Fantasy Football Flashback, Week 12: Josh Jacobs 2022's top-scoring RB after huge game
Welcome to the latest edition of the Fantasy Football Flashback, where we celebrate the accomplishments of the week's most reliable players. Quarterbacks dominated the Week 12 scoring leaderboard, with six signal-callers placing among the top-10 overall fantasy players. But it was a running back who stole the show and put up one of the best fantasy games of the season.
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No. 1: Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders, 45.30 points
Jacobs authored one of the signature moments of the season when he rushed for an 86-yard touchdown in overtime against the Seahawks. And Jacobs was already having a huge game, as the long TD pushed him to the second-highest fantasy week by any player this season. By the end of his memorable day, Jacobs had become just the 11th player in NFL history to tally 300 yards from scrimmage in a single game. The 24-year-old has produced 111 more rushing yards than any other player and leads all RBs in fantasy points scored at 222.4.
JOSH JACOBS WENT OFF! 🙌
Who led your team to victory? pic.twitter.com/MkvuaDMFpX— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) November 29, 2022
No. 2: Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills, 30.92
The second-highest scorer at any position this season (0.3 points behind Patrick Mahomes), Allen continued his regular appearances in this column by leading Buffalo to a late win over the Lions. The dual-threat QB was not special through the air (253 yards, two TDs) but separated himself from the competition by racking up 78 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Among signal-callers, Allen now sits in the top-4 in passing yards, passing TDs, rushing yards and rushing TDs.
No. 3: Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles, 29.82
Hurts put his fleet feet on full display on Sunday night, racking up 157 yards on the ground to go along with 153 yards and a pair of TDs through the air. The 24-year-old now sits third among QBs in rushing yards and leads the position in touchdowns on the ground, which has propelled him to the No. 3 fantasy spot at his position. As the leader of a loaded Eagles offense, Hurts has a real chance to pass Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen to become fantasy's top scorer by season’s end.
No. 4: Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles, 29.50
Sanders was the other half of a dominant Eagles ground game against the Packers, tallying 143 rushing yards and two TDs. The 25-year-old had posted disappointing scoring totals in each of the previous two weeks, but with 900 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, he has been one of this season's best RB value picks despite having minimal involvement in the passing game. Those who head into the stretch run with Sanders as their RB2 are in great shape.
No. 5: Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers, 28.76
Herbert has been a bit of a fantasy disappointment this season, having entered Week 12 with just a pair 300-yard passing efforts and two games with at least three touchdowns. But he was one of the top scorers in Week 12, helping the Chargers to a last-minute win by producing 274 passing yards, 38 rushing yards and three scores. Herbert ranks ninth among QBs in fantasy points scored this year but has the skills and supporting cast to be a top-5 player at his position from this point forward.
No. 6: Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals, 26.24
Murray had one of his better fantasy weeks of the season when he collected three touchdowns in a narrow loss to the Chargers. Although he didn’t reach the 200-yard passing plateau, the Oklahoma alum was clearly happy to have DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown together in the lineup for the first time this season, as 14 of his 29 attempts were directed at his two top targets. Murray has been inconsistent this year, but having an improved WR corps could lead to some big games when he returns from an upcoming bye week.
No. 7: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars, 24.94
Lawrence enjoyed the signature game of his young career when he threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns in a last-minute win over the Ravens. The former No. 1 overall pick has shown notable improvements in his second season, but he has only gone over 20 fantasy points four times. He could put together back-to-back stellar games when he faces a porous Lions defense next week.
No. 8: Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings, 24.84
Jefferson was in a familiar spot in Week 12, finishing as the No. 1 overall WR on the strength of 139 yards and a touchdown on nine catches in a win over the Patriots. The Griddy founder was coming off a dud in Week 11 (3-33-0) but has produced at least 98 yards in seven of his past eight games. Although a case could be made for other players, Jefferson is the wide receiver that I would prefer to roster over all others down the stretch.
No. 9: Mike White, QB, New York Jets, 24.80
This column contains a surprising name in most weeks, and White is certainly the player to fit that mold this time around. Making his fourth career start and his first of 2022, the 27-year-old led the Jets to a lopsided win by throwing for 315 yards and three touchdowns. White is rostered in just four percent of Yahoo leagues, and many managers will now consider adding him. I don’t envision White being a difference-maker in standard leagues when he faces the Vikings and Bills in the next two weeks, but those who can hold him for the fantasy playoffs will get an appealing schedule that includes the Lions, Jaguars and Seahawks. Of course, this speculation assumes that White will keep his starting role over Zach Wilson.
No. 10: Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets, 23.90
With five catches for 95 yards in Week 12, Wilson has now posted solid yardage totals in games that were quarterbacked by Joe Flacco, Zach Wilson and Mike White. But the rookie found the end zone with his new QB on Sunday, which is something that hadn’t happened since Week 2. Wilson has a chance to reach the 1,000-yard benchmark in his debut season, and he could become an every-week fantasy starter if White continues to be aggressive in throwing the ball downfield.