Week 12 fantasy football winners, losers: Jayden Reed's stock continues to rise

Thanksgiving provided a seemingly endless buffet of NFL action, but not everything on the menu delighted the senses. While some players ended up stuffing the stat sheet like a holiday turkey, others seemed as lonely as vegetables at the kids’ table.

So what can we take away from the latest slate of games as the NFL schedule prepares to push into December? One thing may be that several of this year’s rookies are still making progress.

32 THINGS WE LEARNED IN WEEK 12: Playoff push will have many thrilling story lines

These players saw their fantasy values increase or decrease most based on their performances in Week 12:

Fantasy football winners for Week 12

WR Jayden Reed: Green Bay Packers: Reed kept up his good work on Thanksgiving Day, posting four catches for 34 yards and scoring a touchdown for the third consecutive game. He has managed at least three receptions in six straight outings, and he has been increasingly used as a rusher in recent weeks, too.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

RB Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys: Dowdle shook off an ankle injury to score on a 15-yard catch and run against Washington. His total touches were down, but that was likely a product of a blowout, as well as a precaution due to his injury. He had seen double-digit touch totals in the previous two games, and he has two TDs during the span. Dowdle is one injury to Tony Pollard from being a major impact guy.

TE Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals: McBride had seven receptions for 60 yards against the Rams, giving him five or more catches in four of the past five games. With at least 60 receiving yards in three of the past five contests, the rookie is emerging as a low-end TE1.

TE Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams: Sure, it’s just one game, but Higbee tied a season best with five catches on Sunday, including his first two touchdowns. Tight end is such a wasteland that any time we see a stat line like his, it’s reason for celebration.

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks: Smith-Njigba made all the highlight reels with a pretty one-handed snare on Thanksgiving night against the Niners. He has at least 36 receiving yards in seven straight outings, and three or more catches in seven of the past eight, which makes him attractive in PPR formats.

Fantasy football losers from Week 12

WR Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos: The Broncos have won five in a row, but Jeudy has played a minor role. He has just 10 catches for 114 yards and no scores in the past three games, and he has one touchdown all season.

WR George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers offense has been ugly, and the team changed offensive coordinators this past week − with positive results. Perhaps Pickens will get back to his earlier form when he had three 100-yard games in the first six outings, but with just three catches on five targets Sunday, Pickens isn’t part of the rebound just yet.

TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons: Pitts showed some signs of life in October after a slow start, but he has quickly disappeared yet again. He had another stinker in Week 12, posting just two catches for 22 yards. He’s put up 35 or fewer receiving yards in three of the past four contests.

WR Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars: Jones caught one pass for 10 yards in Week 12, and he has just 30 receiving yards in the two games since he returned from a knee injury. While he’s helped open things up for fellow wideout Calvin Ridley, Jones is looking like little more than a decoy in the passing game.

RB Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals’ first game with QB Jake Browning as the starter did not go well. The running game, in particular, was almost non-existent vs. Pittsburgh, with Mixon gaining a season-low 16 yards on eight carries. Don’t expect that to improve much against an even better Jaguars run defense.