Fantasy football projections, Week 12: Patriots-Jets featuring Tom Brady, Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, more

The Week 12 matchup between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets features a division game that should be a complete blowout. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski is questionable for the game against the Jets thanks to a perforated lung. That means Martellus Bennett might get the start in New York. For now, the safer fantasy play outside of quarterback Tom Brady would be running back LeGarrette Blount. Blount put together his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11. The game before that saw Blount find the end zone three times on the ground. He now has 800 to rushing yards on the season to go with 12 scores. The Jets have been weak defensively in all facets of the game this season. Blount should see plenty of work once the score gets out of hand. He’ll beat his projections in Week 12.

Brady will undoubtedly beat his, too. After failing to throw a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10, Brady completed 24 passes for 280 yards and four scores last week. He had a tough time practicing during the week but is fully expected to play on Sunday. The question isn’t whether Brady can surpass his projections, the question is by how much will he surpass them. That’s just the type of season one of the greatest players of all time is having.

Throughout his career, wide receiver Brandon Marshall has proved that no matter who is at quarterback, he can produce. Unfortunately, things in New York are such a mess that he can’t be counted on anymore. He’s been held under 50 receiving yards in three of the last four games. Marshall also hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 5 and only has two such catches on the season. He’s 33 years old now and certainly on the downside of his career. Considering how bad the team around him is, Marshall can’t be expected to hit his projections against the Patriots, even in a game that should see the Jets throw a ton of passes.

Believe it or not, running back Matt Forte is probably a better option even if the Jets go away from the run. Forte has rushed for more than 80 yards in each of the last four games and he’s also found the end zone four times over that span. While it’s unfortunate he was unable to find the end zone against Los Angeles Rams prior to the team’s bye week, it appears Forte has managed to stave off father time so far this season. In PPR formats, he should crush his projected totals against the Patriots.