Monday Recap, Week 12

We’ve nearly made it through the final week of November. It’s also been a rare week without any teams on a bye. Sadly, that changes during Week 13. But, before we get there, you might still need some performances to push you over-the-top. Sadly, after a week of decent matchups, Monday Night Football presents something less exciting. I’ll preview that in a minute. First, let’s consider what else we learned from the rest of Week 12.

The Zach Wilson Era might be over

Wilson is 5-2 as a starter this season, but that’s somewhat deceptive. He’s completing only 55.6 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and five interceptions. The Jets are winning despite him, not because of him. After a rough Week 11, Wilson didn’t give the most encouraging answers. That led to him being benched in favor of Mike White—who responded with 315 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-10 win over the Bears. While initially Wilson’s benching was called a reset, for a Jets team on the cusp of the playoffs, it likely makes more sense to leave the second-year passer on the bench.

The NFC South continues to be a dumpster fire

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continued their rough season, dropping to 5-6 on the season. They remain in first place. That’s the NFC South this year. With a win, the Carolina Panthers moved to 4-8. They’re a team that fired their coach weeks ago. Now, the Panthers head into a bye week just a game and a half out of first place. The Saints are in the same boat, while the 5-7 Falcons are still just a half game back. Someone has to win the NFC South, but it’s not going to be pretty getting there.

The Ravens’ offense needs work

The Baltimore Ravens are 7-4, tied for first place in the AFC North. The Ravens are, by all accounts, having a successful season. The problem is the Ravens’ offense hasn’t been producing a lot. While Lamar Jackson remains a force, and Mark Andrews is still one of the game’s best tight ends, there hasn’t been a lot else going on. The Ravens’ running game has been up-and-down an the lack of receivers is taking a toll. The Ravens suffered a tough loss to the Jaguars Sunday and now they’re in a tough race with the Bengals in the North and the Chiefs, Dolphins and Bills in the rest of the AFC. To be contenders, they’ll need to step it up on offense, a big challenge for a team that’s scored more than 30 points only twice in 11 games, and not once since Week 3.

And now, on to Monday night’s game.

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-7) at Indianapolis Colts (4-6-1)

In August, this looked like a potentially fun matchup. But things haven’t turned out as planned for either team. The Steelers have struggled but seem to be finding some better offense of late with rookie Kenny Pickett. The Colts, meanwhile, have struggled to get on track offensively in a sub-.500 season. They moved on from Frank Reich and sit at 1-1 under interim coach Jeff Saturday. A win here will keep the Colts’ slim playoff hopes alive heading into a Week 13 bye.

But what about your fantasy team? For the Steelers, Najee Harris is an RB2. He hasn’t been incredible but he’s still getting volume. I like George Pickens and Diontae Johnson as WR3s and Pat Freiermuth as a Top 12 option at tight end. For the Colts, Matt Ryan looked good in his return. He’s a low-end QB2, while Jonathan Taylor is a Top 12 option at running back. Michael Pittman Jr., is still the Colts’ best receiver but he hasn’t gotten great volume of late. He’s a WR2 option for me, while Parris Campbell holds some flex appeal.

The Pick: Colts

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.