Week 12 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Matt Ryan and More Inconsistent Stars to Play

I don't typically like to encourage fantasy football owners to bet the farm on unreliable NFL stars, but...well, this weekend is different.

Or something to that effect. Whatever the case may be, these three guys will bring you happiness on Sunday, even though their fortune cookies have come up empty all too often this season.

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

So, apparently, it takes more than an extra rookie receiver, regardless of how good Julio Jones may be, to turn Matt Ryan into an elite NFL quarterback.

Still, Ryan has played well at home, particularly of late, 667 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games at the Georgia Dome. What's more, he'll have the benefit of throwing against a Vikings defense that ranks 28th against the pass and has allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks of any unit in the NFL in 2011.

And if that weren't enough to convince you, don't forget about the ice coursing through Matty's veins, though, to be honest, I'm not sure if being cold blooded translates as well to the fantasy world as it does to real-life football.

Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans

I know, I know, the Chris Johnson of old doesn't exist anymore, the guy can't do much of anything against a half-decent defense and, errr...aah shucks, you probably drafted him way too high anyway, so you might as well play him, right?

Especially against Tampa Bay's defense, which has dropped to 27th against the run since Gerald McCoy was lost for the season.

Who knows? Maybe he'll break off a big run or two. Maybe he'll catch another three or four passes per game from Matt Hasselbeck, as he has in just about every game this season. And maybe, just maybe, he'll step into the end zone for the third time this season.

LeGarrette Blount, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Few could've foreseen the big day LeGarrette Blount had against the Packers last Sunday, though it certainly helped his case that 54 of his 107 rushing yards came on a single, brilliant touchdown scamper.

Still, the fantasy points count all the same and that won't change against the Titans' 22nd-ranked run defense. No team can stop Blount when he's healthy—a point that will be proven once again when the big back rumbles to another strong performance in Nashville.