It is officially December, and every fantasy manager knows what that means. Not only is it the last month of this game, but it is also the most crucial. You play every week, slogging through the muck that is the regular season, to get the opportunity to play for your title. Whether it is money and trophies, or bragging rights around the water cooler (do places still have those?), this is the most important month of the year for fantasy football. So drink it in while it's here, and don't give up! Your fate can change any given Thursday, Sunday, or Monday. The stock market rolls on, so get your notepad ready. We are ringing the bell for the first week of December!
Fortune 5
LB Ernest Jones IV, Seattle
Ernest Jones IV is an anomaly. Traded multiple times last season, the 26-year-old linebacker continues to post elite numbers, with 83 tackles, seven passes defended, and five interceptions this year, a stat line most defenders can only dream of. Yet somehow, he still flies under the radar as one of the league's best. Last week against the Vikings, he reminded everyone: 12 tackles, two picks, and a touchdown made him the clear top IDP performer. Injury concerns keep me from calling him a locked-in top-five ROS option, but Jones absolutely belongs in starting lineups every week.
Edge Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas
Maxx Crosby finally delivered the vintage performance IDP managers have been waiting for: 9 tackles and 2 sacks against a battered Chargers O-line. The tackles (59) have been steady all season, but the lack of sacks has been frustrating. That breakout puts him back on pace for double-digit sacks, reestablishing his place among the league's elite edge rushers. When Crosby is healthy and getting home, there may not be a better real-life or fantasy defensive lineman in football. Lock him in as a top-tier option the rest of the way.
Edge Micah Parsons, Green Bay
Micah Parsons' revenge tour hit prime time on Thanksgiving: 8 tackles and 2.5 sacks, his third straight multi-sack game. He's now at 12.5 sacks, already topping last year's total with five games left and on pace to eclipse his career-high of 14. Four of his final five matchups come against bottom-third offensive lines. Everything I worried about this season turned out to be wrong. Parsons is delivering elite, league-winning production. If you took the risk, you're cashing in big.
Edge Dallas Turner, Minnesota
Remember folks, you're never wrong, just early! That rings true for Dallas Turner, the edge rusher drafted 17th overall by the Vikings in 2024 out of Alabama. After a rocky rookie year, he's hit his stride in year two, erupting last week for five tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles—a week-winning IDP explosion. At just 22, with 46 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles on the season, he's far from his prime and a rising star worth rostering, and in most leagues starting, everywhere.
S Talanoa Hufanga, Denver
Talanoa Hufanga delivered another monster outing: 13 total tackles (10 solo) and a pass defended, his fifth game with 9+ tackles. He's pacing for career highs across key defensive stats, proving the Broncos' big free-agent splash was about landing elite production, not just a name. Hufanga has been the ultimate eraser in Vance Joseph's aggressive scheme, racking up 89 tackles, 10 passes defended, and two sacks so far. Ride this wave into the fantasy playoffs, he'll deliver January glory.
Falling 4
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