RB Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills
Fred Jackson has emerged as one of the better backup running backs in the NFL in 2008. In Week 12, Jackson and the Bills take on the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have played decently lately but they remain a horrid defensive team against the run. Look for Jackson to get plenty of touches and produce like a starter in Week 12.

WR Devin Hester, Chicago Bears
The St. Louis Rams have been horrible recently, especially when it comes to making tackles. With Devin Hester coming to town, that’s a bad combination. While Hester hasn’t had the amazing year many expected, he’s still a threat to break a long one — whether in the passing game or the return game. Week 12 may be his breakout game owners have been waiting for.

TE Kevin Boss, New York Giants
Last week, Kevin Boss was held without a catch. But that was against the Baltimore Ravens, one of the best defensive teams in the NFL. In the previous three weeks, Boss caught a touchdown pass in each. In Week 12, the Giants go up against the Arizona Cardinals and Boss should be able to get back into the swing of things.

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RB Marion Barber III, Dallas Cowboys
With Tony Romo back at quarterback, running room will open up for Marion Barber. While Romo was out, Barber struggled — which wasn’t too surprising. Against the San Francisco 49ers, look for the Cowboys to try to establish the run early. If Dallas can get a second half lead, expect them to have Barber run it to end the game.

WR Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
Andre Johnson has had a somewhat streaky season but Week 12 promises to be a good one for the Texans receiver. Johnson is up against the Cleveland Browns and he’ll be targeted plenty of times. While he’s had a little bit of trouble scoring touchdowns this year, Week 12 looks like a week in which AJ will get at least one TD.

TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Going up against the Colts with a healthy offense, Antonio Gates should be free to roam and cause damage. With the wide receivers playing well, the running backs playing well and the quarterback having his best season, Gates sometimes is the forgotten man. In Week 12, the Chargers will make the Colts pay if they forget about Gates.

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RB Tatum Bell, Denver Broncos
If you are looking to strike gold on the Week 12 waiver wire, you definitely have to consider Tatum Bell a sleeper. Bell has been signed by the Broncos after a bevy of injuries depleted their running back corps. Bell has had success in that system before and could excel once again if given a shot.

WR Justin Gage, Tennessee Titans
With teams looking to defend the run, Kerry Collins and the Titans have been forced to pass more in recent weeks. When healthy, Gage has been the team’s number one receiver. He now has three touchdowns in the last two weeks and should continue to get plenty of looks going forward.

TE Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots
As Matt Cassel grows into his role, he seems to be looking more and more for Benjamin Watson. Watson had a big week in Week 11 and is now definitely a Week 12 waiver wire possibility. If he gets enough passes his way, he could easily end up as a top ten tight end over the course of the rest of the season.

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RB DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
Early in the season, it appeared as if DeAngelo Williams would never live up to his expectations. Now, Williams is regarded as one of the best fantasy football running backs in 2008. In Week 11, Williams finished the game with two touchdowns and 120 yards rushing on 14 attempts. Combining with Jonathan Stewart, the Panthers have a very formidable one-two punch.

WR TJ Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati Bengals
Even thought the Bengals have been a big disappointment and quarterback Carson Palmer has missed a lot of time, TJ Houshmandzadeh has actually been quite good. He still has been able to get open and he still has very good hands. He finished this week’s game with 12 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown receptions. If it wasn’t clear last year, it’s clear this year — Houshmandzadeh is simply a better wide receiver than Chad Johnson.

TE Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots
Cassel’s main target against the Jets was tight end Benjamin Watson. Watson has very good ability to go along with great size and athleticism, however he’s had a difficult time putting it all together. For a week, at least, he did just that. He finished Week 11 with eight catches for 88 yards and a touchdown grab to be the top fantasy football tight end for the week.

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RB Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
Steven Jackson’s situation is much clearer. Jackson will not being to play in Week 11. His thigh injury isn’t healing and the injury may be more severe than first diagnosed. In his place, the Rams will use Travis Minor and Antonio Pittman at running back. Since they will be splitting carries, neither one of them appears to be a good fantasy football start.

QB Chad Pennington, Miami Dolphins
If you were planning to start Chad Pennington this weekend, you probably got a bit worried when you saw his name show up on the injury report recently. Since he’s listed as probably, expect him to play. But if he doesn’t, Chad Henne will be the quarterback for the Dolphins.

QB Kyle Orton, Chicago Bears
When he first got injured, Kyle Orton was said to be out for at least a month with a high ankle sprain. But a further examination showed that Orton didn’t have a high ankle sprain. After missing one week, Orton appears ready to play this weekend in Week 11. Although you might want to wait a week before starting him to make sure that ankle is alright, he should be decent enough in an emergency role for your fantasy football team.

Photo credit: Newscom

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RB Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals
While he doesn’t have a very good matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Cedric Benson is coming off of one of the best games of his career. With Carson Palmer still out injured, Benson will get plenty of touches in the Bengals’ offense. He very well could score a touchdown this week and end up with a decent amount of yards.

WR Chris Chambers, San Diego Chargers
After a very strong start to the season, Chris Chambers has struggled with injuries. But now he’s as healthy as he’s been in weeks and should be able to get back to his old ways. With his speed back, he’s going to be a deep ball threat for the rest of the season. In Week 11, expect Chambers to once again be a big part of the Chargers offense.

TE Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars
Don’t look now but Marcedes Lewis has had at least three catches in each of his last four games. Last week, Lewis even led the Jaguars in receiving yards. As he continues to become a bigger and bigger part of the Jacksonville offense, his fantasy football value in 2008 will continue to rise.

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RB Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
Although the St. Louis Rams showed a little bit of life a couple weeks ago, they seem to have reversed a bit. Against the New York Jets last weekend, they got demolished — with a lot of the damage coming from running back Thomas Jones. That’s why Frank Gore is such a good start this week. Gore has played very well this week and this juicy matchup has him at the top of the running back list in Week 11.

WR Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers
When it comes to bad defenses, it doesn’t get much worse than the Detroit Lions. The Lions will face off against the Panthers this week, which likely means a big game for Steve Smith. Smith will draw a lot of attention, no doubt, but Detroit still won’t be able to stop him. The only way Smith doesn’t explode is if the Panthers are up early and stop passing the ball.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Tony Gonzalez has a very good matchup this weekend against the New Orleans Saints. With Tyler Thigpen playing very well at quarterback, Gonzalez is now a threat to have a big game each and every week. Coming off of a quality fantasy football performance, look for him to follow it up with more big numbers in Week 11 of the fantasy season.

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QB Tyler Thigpen, Kansas City Chiefs
Entering the 2008 fantasy football season, Tyler Thigpen was the third quarterback on the Chiefs depth chart. Now Thigpen has ascended to the starting spot and he’s producing very well. He appears to be a legit quarterback and is very likely Kansas City’s QB of the future. Pick him up now and he can serve as a quality fantasy football option depending on the matchup.

RB Peyton Hillis, Denver Broncos
Although he’s more of a fullback, Peyton Hillis should become the new running back for the Broncos. Injuries to Selvin Young, Michael Pittman, Andre Hall and Ryan Torain have opened the door for Hillis to get a shot. As any fantasy football veteran can tell you, picking up the right Broncos running back at the right time can lead to big things.

WR Mark Bradley, Kansas City Chiefs
With Thigpen delivering him the ball, Mark Bradley has emerged as a quality fantasy football wide receiver option. In fact, with as hot as he currently is, he’s a player you need to get into your starting lineup. Once he gets the ball in his hands, he can use his quicks to make plays and score touchdowns.

TE Kevin Boss, New York Giants
For the third consecutive week, Kevin Boss scored a touchdown. He’s emerging as one of Eli Manning’s favorite targets, especially around the endzone. With as well as he has been playing in recent weeks, Boss certainly can start on your 2008 fantasy football team.

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1. Adrian Peterson
After a great rookie season, AP is proving it wasn’t a fluke.

2. LaDainian Tomlinson
His career may be winding down LT has too much history to pass up.

3. Brian Westbrook
When healthy, Westbrook remains arguably the best fantasy RB.

4. Clinton Portis
He’s been great in 2008 and should be able to keep it up in 2009.

5. Matt Forte
Multidimensional Bears RB will be tough to overlook next season.

6. Brandon Jacobs
With the Giants looking like a powerhouse, Jacobs will retain value.

7. Marion Barber III
Even though not as explosive in 2008, he’s still a TD threat.

8. Frank Gore
Gore continues to prove he’s one of the most talented backs in NFL.

9. Michael Turner
Against poor defenses, Turner is money.

10. Chris Johnson
If LenDale wasn’t in the way, he’d be top five pick.

11. Steve Slaton
The Texans offense is getting better and Slaton is growing in value.

12. Tom Brady
Those 50 touchdowns won’t be easily forgotten.

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RB Thomas Jones, New York Jets
When you see the final score of 47-3, you probably thought Brett Favre destroyed the St. Louis Rams. While Favre had a pretty good day, it was actually Thomas Jones who did most of the damage. Jones had 149 yards and three touchdowns to thrill fantasy football owners around the world who started him.

WR Eddie Royal, Denver Broncos
Eddie Royal, not Brandon Marshall, was Cutler’s go-to wide receiver in Week 10. Royal started the season off very well but then went through a bit of a slump. It looks like he’s back at 100% and he’s now the most dangerous rookie wide receiver in fantasy football. Start him until he shows he’s not worthy.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
We had Tony Gonzalez as the best Week 10 tight end start and he didn’t disappoint. Gonzalez had 113 yards and two touchdowns to show why he’s still one of the best tight ends in the entire league. With Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen playing quite well, Gonzalez should be a very good fantasy player for the rest of the season.

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