Eric Christian Smith/Associated PressThe race to the 2019-20 NFL postseason continues. The Houston Texans kicked off Week 12 with a huge Thursday night win, thanks in no small part to wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller V. The win gave the Texans a half-game lead over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South and set the tone for what's shaping up to be a thrilling weekend of action.
Houston was far from the only potential contender to get a huge win in Week 12, as wild-card hopefuls like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns also picked up wins. Hopkins and Fuller were far from the only players to help deliver victories to fantasy managers too.
Here, we'll dig into some of the top fantasy stars of Week 12, the latest NFL standings and the full results from Sunday's action.
NFL Week 12 Scores and Fantasy Stars
Houston Texans 20, Indianapolis Colts 17 (Thursday)
WR DeAndre Hopkins: six receptions, 94 receiving yards, two TDs
WR Will Fuller V: seven receptions, 140 receiving yards
Buffalo Bills 20, Denver Broncos 3
RB Devin Singletary: 106 rushing yards, one reception, eight receiving yards
WR Cole Beasley: six receptions, 76 receiving yards, one TD
New York Jets 34, Oakland Raiders 3
QB Sam Darnold: 315 passing yards, two passing TDs, 16 rushing yards, one rushing TD
WR Robby Anderson: four receptions, 86 receiving yards, one TD
Chicago Bears 19, New York Giants 14
WR Allen Robinson: six receptions, 131 receiving yards, one TD
RB Tarik Cohen: 25 rushing yards, seven receptions, 29 receiving yards
Cleveland Browns 41, Miami Dolphins 24
WR Jarvis Landry: 10 receptions, 148 receiving yards two TDs
RB Nick Chubb: 106 rushing yards, three receptions, 58 receiving yards, one TD
Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Cincinnati Bengals 10
WR James Washington: three receptions, 98 receiving yards, one TD
WR Tyler Boyd: five receptions, 101 receiving yards, one TD
Seattle Seahawks 17, Philadelphia Eagles 9
RB Rashaad Penny: 129 rushing yards, one TD
TE Zach Ertz: 12 receptions, 91 receiving yards, one TD
Washington Redskins 19, Detroit Lions 16
WR Terry McLaurin: five receptions, 72 receiving yards
RB Bo Scarbrough: 98 rushing yards
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35, Atlanta Falcons 22
WR Chris Godwin: seven receptions, 184 receiving yards, two TDs
WR Calvin Ridley: six receptions, 85 receiving yards, one TD
New Orleans Saints 34, Carolina Panthers 31
RB Christian McCaffrey: 64 rushing yards, nine receptions, 69 receiving yards, two TDs
WR Michael Thomas: 10 receptions, 101 receiving yards, one TD
Tennessee Titans 42, Jacksonville Jaguars 20
RB Derrick Henry: 159 rushing yards, one reception, 16 receiving yards, two TDs
RB Leonard Fournette: 97 rushing yards, nine receptions, 62 receiving yards, two TDs
New England Patriots 13, Dallas Cowboys 9
RB Ezekiel Elliott: 86 rushing yards, four receptions, 40 receiving yards
WR Julian Edelman: eight receptions, 93 receiving yards
San Francisco 49ers 37, Green Bay Packers 8
TE George Kittle: six receptions, 129 receiving yards, one TD
WR Davante Adams: seven receptions, 43 receiving yards, one TD
DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller, WRs, Houston Texans
As previously mentioned, Fuller and Hopkins were huge for the Texans on Thursday night. Fuller made his return after missing three games with a hamstring injury, and he wasted no time getting in on the action. He's one of the top deep threats in the NFL, as evidenced by his 140 yards on seven receptions.
NFL Research @NFLResearch.@deshaunwatson to @Will_Fuller7 is clearly an explosive connection. In his career, Watson has averaged an extra 62.5 passing yards and 1.1 passing touchdowns per game when Fuller plays than when he does not. @HoustonTexans | #WeAreTexans
Hopkins, meanwhile, continued to do Hopkins things. Despite getting a lot of attention from the Colts secondary, he was regularly there when quarterback Deshaun Watson needed to make a play.
Though he only caught six passes, Hopkins turned those into 94 yards and two touchdowns. He remains a weekly must-start, though next week's matchup with the New England Patriots is a tough one.
Sam Darnold, QB, New York Jets
Seth Wenig/Associated PressIn one of the more surprising results of Sunday, the New York Jets obliterated the Oakland Raiders 34-3. For Oakland, a lot of blame has to fall on an offense that couldn't get in a rhythm all game long. However, Jets quarterback Sam Darnold deserves a ton of credit for delivering the win to New York.
Darnold finished the game with 315 passing yards, 16 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.
This marks the third consecutive game in which Darnold has shined, as The Athletic's Connor Hughes pointed out:
Connor Hughes @Connor_J_Hughes#Jets QB Sam Darnold in his last three games: 58 of 89 (65%) for 838 yards with 7 TDs, 2 rushing touchdowns, 1 INT & a QB rating of 117.6. Oh, and the Jets are 3-0 in those games (Giants, Redskins, Raiders)
Darnold's improved play is tremendous for the Jets, obviously, but it's also great for fantasy managers who took a chance on him. Expect Darnold to remain a solid fantasy option over the next two weeks, as he has matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins.
Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns
David Richard/Associated PressCleveland's acquisition of wideout Odell Beckham Jr. was one of the most noteworthy moves of the NFL offseason. However, it's been holdover Jarvis Landry who has emerged as Baker Mayfield's favorite target.
Of course, Beckham, who is a friend and former LSU teammate, is one of Landry's biggest supporters—and the two play extremely well together.
"A game like this is going to mean a lot when he goes for 156 yards and two touchdowns and nine receptions," Beckham said before the game, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Beckham was nearly spot-on, as Landry finished with 10 receptions, 148 yards and two touchdowns against his former team, the Miami Dolphins. Landry has found the end zone in four consecutive games and remains a fantasy must-start moving forward.
Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans managed to keep pace in the AFC South by picking up a big win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. They're now tied with Indianapolis for second place in the division and have all but erased Jacksonville from the divisional chase.
Sunday's win largely came courtesy of running back Derrick Henry. The fourth-year back ran around over and through the Jaguars defense all game long, finishing with 159 rushing yards, two touchdowns and a ridiculous 8.4 yards-per-carry average.
His day was highlighted by an incredible 74-yard scamper:
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportDERRICK. HENRY. 74-YARD HOUSE CALL 🤯 He does it again vs. the Jags. (via @NFL) https://t.co/PETz75gLti
To say that Jacksonville didn't have an answer for Henry would be an understatement. So would saying that Henry is a must-start against the Colts next week. Henry had 94 total yards and a touchdown the last time Indianapolis and Tennessee faced off.
Ben Volin @BenVolinUp-to-the-minute AFC playoff standings: The Pittsburgh Steelers, left for dead in September, leapfrog Indy and Oakland for the No. 6 seed https://t.co/hEGT8fGmA0
Ben Volin @BenVolin
And here are the NFC playoff standings: Packers hold the tiebreaker over the Vikings, the NFC East stinks, and if the Rams lose tomorrow the field is basically set https://t.co/J6sawvcwDb
Week 12 NFL Standings
New England Patriots 10-1
Buffalo Bills 8-3
New York Jets 4-7
Miami Dolphins 2-9
Baltimore Ravens 8-2
Pittsburgh Steelers 6-5
Cleveland Browns 5-6
Cincinnati Bengals 0-11
Houston Texans 7-4
Indianapolis Colts 6-5
Tennessee Titans 6-5
Jacksonville Jaguars 4-7
Kansas City Chiefs 7-4
Oakland Raiders 6-5
Los Angeles Chargers 4-7
Denver Broncos 3-8
Dallas Cowboys 6-5
Philadelphia Eagles 5-6
New York Giants 2-9
Washington Redskins 2-9
Green Bay Packers 8-3
Minnesota Vikings 8-3
Chicago Bears 5-6
Detroit Lions 3-7-1
New Orleans Saints 9-2
Carolina Panthers 5-6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-7
Atlanta Falcons 3-8
San Francisco 49ers 10-1
Seattle Seahawks 9-2
Los Angeles Rams 6-4
Arizona Cardinals 3-7-1
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