Week 12 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Matt Leinart and Fantasy Football Fill-Ins to Avoid

What would the NFL be without injuries? They make everything more interesting (and more painful), even for those of us tinkering away in the virtual world of fantasy football.

But where as injury so often equals opportunity in a good way, for these three guys, stepping up for their teams may not be a good thing for your team.

Matt Leinart, QB, Houston Texans

Matt Leinart is set up for success, right? How could he not be? He can relax, hand the ball off to Arian Foster and Ben Tate, lean on one of the top defenses in the NFL, throw the occasional pass to Jacoby Jones or Owen Daniels.

That may be "the life," but not for a fantasy team. As much as folks would like to believe that there's a good pro quarterback somewhere in the deepest cockles of Leinart's soul, some day everyone will realize that completing just 57.1 percent of your passes and throwing more picks (20) than touchdowns (14) is a sign that a guy is not very good.

Even if he's 28 years old. And remember, people, the Jaguars' pass defense is sneaky good—as in sneaky enough to force turnovers and pass-rush Matty Light into oblivion.

Toby Gerhart, RB, Minnesota Vikings

Speaking of Heismanish busts out of the Conference Formerly Known As the Pac-10, Toby Gerhart will finally get his shot at stardom on Sunday against the Falcons.

And while he may think he can, we all know he can't—not just live up to Adrian Peterson (because, realistically, who can?) but hold his own out of the backfield at all.

Of course, I don't not recommend Gerhart here simply because he's too slow or too this or too that, the sort of things you always hear guys saying in documentaries about themselves overcoming the odds. Rather, Gerhart has the unenviable task of trying to pick up fantasy points against a Falcons defense that isn't too keen to give them up. In fact, Atlanta is second-stingiest in the NFL against the run and third-stingiest in fantasy points allowed.

Even "All Day" would have problems against these guys...all day.

Brandon Jacobs, RB, New York Giants

If ever you were curious to see an NFL running back aging poorly, you'd best watch some "before" and "after" footage of Brandon Jacobs.

At 29 years old and 6'4" with 264 pounds of what used to be muscle, Jacobs just doesn't look like he can carry his own weight, much less plow through 300-pounders with the greatest of ease.

The absence of Ahmad Bradshaw has exposed Jacobs' ineffectiveness in the Giants' running game, as the lack of a change-of-pace 'back has left the big boy without any pace at all. If you're really desperate for a Big Blue 'back, you'd best take a flier on Da'Rel Scott, to whom Tom Coughlin may turn to prevent the Giants season from once against descending into certain doom.