Welcome to our Fantasy Football Plays and Fades for Week 12 (2024)! We have entered the bye weeks and injuries are happening everywhere, which makes setting your lineups difficult. This is where we breakdown matchups to help you find the right players to play and which players to avoid each week.week.
Wow, that snuck up on us didn’t it? We’re in Week 12. For those of us involved in the Scott Fish Bowl, it’s officially playoff season.
We know who teams are by now. We know their tendencies. We know who the studs are. Who the duds are. We pretty much have all the data we need. Except for one thing, who to start and who to sit.
That’s where Fantasy In Frames is coming into play. Our job is to give you the latest and greatest in who is going to give your team upside this week.
So without further adieu, let’s jump into Week 12.
Quarterbacks
Plays
- Baker Mayfield @ New York Giants
- Baker gets a big toy back in Mike Evans this week. He’s done well without him.
- Massive potential is here for a guy who has already been a top-five quarterback all season. Throw in the Giants, and we’re in hog-heaven.
- Jared Goff @ Indianapolis
- There isn’t anything more to say than the fact that you’re just starting Detroit players. It’s the most explosive offense in football and Goff pulls the trigger on it. Therefore, I’m starting him until proven otherwise.
- Bo Nix @ Las Vegas
- A plus matchup for a guy who over the past seven weeks has posted five QB1 weeks.
- Raise your hand if you anticipated Bo Nix being arguably the best rookie quarterback in fantasy coming down the stretch. None of you? OK, good. You’re being honest. But we’re in a spot now where he’s a must-start quarterback on a weekly basis against a bad defense.
- Broncos Country, you’ve got your guy.
Fades
- Jordan Love vs. San Francisco
- Yes, the 49ers haven’t been the vaunted defense of years past this season.
- However, in this matchup I love the possibility that Love will continue to be a hit-or-miss asset. San Francisco has been the 10th-worst matchup for quarterbacks this season. Let’s ride that trend with confidence this week.
- Matthew Stafford vs. Philadelphia
- I hope you enjoyed the peak of Matt Stafford’s season, because this next month of games could get ugly.
- It starts with Philadelphia this week, who ranks top-five against every position group in fantasy football. It’s a stay away despite massive talent at the skill spots for the Rams.
- Sam Darnold @ Chicago
- I’m a huge proponent of “don’t overthink it.” Just like Stafford is heading into a nightmare, Chicago is the worst matchup for fantasy quarterbacks.
- It sets Darnold up for low-leverage pass opportunities, and perhaps sets up T.J. Hockenson for a nice week because of that. More on that later.
Running Backs
Plays
- Rhamondre Stevenson @ Miami
- Rhamondre has gotten 20 or more opportunities three of the past four weeks and has turned those into finishes of RB7, 9 and 18. He’s the guy right now. Ride that crest.
- Miami gives up touchdowns at a fairly high rate to the running back position. It’s all happening for Rhamondre again this week.
- Isiah Pacheco @ Carolina
- Play with a bullet. The return window is opened but we still don’t have full-blown answers on his return.
- If he does return, it’s the Panthers. And are you really going to risk not playing either he or Hunt against the Panthers? Pacheco is, at worst, worthy of flex consideration this week.
- James Conner @ Seattle
- Conner has been Joe Mixon-light this season. Let’s give it up for the uncs of fantasy football.
- It’s another good spot for him this week, and he’s been a RB1 or 2 in all but two games this season. The two games he hasn’t produced at that level have had him with 12 and 10 opportunities. When he gets the ball, he produces.
Fades
- D’Andre Swift vs. Minnesota
- There are major injury concerns with Swift heading into this week.
- Even if there weren’t, it would be hard for me to get excited about a running back who is this inconsistent playing this defense.
- Saquon Barkley vs. L.A. Rams
- Hot take incoming. Sometimes, you need to play your percentages. Saquon Barkley is one of the top-two running backs in fantasy rankings this week. That means, he’s seen as having an unreal floor.
- Or … the floor is so impossibly high that it’s nearly impossible for him to hit the lofty expectations he’s set for himself this season. By all means, start Saquon Barkley. You’d be a fool not to. However, temper expectations. Not every week in fantasy is a home run. Sometimes, good players hit singles or doubles.
- J.K. Dobbins vs. Baltimore
- Revenge narratives are fun. However, the Chargers pass game is emerging and Gus Edwards is back to eat into Dobbins’ workload. I’m afraid the honeymoon is over. A touchdown changes everything, but it’s a dwindling opportunity share for Dobbins.
Wide Receivers
Plays
Ladd McConkey vs. Baltimore
- There were questions heading into the season as to whether the #DadsForLadd movement was worthwhile.
- Ladd’s questionable this week and was a non-participant in Thursday’s practice. However, he’s become the go-to guy in that Chargers pass game and has a plush matchup in a shootout against Baltimore. If he’s available, start with confidence.
Terry McLaurin vs. Dallas
- After eight straight weeks of elite production, McLaurin had an off week last week where he finished as the WR89.
- He’s got a prime rebound spot against the Cowboys this week. Trust the data. McLaurin is in a smash spot this week.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs. Arizona
- JSN is on a heater right now with back-to-back WR1 weeks, including the WR1 overall two weeks ago.
- He’s had 24 targets in the past two weeks and he’s had seven or more targets in all but three games. There’s volume, there’s opportunity. At WR17 this week, that equates to upside for a third-consecutive WR1 week.
Fades
Cooper Kupp vs. Philadelphia
- I’ve mentioned this being a bad week for Stafford. Here’s the other part of this equation. With Puka Nacua and Kupp both being ranked inside the Top-10 receivers this week, one of them has to somewhat falter against this Eagles defense. It’s going to be Kupp.
Deebo Samuel @ Green Bay
- Deebo hasn’t at any point felt like the alpha asset in San Francisco’s offense this season. Kittle has been huge, Jennings has had weeks, CMC is getting back.
- A lot of Deebo’s upside is linked to the possibility of his getting rushing opportunities. It feels like the Niners have gotten away from that aspect of his game lately.
Calvin Ridley @ Houston
- Ridley is the unquestioned leader in the Titans pass game, but he’s got a bit of a quarterback issue that has led him to being a hit-or-miss asset this season.
- Yes, the Texans have been generous in the pass game to fantasy receivers but there’s a part of me that sees game script mattering here. If Houston controls the ball, or the Titans try to, it’s a bad mix for Ridley this week.
Tight Ends
Play
Trey McBride @ Seattle
- One of the best tight ends in football takes an elite target share of 26.1 percent into a great matchup. What more can you want?
- McBride is having a top-five fantasy season without getting into the end zone. We don’t chase touchdowns, we chase opportunity. That’s important to remember. He’s had five red zone targets in his last four games. It’s coming.
T.J. Hockenson @ Chicago
- Hock has flashed at times becoming the player he was prior to his knee injury.
- With the consolidated target share, he’s a guy that can very easily get a heavy target week as the number two option in the pass game in Minnesota.
Will Dissly vs. Baltimore
- Will Dissly is becoming a screaming value at tight end. He’s had six targets in four of the past five weeks and is becoming a trusted safety valve for Justin Herbert.
- In a matchup with a high over/under and a team that is friendly to fantasy tight ends, it’s another good spot for him to produce.
Fades
Brock Bowers vs. Denver
- Bowers is largely seen as a guy who can be the TE1 this week. Denver is an elite defense, so there’s a strong chance that there’s a comedown to happen on Bowers’ behalf this week.
Hunter Henry @ Miami
- The Miami Dolphins have been mostly awful against tight ends most of the season. That’s not to be debated.
- However, in a spot where I’m expecting Rhamondre Stevenson to have a good week that volume should come down.
Luke Schoonmaker @ Washington
- A golden rule of the Stock Market is that you never buy the peak. You always buy the dip. Schoon is coming off of a 10-target game where Dallas threw it 55 times. Those aren’t numbers we should just expect to be replicated so easily once again.
- Backup quarterbacks love the first read. CeeDee Lamb feels undervalued this week if you’re looking for a bonus take.
Plays
Houston vs. Tennessee
- Matchups still matter. As we get to the end of the year, the Texans are becoming an old fashioned team that relies on defense and running the football. The Titans are bad, so it’s a recipe that should breed more success this week.
Tampa Bay @ N.Y. Giants
- Tampa is getting The Return of Tommy Cutlets. While that’s fun in itself, it’s a prime spot for the Bucs’ defense to eat and put up a field day.
New England @ Miami
- We can’t expect Jonnu Smith to have another week like we did last week. While they did give up a massive amount of points to the Rams’ receivers last week, the ability for the Patriots to rely on Rhamondre Stevenson is going to be a good way for the Patriots to keep the Dolphins under control.
Fades
L.A. Chargers vs. Baltimore
- Lamar Jackson. Derrick Henry. Zay Flowers. Mark Andrews. There’s a whole bunch to love about this Baltimore offense. So, even though this Chargers unit is really good, it’s hard to bet against an offense that can attack you from so many angles.
Green Bay @ San Francisco
- The San Francisco 49ers are getting back into Christian McCaffrey-centric offense. Throw George Kittle in there and you get a bad matchup for the Packers.
Tennessee @ Houston
- Houston’s running game is nuclear lately. Joe Mixon has been over 100 yards in all but two games this season. He also has 10 rushing touchdowns. We really gonna overthink a running game of this magnitude against a defense that is this bad?
