Footballguys Fantasy Football Show

Hosts: Alfredo Brown & Dave Kluge
Episode: Week 12 Rankings, Sleepers, and Streamers // Fantasy Football 2025
Date: November 20, 2025

Overview

This week, Alfredo Brown and Dave Kluge dive deep into the crucial Week 12 fantasy football landscape, breaking down their running back and wide receiver rankings, sleepers, and the ever-tricky start/sit dilemmas. As the fantasy playoffs approach, the hosts provide detailed analysis of player usage trends, injury updates, and matchup insights to help listeners navigate bye weeks, injuries, and shifting roles. The episode features engaging banter, thoughtful debates, and actionable advice for fantasy managers seeking that final playoff push.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Importance of Week 12: Set & Forget vs. Start/Sit Dilemmas

[05:20]

• Playoff implications are at a zenith; injuries and bye weeks make decisions harder.
• Established stars (McCaffrey, Taylor, Barkley) need no podcast time—you start them.
• The real intrigue is in the deeper tiers, where shifting roles and injuries create opportunity and confusion.

2. Running Back Rankings Breakdown

Tier 1: No-Brainers
[06:20]
Players: Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Taylor, Jameer Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry

• “We don't need to do a podcast telling you guys to start Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor.” — Dave [06:20]

Notes:

• Saquon’s return to form excites the hosts.
• Minor caution around Bijan given offensive instability, but “you're still starting him.”

Tier 2 & 3: Key Matchups, Injuries, and Usage Splits
[07:32–11:22] Players Discussed: Rico Dowdle, James Cook, Javonte Williams, Kyron Williams, Travion Henderson, Chase Brown, Ashton Jeanty

• Patriots’ backfield: Ramondre Stevenson might return, but expect a committee.
• “Travion Henderson with the utmost confidence…great matchup against Cincinnati.” — Dave [09:16]
• Woody Marks (Houston): Elite matchup vs. porous Buffalo defense. “If you’re not starting him this week, you don’t deserve him.” — Alfredo [14:32]
• Jalen Warren: Ankle injury may open door for Kenneth Gainwell. Monitor practice reports.

Notable Analysis:

• Travis Etienne, Breece Hall, Jalen Warren, and Ken Walker III discussed in the context of changing backfield shares and “power run” opportunities.
• Packers backfield (Emmanuel Wilson): Risks abound if Josh Jacobs plays—watch for late-week updates.

Flex/Deeper Tiers: Risk/Reward and Emerging Trends
[18:44–34:33]

• Alvin Kamara: Saints-Falcons “this is a good matchup for Kamara, back to being a workhorse.” — Dave [23:15].
• Kenneth Gainwell: Huge upside if Jalen Warren sits (“He becomes an auto start for, I think, both of us here.” — Alfredo [25:35]).
• Arizona options: Bam Knight and Michael Carter offer “what-the-heck flex” value but lack big-play upside.

3. Wide Receiver Rankings & Nuances

Tier 1: Elite—No-Doubt Starters
[35:35]
Jackson Smith-Njigba, Puka Nacua, Rashid Rice, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Nico Collins, CeeDee Lamb, Tee Higgins, Emeka Egbuka, Davante Adams

• Puka Nacua: Ignore the 13-personnel “panic” — “What are we doing here? It’s Puka Nacua!” — Dave [36:08]

Tier 2: Volume, Matchups, and Changing Offenses
[36:57–41:41]
Names: Stefon Diggs, Tet McMillan, Chris Olave, Justin Jefferson, George Pickens, Jameson Williams, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, Rome Odunze

• Stefon Diggs: “He looks like the Stefon Diggs of old... I am just buying into the narrative that his knee is 100%.” — Dave [38:37]
• Chris Olave: Not worried about new Saints QB or condensed WR corps—“he’s gonna get 8 to 12 targets every single week.” — Dave [41:13]
• Justin Jefferson: Still worth buying low despite “boom-or-bust WR3” season; upside carries him.

Tier 3–4: The Murky, Wide-Open WR2/WR3 Pool
[42:49–54:37] Alec Pierce, Michael Wilson, Wandale Robinson, Juwann Jennings, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs

• Michael Wilson: Caution not to expect "Madden" numbers (15-185-1 on 18 targets) every week, but he’s a solid start while Marvin Harrison Jr. is out.
• DK Metcalf: Frustrating run, but this week’s matchup offers get-right potential, especially against aggressive D.

Insightful Note:

• “There doesn’t even feel like we have our normal batch of like 12 WR1s. It feels like 6 WR1s and then a ton of WR3s.” — Dave [54:22]
• “Fantasy managers, get used to positionless football... it’s field stretchers, classic X's, guys who win in the slot or underneath…” — Alfredo [50:18]

Sleeper/Desperation Options:
[54:47–60:57]

• Darnell Mooney: High target shares, but “we cannot understate how bad Darnell Mooney has been…” — Dave [57:51]
• Andre Iosivas (Bengals): Major opportunity with Jamar Chase out and potential QB upgrade if Joe Burrow returns from injury. “More than just a sneaky play… you could just pick him up and put him right into your flex.” — Dave [61:39]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bijan Robinson and “paralysis by analysis”:
  “If we just tell you not to start Bijan Robinson, you’re still starting him, but maybe we’re looking at like a slightly lower ceiling.” — Alfredo [06:56]

• Woody Marks Start/Sit Philosophy:
  “If you aren’t starting Woody Marks this week, just drop him because… when are you going to start him?” — Alfredo [14:32]

• On Wide Receiver Unpredictability:
  “It doesn’t even feel like we have our normal batch of 12 WR1s. It feels like we have 6 WR1s and 30 WR3s. I don’t even know if wide receiver twos exist in fantasy anymore.” — Dave [54:22]

• Sleeper Flex Wisdom:
  “As our Sigmund Bloom likes to say, what the heck flexes: if you don’t have a better option…especially if you’re looking for a ceiling.” — Dave (re: Bam Knight/Michael Carter) [33:00]

• Leaning into Analytics:
  “I dug into this, you see all the points the Buffalo Bills are giving up to running backs…I assumed it was a lot through the air late in games…but no, they’re just getting gashed on the ground!” — Dave [13:53]

• On Fantasy Drafts in Listener Leagues:
  “We were just drafting against 10 people who take advice from you and I… none of these are my guys…that was the hardest draft I’ve ever done.” — Dave [62:03]

Key Timestamps

• (06:20): Set-and-forget RB1s, minor notes on Barkley and Bijan
• (09:16): Patriots RB committee outlook and Travion Henderson start confidence
• (14:43): Jalen Warren injury watch, Kenneth Gainwell waiver wire advice
• (18:44): Alvin Kamara’s bounce-back potential and Saints' ground game
• (23:15): Deep dive: Kamara snap shares and usage post-trade deadline
• (25:35): Kenneth Gainwell’s value if Warren is inactive
• (34:33): Cardinals RB confusion: Bam Knight vs. Michael Carter
• (35:35): Top WR tier, Puka Nacua “panic” debunked
• (38:37): Stefon Diggs revival and Pat’s WR1 outlook
• (41:13): Chris Olave volume reassurance under new Saints offense
• (50:18): Move towards positionless football at WR
• (54:22): The “missing” WR2 in 2025 fantasy
• (57:32): Darnell Mooney’s declining case as a fantasy starter
• (61:39): Why Andre Iosivas is a quiet league winner at WR
• (62:03): Listener league draft woes and exposure

Final Fantasy Takeaways

• Start your stars; don’t overthink elite options even with minor narrative worries.
• Monitor injury news closely, especially in Patriots and Steelers backfields—swings in value can be dramatic.
• Trust high-volume receivers (Olave, Diggs) even with QB shifts; role and targets win out.
• In deeper leagues, prioritize upside and opportunity (Gainwell, Iosivas) over “just a guy” floor plays.
• Wide receiver tiers are muddled; focus on matchups and recent trends, not just name value.

Actionable Sleepers and Streamers (Week 12)

• RB: Kenneth Gainwell (if Jalen Warren out), Bam Knight (touchdown upside, risky)
• WR: Andre Iosivas (CIN), Alec Pierce (IND), Michael Wilson (ARI - as long as Marvin Harrison Jr. is out)

Hosts’ Sign-off:
“We didn’t quite talk about every single player here, but we got to the list—45 receivers, 40 running backs, 80-plus players on the jam-packed starts and sleepers episode for week 12.” — Alfredo [62:41]

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