Fantasy Football: Top waiver targets and your first look at the Week 12 rankings

NFL: Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers

Mark Hoffman / USA TODAY Sports

I've talked a lot about what I've taken to calling the 49ers' "math problem" of late, but Monday's game against the Cardinals provided one answer to the equation: "What if they're just the best offense in the league?"

Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle combined for five touchdowns in the 38-10 win over the Cardinals, while Christian McCaffrey managed 17.6 PPR points despite not scoring -- and despite ceding significant carries to Elijah Mitchell down the stretch yet again. That's an annoyance, and it makes it harder for McCaffrey to get to that truly elite, 30-PPG mark, but it's hard to complain too much about nearly 20 points without a touchdown.

Things won't always be so rosy for the 49ers, but we saw the blueprint for the 49ers' ideal outcome Monday night -- a balanced approach on offense that saw each of their stars make big plays. I still think it's likely that one of that big four is likely to be left out of the fun most weeks, but this offense looks like it's going to be a lot of fun the rest of the way.

Now, it's time to look ahead to Week 12, and things are going to be a bit different than usual this week because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Today's newsletter is a normal one, and tomorrow's will be too. But I won't have my previews for every game this week -- we'll have our start and sit calls ready for the Thursday lineup locks, and then I'm going to take the day off to cook, eat too much food, and force my wife, sister, and mother to watch football all day.

Of course, you'll still want to make sure you tune in to Fantasy Football Today on CBS Sports HQ at noon ET today and everyday this week as we talk about the latest injuries and storylines. And for more help locking in your waiver-wire claims make sure you're subscribed to the FFT YouTube channel, where we'll be taking your questions live starting at 8 p.m.

Here's what the rest of today's newsletter has in store for you:

➕Top Week 12 Waiver Wire Targets
📈Week 12 Rankings First Look📉

➕Top Week 12 Waiver Wire Targets

Oct 2, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier (25) runs against the Cleveland Browns during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. USA TODAY Sports

If you need RB help this week, we've actually got a couple of guys who are pretty widely available who can help. Here are Jamey Eisenberg's top targets on waivers for Week 12:

Jamey Eisenberg's top targets

Samaje Perine, RB, Bengals (15%) -- Perine's value is directly tied to Joe Mixon's status, and I'll just point out that the last time Mixon had a concussion he missed two games. That doesn't necessarily mean he'll miss time this time around, but there's certainly some risk of it, and Perine is a top-15 RB for me if Mixon is out.
Latavius Murray, RB, Broncos (62%) -- Murray isn't quite as appealing for Week 12 as Perine, at least in the best-case scenario. But his role is much more assured after Melvin Gordon's release and Chase Edmonds' high-ankle sprain. Murray is a decent RB2 for Week 12, mostly because the Broncos offense just hasn't given us much reason to get excited.
Donovan Peoples-Jones (70%) -- Over his past seven games -- a pretty sizable sample size, Peoples-Jones is on an 80-catch, 1,231-yard pace, and he'll get Deshaun Watson back from suspension in Week 13. Peoples-Jones could be a must-start Fantasy WR down the stretch, and he shouldn't be available in any leagues after this week.
Treylon Burks, WR, Titans (32%) -- Burks finally got a chance to show off his upside in Week 11, going for 111 yards on seven catches. He's probably the best playmaker in this offense, and with his injuries hopefully behind him, he's a definite breakout candidate.
Greg Dortch, WR, Cardinals (15%) -- I'm hoping Rondale Moore's groin injury isn't too serious, but if it is, Dortch might just be a must-start option moving forward. In four games Moore has missed (counting Monday's game, where Moore played two snaps), Dortch is averaging 16.3 PPR points per game. He's been awesome when given the chance to play as the primary slot option.

📈Week 12 Rankings📉

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 02: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs with the ball in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium on October 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. USATSI

Here are my initial rankings for Week 12 at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. And those will be updated throughout the week, so make sure you keep them handy for when you're setting your lineups. These are all for PPR leagues: