Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 12: Smart Sleepers to Exploit and Lineup Advice
Washington Redskins running back Robert Kelley stresses two important factors of fantasy football.
One is sleepers, which Kelley slowly became while Washington struggled to find a lead back. He made his way into waiver-wire territory and became a sleeper pulling off 14-point performances in Week 8.
The second is stars, which Kelley has easily become after a 31-point outburst in Week 11 that had him leading all scorers in fantasy football before Monday.
Should owners hit on sleepers and stars like Kelley in Week 12 with playoff spots possibly up for grabs, the path ahead looks great.
With no byes and a holiday slate on tap, owners certainly have plenty of options.
Quarterback
| Aaron Rodgers (at PHI) vs. Kirk Cousins (at DAL) | Kirk Cousins |
| Tom Brady (at NYJ) vs. Russell Wilson (at TB) | Russell Wilson |
| Dak Prescott (vs. WAS) vs. Marcus Mariota (at CHI) | Marcus Mariota |
| Jameis Winston (vs. SEA) vs. Drew Brees (vs. LA) | Drew Brees |
| Matthew Stafford (vs. MIN) vs. Cam Newton (at OAK) | Cam Newton |
Star to Know: Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (at IND)
Now isn't the time to throw in the towel on Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Big Ben landed as fantasy's biggest disappointment in Week 11, scoring only eight points against the lowly Cleveland Browns in what looked like the matchup of the week.
Alas, owners can't afford to give up. Big Ben gets a shot at redemption in Week 12 against the Indianapolis Colts, the team that entered Week 11 allowing the fourth-most points to quarterbacks on average.
Unlike playing Cleveland in the wind, the Colts will actually put up a fight and force Big Ben to the air thanks to a guy by the name of Andrew Luck. Owners should expect a major rebound.
Sleeper to Exploit: Joe Flacco, BAL (vs. CIN)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco doesn't sound like a sleeper per se, but he's owned in only 29.3 percent of leagues.
Fair enough. Flacco has only gone for more than 20 points twice in a contest this year. But he showed in Week 10 what a good matchup can do—he torched Cleveland for three touchdowns on the way to 21 points.
A matchup-based play, Flacco next gets the struggling Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, a team that ranked right behind Indianapolis in terms of points allowed to quarterbacks.
The Cincinnati defense has allowed two or more touchdown passes in six games this year, meaning Flacco has a good shot at making it a seventh.
Running Back
| David Johnson (at ATL) vs. LeGarrette Blount (at NYJ) | David Johnson |
| Le'Veon Bell (at IND) vs. DeMarco Murray (at CHI) | DeMarco Murray |
| Todd Gurley (at NO) vs. Frank Gore (vs. PIT) | Todd Gurley |
| Ezekiel Elliott (vs. WAS) vs. Jonathan Stewart (at OAK) | Ezekiel Elliott |
| Jay Ajayi (vs. SF) vs. Terrance West (vs. CIN) | Jay Ajayi |
Star to Know: Todd Gurley, LA (at NO)
Todd Gurley finally returned to fantasy relevancy in Week 11.
Gurley had gone four games without breaking double digits before Week 11, where he carried the ball 20 times for 76 yards and a score, good for 13 points.
The performance was the perfect time for Gurley to make a comeback thanks to a Week 12 game against the New Orleans Saints. He shouldn't have any problems keeping it going against a defense that entered Week 11 allowing the fourth-most points to opposing backs before coughing up a rushing score to Carolina's Jonathan Stewart.
Los Angeles will look to run the ball and control the clock against a Drew Brees-led offense, so expect Gurley to have a big day.
Sleeper to Exploit: Wendell Smallwood, PHI (vs. GB)
Wendell Smallwood looks like the lead man for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Smallwood has seven points in each of his last two games, which doesn't sound like much. But he has now received 13 carries two games in a row, meaning his usage continues to increase as the coaches turn to him more often.
It gets better. Smallwood should see a usage uptick in Week 12 with both Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles nursing injuries. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said both men should play in Week 12, but this could mean in a limited capacity, if at all.
The opponent? The Green Bay Packers, which could lead to a rather high-scoring affair. Keep in mind Smallwood's latest encouraging showing came against the stingy Seattle Seahawks defense.
Wide Receiver
| Dez Bryant (vs. WAS) vs. T.Y. Hilton (vs. PIT) | Dez Bryant |
| Julian Edelman (at NYJ) vs. Doug Baldwin (at TB) | Doug Baldwin |
| Mike Evans (vs. SEA) vs. Terrelle Pryor Sr. (vs. NYG) | Terrelle Pryor Sr. |
| Randall Cobb (at PHI) vs. Larry Fitzgerald (at ATL) | Larry Fitzgerald |
| Antonio Brown (at IND) vs. Kelvin Benjamin (at OAK) | Antonio Brown |
Star to Know: Doug Baldwin, SEA (at TB)
Owners of Seahawks wideout Doug Baldwin probably weren't too happy for a decent stretch seeing as he hit on double-digit outings in five consecutive games.
Now? Owners need to hang on for the ride as long as it lasts. Baldwin dropped a 23-point burger in Week 10, then he turned around and added 14 more in Week 11, turning four catches into 104 yards.
Baldwin defines boom-or-bust players. He's going to boom again in Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that entered Week 11 giving up the second-most points to wideouts on average.
Given the streak and a chance the game features plenty of scoring, Baldwin should post one of the top lines of the week.
Sleeper to Exploit: Tajae Sharpe, TEN (at CHI)
Say hello to one of the biggest gainers in ownership percentage going into Week 12.
Tennessee Titans wideout Tajae Sharpe has had a monster two weeks, totaling a score and 12 points apiece in each game. Before the streak, he hadn't scored more than seven points in an outing.
Now is a great time for Sharpe to develop a better connection with quarterback Marcus Mariota going into a game against the lowly Chicago Bears. Chicago allowed the most points to wideouts on average entering Week 11 and hasn't showed any signs of slowing.
Sharpe will eventually cool off into a steady-floor player. Gifted with such a must-see matchup, though, this isn't the week he returns to normal production.
Tight End
| Jared Cook (at PHI) vs. Eric Ebron (vs. MIN) | Jared Cook |
| Jimmy Graham (at TB) vs. Travis Kelce (at DEN) | Jimmy Graham |
| Kyle Rudolph (at DET) vs. Coby Fleener (vs. LA) | Kyle Rudolph |
| Jordan Reed (at DAL) vs. Jason Witten (vs. WAS) | Jordan Reed |
| Greg Olsen (at OAK) vs. Tyler Eifert (at BAL) | Tyler Eifert |
Star to Know: Kyle Rudolph, MIN (at DET)
Owners also need to forgive Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph.
Rudolph had a brutal Week 11 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals and totaled one point. The rough outing broke a streak of two games with a touchdown.
Now Rudolph gets to go against the Detroit Lions, a team that entered Week 11 having coughed up the second-most points to tight ends.
Disclaimer: Rudolph met the Lions in Week 9 and scored a touchdown—but only six points. However, owners can't afford to ignore a top-10 scorer at the position in such a great matchup.
Sleeper to Exploit: Vance McDonald, SF (at MIA)
Don't look now, but 1.7 percent-owned Vance McDonald has touchdowns and 10 or more points in two out of his last three outings.
Who says the San Francisco 49ers are a fantasy wasteland?
McDonald did his most recent damage against the New England Patriots, a team that has otherwise been stout against tight ends this season. This bodes well for his Week 12 outlook against the Miami Dolphins, seeing as the unit just coughed up two touchdowns to tight ends in Week 10.
With McDonald streaking and the Dolphins erratic against the position, owners who need a sleeper at tight end have a solid option in Week 12.
All scoring info and statistics courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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