Week 12 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Advice for Unfavorable Fantasy Football Matchups

If fantasy football were easy, managers could simply leave their early draft picks in the starting lineup all season long. However, injuries, matchups and bye weeks make that hypothetical strategy pretty much impossible.

Unfortunately, there isn't much managers can do about injuries, and finding viable bye-week replacements is never easy after waiver claims have been processed. There's still time, though, to figure out which bad matchups are, well, not bad enough to be deal-breakers.

Here, you'll find some of the toughest remaining matchups of Week 12 and start/sit advice based on past production, projected roles and any situation-specific factors. All picks and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Start: Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

AP Photo/Matt Freed

Let's be clear. Chase Brown isn't a high-end starter this week, nor is he truly reliable on a weekly basis. He's been pretty solid over the past month, though, reaching double-digit fantasy points in four straight games.

That's part of the reason to trust Brown against a New England Patriots defense that has surrendered fewer fantasy points to opposing RBs than any other team. Another reason is the fact that No. 1 receiver Ja'Marr Chase will miss the game due to suspension.

There's a slim chance that Joe Burrow returns this week, but regardless of who's behind center, the Bengals will need to find creative ways to move the ball without Chase. That will probably mean a heavy dose of Brown in the passing game. Brown has caught at least six passes in each of his last two games.

The risk here is that head coach Zac Taylor doesn't always do what's logical. He'd be foolish, though, not to feature Chase in the passing game.

Sit: Devin Singletary, RB, New York Giants

AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski

New York Giants running back Devin Singletary had a quality fantasy outing in Week 11, thanks to a pair of rushing touchdowns. However, those two scores accounted for 12 of his 17.2 fantasy points.

Singletary is largely a touchdown-dependent option in a New York backfield that splits his time with Tyrone Tracy Jr. That's a problem with the Giants on the road against the Detroit Lions this week.

The Lions have surrendered the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs. They're also surrendering less than one rushing touchdown per game on average.

Neither of New York's backs is a good play in Detroit, but Singletary should be a firm sit in PPR leagues. Despite appearing in two more games than Tracy, Singletary has recorded nine fewer receptions and 16 fewer targets while averaging less than one catch per game.

Start: Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers

AP Photo/Scot Tucker

Jauan Jennings has been a massive fantasy disappointment, at least compared to where he was during last year's surprising breakout. There were multiple reasons for this, though, including the fact that Jennings dealt with several injuries early in the season.

Jennings has been much better in recent weeks, though his chemistry with QB Brock Purdy appeared just a bit off in Purdy's Week 11 return. Jennings still provided 9.4 fantasy points in that game and has reached 14-plus fantasy points in two of his last three.

Now, the visiting Carolina Panthers will provide a tough test this week. Carolina has surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. However, the Panthers also rank a far less impressive 25th in net yards per pass attempt allowed.

Expect Purdy to find Jennings on enough big plays to provide managers with another strong fantasy outing.

Sit: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/Darron Cummings

It's tough to recommend sitting one of the Indianapolis Colts' top pass-catchers. Indy's offense has been explosive, and wideout Michael Pittman Jr. has been dependable more often than not this season.

However, Shane Steichen and Daniel Jones aren't afraid to feed the ball to other targets when Pittman is getting maximum defensive attention. Pittman was targeted only twice in his last outing while recording his third game of the season with fewer than nine fantasy points.

This is shaping up to be another week where the Colts may look for playmakers other than Pittman. They'll be visiting the Kansas City Chiefs, who have been stingy against opposing receivers this season—they've surrendered the sixth-fewest fantasy points to the position.

Chiefs defensive coordinator Stave Spagnuolo will likely look to take away Jones' first read throughout Sunday's contest, which will probably lead to a subpar afternoon for Pittman.

*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros.