Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 12: Stars Creating Difficult Lineup Dilemmas

With the stakes increasing by the game ahead of the fantasy football playoffs, several star players are making it tough on owners to decide whether or not to plug them into lineups in Week 12.

The talent of all these offensive studs can't be questioned, but whether it be deceptively tough matchups, recent form or a combination of both, it's become a bit more difficult to trust them.

Check out the players likely to create the biggest fantasy dilemmas and whether they're worth starting or sitting.

Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Despite being saddled with a horrendous defense to complement him, the Cowboys gunslinger has held up rather well in 2013, throwing 21 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

With the weapons around Romo, most notably tight end Jason Witten and explosive wideout Dez Bryant, it is almost always a good bet to play the 33-year-old signal-caller. Given the incompetence of Dallas' league-worst pass defense, there's a good bet Romo will air it out a lot.

As we saw in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints, though, that doesn't always translate to great fantasy returns. Romo completed just 10 of 24 passes for 128 yards—matching or setting season lows in all those categories—in a 49-17 loss.

Establishing the run has been a challenge, given the rate that opponents can put points up on the Cowboys defense. That has made third-down scenarios nearly impossible for Romo, per ESPNDallas.com's Tim McMahon:

The Cowboys have had a bye to sort things out, but traveling to windy MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Giants doesn't offer America's Team a favorable outlook.

After starting 0-6, New York has experienced a resurgence in winning four straight games, with the defense being a big reason for the improvement:

Romo is far better than any of the QBs the G-Men have faced amidst this run of victories, but he is facing an NFC East rival that is very familiar with him.

All these red flags point to Romo struggling in this pivotal showdown.

Start/Sit Verdict: Sit

Reggie Bush, RB, Detroit Lions

Few running backs are endowed with Bush's physical gifts, and he has provided a spark at times to Detroit's backfield this season.

To put it simply, though, Bush has had trouble getting a handle on the football. ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert highlighted the discouraging rate at which Bush was dropping passes as a receiver before Week 11's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers:

After a fumble in the first half in that contest, Bush was benched for part of the second half. Head coach Jim Schwartz insisted a runner of his style was not suited for the inclement turf of Heinz Field, though:

The Lions' official Twitter page posed an appropriate question to fantasy owners after Bush announced he wouldn't fumble again:

Tread with caution when deciding on Bush moving forward, but he should be a focal point of the offense when the Lions take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week.

Tampa has a top-10 rush defense, but its secondary also has Darrelle Revis, who will be doing battle with superstar Lions receiver Calvin Johnson on the outside. Thus, the focus should be more on Bush establishing the ground game.

Look for Bush to bounce back and help fortify the Lions' lead atop the NFC North.

 Start/Sit Verdict: Start

Josh Gordon, WR, Cleveland Browns

It's always a little difficult to know what Gordon will do on a weekly basis.

Between his small sample size, the fact that this is his second offense in as many seasons and the instability at quarterback for the Browns, there has been a lot working against Gordon.

In spite of all that—along with nagging trade rumors earlier in the year—he is still establishing himself as one of the league's premier receivers.

When Gordon has found paydirt in his young career, it has always been of the rather long variety:

There was no exception when Gordon burned Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick on a 74-yard touchdown catch last week. Now he faces another AFC North opponent in the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have the NFL's No. 8 pass defense.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged that Gordon presents problems for his secondary with regard to the big play:

Gordon has totaled the following totals in receiving yards over the past five games: 126, 21, 132, 44, and 125 in facing Cincinnati.

That trend suggests Gordon may be due for a down week, but the Browns are playing for their season on Sunday at home. Thus, QB Jason Campbell should give Gordon double-digit targets, and the emerging wideout is bound to get behind the Pittsburgh defense at least once.

Start/Sit Verdict: Start