Looking to get the edge in your fantasy matchup for Week 12? Those tough start/sit decisions are often the difference between winning and losing, and at this stage of the season that is more important than ever. Here are the players you should be getting in and out of your lineup this weekend.
Quarterback
Start ‘Em
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders (vs SEA) – After his shocker against the Saints in Week 8, Carr is showing signs of a resurgence. Since that shutout defeat, he is averaging 18.9 points per game. In that period, he has thrown for six touchdowns and no interceptions. This weekend he faces a Seahawks defense that has started to drop off in recent weeks. Carr should have another solid outing here.
Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (vs LV) – Geno has been excellent this season, sitting as the QB7 in scoring. He has finished as QB19 or higher in each of his last eight games, including four top 10 finishes. Smith has thrown for multiple touchdowns in all but two games this season and prepares to face a Raiders defense that is allowing the third most points per game to the position. That feels like a recipe for success.
Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons (vs WAS) – So far this season Mariota has three QB1 finishes and seven QB2 finishes. Whilst his volume of passing is low, the added value he provides as a runner has helped to make up for it and he presents a noticeably high floor from a fantasy perspective. Whilst Washington might limit Atlanta’s running game, that should just see Mariota pass more, and that’s great for fantasy.
Sit ‘Em
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos (vs CAR) – The Broncos’ offense is broken. Wilson has just seven touchdowns through ten games this season. He has exceeded 15 fantasy points just twice, and both came before Week 5. He ranks 27th in points per game since Week 6, putting him below players like Davis Mills and Jacoby Brissett. There’s just no way I can even consider starting him at this point.
Taylor Heinecke, Washington Commanders (vs ATL) – Don’t get drawn in by the matchup against Atlanta. Heinecke has shown himself to be limited as a passer and Washington have leant on their running game since he became their starter. That is evidenced by the fact he has topped 200 passing yards just once in his last three games. Heinecke failed to top seven points in his last two games, including against a bad Texans defense. I’m not expecting much here either.
Zach Wilson, New York Jets (vs CHI) – On paper this is a decent matchup against an underwhelming Bears defense. The problem is that Wilson looks borderline unplayable at this point. He was always going to have a tough time against the Patriots in Week 11, but his issues predate that. Wilson has just one QB1 finish in his last six games. He has thrown for multiple touchdowns just once all season and has exceeded 200 passing yards once since Week 5.
Running back
Start ‘Em
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals (vs LAC) – Conner had a tough game against the 49ers in Week 11, but he will get a completely different level of challenge against the Chargers this weekend. L.A. can’t stop the run and are giving up 28.1 points per game to opposing running backs. With Eno Benjamin gone and Keontay Ingram playing a sparing role, Conner should hoover up most of the action.
Jeff Wilson, Miami Dolphins (vs HOU) – Wilson has been great since teaming back up with Mike McDaniel in Miami. Through his two starts as a Dolphin he has scored 38.5 points, which puts him fifth in points per game during that period. This weekend he gets a very favourable matchup against Houston. The Texans are allowing a league-high 31 points per game to running backs, giving up a scarcely believable 153.6 rushing yards per game.
Latavius Murray, Denver Broncos (vs CAR) – When the season started, I never thought I’d be suggesting you start a 32-year-old Latavius Murray, but there you go! With Melvin Gordon waived by the Broncos and Chase Edmonds out injured, Murray is seemingly the last man standing in the backfield. His only other competition for touches will be from Marlon Mack. Add in some solid recent production (including an RB12 finish last week) and it’s easy to get onboard.
Sit ‘Em
Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs IND) – It is a sign of how quickly things change in fantasy football that Harris is no longer an automatic fantasy starter. Whilst he looked good last week against the Bengals, that was the first time in a long time that he’s been a good fantasy option. Prior to that game, he had not logged an RB1 finish since Week 2. He is going to have a tough time here against the Colts, whose strong run defense and should bottle up the bulk of the Steelers’ ground game.
Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans (vs MIA) – I love Pierce so I hate putting him on this list, but I can’t see past their matchup. Yes, the Texans face a notoriously poor Miami defense. But the bottom line is that they don’t give up a tonne of points to running backs because opponents are forced into pass-heavy game scripts to keep pace. With Pierce offering limited production as a pass catcher, I wouldn’t want to gamble on a big ground game in this one.
Leonard Fournette, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs CLE) – Are Fournette’s days as an RB1 over? It certainly feels that way. He has seen a noticeable decrease in usage through recent weeks. He and Rachaad White have played an almost identical number of snaps since Week 8 and White has one less touch over that period. White has also been far more productive, averaging 1.3 yards more per carry than Fournette. With an unstable workload and below average production I see little reason to start Fournette this weekend.
Wide receiver
Start ‘Em
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers (vs NO) – Through the first five weeks, Aiyuk barely featured, failing to finish higher than WR40 in a single week. Since Week 6 he has exploded, averaging 18.4 points per game, the eighth highest at the position. He has finished lower than WR18 just once too. This weekend he faces a Saints defense allowing 33.7 points per game to opposing wide receivers.
Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs BAL) – For a while it looked like Kirk’s role in the Jaguars’ offense was declining. After all, he only managed seven catches for 95 yards between Weeks 4 and 6. That’s definitely not been the case since though. Kirk has exceeded 75 yards in three of his last four games and in that spell he ranks seventh in targets and eighth in receiving yards amongst wide receivers. This weekend he faces a Ravens defense that ranks 26th in points allowed to opposing wide receivers.
Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts (vs PIT) – This one is a bit more of a gamble, but the potential payoff is significant. Campbell has become an increasing part of this Colts offense. After earning just 15 targets through his first five games, he has 45 through his last six. He has topped 15 fantasy points three times in that spell. He spends the vast majority of his time in the slot, which bodes well for Week 12. The Colts face a Steelers defense that is allowing a league-high 26.2 points per game to slot receivers.
Sit ‘Em
Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders (vs ATL) – Taylor Heinecke might have helped Washington to win a few games, but his ascenscion to starting quarterback has coincided with a significant decline in production from Samuel. He has logged just 14 targets through his last four games and has finished above WR36 just once in that period. Even with a nice matchup against the Falcons, I can’t see him getting the workload to warrant a start.
DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers (vs DEN) – For a brief period in Weeks 7 and 8, it looked like Moore might finally live up to his fantasy potential. He had back-to-back top ten games, scoring 47.1 points. Since the return of Baker Mayfield in Week 9, things have fallen off a cliff, with Moore failing to top 30 total points or finish higher than WR51. Add in a tough game against Denver and I’m not going near this one.
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos (vs CAR) – Moore isn’t the only WR suffocating in a dire offense. Sutton is living proof that it is difficult to maintain fantasy relevance in an offense that can’t score touchdowns. Despite a fairly healthy volume of targets, Sutton hasn’t finished higher than WR26 since Week 4. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this was the last time he scored a touchdown. He hasn’t topped 13 points since, and I see no reason to see him doing so this weekend.
Tight end
Start ‘Em
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears (vs NYJ) – Kmet’s season can be split into two halves. The first half through Week 7 saw him rank 50th in points per game, behind the likes of Zach Gentry, Jake Ferguson, and Colby Parkinson. Since then, Kmet ranks second in scoring amongst all tight ends, behind only Travis Kelce. He and Justin Fields have cleared formed a good connection and I would bank on that continuing despite a tough matchup against the Jets.
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns (vs TEN) – Don’t be put off by Njoku’s 4.7-point performance last week against the Bills. For starters, he was facing perhaps the best defense in football. There’s also the fact that this was his first game back from injury. He should see an uptick in usage this weekend against a Titans defense that hasn’t been great against the position this season.
Foster Moreau, Las Vegas Raiders (vs SEA) – Moreau has been a little bit of a boom or bust option since taking over from an injured Darren Waller. Since Week 7 he has two games with at least 12 points. He also has two where he failed to clear five points. The one thing that gets me excited for this weekend though is the matchup. Moreau faces off against a Seahawks defense that has been utterly powerless to stop tight ends, allowing a league-high 20 points per game to the position.
Sit ‘Em
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints (vs SF) – I love Johnson and he has been a revelation this season. He currently ranks as TE7 and has finished as a top ten tight end in four of his last five outings. That screams that you should start him, but context is always key. He faces a really tough 49ers defense who are incredibly stingy against opposing tight ends. He’s going to have his work cut out in this one.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets (vs CHI) – Conklin ranks as the TE12 through the season, but recent weeks have been nothing short of disastrous. Aside from an incredible 28.9-point game against the Patriots in Week 8, he has failed to finish above TE20 since Week 4. He’s finished with less than five points four times in that period. With an anemic looking passing attack I’ve no interest here. The only thing that could change my mind is if Joe Flacco starts.
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs BAL) – Engram was on fire for a four-week spell until Week 8 but has come back down to earth since. After logging four consecutive double-digit games, he has scored just 8.2 in his last two. There’s always a chance that he has a rebound performance off the bye, but with Christian Kirk playing an increased role I think Engram might have another quiet outing against an impressive Ravens defense.