Fantasy football projections, Week 12: Cardinals-Falcons featuring David Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Julio Jones, more

The Week 12 matchup between the Arizona Cardinals in the Atlanta Falcons features two teams looking to get back on the winning side of things. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

The Cardinals got dominated on defense and special teams by the Minnesota Vikings in a losing effort in Week 11. Fortunately for fantasy owners of running back David Johnson, it didn’t stop him from still putting up impressive numbers. Johnson posted 160 total yards on 29 touches against the Vikings and scored twice. He has been an absolute machine in 2016 and totally lived up to expectations from a fantasy perspective.

Johnson goes from facing one of the best defensive units in the NFL to the second-worst at defending fantasy running backs in Week 12. That’s right, only one team in the league is worse than the Atlanta Falcons. Johnson could be the No. 1 fantasy performer of the week when all is said and done.

The fact he’s in top form and playing against a generous defense could also open up some room for wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was held to six catches for 63 yards against the Vikings, but like Johnson, he has a juicy matchup in Week 12. It should be a high-scoring game between two solid offensive teams.

Even if Johnson carries the load in the running game, Fitzgerald is still a good bet to see 10 or more targets against the Falcons. He’ll likely rise above his projections at the Georgia Dome on Sunday.

Quarterback Matt Ryan’s fantasy production was stymied by the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the team’s Week 11 bye. He completed just 18 passes for 267 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The completion and yardage totals represented his second-lowest of the season.

Only one team is better at defending opposing fantasy quarterbacks than the Arizona Cardinals. After an MVP-caliber start to the season, fantasy owners of Ryan may be in for a second straight subpar performance. As crazy as it sounds, it’s hard to count on Ryan surpassing his projections this week.

Unless of course wide receiver Julio Jones has something to say about that. Sure the fantasy production of a wide out depends on the quarterback play to some degree, but Julio is one of those guys that can turn a 10-yard slant route into a 50-yard touchdown.

Consider that even with his quarterback somewhat struggling in Week 10, Jones still managed to catch 10-of-16 targets for 135 yards. He’s been held out of the end zone and three of the last four games. Still, Jones should see of high-volume of passes against the Cardinals and he has the world-class talent necessary to turn those looks into fantasy production in Week 12.