that time frame, though we can expect those numbers to level out a bit with a healthy Chase Claypool and Eric Ebron.
Big Ben hits his rookie TE @pat_fry5 to tie the game! #HereWeGo
????: #PITvsLAC on NBC
????: https://t.co/JnzC2ZIHCv pic.twitter.com/IbYmPTMbOa— NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2021
The tight end position is bare this week, making Freiermuth a great option despite playing just 55% of the offense’s snaps and running a route on 44.6% of dropbacks in Week 11. Still, the rookie spiked another touchdown — his fourth in the past four games.
Dan Arnold, Jacksonville Jaguars | 41% rostered
This may be hard to believe, but Arnold didn’t even receive a target in Week 11. There aren’t any great matchups at the position, but Arnold still ranks third on his team with a 16.8% target share since being acquired. He has also run a route on 68.4% of the offense’s dropbacks.
The matchup against the Atlanta Falcons isn’t ideal, but they do rank 16th in passing yards per attempt and 20th in explosive pass percentage allowed to the position. Their 30th-ranked defense in PFF’s defensive grades suggests there could be space for the Jaguars to produce.
Evan Engram, New York Giants | 35% rostered
We’re digging deep here, but Engram scored double-digit fantasy points his three performances preceding Monday Night Football. The Giants are much healthier at the receiver position, which should eat into some of Engram’s target share, but he has a dream matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles up next — no team has been beaten for more fantasy points, receiving yards or receiving touchdowns by tight ends. They’re almost as bad in EPA per play against, ranking 27th when covering tight ends.
Eagles defense vs. QBs | 2021
| Fantasy points allowed (Rank) | |
| Week 1 | 13.9 (20th) |
| Week 2 | 5.7 (10th) |
| Week 3 | 29.4 (32nd) |
| Week 4 | 13.5 (19th) |
| Week 5 | 17.2 (25th) |
| Week 6 | 22.5 (26th) |
| Week 7 | 18.0 (21st) |
| Week 8 | 18.9 (27th) |
| Week 9 | 37.6 (28th) |
| Week 10 | 21.6 (27th) |
| Week 11 | 19.8 (25th pre-MNF) |
Defense/Special Teams
Los Angeles Chargers D/ST | 38% rostered
The Chargers have been one of the worst defenses in fantasy football this season, ranking 29th with only 36 points. Still, they have a strong matchup in Week 11 against the Denver Broncos' inconsistent offense. The Broncos have scored 20-plus points just twice since Week 4 and rank 18th in EPA per play and average yards per play. The Chargers can especially take advantage of in the pass rush — the Broncos have been sacked 37 times (fifth-most) this season.
Chicago Bears D/ST | 23% rostered
There isn’t a better streamer across the league this week than the Bears, who get the pathetic Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. The Lions may be without starting quarterback Jared Goff, though that might not matter — Detroit has passed for just 191 combined yards over the past two weeks. The Lion are likely to struggle with or without Goff at the helm.
Philadelphia Eagles D/ST | 18% rostered
The Eagles are a top-10 scoring defense and get the Giants this week. It’s a great matchup for the Birds, who get to oppose PFF’s 28th-graded offense in an important divisional matchup. The Giants don’t throw many interceptions or get sacked often, but they rank just 23rd in EPA per play and 24th in offensive scoring (touchdowns plus field goals). There’s a good shot Philly’s defensive line dominates this contest.
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