Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 12: Making the Call on Fantasy Football Fringe Starters

Rejoice, fantasy owners—Week 12 is the final time this season we'll be dealing with those pesky bye weeks. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers are inactive this week, making several fantasy studs unavailable, but fantasy teams should be mostly intact.

Having all, or most, of your fantasy players available can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse. It leads to difficult decisions regarding which fringe starters to add to your starting lineup to complement your every-week studs. Should you gamble with upside against a tough defense, or go with a high-floor guy who doesn't usually blow the doors off in any contest?

Now that waiver wires have been picked clean heading into Week 12 and your reserves are ripe to be sent into action, let's take a look at one fringe player to start—and one to sit—at all four major positions to help with those difficult decisions.

Quarterback

Start 'Em: Kyle Orton, Buffalo Bills

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Kyle Orton? Really? Yes.

While he's probably still available on most leagues' waiver wires, fantasy owners may want to think about picking him up as a spot starter in Week 12—especially those who are without Ben Roethlisberger and Cam Newton.

Despite a bad showing against the Miami Dolphins in Week 11, head coach Doug Marrone is sticking with his quarterback, according to the team's official Twitter account:

Orton isn't any kind of a fantasy stud, but there are several reasons to give him a go in your starting lineup this week against the New York Jets.

The Jets are the worst-ranked team against quarterbacks this season, allowing an average of 19.9 fantasy points per game to the position. Orton had his best game this year against New York in Week 8, throwing for 238 yards and four touchdowns for 25 fantasy points.

Orton should be viewed as a solid QB2 this week, so if your starter is unavailable or has a difficult matchup, look to him as a worthwhile replacement.

Sit 'Em: Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins

Griffin is coming off a terrible performance against a bad Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary. Many of this throws, especially deep balls, were well off-target, resulting in just 207 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for 12 fantasy points.

Making matters worse for the quarterback is his impending matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. In Week 11, the 49ers intercepted Eli Manning five times. This defense has been solid against opposing quarterbacks throughout the season, allowing an average of just 12.8 fantasy points to the position, the third-fewest in the league.

With Griffin struggling right now, a road trip out west to face one of the NFL's best defenses doesn't exactly exude much confidence. Washington's signal-caller should be relegated to the bench this week, as many more favorable options are out there.

Running Back

Start 'Em: Denard Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

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Robinson has been a revelation in Jacksonville's backfield this season. Toby Gerhart was a bust and rookie Storm Johnson wasn't capable of handling a large workload. The team turned to Robinson as a third option, and the ball-carrier instantly produced.

Since his workload increased in Week 7, Robinson has produced double-digit fantasy points each week. He's now well-rested coming off a bye and is set to face an Indianapolis Colts defense that is giving up an average of 21.1 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.

If that's not enough to make you add Robinson to your starting lineup, consider this: The Colts gave up 199 yards and four rushing touchdowns to rookie Jonas Gray in Week 11. Considering Robinson has eclipsed the 100-yard mark twice and scored four times over his last four games, he's more than capable of producing a huge performance as well.

Sit 'Em: Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints

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This one will hurt for fantasy owners. Ingram became one of the best plays at the running back position for three consecutive weeks. NFL Network's Jeff Darlington tweeted about the ball-carrier's favorable Week 11 matchup:

However, he couldn't find much running room in Week 11 against a porous Cincinnati Bengals defense, carrying 23 times for just 67 yards.

It won't be getting any easier for the ball-carrier this week, as the Saints are set to take on the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. Baltimore has been the best team against the run from a fantasy perspective this season, allowing an average of just 10.6 fantasy points to the position.

Further illustrating the Ravens' prowess against running backs, they have allowed rushing touchdowns in just two games this season and allowed opposing ball-carriers to eclipse the 100-yard mark just once. It may be tough, but do your best to keep Ingram on the bench this week.

Wide Receiver

Start 'Em: Kenny Stills, New Orleans Saints

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Here's a big sleeper in Week 12. Expect Stills to see an increased workload on Monday night due to the absence of rookie Brandin Cooks. During the team's contest against the Bengals, Cooks suffered a broken thumb and will miss roughly one month, according to the NFL:

Without the rookie in the fold, Stills becomes the team's best deep threat. That's great news for his owners, considering the Ravens have not been good against opposing wide receivers this season, allowing an average of 24.6 fantasy points per game to the position.

The Saints are in a must-win scenario, and due to Baltimore's stiff run defense, expect quarterback Drew Brees to be passing early and often, giving Stills—who scored in Week 11—plenty of looks.

Sit 'Em: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

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This isn't the week to go with Fitzgerald for several reasons. Possibly the biggest reason of all is that he won't be 100 percent if he does play due to a Grade 2 MCL sprain, according to Around the NFL:

Part two of the reason to keep Fitzgerald on the bench this week is his unfavorable matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Through 11 weeks this year, the Seahawks have been the league's best fantasy defense against wide receivers, allowing an average of just 15.6 points per game to the position.

Finally, here's part three: Drew Stanton doesn't seem to target Fitzgerald in the end zone. Of the quarterback's five passing touchdowns this season, three have gone to John Brown and two have gone to Michael Floyd, leaving Fitzgerald with zero. Again, this isn't the week to keep the veteran in your starting lineup.

Tight End

Start 'Em: Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts

We've seen Fleener's impact on the Colts offense when fellow tight end Dwayne Allen isn't on the field. Allen left with an ankle injury early in the game against the New England Patriots, leaving Fleener as the top target at the tight end position. He finished the game with seven receptions for 144 yards.

Apparently, Allen's injury may be significant. According to Mike Chappell of RTV6, the signing of Weslye Saunders may be an indication that Allen will miss some time:

If Allen can't go, that leaves Fleener as the No. 1 option once again in Week 12 against a Jaguars team that Indianapolis tight ends torched the last time they played, totaling 11 receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns. This time, Fleener is poised to get all of that production.

Sit 'Em: Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals

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Gresham may be coming off a two-touchdown performance, but don't let that recent spike in production fool you. Sure, he scored twice, but those were his only two receptions for a total of 13 yards. He still hasn't produced more than 68 yards in any game this season, and those two scores were his first of the year.

The Bengals are set to face the Houston Texans in Week 12, giving Gresham a terrible matchup. Houston has been very good against opposing tight ends this season, allowing just 4.9 fantasy points to the position. In fact, the team hasn't allowed double-digit fantasy points to tight ends since Week 6 against the Colts.

Considering the Bengals are relying on the running game often and that Houston's secondary isn't exactly known for its prowess against opposing wide receivers, Cincinnati's ball distribution will not favor Gresham. Look elsewhere for a starting tight end this week.

All fantasy numbers and statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.