Fantasy Football: Five changes from Week 12 you need to know about

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In general, I think that we all believe we have the NFL and Fantasy Football generally figured out by Week 12. However, this week we saw several real shifts in the way NFL offenses are run and changed evaluations of players for guys who should (or should not be) Fantasy starters in the playoffs.

Josh Adams is a real Fantasy asset

I was a bit skeptical yesterday when Ian Rapoport reported that the Eagles would be treating Adams like a starter in their game against the Giants, and hopefully for the rest of the season, but that is in fact what happened. Adams received 22 of the teams' 29 carries, though Corey Clement was still involved. Wendell Smallwood was not involved and Darren Sproles remained inactive. Provided a positive game script (only one target for Adams), he should be a fine RB2 the rest of the way. The main concern would be that the Eagles continue to generally struggle for efficiency on offense.

Nick Mullens turned back into a pumpkin

Mullens had two consecutive very strong starts to his career, but there was always an air of an inevitable crash. That happened against Tampa. He threw two pretty terrible interceptions and also fumbled once though the 49ers were able to fall back on it. Additionally, he took four sacks against a feeble Bucs defense and completed only 50 percent of his targets towards George Kittle, who can make C.J. Beathard look like an NFL starter. This brings down all members of the Niners offense; the only one I would feel really comfortable starting is Kittle the rest of the way.

Amari Cooper may win you a Fantasy title

I speculated in a few places last week that Cooper's tenure in Dallas would be one of the 10 best Weighted Opportunity Ranking seasons for any player in the NFL this season despite the one week blip where he and Michael Gallup each saw five targets. After the Thanksgiving game against Washington, I think that is obvious. Cooper is a gifted player who fits well with Dak Prescott and oddly, even with Scott Linehan's short passing/intricate timing offense. I was never a Cooper backer, but it is obvious that the Cowboys want him to be one of the 10 most targeted WRs in football.

Sony Michel is ready to be an RB1

Michel was a catastrophe as a first-round pick given that he has a chronic knee issue and, well, he's a running back. However, when he is on the field, he is going to provide the Patriots with what they are asking for. They needed to grind out a win against the Jets, and he provided 21 carries, kept James White fresh, scored a touchdown, caught both his targets and ensured that Tom Brady took zero sacks in this game. Next season, provided a clean bill of health, Sony will be a second-round selection, and he will be worth it.

Dan Arnold could be the Saints TE we've been looking for

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound "tight end" for the Saints is really more like what Marques Colston was his rookie year for the Saints -- a player listed at tight end who functions more like a wide receiver. Arnold ran a 4.68 40 at his size, and has a catch radius, burst score and agility score well above the 90th percentile for tight ends. The Saints have really been missing a receiving tight end since Jimmy Graham left town, and I am personally betting on Arnold.