1. Bryce Brown — The Bryceman cometh. Making a spot start in place of LeSean McCoy, who sat out with a concussion, Brown was Week 12’s high fantasy scorer among running backs, carrying 19 times for 178 yards and two TDs in the Eagles’ Monday-night loss to the Panthers. Brown’s fantasy value could shrink upon McCoy’s return to the lineup, but as of Wednesday, the chances of McCoy being back for Philly’s Week 13 Game in Dallas didn’t sound promising. Even if McCoy is able to return, Brown still might get enough carries to have flex value. (And really, what’s the incentive for the Eagles to rush McCoy back into action with their season circling the drain?) After facing the soft Carolina run defense last week, Brown will have to contend with the Cowboys, who rank a respectable 13th in run defense.

2. Cecil Shorts — Not only does hhave a fun name, but Shorts is on the (ahem) short list of most pleasant surprises of the fantasy season. He’s now has caught a TD passes in three consecutive games, and he’s had 100-plus receiving yards in three of his last five games. The Jacksonville passing attack has not only become functional since Chad Henne replaced Blaine Gabbert as the team’s starting quarterback, it’s bordering on prolific. Even with rookie WR Justin Blackmon starting to blossom in recent weeks, there might be enough receiving yardage and TD catches to keep both Shorts owners and Blackmon owners happy when the Jaguars visit Buffalo on Sunday.

3. Colin Kaepernick — Kaepernick’s second NFL start was a smashing success, as the dynamic second-year signalcaller led the 49ers to an impressive road win over the Saints, completing 16-of-25 passes for 231 yards, with one TD and one INT. He also ran for 27 yards and a touchdown. Alex Smith owners were rarely tempted to start their dink-and-dunk passer over any mid-tier quarterbacks (Tony Romo or Andy Dalton, for example), but Kaepernick is creating interesting lineup dilemmas for some of his owners. He looked sharp as a passer against New Orleans last week, and his running ability makes him potentially explosive. But is there a chance that Kaepernick could be yanked and replaced by Smith if he struggled early on in the Niners’ game at St. Louis this weekend (or in any other game in the coming weeks)? The potential for a quick hook makes Kaepernick a bit of a risk, but a compelling one nonetheless.