Week 12 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Risky QBs to Stash on Your Bench

When it comes to quarterbacks and fantasy football, many of us are forced to play it by ear on a weekly basis. Indeed, not all of us are lucky enough to have Aaron Rodgers.

If you own one of the more risky quarterbacks the NFL has to offer, all you can really do is read the signs and hope to sense danger. If you do sense danger, that's when you know to play it safe.

As we speed towards the weekend in Week 12, I think there are four quarterbacks with whom you need to play it safe. Instead of rolling the dice, you should bench them.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills

Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was one of the most reliable QBs in the league for most of the season, but he's fallen on hard times lately. In his last three games, Fitzpatrick has thrown seven interceptions and just two touchdown passes.

Things are not going to be much better for Fitzpatrick against the New York Jets on Sunday. The Jets are really tough on quarterbacks, and Fitzpatrick doesn't have Fred Jackson to help take some pressure off of him.

Given the circumstances, Fitzpatrick is pretty much doomed. Don't be the guy who starts him and then has to withstand ridicule from his leaguemates.

Rex Grossman, Washington Redskins

Out of nowhere, Rex Grossman did his best Aaron Rodgers impression against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11, throwing for 292 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

Lest you get excited, I should remind you we're talking about Rex Grossman. Good performances are not the norm. He should go back to being Rex Grossman when the Redskins visit the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Say what you will about the Seahawks, but their pass defense is solid as a rock. It's a tough nut to crack for any quarterback, much less one as mediocre as Grossman.

Tarvaris Jackson, Seattle Seahawks

Meanwhile, the guy on the other side of the field in this weekend's game between the Redskins and Seahawks isn't much better. Tarvaris Jackson is about as mediocre as quarterbacks come in the NFL, and I don't expect him to play above his ability against the Redskins.

The Redskins are also pretty good against the pass. It's easy enough to compile decent numbers against them, but they're not about to yield a nice pile of fantasy points to a quarterback like Jackson.

Jackson should only be used against the absolute worst defenses, and the Redskins are not part of that discussion.

Colt McCoy, Cleveland Browns

Poor Colt McCoy has a habit of ending up on this list when I sit down to write it every week. There's just something about the dude that rubs me the wrong way.

Namely, McCoy just isn't very good. He's efficient enough, but he doesn't rack up enough yards and he doesn't find the end zone often enough. That makes him largely useless from a fantasy perspective.

Regardless, I expect McCoy to be largely useless against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are 11th in the NFL in pass defense.