Week 12 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Advice on Fantasy Football Stars to Play or Bench
With the flurry of family activity that Thanksgiving week brings, you would be forgiven for not devoting as much attention to setting your fantasy football lineup for Week 12.
Never fear, because we've put together a cheat sheet of the biggest start 'em and sit 'em candidates for this week, based on matchups, recent performance and projections.
With so many games on Thursday, though, make sure you remember to get up early (you'll likely be up anyway to get your bird in the oven) to get in your waiver claims, if your league allows same-day pickups.
We have selected a start 'em and a sit 'em candidate for two wide receivers and two running backs, and a couple of the names may surprise you.
Fantasy scoring projections are via Fantasy Pros and based on points-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
Start: Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders
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Week 12 opponent and scoring projection: vs. Falcons, 4.9 rec, 70.8 rec yds, 0.3 rec TD, 14 pts
You may be nervous to start Terry McLaurin in Week 12 after he had a pedestrian (for him) stat line against the Texans in Week 11, hauling in four receptions for 55 yards and rushing for one yard on one attempt.
However, the 27-year-old has shown himself to be a leader on the Commanders offense and a go-to target for starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
In Week 12, McLaurin will be going up against a Falcons defense that has allowed the most passing yards this season, the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, and is second in average points per game allowed to opposing wide receivers, per the Football Database.
Even though star cornerback AJ Terrell returned to the Atlanta lineup in Week 11, expect Heinicke to look McLaurin's way early and often in this game, showcasing the high fantasy floor the duo has developed over the past few years.
Other Week 12 Wide Receivers to Start
Gabe Davis, Buffalo Bills (at Lions)
Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots (at Vikings)
Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts (vs. Steelers)
Sit: DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers
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Week 12 opponent and scoring projection: vs. Broncos, 4.2 rec, 53 rec yds, 0.3 rec TD, 11.6 pts
As a whole, the Carolina offense has been sputtering this year in the setting of multiple quarterback and coaching changes.
The Panthers currently rank second to last in total offensive yards per game and near the bottom of the league in almost every offensive statistical category.
Despite being a talented receiver, DJ Moore has not been immune to the Panthers' offensive woes, at least not from a fantasy standpoint. Other than scoring above his projected point totals in Weeks 7 and 8, he has been disappointing for fantasy owners, especially over the past three weeks, scoring 4.4, 6.9 and 5.4 points.
This week, Moore and the Panthers will be going up against a stout Denver Broncos defense that ranks third in the NFL in total passing yards, passing yards per game, total points and total points per game.
While Moore may eventually get back on track, don't expect this to be the week when it happens.
Other Week 12 Wide Receivers to Sit
Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers (at Eagles)
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets (vs. Bears)
Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans (vs. Bengals)
Start: Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, Miami Dolphins
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Week 12 opponent and scoring projection: vs. Texans, 12.2 rush att, 55.2 rush yds, 0.4 rush TD, 11.8 pts
Since being traded from the 49ers to the Dolphins, Jeff Wilson Jr. has been an elite fantasy running back, showing the football world that his familiarity with Mike McDaniel's system can translate into points for fantasy owners.
Over the past two weeks, he has performed well above his expected points total, topping out with 22.3 points against the Browns in Week 10.
If you've been riding the Wilson train, Week 12 is set up to be another doozy. His Dolphins face the Texans, which have allowed the most points per game and most total points to running backs over the course of this season, per the Football Database.
Any running back going up against the Texans has been a must-start, and given the way Wilson has been performing for fantasy owners over the past few weeks, this one is a no-brainer.
Other Week 12 Running Backs to Start
Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders (vs. Falcons)
David Montgomery, Chicago Bears (at Jets)
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Chargers)
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Sit: AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers
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Week 12 opponent and scoring projection: at Eagles, 8.9 rush att, 37.7 rush yds, 0.2 rush TD, 7.3 pts
For Packers fans (and fantasy owners) waiting for 2022 to be AJ Dillon's breakout year, prepare to, unfortunately, keep waiting.
While the Green Bay offense as a whole has struggled this year, the yards (and points) have been especially hard to come by for the 24-year-old. After a promising Week 1 total, he has struggled and failed to score since that game, averaging a measly 6.0 points per game.
In Week 12, Dillon and the Packers will face the Philadelphia Eagles in prime time.
While the Eagles defense has been stout overall (second in the league in total yards), it has been slightly more vulnerable to the running game, ranking in the middle of the league in points per game allowed to running backs, per The Football Database.
However, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has spent the past few weeks shoring up the run defense, adding veterans Ndamukong Suh, Linval Joseph and Robert Quinn.
With these changes and the Packers' shared backfield, don't expect this to be the week when Dillon finds his mojo.
Other Week 12 Running Backs to Sit
Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams (at Chiefs)
Damien Harris, New England Patriots (at Vikings)
Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns (vs. Buccaneers)
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