Start Em Sit Em Week 12: Sleepers to Play, Park for Run to Fantasy Playoffs

Just two weeks stand between now and the fantasy playoffs in most leagues. Some teams are on the fringe while others are simply looking to secure the No. 1 seed in the postseason.

Decision time is coming for fantasy owners ahead of Week 12 with plenty on the line. Outside of deciding whether to trust Josh Gordon, there are several other positions of need and potential sleepers to fill them.

Obvious players won't be found on this list, making reading below even more crucial. Before the Thursday Night Football matchup, here's a look at the sleepers to play and park this week.

Start 'Em

Kyle Orton, QB, Buffalo Bills

Prior to the season, even pondering the thought of Kyle Orton as a starter seemed ridiculous. Now, he might be a reliable option for a run to the fantasy playoffs.

The Buffalo Bills quarterback might have experienced some troubles in Week 11, but he has a great chance to bounce back. Head coach Doug Marrone gave him a vote of confidence heading into this weekend, per the Bills' official Twitter account:

Going against the New York Jets, Orton has a chance to right the ship yet again.

The last time he faced the Jets, the 32-year-old tossed a season-high four touchdowns and 238 yards. This isn't to say that he should be expected to put up the exact same numbers, but nearly every signal-caller has blistered New York's secondary.

Rex Ryan's defense has allowed an average of 20.70 fantasy points to quarterbacks, the highest amount in the league. Equipped with weapons like Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, expect Orton to have another solid fantasy week.

Isaiah Crowell, RB, Cleveland Browns

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The Cleveland Browns' backfield conundrum has been a difficult one to figure out this season. However, it just got slightly less complicated.

Ben Tate is now a member of the Minnesota Vikings, per ESPN.com, so there is one less cook in the kitchen. Even with Terrance West still an option, the team is facing a porous Atlanta Falcons defense that has been ravaged by running backs all season.

Mike Clay of Pro Football Focus notes that both can exploit the Falcons on Sunday:

Atlanta has allowed a league-high 12 rushing touchdowns and another in the passing game to tailbacks. After positing 17 points combined over the last two weeks, Crowell has a chance to reach paydirt again and offer great value for owners in need.

Sit 'Em

Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders

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Latavius Murray went from deep sleeper to starting potential this past week, but he faces a much tougher test in Week 12.

Owners in deep leagues have been stashing Murray away for several weeks hoping that he'd get his chance to shine. Now, they see an opportunity to finally unleash him after he finally got a chance to shine against the San Diego Chargers.

Following his outing, Oakland Raiders interim coach Tony Sparano spoke about the back, per Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area:

"

He played a little bit more yesterday and he’s going to continue to do that. I like what I’ve seen out of him so far. So in a roundabout way, I’m saying yeah, you’re going to see more of him. ...

I think Latavius did a good job yesterday with the carries that he had. I think that he ran the ball well. Not taking anything away from Latavius – he made one run in there that I thought was very good. Really a good run – saw it well, did a good job there. It was into a pressure and it was a big run.

"

Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew have been ineffective, so it will likely be Murray carrying the brunt of the load again. The likelihood of him posting good numbers, however, looks much more bleak.

On the season, the Kansas City Chiefs are the only defense to not allow a rushing touchdown. The Chiefs have surrendered 14.13 points to backs this year, but it's unlikely that Murray will get all of those with the loaded backfield the Raiders currently have.

Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants

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I like Odell Beckham Jr. as a wide receiver option. Actually, I love Beckham as a WR2 and potential keeper moving forward. But going against a Dallas Cowboys defense that has been great against wideouts, Beckham isn't one to trust.

The former LSU receiver has exploded since his first game in Week 5 and has averaged 119 yards over the last three weeks. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have allowed a combined total of 17.96 fantasy points per game to receivers this season.

His highest point total came against Dallas, but he was also held to just 34 receiving yards in that game. It may not be an option for some owners who have been decimated by injuries—maybe replacing Victor Cruz with Beckham—but Beckham should be limited this week.

All fantasy stats courtesy of NFL.com.

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