NFL teams
Scott T. Miller, ESPN.com 8y

Week 12 fantasy winners and losers: Peterson's big day, Hopkins' surprising struggles

NFL, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans

Winners

Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings: After putting up 158 yards and two touchdowns against the Falcons, Peterson now has seven career games with at least 150 rushing yards and two scores. According to ESPN Stats & Information, that's tied with Larry Johnson for the second-most such games in the last 20 seasons (LaDainian Tomlinson is first overall with 12).

Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks: Wilson put up his fifth-career game of 34 points or more, but unlike the other four times, Sunday's performance was almost solely because of his play from the pocket. On his 27th birthday, Wilson threw for a career-high 345 yards and five touchdowns against the Steelers.

Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks: Propelled by an 80-yard fourth-quarter TD, Baldwin posted 32 fantasy points against the Steelers' struggling secondary. The Stanford product had only one previous multi-touchdown game in his career prior to this week, but he posted three scores vs. Pittsburgh.

C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos: One of last year's late-season MVPs, Anderson showed signs of returning to that form on Sunday night against the Patriots. Anderson gained 153 total yards and scored a 2 TDs -- including the game-winner in overtime -- on his way to his best fantasy performance (27 points) since Week 17 last season.

Sammy Watkins, WR, Buffalo Bills: Watkins had an incredible first half -- 158 yards receiving, two touchdowns and 27 fantasy points. According to ESPN Stats & Information, that's tied for the most fantasy points in a half by a wide receiver this season. But Watkins got completely shut out in the game's final 30 minutes, keeping the Clemson product from posting the fourth 30-point fantasy day by a WR this season. 

Brandon Marshall, WR, New York Jets: After putting up five 100-yard games in his first seven contests, Marshall had been held under 47 yards each of his last three times out. That changed for Marshall against the Dolphins on Sunday, as he had his best fantasy day of the season (25 points), thanks to 131 yards and two touchdowns.

Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants: Beckham continued his hot streak on Sunday, compiling his fourth consecutive game of at least 100 yards receiving. His 20-point total tied for his second-best performance of the season, as Beckham scored another touchdown on a highlight-reel one-handed catch.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, New York Jets: Fitzpatrick continues to be a reliable week-to-week option for fantasy owners. His season-high 29 points came on the heels of three consecutive games of at least 14 points. 

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts: Hilton's fantasy stock has taken a major hit this season, as the Colts' offense has struggled amid Andrew Luck's many injuries. So his 21-point outburst against the Bucs on Sunday was a welcome sight for owners who had seen one of their top picks score just 11 points in his previous three games.

Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers: Rivers took advantage of a golden matchup against the Jaguars with a season-high 28 fantasy points and four touchdowns. Two of his scores went to tight end Antonio Gates, who put up 17 points himself. 

A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: Green didn't light up the Rams with a ton of yards (61), but he scored 18 fantasy points thanks to his two touchdowns. It marked Green's fifth career game with two scores, and his second-best fantasy performance of this season.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, Kansas City Chiefs: Behind catches of 32 and 41 yards -- the latter resulting in a touchdown -- Maclin had his best fantasy day as a Chief (22 points). With a friendly schedule upcoming (Oakland, San Diego, Baltimore and Cleveland), this could be the beginning of a late-season surge.

Spencer Ware, RB, Kansas City Chiefs: At this point, it's clear that you should start whoever is expected to be the Chiefs' No. 1 running back. Charcandrick West missed the game with an injury, but Ware filled in admirably in his first NFL start (19 carries, 114 yards and a touchdown). His 17 points came on the heels of a 21-point effort last week.

Julius Thomas, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars: Thomas had by far his best game as a Jaguar with nine catches, 116 yards and a score. It's his second consecutive game with a touchdown. His 17 fantasy points easily exceeded his total over his past four outings (11).

Losers

DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans: This one came out of nowhere. One week after torching the Jets' elite secondary for 118 yards, two touchdowns and 23 points, Hopkins managed just three points against a struggling Saints unit. The WR converted his eight targets into just 36 yards.

Todd Gurley, RB, St. Louis Rams: The streak is over. Gurley had started his career with seven consecutive games of double-digit fantasy points, but on Sunday against the Bengals, he managed just two points. Game flow was partially to blame, as Cincinnati jumped out a big lead, but Gurley's 19 yards on nine carries still fell way below expectations.

Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos: Thomas was targeted only once in the first half. That marked just the sixth time that he's received fewer than two targets in any half since 2012. The Broncos made a conscious effort to get Thomas the ball in the second half (12 targets), but a few drops and some good coverage from the Patriots helped hold Thomas in check (three points).

Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons: Jones had been on fire, averaging 137.8 and 16 fantasy points over his last four games. But he met his match against the Vikings' defense, which held him to just 56 yards receiving and five points.  

Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints: Brees caught a surging Texans defense at the wrong time. The quarterback failed to throw a touchdown for the second time this season and scored his second-fewest points in 2015 (seven). Houston's defense has now held opposing QBs under 300 yards passing in five consecutive games.

Chris Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals: Even before Johnson left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury, the RB was struggling in a golden matchup vs. the 49ers. San Francisco entered this week allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing RBs, but Johnson managed just 17 yards on 12 carries. His one-point output was his worst of the season and Johnson's fourth consecutive game with six or fewer. 

Lamar Miller, RB, Miami Dolphins: Miller had two rushing yards against the Jets on Sunday, as he posted his most disappointing fantasy outing (one point) in a season full of them. Since his 35-point outburst in Week 7, Miller has games of 8, 25, 15, 5 and 1 points. Good luck figuring out which version of the RB will show up down the stretch.  

Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts: Workload was not Gore's issue Sunday, as the RB got 19 carries against the Bucs. But running room was in short supply (24 yards). Gore has not cracked 100 yards rushing in a single game this season.

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