Making lineup decisions can be the most frustrating or most rewarding part of fantasy football. Here to help you make those decisions are our start ’em and sit ’em picks. Fantasy decisions will only get more important from here on out, so let’s take a look at our Week 12 start/sit plays.
Start ‘Em: Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions (vs. NYG)
If there’s one positive we can take away from Jared Goff’s Sunday night disaster against the Philadelphia Eagles last week, it’s that he threw a touchdown pass. That extends his streak that dates back to Week 13 of last season. The rest of it, though…not good.
Goff attempted 37 passes, just two off his season high. Yet, he completed a mere 14 of them, his season low. Under pressure all night, Goff looked uncomfortable and rattled. Fantasy managers are right to not view the Detroit Lions quarterback as an every-week fantasy starter. That’s where matchups come in.
The Lions have been very good at bouncing back this season. They have yet to lose two in a row, and each time they have a bad loss, they return with a vengeance. Waiting for them in Week 12 are the hapless New York Giants.
Two weeks ago, the Lions rebounded from a bad loss to the Minnesota Vikings by dropping 44 points on the Washington Commanders. I fear the Giants may suffer a similar fate.
New York is allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. While we should see plenty of Jahmyr Gibbs dominating on the ground in this one, the Lions are probably scoring 4-5 touchdowns. That means there should be enough for Goff to at least get to 250 and 2 in this one.
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams (vs. TB)
What Matthew Stafford is doing at age 37 with a bad back is genuinely incredible. But it’s wild that anyone he thinks he’s somehow a high-end QB1. In the modern NFL, pure pocket passers are way too unreliable because their production rests exclusively on how their team happens to score touchdowns.
Impressively, Stafford does have five elite QB1 performances. He also has four games with below 15 fantasy points. He is still matchup dependent.
This week, Stafford is in a great spot at home, coming off what was easily his worst game of the season, throwing for 130 yards and two touchdowns against a great Seahawks defense.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers allow the seventh-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They just gave up the overall QB1 performance of the season to Josh Allen.
Of course, Stafford is not Allen. But the Rams’ offense should get back on track against a much easier foe. Plus, Baker Mayfield should, in theory, be able to push this offense to need to score a bit more than Sam Darnold did last week. Stafford is firmly in the QB1 ranks this week.
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints (vs. ATL)
Perhaps rumors of Alvin Kamara’s demise were exaggerated (I won’t say greatly). Before the bye, the 30-year-old back saw his heaviest workload of the season, turning 22 carries into 83 yards while also adding three receptions for 32 yards. Despite not scoring, Kamara’s 14.5 fantasy points marked his second-highest total of the season.
If Kamara is ever going to hit 20 fantasy points in a game again, this is the spot. The Atlanta Falcons are a dead team walking. One of the worst teams in football, they very well may be down their starting quarterback and elite WR1 with both Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London nursing injuries.
MORE: Free Fantasy Start/Sit Optimizer
At home, the Saints can absolutely avoid a negative game script and possibly even win. In an ideal world, Kellen Moore won’t have Tyler Shough attempt more than 25 passes.
Devin Neal will certainly mix in, but Kamara remains the lead back and proved he can still handle a significant workload. The spot couldn’t be better against a defense allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to running backs.
Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, RBs, Seattle Seahawks (at TEN)
Last week, the Seattle Seahawks backs were on the other side of this column. The hit rate was 50% as Kenneth Walker III wound up with his best game of the season, while Zach Charbonnet completely flopped. This week, they are both in play.
With the Seahawks coming off a loss, they are primed for a bounce-back. This is a game they should win easily and control on the ground. And you want to run on the Tennessee Titans.
Don’t let their ability to contain Woody Marks and Nick Chubb fool you; the Titans cannot stop the run. This defense allows the sixth-most fantasy points per game to running backs. Walker should be able to dance around and break off a big run or two. And Sam Darnold should be able to get this team in scoring position enough for Charbonnet to punch in a short touchdown.
DK Metcalf, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (at CHI)
The wide receiver situation in fantasy football is rough this year. Some of the names that make their way into the top 18ish weekly rankings are guys we wouldn’t expect. Someone like DK Metcalf looks far better than his numbers suggest.
I still believe Metcalf has alpha WR1 traits. He’s just trapped in an offense that can’t utilize them.
Over his past five games, Metcalf has reached 10.0 fantasy points just once. His highest receiving total over that span is 55 yards. It’s not been pleasant.
It remains to be seen if Aaron Rodgers can start this week. But even if it’s Mason Rudolph, Metcalf is still a strong starting option.
This game has low-key shootout potential. Metcalf is still the clear top option in the Steelers’ passing game, and the Chicago Bears allow the third-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Metcalf has as good a chance as he ever will at a long touchdown.
Rome Odunze WR, Chicago Bears (at PIT)
Sticking with the same game, Rome Odunze is also in a good spot, especially if my inkling about a high-scoring affair proves accurate.
The production of the Bears’ wide receivers has been very dependent upon which Caleb Williams shows up. That may seem unpredictable, but Williams is actually pretty easy to predict. He struggles in tough matchups and smashes in favorable ones.
The 2025 Steelers do not have a good defense. They have been vulnerable to the deep ball and allow the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.
Since the Bears’ Week 5 bye, Odunze has been worth benching more than starting, with only two viable performances over that span. But the matchup does not get easier than it is this week. Odunze has WR1 upside.
Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. IND)
In a game where the Chiefs struggled to get anything going offensively for most of the afternoon, the lone bright spot was Travis Kelce. After a slow start to the season, the future Mr. Taylor Swift now has at least 13.8 fantasy points in five of his last six, culminating in a season-high 24.1 fantasy points last week against the Denver Broncos.
Kelce set his highest marks of the season in targets (13) and receptions (9). His 91 yards marked his second-best outing of the season, and he scored his fourth touchdown. This came against an elite Broncos defensive unit.
This week, Kelce gets a Colts defense allowing the seventh-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. Kansas City has to win this game. When Patrick Mahomes’ back is against the wall, he looks for his favorite all-time target. This should be another heavy usage game for Kelce.
Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots (at CIN)
If you’re someone who used to roster Hunter Henry but no longer do, I can’t blame you. The New England Patriots tight end has just three double-digit fantasy performances on the season, and all of them came within the first month. He hasn’t sniffed 10+ fantasy points since Week 4.
With that said, there were encouraging signs last week. Henry saw six targets, catching four for 45 yards.
Now, the veteran tight end gets the best matchup imaginable. The gap between the Cincinnati Bengals and the second-worst team against tight ends is a chasm. They are, by far, the best matchup for the position. If you are not going to fire up Henry this week, you might as well drop him.
Sit ‘Em: Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at LAR)
It’s a bit counterintuitive for me to think Baker Mayfield can push the Rams offense, while simultaneously being a sit. But hear me out.
Mayfield has been pretty disappointing this season, at least compared to what he did last year. Last week marked his third game of the season with below 200 passing yards. It was the fourth time he threw for a maximum of one touchdown.
As potent as the Bucs offense can be, this is a tough spot against a Rams defense allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They just forced Sam Darnold into four interceptions.
Mayfield probably won’t completely dud because he is usually good enough to avoid it. Just don’t expect him to push 20 fantasy points in this one.
Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts (at KC)
Fresh off the bye, Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts have their toughest test of the season thus far. The Kansas City Chiefs absolutely need this win or they risk missing the playoffs for the first time since they drafted Patrick Mahomes.
Before their Week 11 bye, Jones posted two of his weakest efforts of the season. He still managed 17.1 and 16.5 fantasy points, but he threw four interceptions across those two games.
The Colts will undoubtedly try to lean on Jonathan Taylor. Of course, the Chiefs know that, and they will plan to make Jones beat them. I’m not sure he’s up to the task.
The nature of this game might lead to increased rushing from Jones, salvaging his fantasy outing. The matchup is slightly below average against a defense allowing the 13th-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, and the Chiefs need the game. Look for them to pull out all the stops to stymie this offense, leading to an underwhelming effort from Mr. Dimes.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants (at DET)
Last week, I faded Tyrone Tracy Jr. against a tough Green Bay Packers defense. It backfired as the sophomore runner had his best game of the season with 17.9 fantasy points. But we must stick to the process. And the process leads to fading the Giants runner once again.
This is a terrible spot for the Giants. They are on the road against an angry Lions team coming off an embarrassing offensive performance against the Eagles. Detroit should obliterate the Giants, who are trending toward starting Jameis Winston once again.
A negative game script is bad enough for a running back’s prospects of producing. To make matters worse, the Lions have been an elite run-stopping unit, allowing the second-fewest fantasy points per game to the position. Add in the fact that Devin Singletary appears to be the goal line back and the avenues for Tracy to post passable numbers dry up very quickly.
Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans (vs. SEA)
It feels as if the entire Titans offense can go in the sit section every week. But we’ll focus on Tony Pollard.
Through 11 weeks, Pollard’s best fantasy outing of the season is the 14.8 fantasy points he scored in Week 5 against the Cardinals. Since Week 6, he’s crossed double digits once. His best outing in his last three is 7.8 points.
Now, Pollard gets a Seahawks defense that ranks among the best in the league. They allow the 11th-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. Pollard can’t even survive purely on volume, as he was outsnapped by Tyjae Spears last week, a trend that seems to be holding based on repeated negative game script. The Titans are not about to find themselves in an advantageous spot this time. Pollard belongs on the benches.
Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers (vs. CAR)
Given the caliber of wide receivers that find themselves inside the top 24, it’s increasingly complex to find players to recommend benching that fantasy managers might actually consider.
Ricky Pearsall returned after a six-game absence last week and did nothing to inspire confidence. With the San Francisco 49ers’ entire offense finally healthy, we got a window into the pecking order.
MORE: Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer
Jauan Jennings is the clear WR1. Brock Purdy loves him some George Kittle. Christian McCaffrey is always going to get his. That leaves Pearsall as a distant fourth offensive weapon. In a game where the 49ers scored 41 points, Pearsall earned a mere three targets, catching one for no gain.
At home against the Panthers, the 49ers should control this game throughout. That means leaning on McCaffrey and Brian Robinson Jr.
Without volume, Pearsall will need to be efficient or score. That might be tough against a Panthers defense that has been surprisingly tough against wide receivers, allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game to the position. Pearsall cannot be trusted in lineups until he proves worthy.
Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers (vs. MIN)
I guess 9.3 fantasy points isn’t completely terrible. But Romeo Doubs only managing that against the Giants is not exactly encouraging. He’s now failed to reach double-digit fantasy points in three of his last four. If Doubs couldn’t get it going in favorable matchups, it’s hard to feel confident in difficult ones.
The Vikings allow the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Doubs appears to be losing his grip on the WR1 role to Christian Watson, as the latter ran more routes than him last week.
It certainly doesn’t help that Doubs had two egregious drops in the first half of the Packers’ not-so-convincing win over the Giants.
This game has all the markers of a low-scoring defensive slog. If Doubs gets to 10 points, it will be a success.
Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans Saints (vs. ATL)
It’s always challenging to recommend tight ends because there are so few that are no-brainer starts. Juwan Johnson has been a mixed bag this season, oscillating between every week must start and waiver wire fodder. It’s actually been quite frustrating.
Fantasy managers probably didn’t fully buy into Johnson as a TE1 until Week 3 or 4. After opening the season with three straight double-digit outings, Johnson finally earned the trust of fantasy managers, only to disappear for three weeks.
After posting 11.0 fantasy points total from Weeks 4-6, he found himself cast aside, returned to the waiver wire from which he was found. Naturally, he went on to hit double digits in each of his next four games leading into the bye.
Johnson is coming off his best game of the season, catching four passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. He’s now scored in two straight, which is skewing his perception. The reality is he’s in the midst of fading once again.
Since Tyler Shough took over, Johnson has seen target counts of four and four. That is not going to get it done. Now, he receives an Atlanta Falcons defense allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. This is not the spot to chase those points.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Cleveland Browns (at LV)
For a rookie third-round tight end, Harold Fannin Jr. has certainly exceeded expectations. He belongs on fantasy rosters and is startable in a pinch. This may not be the week.
Fannin has only had four games with double-digit fantasy points all season. He’s posted lines of 4-44 and 2-26 in each of his last two.
This week, Fannin gets a Las Vegas Raiders defense that has been surprisingly stout against the tight end. They are allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to the position.
As bad as the Raiders are overall, their defense hasn’t been a total disaster. Given the caliber of the Browns’ offense and their quarterback situation, this is the type of game where they will look to lean on Quinshon Judkins. With the volume unlikely to be there, fantasy managers are relying on a potential touchdown, which is not something you want to do with Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders playing quarterback.
