Week 11 of the NFL season is officially in the books! The NFL landscape has been riddled with injuries and the fantasy playoffs are on the horizon. If you’re facing tough lineup decisions, I’ve got you covered.
Let’s break down my start/sit fantasy football picks for Week 12.
Quarterback
Start ‘Em: Justin Herbert (Chargers) vs. Ravens
After failing to score 15 fantasy points over the first seven weeks of the season, Herbert has burst onto the scene in his last four games. The star racked up at least 19 points in each of those contests, including a 24.4-point performance against the Bengals last Sunday night.
While Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman still want to run the ball, Herbert has made the most of his passing attempts, also providing unexpected value on the ground. This week, he’ll take on Baltimore in the Harbaugh Bowl. The Ravens allow the third-most fantasy points to opposing signal callers, making Herbert a solid QB1.
Sit ‘Em: Geno Smith (Seahawks) vs. Cardinals
Despite being QB11 on the season, Smith just hasn’t been fantastic over his last five outings. Across that span, the veteran has hit the 20-point mark just once.
Geno is coming off an underwhelming performance against the Niners, in which a game-winning rushing touchdown salvaged what would have otherwise been a very poor performance. This week, he takes on the Cardinals, who have been surprisingly stout against quarterbacks this year. Keep Smith on your bench until he showcases a high ceiling consistently again.
Check out my full Week 12 quarterback start/sit picks here!
Running Back
Start ‘Em: Rachaad White (Buccaneers) at Giants
No clear lead rusher in Tampa Bay? No problem for Rachaad White and Bucky Irving.
Both backs have found a path to strong fantasy production over the last few weeks. White, especially, has been solid, racking up at least 15 PPR points in three of the Bucs’ last four games. While I think both of these guys are viable against the Giants, I’d give the edge to Rachaad thanks to his receiving upside.
Sit ‘Em: D’Andre Swift (Bears) vs. Vikings
This isn’t indicative of my feelings towards D’Andre Swift. From Week 4 on, the guy has been stellar for Chicago in virtually every outing. That includes last week’s heartbreaking loss to the Packers, in which he finished with 16.4 points.
The problem lies within Swift’s matchup this week. The Vikings are not to be trifled with on the ground, allowing the fewest rushing yards per game. Over their last three weeks, Brian Flores’ unit has held opponents to a ridiculous 52.3 rushing yards per outing. With game script likely being a factor for this matchup as well, it’s best to bench Swift for a player with a more favorable path to production.
Check out my full Week 12 running back start/sit picks here!
Wide Receiver
Start ‘Em: George Pickens (Steelers) at Browns
The addition of Russell Wilson has provide to be immensely valuable for Pittsburgh’s top receiver.
In the four games with Wilson under center, Pickens has averaged 17.7 PPR points. His target share hasn’t necessarily notably improved, but the quality of his targets has. The Steelers offense suddenly looks like one of the most formidable units in the league, and that should continue against the Browns, who allow the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing receivers. Fire up Pickens as a low-end WR1.
Sit ‘Em: Jayden Reed (Packers) vs. 49ers
The talent is there with Reed. Watch him run a couple routes and you’ll be convinced.
You know what’s not convincing? His target share and overall involvement in Green Bay’s offense on a week-to-week basis. The speedster has seen more than four balls come his way just once over the Packers’ last four games. In last week’s outing against the Bears, he received only two targets. Now, Reed did turn one of those into a touchdown, but I no longer want to play the boom-or-bust game with other viable options out there at receiver.
Sit the second-year WR against a strong Niners secondary.
Check out my full Week 12 wide receiver start/sit picks here!
Tight End
Start ‘Em: Will Dissly (Chargers) vs. Ravens
As I laid out above, the Chargers’ passing game has come to life over the last few weeks. One of the biggest beneficiaries of this has been Dissly, who has seen 33 targets over L.A.’s last five games.
The veteran is coming off his best performance of the season, in which he racked up 18 fantasy points against the Bengals. With his newly-established rapport with Justin Herbert on full display, Dissly is a solid option against Baltimore.
Sit ‘Em: Pat Freiermuth (Steelers) at Browns
It seems like everyone in the Steelers’ offense has benefitted from Russell Wilson starting, except for Freiermuth.
The 26-year-old just hasn’t been that involved, hitting the double-digit fantasy point mark once in Wilson’s four starts for Pittsburgh, seeing just 10 total targets over that span. Until Freiermuth carves out a larger role in the Steelers’ passing attack, he shouldn’t be in your lineup.
Check out my full Week 12 tight end start/sit picks here!
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em Week 12 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice next week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
