Week 12 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Top 10 Players, Stat Projections for Every Position

Yeah, sure, you're probably still stuffed from yesterday's Thanksgiving feast. Maybe you actually ventured out into the heart of darkness that is a retail store on Black Friday. Maybe you've settled in for the day for some college football. Regardless, it's Friday, which means it's time to start obsessing over your fantasy lineup.

Below, we'll break down the top-10 rankings for each position along with breaking down a few intriguing players at each position.
 

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Carson Palmer, ARI	SF	23
2	Philip Rivers, SD	JAC	20
3	Tom Brady, NE	DEN	18
4	Andy Dalton, CIN	SEA	17
5	Eli Manning, NYG	WAS	16
6	Marcus Mariota, TEN	OAK	16
7	Jameis Winston, TB	IND	16
8	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	SEA	15
9	Russell Wilson, SEA	PIT	14
10	Alex Smith, KC	BUF	13

Start 'Em: Eli Manning, New York Giants

Nobody likes starting Eli Manning in fantasy. He's been erratic throughout his career and seems to be awesome when you least expect it and awful when you need him most. 

And this season, the ups and downs are prevalent. He's had 18 or more fantasy points in six games and 12 or fewer fantasy points four times. He's been pretty all-or-nothing again, but this week feels like it should be very profitable for his fantasy owners against a weak Washington secondary.

Washington is giving up 17.2 fantasy points per week to opposing quarterbacks, 24th in the NFL, and just gave up five passing touchdowns to Cam Newton. Meanwhile, Manning notched 19 fantasy points against Washington in Week 3. All signs point to a very solid showing from Manning this week. 

Sit 'Em: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Matt Ryan finally threw for three touchdowns in a game this season in Week 11, and he still only managed 17 fantasy points. He's only exceeded 20 fantasy points once this season and is averaging a middling 15.5 fantasy points per week, a mark he reliably hits but rarely exceeds by much.

Now, the steady if unspectacular Ryan faces a Minnesota defense giving up just 14.6 fantasy points per week to opposing quarterbacks, eighth in the NFL. The Vikings have yet to give up 20 or more fantasy points to an opposing quarterback this season, which means Ryan can be trusted to put up somewhere in the 13-16 point range but isn't going to put up elite numbers.

In other words, there is likely a more lucrative streaming option out there at quarterback. Josh McCown against the hapless Baltimore Ravens secondary is worth considering.  

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Adrian Peterson, MIN	ATL	20
2	Devonta Freeman, ATL	MIN	17
3	Chris Ivory, NYJ	MIA	16
4	Doug Martin, TB	IND	15
5	Mark Ingram, NO	HOU	15
6	Todd Gurley, STL	CIN	14
7	Charcandrick West, KC	BUF	13
8	Lamar Miller, MIA	NYJ	12
9	LeGarrette Blount, NE	DEN	11
10	DeAngelo Williams, PIT	SEA	11

Start 'Em: Chris Ivory, New York Jets

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Ivory has been a bit unpredictable this year, but he is averaging 11.3 fantasy points per week and ranks seventh in overall fantasy points among running backs. Yes, he has notched three fantasy points in two of the last four weeks, but he's also notched double-digit points in five of the last seven games. 

He should return to his productive ways against a Miami Dolphins defense giving up 20.8 fantasy points to opposing backs per week, 30th in the NFL. Darren McFadden rushed for 129 yards against Miami in Week 11, as the run defense continues to be a major weakness. 

“I don’t know what we gave up, but obviously didn’t do a good enough job in that area,” defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh told Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald after the game. “It’s as simple as it gets… I think it came down to execution on our part. Missed tackles and missed assignments and things of that nature.”

Those things have been an issue for the Dolphins all season long. Ivory owners should benefit from the continuing trend.

Sit 'Em: Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks

John Froschauer/Associated Press

OK, OK, you might not have the luxury of sitting Thomas Rawls. You might be hurting at running back and simply need a warm body who will get more than 10 touches in a game to fill that RB2 spot. I understand.

But boy, if you can sit Rawls you might want to consider doing so this week. The Pittsburgh Steelers are allowing just 10.5 fantasy points to opposing running backs per week, tops in the NFL, and last week held the Cleveland Browns backs to just five rushing yards. Yes, you read that correctly. 

In all, the Steelers have allowed just two touchdowns to opposing backs all season long. So while Rawls went off last week, Pittsburgh should have more luck keeping him in check.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Odell Beckham, NYG	WAS	17
2	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	SF	15
3	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	NO	14
4	Brandon Marshall, NYJ	MIA	13
5	Julio Jones, ATL	MIN	12
6	Brandin Cooks, NO	HOU	12
7	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	NE	11
8	Allen Robinson, JAC	SD	11
9	Antonio Brown, PIT	PIT	10
10	A.J. Green, CIN	STL	10

Start 'Em: Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

Don Wright/Associated Press

This one may seem obvious. After all, Antonio Brown is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. But some fantasy owners may be concerned with the fact that the Seattle Seahawks give up just 13.7 fantasy points to opposing wideouts per week, fourth in the NFL, or Ben Roethlisberger's health.

Don't overthink this one, folks. Big Ben had the bye week to get healthy, while Brown has posted 77 total fantasy points in his last four games, which alone would make him the 29th-ranked fantasy wideout. Brown had some troubles midseason, sure, but he's back to being a matchup-proof WR1. 

Sit 'Em: Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Stefon Diggs is slumping. The Vikings wideout has posted just 15 total fantasy points in his last three games after notching 43 points in his previous three contests. Meanwhile, he faces an Atlanta defense that is third in the NFL in fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers. 

Diggs seemed like a great waiver pickup midseason. Now he seems like a pretty smart bet to keep on your bench.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Rob Gronkowski, NE	DEN	15
2	Gary Barnidge, CLE	BAL	12
3	Tyler Eifert, CIN	STL	11
4	Delanie Walker, TEN	OAK	10
5	Travis Kelce, KC	BUF	9
6	Jimmy Graham, SEA	PIT	8
7	Jordan Reed, WAS	NYG	7
8	Benjamin Watson, NO	HOU	6
9	Crockett Gilmore, BAL	CLE	6
10	Antonio Gates, SD	JAC	6

Start 'Em: Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

At tight end, you can't really afford to play matchups. There isn't enough depth at the position for that, so always go with your top option. One player worth starting right now, while he's hot, is Delanie Walker, who has at least 50 receiving yards in seven of his last eight games and has notched double-digit fantasy points in two of the last three weeks.

Walker is more likely to give you five points than 15, but at this point, a player that reliably gets you at least five points per week at tight end is pretty valuable.

Sit 'Em: Anyone Not Listed in the Rankings

Seriously. Tight end is brutal this year. If you don't have one of the 10 players above—or didn't have a player in action on Thursday—brace yourself for 2-4 fantasy points from your tight end this week. It's a position of haves and have nots at this point.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	KC	BUF	15
2	ARI	SF	14
3	NE	DEN	12
4	CIN	STL	11
5	PHI	DET	10
6	PIT	SEA	9
7	TB	IND	8
8	STL	CIN	8
9	SEA	PIT	7
10	ATL	MIN	7

Start 'Em: Cincinnati Bengals

Before a somewhat disappointing four points last week, the Cincinnati Bengals defense had totaled 29 fantasy points in their three prior games. This week, they face a St. Louis Rams team that has given up 26 fantasy points total to its last two opponents and is an absolute mess at quarterback.

The Bengals are an excellent streaming option.

Sit 'Em: Denver Broncos

Don't start a defense against Tom Brady and this New England Patriots offense. Don't do it. It doesn't matter who is hurt or where the game is being played or how good the defense is. It's just not worth the risk. 

Here's the Denver Broncos' upside against New England: Six points. That's the most points an opposing defense has scored against New England this year. 

Stay away.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	DEN	14
2	Josh Brown, NYG	WAS	13
3	Cairo Santos, KC	BUF	12
4	Steven Hauschka, SEA	PIT	12
5	Chandler Catanzaro, ARI	SF	11
6	Brandon McManus, DEN	NE	11
7	Justin Tucker, BAL	CLE	11
8	Blair Walsh, MIN	ATL	10
9	Josh Lambo, SD	JAC	9
10	Sebastian Janikowski, OAK	TEN	9

Kickers are impossible to accurately project given the fickle nature of the position, so I'll repeat the same advice I always do in articles like this: Find one that reliably scores you points on a decent offense and stick with him until he starts to slump. Rinse and repeat.

All fantasy stats and points-against totals via ESPN standard leagues. You can also find Timothy Rapp on Twitter and on Twitch.