The Week 12 slate for the 2024 fantasy football season is a mess. There are six NFL teams on bye. Among them are the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Benglas who have some of the most prominent players in the league this season. On top of the byes, there are a few players out due to injury hindering lineups even more including, but not limited to, Brock Purdy, DeVonta Smith, and Jake Ferguson. Hopefully this carefully curated list of Week 12 bold predictions will give your lineups the boost they need.
Week 12 Bold Predictions for the 2024 Fantasy Football Season
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Bold Prediction: 15 carries, 60 rushing yards; 5 receptions, 40 yards
15.0 fantasy points
I can’t believe I’m talking about Ameer Abdullah in the year 2024. However, it is a bold prediction article and Abdullah is definitely in play for some lineups in Week 12. Abdullah is 31 years old and has just 627 career touches in nearly 10 seasons played. While he’s never truly led a backfield, fantasy managers need him to be “the guy” for this week and this week only.
It looks like both Zamir White (quad) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) will miss Week 12 against the Denver Broncos. While the Raiders will likely activate a running back off of the practice squad, Ameer Abdullah and rookie Dylan Laube are the only running backs on the roster who have played in a game this season. Laube has suited up for just three games this season and has just one carry for no gain.
I know there are fantasy managers out there looking for a plug-and-play running back in Week 12 with six teams on bye. I know because I’m one of them. Abdullah is on my radar, specifically in Points Per Reception leagues. The Denver Broncos have allowed the third-most receptions, fifth-most receiving yards, and three total receiving touchdowns to running backs this season. Now consider Abdullah will likely see a bulk of carries, as well.
The Raiders have scored the seventh-least amount of points this season. I’m not anticipating Ameer Abdullah finding the end zone. However, when these two teams faced off in Denver in Week 5, Abdullah did punch in a three-yard score late in the game. He rushed five times for an impressive 42 yards. In Week 12, my bold prediction rests on more receiving work for Abdullah. I think he has a solid volume-based floor, at home, that’s worth the gamble given the circumstances.
Check out all of our Week 12 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
Bold Prediction: 7 receptions, 90 yards, 1 touchdown
22.0 fantasy points
Rome Odunze leads all Bears in receiving yards this season. The rookie only has 479 yards in 10 games played, but he’s still leading the team. After changing offensive coordinators ahead of Week 11, it’s important to focus on last week’s usage and production.
Odunze’s 10 targets in Week account for a team-high 31% target share. He caught six of them for a team-high 65 receiving yards. Keenan Allen drew eight targets while D.J. Moore logged seven of his own. Ahead of Week 12, Keenan Allen reportedly rolled his ankle in practice, though he’s still expected to play. A less than 100% Allen could mean work for Odunze.
The Bears should lean into a pass-heavy game script in Week 12. They host the Minnesota Vikings who’ve allowed a league-low 74.4 rushing yards per game. That includes a league-low 52.3 rush yards per game over their last three. Conversely, the Vikings have allowed the sixth-most receptions and fifth-most receiving yards to wide receivers this season.
Odunze is averaging just 8.9 fantasy points per game this season. My Week 12 bold prediction for him is more than double his average weekly output in a matchup he should be able to exploit. Let’s just hope the Bears offensive line can give Caleb Williams enough time against Minnesota’s top-tier pass rush.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
Bold Prediction: 7 receptions, 75 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
20.5 fantasy points
The Philadelphia Eagles rank seventh in points per game (25.9) this season. Over their last three games, the Eagles’ 29.3 points per game ranks fifth across the league. Plugging a piece of Philly’s offense into your lineup works out more often than not. Dallas Goedert has scored double-digit fantasy points in Points Per Reception scoring leagues in his last four games played.
The key to this Week 12 bold prediction is the absence of DeVonta Smith. He accounts for a team-high 22.6% of the Eagles’ targets this season even with exiting Week 3 early and missing Week 4 entirely due to a concussion. In those two games in particular, Dallas Goedert posted his two best fantasy performances. It’s worth noting, however, that A.J. Brown did not play in either of those games, as well.
The Los Angeles Rams defense has allowed the eighth-most receiving yards to opposing tight ends on just the 15th-most receptions. They’ve allowed an opposing tight end to record 45 yards or a touchdown in four of their last five games since their Week 6 bye. The Rams host Goedert and the Eagles on Sunday night. Especially in the absence of DeVonta Smith and with six teams on bye, Goedert becomes a must-start tight end in Week 12. I’m anticipating a high-floor performance for Goedert, hence the reception and yards, but a touchdown from any tight end makes their start worthwhile.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!