Week 12 Wide Receiver Rankings - PPR Leagues

The playoffs are swiftly approaching and with bye weeks finally over you have your entire team at your disposal. There are some big games ahead to determine if you're in the playoffs or you miss the cut. If you're completely out of the running, at least it's Thanksgiving, right? Just eat you're sorrows away and cheer against the guy you don't want to win. Don't give up though, there's still a chance you can crush someone's playoff hopes with an upset. There's nothing better than ruining your buddy's shot at the title with a team that's 3-8. Here are my rankings so you can make that upset happen. But if you're still in the playoff picture, they can keep you're dreams of being league champion alive.

One name comes to mind when I think of fantasy studs on Thanksgiving Day: Calvin Johnson. It seems like every Thanksgiving when my family and I are at the table or gathered around the TV watching football, it becomes the Megatron Show. Over the last six Thanksgiving games, Johnson has scored in FIVE of them. On Turkey Day last year, he went for 146 yards and not only caught one touchdown, he went back for seconds and found the end zone again. This is just Johnson's day, not much else to it. He's a top-five play this week against an exploitable Eagle's defense.

Over the past couple of weeks it's been hard to tell who the number one receiver in Oakland is. Sure the depth chart says Amari Cooper, but Michael Crabtree has made a strong bid for the title. In PPR leagues, Crabtree has seven more fantasy points than Cooper (156 to 147). I'm not trying to say that Crabtree should be the main man on the Raiders, but my point that he has hurt Cooper's value, while raising his own. Coming into every week I still have had Cooper above him, and this week is no different, but the gap is slowly closing as Crabtree creeps up the weekly rankings. Do I think Crabtree will be the number one receiver in Oakland? No. But I do think that he will keep getting looks his way and in terms of fantasy points these two could continue to post similar numbers. Facing a vulnerable Titans defense both are a must-start.

Emmanuel Sanders is not listed in the rankings this week because I'm skeptical about him playing. He has missed the last two games and revealed Monday that he has been nursing a high ankle sprain. Sanders said that he could've played last week but sat out to avoid making it worse, according to Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post. It's early in the week and not much can be said until more news comes out about his involvement in practice so I'm staying cautious. That being said, I think he will suit up in a big game against New England, even if it's not the classic Brady-Manning Bowl that we all love to watch. If he does, plug him in as a WR2 option against one of the league's worst pass defenses. But until he gets the official go-ahead, keep checking his status.