FantasyPros Week 12 Fantasy Football Quarterback and Tight End Rankings: Studs, Sleepers, and Must-Starts

Podcast: FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast
Hosts: Chris Welsh, Pat Fitzmaurice, Andrew Erickson
Date: November 20, 2025
Episode: 1855

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the Week 12 fantasy football landscape, focusing on quarterback and tight end rankings, streaming options, and which "studs, sleepers, and must-starts" can help fantasy managers through critical matchups. The trio breaks down consensus top 12 players at each position, highlights key debates—especially for those in need of streaming help—and provides actionable context on trending names like Jacoby Brissette, Daniel Jones, Baker Mayfield, and Taysom Hill. Tight end talk includes detailed tiers, upside plays, and the ever-elusive touchdown chase.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The State of Quarterback & Tight End For Week 12

• Quarterback Depth Concerns

  • "Quarterback does drop off a cliff pretty quickly. So there might be some people making some pretty uncomfortable quarterback starts this week." (Pat Fitzmaurice, 01:14)

• Tight Ends: Streaming is Tricky

  • Andrew Erickson prefers streaming quarterbacks: "Definitely quarterbacks, I like them a lot more... With Taysom Hill, you might be in play this week." (01:48)

Taysom Hill: The "Bigfoot" Upside Dart Throw

• Erickson's Pitch:

  • "He had his most usage in the Saints offense this season. Seven carries for 20 yards, 37% snap rate... If you don't feel great about some of your tight ends this week... who has more upside than Taysom Hill does if he gets that role back?" (Andrew Erickson, 02:22)
  • Hill's penchant for red zone usage is highlighted, especially since the Saints are home favorites.

• Who To Start Taysom Over?

  • Over Chigoziem Okonkwo? "Oh yeah, easy." (Andrew Erickson, 03:14)
  • But not over Brock Bowers: "I'm starting Brock Bowers." (Andrew Erickson, 03:33)

Notable Moment: Chris Welsh jokes about the elusive "Taysom Hill week" and possible prizes for those entering “Taysom Hill” in YouTube giveaways (05:01).

Quarterback Top 12 Rankings & Streaming Debates

Top Tier (As Discussed)

• Drake Maye (#1), Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Brock Purdy, Dak Prescott, Jacoby Brissette, Daniel Jones, Caleb Williams

Jacoby Brissette: A Premier Streamer

• Welsh: "Brissette comes in at number 10 and I love this... if you had a bye week or injury, Brissette is a great streaming option." (07:00)

• Fitzmaurice:

  • "I don't want it to seem like I'm chasing last week's points... But this is another pretty good matchup for Brissette. The Jaguars are a pass funnel... Cardinals are probably going to let Brissette air it out." (Pat Fitzmaurice, 07:38–08:17)

• Erickson:

  • "Brissette's been top 10 in four of five games started this season... He’s scoring fantasy points, which we like. That’s one concern, but everything else is perfect for him to be a top 12 QB again.” (08:48)

Daniel Jones: Is the Floor Enough?

• Erickson:

  • Has Jones at QB16: "I think this is a tough matchup... Daniel Jones has zero top 10 finishes on the road this season. He's been more of a floor play." (08:48–09:49)

• Fitzmaurice:

  • “Last two games, Daniel Jones: four interceptions, 12 sacks, six fumbles... But he's averaged just under 300 passing yards with two touchdowns, and run for 57 yards and a TD." (10:31)

Baker Mayfield: Making the Case

• Erickson:

  • “He’s been a top seven quarterback back to back weeks... This is like the perfect spot to back Baker Mayfield. I just can't bring myself to start Jacoby Brissette over Baker Mayfield.” (11:42–12:47)

• Fitzmaurice:

  • “Baker’s in a mini-slump... tough matchup against the Rams, who have the fifth-lowest opponent passer rating... Only given up 12 passing TDs all year. Bad trajectory.” (12:53)

Tight End Rankings, Tiers & Analysis

Top 12 Consensus

1. Trey McBride vs. Jaguars
2. George Kittle
3. Brock Bowers
4. Tyler Warren
5. Travis Kelce
6. Hunter Henry
7. Dallas Goedert
8. Jake Ferguson
9. Kyle Pitts
10. Theo Johnson
11. Mark Andrews
12. Cade Otton

Jake Ferguson: Volume Woes, Touchdown Hope

• Fitzmaurice:

  • “He might be the guy who is closing the door behind himself on the streamer class... not set-it-and-forget-it, but a notch above pure streamers.” (16:53)

• Erickson:

  • “I think he's more in that touchdown boomer-bust, Mark Andrews-type tier... He’s been kind of nuked since Ceedee Lamb came back… this is not a good spot for Jake Ferguson.” (17:27–18:16)
  • Provides Eagles matchup history: “5 for 23 [this year], 4 for 24 and 3 for 18 [last year]. Woof.” (17:27–18:18)

• Fitzmaurice:

  • “Seven touchdowns in his last seven games... even though the target share has shrunk, his targets are so close to the line of scrimmage.” (19:04)

Kyle Pitts: A Volume Play Out of Necessity

• Erickson:

  • Ranks Pitts at TE6: “With Kirk Cousins, Pitts was 9 for 9 on targets... I think this is a volume play, wouldn't surprise me if he sees 9–10 targets.” (20:13)

• Fitzmaurice:

  • “I might have to flex Kyle Pitts in a league... Without Drake London, it’s hard to imagine Pitts not getting 7–8 targets at minimum.” (21:48)

Cade Otton: An Under-the-Radar Volume Streamer

• Erickson:

  • “Pretty steady seeing a lot of targets and receptions from Baker Mayfield... I’d keep an eye on Rams safety Quinton Lake’s injury, which could open things up. Otton still hasn’t scored a TD despite heavy usage.” (23:19)

• Fitzmaurice:

  • “Cade’s caught the touchdown allergy... He just can’t get into the end zone no matter what.” (24:36)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Taysom Hill’s Weekly Appeal:

  • Chris Welsh: “It’s like chasing Bigfoot… but if you get the footage, you’re a billionaire, and that’s how it works with fantasy and Taysom Hill.” (01:58)

• On Garbage Time QBs:

  • Andrew Erickson on Brissette vs. Bortles: “Again, [Bortles] was basically a top five fantasy quarterback off all garbage time for an entire season... you get exposed eventually.” (08:48)

• Drama for Daniel Jones:

  • Pat Fitzmaurice: “The clock has struck 12 on Daniel Jones… In his last two games, four interceptions, 12 sacks, and fumbled six times... But for fantasy, still putting up numbers.” (10:31)

• Kyle Pitts as a Desperation Flex:

  • Pat Fitzmaurice: “I might have to flex Kyle Pitts in a league where I am super banged up... Seems hard to imagine Pitts wouldn’t get 7–8 targets at minimum.” (21:48)

• On Jake Ferguson’s Profile:

  • Pat Fitzmaurice: “Seven touchdowns in his last seven games… his targets are so close to the line of scrimmage. He still has nine catches over the last two games with Lamb and Pickens in the lineup.” (19:04)

• Chris Welsh’s Favorite Reaction:

  • Chris Welsh: “One of my top three reactions on the planet is going woof. Like, it’s one of my favorite things on the planet… Thank you, Macaulay Culkin.” (18:50)

Segments & Timestamps

• [01:14] – Quarterback drop-off & streaming comfort
• [01:58] – Taysom Hill as the ultimate upside dart throw
• [06:00] – Top 12 Quarterback rundown and Brissette streamer pitch
• [08:48] – Jacoby Brissette vs Daniel Jones deep dive
• [11:42] – Baker Mayfield vs other streamer QBs
• [15:35] – Top 12 Tight End rundown
• [16:53] – Jake Ferguson’s tier & outlook
• [17:27] – Ferguson’s volume concerns and Eagles matchup
• [19:04] – Ferguson’s touchdown luck
• [20:13] – Kyle Pitts’ target volume upside
• [23:19] – Cade Otton streamer case & matchup notes

Takeaways

• Quarterback Streaming: Jacoby Brissette is a strong play; Daniel Jones has floor/turnover risk; Baker Mayfield is situational but offers upside and rushing back in his profile.
• Tight End Landscape: After the elite few, it quickly becomes about chasing touchdowns and target volume—Kyle Pitts and Cade Otton have volume paths; Jake Ferguson is touchdown-dependent with little yardage expectation.
• Wildcard Play: If desperate for tight end upside, Taysom Hill is a “billionaire lottery ticket” type play for Week 12.

For more in-depth breakdowns and updated rankings, visit fantasypros.com/rankings.