Admin November 19, 2024
Andrew Whitworth helps us break down the latest NFL storylines
Andrew Whitworth stops by to talk all things NFL and tells us about his new partnership with Tide.
Sports Seriously
Just three weeks remain until the fantasy football playoffs, and there are three situations you could possibly find yourself in:
- You’re in first or second place, looking good and just coasting into the fantasy playoffs
- You’re a bubble playoff team, and just one loss could totally derail your season
- You’re near the bottom of the league and are looking to avoid your league’s last-place punishment
Regardless of which situation you fall under though, you are likely in desperate need of understanding who to start this week.
Week 12 offers a wide range of potentially very high-scoring football games. The Kansas City Chiefs get a matchup against a weak Carolina Panthers defense. The Denver Broncos‘ offense looked to have figured a few things out last week and now they face a lackluster Las Vegas Raiders defense. The explosive Miami Dolphins‘ offense faces the New England Patriots. The list goes on and on.
With that, here are 16 players to start or sit in your fantasy football matchups this week.
Players to start in Week 12
Quarterbacks
Is Patrick Mahomes good? Yes. Is he a good fantasy starter? Not really. However, facing the Carolina Panthers this week, it’s tough to bet against him. While there is a world where the Chiefs go up big early and just hand the ball off for the entire second half, Mahomes’ upside is too good to leave him on your bench another week.
Don’t look now, but the Chargers have started leaning on the pass more. In the first four weeks of the season, the Chargers threw the ball more than 26 times only once. They’ve thrown at least 27 times in five of their last six. The Baltimore Ravens have given up the third-most points per game to opposing quarterbacks this year.
Running backs
I get it. The Broncos’ backfield has been an enigma all season long. Just when Javonte Williams looks like the main man in the Mile High City, Audric Estime swoops in and gets the bulk of the snaps and carries against Kansas City. He looked good in that role too, but then a week later, it’s back to Williams. It doesn’t make sense.
Regardless of who gets the starting nod for Denver in Week 12 though, Williams should have a productive performance. The Raiders have been atrocious against the run all year and have surrendered at least four receptions to halfbacks in all but one game this year as well.
Isiah Pacheco is expected to return this week, but that doesn’t matter. Why? Because the Carolina Panthers suck and Hunt looked too good for his role to evaporate in the first week that Pacheco returns. That’s the crux of it. Pacheco’s injury was pretty serious, and the Chiefs likely won’t give him his full workload in his first week back. Even if they do though, Kansas City is going to be near the goal line a lot, and you can bet the house that Hunt will get a few of those goal-line carries.
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Wide receivers
Chargers rookie receiver Ladd McConkey broke out in Week 8 for 29.1 PPR fantasy points. What’s crazy though, is that in his last five games, that week saw him earn the second-fewest targets of that stretch. McConkey does a lot with very little in this Chargers’ offense, so imagine what he could do when he has to do a lot.
The Baltimore Ravens are a very good football team. They will score, and the Chargers will have to maintain pace. With Baltimore surrendering the most non-PPR fantasy points to opposing wide receivers on the year, McConkey will have plenty of opportunity to go bananas in Week 12.
The Cleveland Browns have been atrocious against wide receivers all year, having surrendered the fourth-most non-PPR fantasy points per game to wideouts. Mike Williams might have only earned one target in his two games with Pittsburgh thus far, but with the Steelers facing a divisional foe, Pittsburgh could very well rely on their new tool that Cleveland doesn’t know much about in order to gain an advantage. Will Williams record 20-plus points? No, but four receptions, 50 yards? Maybe, and with so many good teams on bye this week, that could be a very solid fill-in at FLEX.
Tight ends
The New York Giants have been great at defending tight ends all year. Furthermore, Mike Evans could return to the Bucs’ offense this week. So, why on Earth would you ever start Cade Otton?
Well, wouldn’t you say Otton has earned it this week? Outside of a mediocre outing against San Francisco, where the entire Bucs’ offense couldn’t get it going, Otton had earned at least eight receptions and 70 yards in three of his last four games. We know this Tampa Bay offense can support two stud fantasy pass-catchers, and Otton is the obvious man second option on this team.
While no options on the Carolina Panthers are great against the Kansas City Chiefs, you can imagine that the Panthers are going to pass the ball a lot. The Chiefs are phenomenal at shutting down opposing teams’ top options, and Chuba Hubbard is Carolina’s only option really. With Hubbard likely locked down, the Panthers’ passing game should see some openings, and Sanders is the only pass-catcher that has done anything really since Diontae Johnson’s departure.
Sure, Jalen Coker got eight targets in the team’s last game, but Sanders was the one who got in the endzone. Sanders has at least eight PPR fantasy points in each of the last two games and now faces a Chiefs defense that has given up the fourth-most non-PPR fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends.
As was the case with Mike Williams, Sanders probably won’t win you your week, but he could be a good streaming option with upside.
Players to sit in Week 12
Quarterbacks
The Philadelphia Eagles have allowed the sixth fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks on the season. While it might not affect Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua all that much, Stafford could have a very tough time finding the end zone. After all, Philadelphia is only surrendering touchdowns on 46% of their opponents’ red zone trips. They’ve been very good against the pass up close as well. It will likely fall on Kyren Williams to score if the Rams want to win (more on him in a moment).
While Jordan Love has been fantastic all year, he would have only scored 14 points last week week if not for a rare rushing touchdown. Now Love is faced with another tough matchup in San Francisco. Even potentially without Nick Bosa, the 49ers defense is still very good at getting pressure, which will make it tough for Love to produce in fantasy.
Running backs
Will Dobbins’ history with the Baltimore Ravens help the Chargers in their upcoming Monday night matchup? Maybe. But Dobbins will have a rough day. Not only did Gus Edwards eat into Dobbins’ role heavily in Week 11, but this is a game where the Chargers could be playing from behind, and Dobbins isn’t really a pass-catcher. Oh, the Ravens have also given up the seventh fewest non-PPR points per game to opposing running backs.
As talented as Kyren Williams is, he just hasn’t been the same when both Kupp and Nacua have been healthy. He’s played in just four games where both players were healthy the whole game and he’s only scored more than 12 PPR points in one of those games. The receiving work just isn’t there.
Now he faces an Eagles defense that gives up the fourth fewest fantasy points per game to opposing running backs? Count me out.
Wide receivers
This one is pretty simple. He hasn’t been that good. He got hurt in Week 11, and he’s playing a stout Bears secondary. Stay very, very, very far away.
Meyers has been solid since the departure of Davante Adams, but facing Pat Surtain and the Broncos’ secondary in Week 12, Meyers will have a tough time getting anything going.
Tight ends
The Tennessee Titans allow the fifth fewest non-PPR points per game to tight ends. With Nico Collins making his triumphant return to the Texans’ lineup in Week 11, the Texans’ passing attack will lean even less on Schultz, who has not scored all year and hasn’t even had a game with more than four receptions.
The San Francisco 49ers are tied with the Tennessee Titans, allowing the fifth-fewest non-PPR points per game to opposing tight ends. With Nick Bosa dealing with an injury, the Packers will likely lean on the run early and often in this game. When they are forced to pass, Love will probably be looking at the guys who aren’t near Fred Warner more than Kraft.
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