Fantasy Basketball Week 12 Schedule Primer: Will Victor Wembanyama be able to play?

With the holidays in the rearview mirror, the NBA slate has a more familiar look in Week 12. There are three days, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with double-digit games, with Thursday being the light game day. Unfortunately, fantasy managers have a lot of injuries to navigate, including Denver's Nikola Jokić and San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama. As is always the case, availability and scheduling will affect how managers craft their rosters for what they hope will be a successful week. Let's look at the Week 12 schedule and some of its key storylines.

Week 12 Games Played

4 Games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, DEN, GSW, HOU, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIN, NOR, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHI, PHX, POR, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS

3 Games: BKN, CLE, DAL, DET, IND, LAL, MIL, SAC

Week 12 Back-to-backs

Sunday (Week 11)-Monday: DEN, DET, OKC, PHX

Monday-Tuesday: None

Tuesday-Wednesday: LAL, MEM, NOR, ORL, SAS, WAS

Wednesday-Thursday: CHA, CHI, UTA

Thursday-Friday: None

Friday-Saturday: BOS, LAC

Saturday-Sunday: MIA, MIN, SAS

Sunday-Monday (Week 13): BKN, PHI, SAC, TOR

NBA Minutes Report: Injuries to Nikola Jokic, Austin Reaves, more have changed landscape

We dig into shifting rotations, uncovering which players deserve more attention or are falling out of favor.

• Eric Samulski,

Week 12 Storylines of Note

- Thursday is the light game day of Week 12.

Thursday is the only game with fewer than six games on the schedule, with it being a four-game night. Three of the eight teams in action, Charlotte, Chicago and Utah, will be dealing with a back-to-back. All three have some availability concerns. The Hornets have been hit hard by injuries in the frontcourt, with Ryan Kalkbrenner, Moussa Diabaté and Mason Plumlee all missing the team's final game of Week 11. Plumlee underwent surgery and is looking at a long-term absence, but fantasy managers will be more concerned about Kalkbrenner and Diabaté anyway. PJ Hall has made a few starts, and he may have value in deep leagues given the injuries and the Hornets' four-game Week 12 schedule.

As for Chicago, their most significant injuries have occurred on the perimeter, with Josh Giddey and Coby White sidelined. Giddey will be re-evaluated in two weeks after straining his left hamstring, while White's right calf injury will keep him out for at least one week. With those two off the board, Tre Jones, Ayo Dosunmu and Kevin Huerter will all have increased fantasy value in Week 12, and the Wednesday/Thursday back-to-back should not be an issue for any of them, provided they get through Chicago's first two games of Week 12 unscathed.

Lastly, there's Utah, which has not needed the excuse of a back-to-back to sit key players in the past. Lauri Markkanen and Jusuf Nurkić have been sidelined on multiple occasions, and Keyonte George missed the team's New Year's Day loss to the Clippers. It isn't the "silly season" yet, but players like Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh and Isaiah Collier stand to take on added importance during Week 12.

- Be ready to move on from fringe Lakers at the end of games on Friday.

Not only do the Lakers play just three games in Week 12, but they won't be active on either Saturday or Sunday. While the absences of Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura may complicate things for some fantasy managers, others are likely to conclude that they're better off scouring the waiver wire for value during the final two days of Week 12 than holding onto Marcus Smart or Jake LaRavia. The Lakers' three games are against New Orleans, San Antonio and Milwaukee, beginning with a Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back.

- Miami, Minnesota and San Antonio end Week 12 with Saturday/Sunday back-to-backs.

These three teams may prove most valuable to fantasy managers at the end of the week since they'll be active on Saturday and Sunday. While a player like Minnesota's Mike Conley won't be great to have, since he hasn't been playing both games of back-to-backs, some intriguing options should be available in most leagues. Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jović, and San Antonio's Julian Champagnie are three who may have added value toward the end of Week 12, due to both their production and injuries to other rotation players.

- How long will the Spurs be without Victor Wembanyama?

Regarding the Spurs, will Wembanyama be available at all during Week 12? And if so, how many games will he play? While San Antonio is scheduled to play four games, it has two back-to-backs, which may limit the 7-foot-4 phenom to two games at most if he can play to begin the week. After escaping severe damage to his left knee during Wednesday's win over the Knicks, Wembanyama is considered day-to-day and will travel with the team to Tuesday's game in Memphis.

That's followed by games against the Lakers (Wednesday), Celtics (Saturday) and Timberwolves (Sunday) to conclude Week 12. Luke Kornet was outstanding in Saturday's loss to the Trail Blazers and will be a starter as long as Wemby is out. How much he plays when allowed to start depends on how well he and Kelly Olynyk play. Olynyk was better on Friday against the Pacers, so he played more, and the roles reversed the following night against Portland.

- Brooklyn won't play its first game of Week 12 until Wednesday.

While the Lakers are the team to avoid at the end of Week 12, the Nets won't offer much value at the beginning of the week. Brooklyn won't play its first game until Wednesday, the first of three games on the team's slate. And the last, Sunday in Memphis, is the first of a back-to-back with Brooklyn visiting Dallas the following night. The back-to-back could loom large for Michael Porter Jr., Nic Claxton (who's currently away from the team for personal reasons), Cam Thomas and Terance Mann. The "silly season" isn't here yet, but players like Egor Dëmin and Danny Wolf may have added fantasy value at the end of Week 12. As for its beginning, that won't be the case.

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Seahawks are the favorites to win the Super Bowl after earning No. 1 seed in NFC

The Seattle Seahawks are the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, and they're also the betting favorites to win Super Bowl LX.

After the Seahawks beat the 49ers on Saturday night, they've become the favorites to win it all. Their current odds are +370.

The Rams have the next-best odds, at +450. The Rams have been the favorites for much of this season, but the difference between the Rams and Seahawks is that the Seahawks only need to win two home games to get to the Super Bowl, while the Rams will need to win three games, likely all on the road.

The team with the best odds in the AFC is the Broncos at +750. If the Broncos win today they earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and their chances of winning the Super Bowl will get even better.

The odds for the other teams still in contention are the Eagles at +950, Patriots at +950, Bills at +1100, Jaguars at +1300, Texans at +1400, Ravens at +2000, 49ers at +2200, Packers at +2200, Bears at +2200, Chargers at +2800, Steelers at +10,000, Buccaneers at +15,000 and Panthers at +20,000.

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Seahawks beat 49ers to claim top spot in NFC

The Seattle Seahawks have won eight and lost once on the road in the regular season [Getty Images]

The Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers 13-3 to secure the NFC West title and top spot in the NFC, which gives them a first-round bye and home advantage throughout the play-offs.

Zach Charbonnet scored the game's only touchdown and Jason Myers kicked two field goals for a Seahawks side whose victory was built on a strong defensive performance on the road.

The win was their seventh in a row and gives them a 14-3 record.

"Our defence picked us up. They have been all year. They've been doing a great job," said Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold.

Darnold passed for 198 yards, while team-mates Kenneth Walker III and Charbonnet rushed for 97 yards and 74 yards respectively.

"Incredible. We worked so hard from day one," said Walker. "We've been grinding up till now. But we got a lot of work to do, so we can't get satisfied."

The 49ers (12-5) had their six-game winning run ended by a defeat which means they will be on the road for the wildcard round.

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept their play-off hopes alive with a 16-14 win against the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers, who needed a win to secure their play-off spot, scored with a late Jalen Coker touchdown but the Buccaneers held on for victory.

Both teams have 8-9 losing records and will have to wait for the result of the game between the already-eliminated Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints to see who reaches the play-offs.

A win for the Falcons will send Carolina through, while a Saints victory would mean the Buccaneers progress.

• NFL play-off picture - scenarios & big game deciders in season finale

What is the NFL play-off format?

The top seed in the NFC and AFC both get a first-round bye and home advantage throughout the play-offs.

The remaining six teams take part in Wildcard Weekend, with three division winners playing at home against three wildcard teams - the second seed playing seventh, third hosting sixth and fourth facing fifth.

From there, the top seeds enter the fray by hosting the lowest remaining seed left, with the next highest seed at home against the next lowest seed in the Divisional Round.

The Championship games are then contested with the highest seed remaining hosting the game, which is why finishing in top spot can be so important.

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Eagles notebook: Cameron Williams excited for chance after year on IR

Eagles notebook: Cameron Williams excited for chance after year on IR originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Life on Injured Reserve can get a little lonely. Cameron Williams knows all about it.

He spent most of his rookie season on IR.

“Oh for sure. I was bored,” Williams said this week. “I told the coaches I was bored on IR.”

But the sixth-round pick from Texas will finally get to play football again on Sunday. The Eagles activated Williams to their 53-man roster on Thursday, the final day of his 21-day practice window, and Williams will make his NFL debut in Week 18 against the Commanders.

Williams actually made the Eagles’ initial 53-man roster out of training camp but was inactive in Week 1 and then landed on IR with a shoulder injury on Sept. 13. He had been on IR ever since, until Thursday. And now he’ll get a chance to make his NFL debut.

“It’s amazing,” Williams said. “I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to play honestly.”

Over the last 16 weeks, the 22-year-old Williams was just focused on maintaining his weight while also getting stronger. He also used that time to work on getting faster and learning the playbook. A few weeks ago, the Eagles activated his practice window and he was back on the field during the week.

The hardest part for last few months?

“Just not playing, not being able to hit nobody for real,” Williams said.

The Eagles earlier in the season opened the practice windows of rookie O-linemen Myles Hinton and Willie Lampkin, but let them close, which put those guys on IR for the rest of 2025. The timing seems to have worked out better for Williams. The Eagles are resting their key starters in Week 18 and need some offensive line help, so Williams will actually get to play.

As excited as Williams is about making his NFL debut, he might draw a tough assignment on Sunday against 36-year-old future Hall of Famer Von Miller, who enters Week 18 tied for 10th all-time in sacks with 137.5.

Williams and Miller both grew up in Dallas County, Texas, and went to rival high schools many years apart. Miller went to DeSoto High School and Williams went to rival Duncanville. The two have never met but they will on Sunday.

“A future Hall of Famer,” Williams said. “It’s going to be a blessing to block him. I can’t wait.”

Playing his role

For the second straight season, Jahan Dotson has been one of the least productive receivers in the NFL. But it’s not for lack of talent or effort. He’s just not one of the top options on an offense that has been inconsistent all season.

And since coming to the Eagles in 2024, Dotson has handled that minimal role with grace.

“I think that is always a challenge,” head coach Nick Sirianni said this week. “But I can’t tell you how many times I’ll put on the tape or show the tape in here from a game or a practice, and show him busting his butt trying to get a block or running off somebody and taking advantage of the opportunities when the ball does come to him. I think he handles it great. 

“Understand that they’re receivers [and] want to catch the football, but he does the little things for his teammates to help the team, and you always admire that.”

Dotson this season has played 539 snaps but has just 15 catches for 222 yards and a touchdown. There are 68 receivers in the NFL this season who have played 500+ snaps and Dotson is dead last in receptions. This comes a year after Dotson finished 80th out of 80 in receptions among receivers with 500+ snaps in 2024.

But if you think back to Week 18 last year, Dotson had a big day with Tanner McKee throwing him the football. In that game, Dotson had 7 catches for 94 yards. And then he ended up having a huge catch in Super Bowl LIX.

That play still really stands out to Sirianni.

“I think back to the Super Bowl last year,” Sirianni said. “And he’s always had a knack of making the plays that do come to him, and think back to the Super Bowl last year and he has the one that gets us down to the 1-yard line. He has an opportunity to reach the ball and put the ball at risk and score a touchdown in the Super Bowl or be a selfless teammate. And he was a selfless teammate. That’s who he is and that’s why guys respect him and like him, and that’s why I respect him and like him. Just a really good teammate.”

Kind words about Sirianni

Remember at the beginning of last season when it seemed like Jalen Hurts just couldn’t force himself to say anything nice about Nick Sirianni? Those two have come a long way since then.

And Hurts was very complimentary this week when asked what he appreciates most about Sirianni.

“His work ethic,” Hurts said. “His determination, his passion for the game and how effective he is in the way he does what he does.”

Hurts was also asked how he has seen Sirianni evolve in their five seasons together. He had a good answer for that too.

“I think he’s evolved from having a different position and having a different role in how that’s evolved,” Hurts said. “I think that’s evolved in itself. So to go from, ‘I’m calling plays, I’m in this position where I’m doing this,’ to that evolving over time and kind of coming back into a position where he’s heavily involved in what we do. I think to be able to find success and sustained success throughout all of that is very admirable, very impressive and I got a great deal of respect for him and how diligent he is, how hard he works, how hard he cares. I think what he’s been able to accomplish speaks for itself as a head coach.”

It seems like there’s a commonality between Hurts and Sirianni in this aspect. Hurts has talked plenty before about being whatever version of himself he needs to be for a particular team. So it makes sense that he appreciates those same qualities in his head coach.

A lot more plays

The NFL tweaked its kickoff rules again this season to encourage more kick returns and it has worked. The Eagles this season have returned 57 kickoffs in 16 games after returning just 33 in 17 games last season.

The rule change hasn’t just created more plays for returners but for all 11 on both the kick return and kickoff units.

“It’s a lot more plays obviously for the special team production,” special teams coordinator Michael Clay said. “We’ve got guys close up there towards the 20-tackle mark, Kylen Granson and Jeremiah Trotter. I think it keeps the ball in play a little bit more. It changes field position. We’d like to be improved still. We have games to improve from kickoff return, but I think our kickoff coverage has really helped out the defense. 

“We went against Ray Davis, probably one of the better kickoff return guys in Buffalo and we were able to have their starting field position off kickoff returns at the 24, which is fantastic. So just everybody buying in knowing that the field position could help out from a kickoff coverage and a kickoff return standpoint.”

The Eagles this season are 30th in the NFL in kick return average at just 23.8 yards per attempt, but their best returner has been Will Shipley, who is averaging 26.7 yards per return.

Both Trotter and Granson have 18 special teams tackles this season.

The early bird

It has become part of my Wednesday ritual. After Nick Sirianni’s press conference wraps up in the morning, I turn to the back of the auditorium to make sure Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is there.

And he always is.

The 23-year-old linebacker shows up early to that special teams meeting every single week and waits patiently in the back of the auditorium at the NovaCare Complex until the press conference is over.

“We got special teams after you guys do the interviews so I just eat lunch in there so I’m already in there,” Trotter said this week. “I try to be early for pretty much everything.”

Trotter said he tries to be early for all of his meetings in the NFL. He said he might not be doing anything back there other than listening to his headphones or looking at his phone but he likes to make sure he’s there.

“That’s how my dad raised us, raised me and my brother,” Trotter said. “You’d rather be early than late.”

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Raiders will play everybody, in game that earns them first overall pick if they lose

NFL teams always insist that they would never tank to get a better draft pick. But teams with a high draft pick on the line can and do choose to give plenty of playing time to inexperienced backups, and that's exactly what the Raiders will do on Sunday, with the first pick in the draft on the line.

If the Raiders lose to the Chiefs, they will pick first overall in the 2026 NFL draft. Raiders coach Pete Carroll said he plans to give playing time to everyone on the active roster, including both backup quarterbacks, Aidan O'Connell and Kenny Pickett.

"Everybody's gonna play and I'm hoping it works out well," Carroll said. "It doesn't always, good plans don't always come through, but we've got plans for these guys to get in there and get their playing time. Really excited to see them. Excited to see them play."

Among the Raiders who won't play are starting quarterback Geno Smith, and the Raiders' two best players, defensive end Maxx Crosby and tight end Brock Bowers. They're out with injuries, although Crosby has made clear that he wants to play through his knee injury and the Raiders shut him down against his will. If there's one player on the team who would play to win in any game, it's Crosby. But the Raiders won't let him play.

As long as the draft is ordered by giving the highest pick to the team with the worst record, teams will be incentivized to lose. If the NFL wanted to, it could change the draft order in ways that would incentivize teams out of the playoff race continuing to win. For example, the non-playoff teams that ended the regular season with the longest winning streaks could get the highest picks. That would generate plenty of interest in Sunday's Saints-Falcons game: Both teams are out of playoff contention, but the Saints are on a four-game winning streak and the Falcons are on a three-game winning streak. Reward teams with high picks if they keep playing hard after they're out of the playoff race, and the NFL would both eliminate tanking and make Week 18 more exciting.

But as it stands, there's much incentive to tank because the highest pick goes to the worst team. For his part, Carroll insists that his team is just bad, not intentionally bad.

"I never even dreamed it would be like this," Carroll said. "These guys will continue to work and they'll stay with it. They don't want to accept it. They want to only focus on the next opportunity that's coming up."

The Raiders have a big opportunity on Sunday, not to win on the field, but to win by losing.

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12 Eagles to watch in regular season finale vs. Commanders

12 Eagles to watch in regular season finale vs. Commanders originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles have something to play for in Week 18 but they have elected to rest Jalen Hurts and other key starters against the Commanders.

But that doesn’t mean the Eagles can’t win this game against a four-win Commanders team that is likely going to start 39-year-old Josh Johnson.

Without some key starters playing, there are plenty of Eagles backups who will play in this game who are worth watching.

Here are 12 of them:

QB Tanner McKee: Every time the Eagles’ backup quarterback has gotten an opportunity to play, he has looked good. The 2023 sixth-round pick has played in 5 career games with his only start coming last Week 18 in a 20-13 win over the Giants. In that game, McKee completed 27 of 41 passes for 269 yards and 2 touchdowns. McKee (6-6, 231) is a big pocket quarterback, who seems to have a quick processor. This could be a game where he shows he has future starter potential.

RB Tank Bigsby: The Eagles traded for Bigsby in early September and he eventually settled into his role as the Eagles’ backup running back behind Saquon Barkley. Bigsby this season has 42 rushers for 269 yards (6.4) and a touchdown. He has given the Eagles some explosive runs in limited time. It’s worth noting that Bigsby is under contract for the 2026 season.

WR Darius Cooper: The UDFA from Tarleton State earned a roster spot in training camp and has gotten some playing time this season. He has just 6 catches for 59 yards but has played 158 snaps and has been a solid blocker. There’s definite potential with Cooper and it’ll be fun to watch him in a game where he’s able to get more run at receiver.

WR Jahan Dotson: The Eagles’ No. 3 receiver has played in all 16 games this season with 9 starts but has just 15 catches for 222 yards and 2 touchdown this season on 539 snaps. There are 68 receivers who have played at least 500 snaps this season and Dotson is dead last in catches among them. But in Week 18 last year, Dotson caught 7 passes for 94 yards and then had a huge catch in Super Bowl LIX.

WR Britain Covey: The Eagles’ primary punt returner has done a really nice job in that role again this season after getting that job back. But he doesn’t get many opportunities to play on offense. Covey this season has played a total of just 5 offensive snaps and has played just 132 offensive snaps in his four years in the NFL. But Covey shows shiftiness in his role as a punt returner and it’s always fun to see if that translates to offense.

C Drew Kendall: The Eagles drafted three Day 3 offensive linemen this year but Kendall is the only one to be on the roster all season. The fifth-round pick from Boston College had a promising training camp but has played a total of 25 offensive snaps this season and has played in just six games.

OT Cameron Williams: The Eagles on Thursday activated Williams from IR to the 53-man roster so he’ll make his NFL debut on Sunday. The sixth-round pick from Texas has been on IR all season with a “shoulder” injury but will get a chance to play in a meaningful game.

LB Jihaad Campbell: Of all the players on this list, Campbell is the one you’ve seen the most of this season. The first-round pick from Alabama began the season as a starter but lost that job when Nakobe Dean returned from the PUP list. Despite that, Campbell has had a very encouraging rookie season and his future looks bright.

LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr.: After getting a ton of first-team reps in training camp, Trotter settled back into his role as a backup and special teams for the second straight season. But Trotter showed some ability in training camp and definitely has some natural instincts that make you think he could play on defense in the NFL. He might not have the traits of a first-round pick but this could be a chance for Trotter to show he’s more than a special teamer.

DT Ty Robinson: When the Eagles drafted the 24-year-old Robinson in the fourth-round, there was an expectation that he would have a somewhat significant role as a rookie but that never materialized. Robinson has been buried on the depth chart and has played just 53 defensive snaps all season.

CB Mac McWilliams: Earlier in the season, when the CB2 position was really unsettled, it looked like the fifth-round pick from UCF could fight for a job but that never happened. McWilliams has been learning the nickel corner and outside corner jobs behind the scenes but has played just 7 defensive snaps all season. He could get more than that on Sunday.

CB Michael Carter II: One of the Eagles’ mid-season trade acquisitions, Carter II technically has two more years on his contract but without much guaranteed money, he won’t be here in 2026 without a restructure. But Carter offers value as a nickel and a safety and he might get to play both positions on Sunday.

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Justin Jefferson on J.J. McCarthy: I would love to show everyone he's the No. 1 guy

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy returned to full practice participation on Thursday, which suggests he'll be back in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Packers.

That will provide McCarthy with one more chance to make an impression at the end of his uneven first season as the starter in Minnesota. His current hand injury, an earlier ankle injury and a concussion have kept him out for almost half the season and his on-field results were often underwhelming.

Wide receiver Justin Jefferson's numbers reflect the nature of those on-field results. He's posted the lowest receptions and yards per game of his career and remains 53 yards shy of hitting 1,000 receiving yards for the sixth time in his first six seasons. On Thursday, though, Jefferson said his vote would be for McCarthy to remain the quarterback in 2026.

"That's not my job," Jefferson said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. "Of course I would love for him to be here. Of course I would love for him to be the quarterback. Especially off this year. I feel like he needs to show everybody and prove to everybody that he is that top-tier quarterback. So I would love to have him. I would love to work with him and show everybody that he is that No. 1 guy."

Week 18's performance won't do much to change the big picture of the Vikings' season, but a positive outing would be a good argument for McCarthy's place in the future of the franchise.

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