Welcome to the Wednesday Afternoon Showdown Slate for NFL Week 12!
What a wild game this is going to be huh? First, we have Wednesday afternoon football that’s happening. Second, the Ravens are still without numerous key players due to COVID-19 including the likes of Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews . Lastly, the Ravens have only practiced once over the past week and that was on yesterday. Now, the Steelers aren’t without their share of COVID-19 issues either as they will be missing running back James Conner but outside of that the Steelers are pretty much ready to go.
Before we start, please allow me to reiterate that while we all love having a little skin in the game, these showdown slates are basically lottery tickets. Sure, there are times when the chalk hits and everyone shares in the prizes, but more often than not, you need that random play to differentiate yourself from the herd dart-throw to hit in order to claim that top prize. As a result, we encourage you to play responsibly. Stick to the GPP contests (single-entry preferred), don’t blow your whole bankroll, and understand that, unless you are a max-entry player, you should prioritize having fun.
OK, lecture over. Let’s get to tonight’s action.
Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Spread: Steelers -10
O/U: 42
Weather: Upper 30’s, partly cloudy with 15% chance of precipitation; winds W 10-to-15 mph
Notable Injuries:
Ravens:
Lamar Jackson , QB - (Out - COVID-19-IR)
Willie Snead , WR - (Out - COVID-19-IR)
Mark Andrews , TE – (Out – COVID-19-IR)
Mark Ingram , RB - ( Out - COVID-19-IR)
JK Dobbins, RB - (Out - COVID-19-IR)
Steelers:
James Conner , RB – (OUT – COVID-19-IR)
Jaylen Samuels , RB – (OUT – Quad)
Defensive DVOA
Ravens:
vs Pass: 10th
vs Run: 3rd
Steelers:
vs Pass: 1st
vs Run: 4th
Please note the plays below are not ranked in order of preference and that just because a player is not listed below does not mean they should be a total fade for your GPP lineups.
MVP/Captain
Steelers D/ST – This one is going to be an uber popular play. The Ravens are going to be starting Robert Griffin III in this one at quarterback with Lamar Jackson ruled out and while the Ravens will have their full complement of running backs available, the Steelers run defense is among the leagues best. I expect the Steelers to rack up a lot of sacks in this game as they get to this diminished Ravens offense.
Diontae Johnson, WR, PIT – When he is healthy, he is the most targeted player on the Steelers roster. Now, the Ravens defense was not hit nearly as bad as the teams offense so Johnson will still have his work cut out for him in this game but the volume and know that he is Roethlisberger’s favorite target just makes him appealing.
Eric Ebron , TE PIT – I think Ebron could make for a real sneaky captain/mvp option in this game. The Ravens defense against the tight end position this season has been about league average and you couple that with the fact that the Steelers wide receivers could have their hands full a bit in this one given the Ravens secondary and it just seems to fit that Ebron could take advantage of this Ravens defense that is missing a few players on their linebacking group. Against Baltimore back in Week 8 Ebron caught four passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
Mid-Tier
Gus Edwards , RB BAL – It was initially thought that Dobbins and Ingram were going to be active for today's game however with them ruled out this moves Edwards firmly into must play category. He is going to get nearly all the work in the backfield and had success against the Steelers D a few weeks ago.
JuJu Smith-Schuster /Chase Claypool, WR PIT – It’s really a coin flip for me between these two. Claypool is definitely more of the home run hitter while JuJu has been a solid, consistent play for most of the season. Both are in play, picking between the two is the struggle.
Ben Roethlisberger , QB PIT – As I have mentioned a few times already, the Ravens defense is missing some pieces but wasn’t hurt nearly as bad as the offense when it comes to COVID-19. What should help Ben here is the fact that the Ravens have had just one practice to prepare for this game. Roethlisberger has plenty of options to pick apart this Ravens defense.
Marquise Brown , WR BAL – Brown has killed us all season long with his lack of production as he and Lamar Jackson have just not been able to be on the same page. It seems unlikely that RGIII is going to solve his production issues but given the lack of options for the Ravens in this game there is little reason that Brown is not at the very least heavily targeted.
Dez Bryant , WR BAL – How about this huh? Bryant may see significant snaps in this game given the issue going on. In Week 11 against the Titans he played 54-percent of the snaps and caught four passes on five targets for 28 yards.
Robert Griffin , QB BAL – Griffin once looked like a promising QB prospect following his rookie season with the Washington Football team but injuries derailed him and he has since been a back up with the Ravens for the past few seasons. What we know about RGIII is that he can run the football and the offense shouldn’t be too different than if Jackson was the player under-center. This is a very boom or bust play given that it has been a while since Griffin showed anything on the football field.
Benny Snell, RB PIT – Snell is going to be the lead back in this one for the Steelers with James Conner and Jaylen Samuels having been ruled out. Snell has largely been a non-factor since his explosive opening night performance against the Giants but he has managed to vulture three touchdowns over the past five weeks and should be the man getting the football around the goal line.
Dart Throws
Anthony McFarland Jr., RB PIT – As I mentioned previously, both James Conner and Jaylen Samuels have been ruled out for this game. While Benny Snell is expected to be the starter in this game, we should still see McFarland a bit more than normal given the lack of depth in the backfield.
Justice Hill, RB BAL - The only other healthy RB in this game that should see some snaps. Hill hasn't done much to impress but the oppurtinity to play and his ability to catch passes is worth noting.
Player News
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Packers met with WR Jayden Reed’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to clarify his status with the team.
The meeting comes after the Packers selected a wide receiver in the first round for the first time since 2002 in this year’s draft. ESPN’s Adam Schefter added that the team emphasized Reed’s status as the top option at wide receiver after the selection of Matthew Golden and Savion Williams. “Green Bay’s top receiver” means far less for fantasy than it does in other places around the league considering Reed led the team with just 62.6% of the team’s offensive snaps played in 2024.
Saints signed QB Hunter Dekkers.
Dekkers spent three seasons with the Cyclones of Iowa State before stepping away from football following an indictment surrounding charges related to sports gambling. He then played his final collegiate season at Iowa Western before being invited to Saints camp. Dekkers spent his redshirt season backing up Brock Purdy at Iowa State.
Seahawks signed No. 18 overall pick OG Grey Zabel to a four-year contract.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Zabel’s deal is worth a guaranteed $18.471 million. The former North Dakota State guard will be tasked with bolstering a Seahawks line that ranked 26th in PFF pass blocking grades and 24th in run blocking grades. The Seahawks didn’t do much to address their offensive line this offseason, with Zabel being the biggest addition to date. The FCS stud showed out at this year’s senior bowl, and brings high expectations into his rookie season after dominating at the college ranks.
Free agent WR Gabe Davis is visiting the 49ers on Monday.
It’s the first known interest we’ve seen of Davis, who was released by the Jaguars last week with a failed physical designation. The 49ers will likely be without Brandon Aiyuk to start the season, and the idea of adding another veteran to the room is appealing. Kyle Shanahan can turn a lot of football players into something fantasy-interesting, but Davis might be a step beyond even his schemes.
Falcons released WR Phillip Dorsett.
What was your favorite moment of Dorsett’s three-month run on a reserve/future contract with the Falcons? Was it when the signing was announced, or was it when the release happened? Dorsett will try to bounce to another team as wideout depth as he enters his age-32 season. He did not play NFL snaps last year and was only targeted three times by the Broncos in 2023.
Cowboys signed No. 149 overall pick RB Jaydon Blue to a four-year contract.
Blue’s deal is worth $4.627 million and includes a $427k signing bonus. The rookie joins one of the thinnest running back rooms in the league heading into this season and could have a realistic shot to earn a starting role as early as Week 1. While it’s unlikely Blue earns a significant workload that early, it seems highly unlikely that he’ll be held off by 28-year-old Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams, who hasn’t looked the same player since suffering a devastating knee injury in 2022, for the entirety of the 2025 season. Blue totaled 1,098 yards and 14 touchdowns last season at Texas while also catching 42 passes.