Week 12 Fantasy Football Starts & Sits (2021)
| Week 11 Hit Rate | Week 11 Percentage | Season Long Hit Rate | Season Long Percentage | |
| QBs | 4 of 8 | 50.00% | 46 of 88 | 52.27% |
| RBs | 6 of 8 | 75.00% | 57 of 88 | 64.77% |
| WRs | 5 of 8 | 62.50% | 49 of 88 | 55.68% |
| TEs | 4 of 8 | 50.00% | 44 of 88 | 50.00% |
| DLs | 1 of 4 | 25.00% | 15 of 44 | 34.09% |
| LBs | 3 of 4 | 75.00% | 21 of 44 | 47.73% |
| DBs | 0 for 4 | 0.00% | 10 of 44 | 22.72% |
Welcome to Week 12! Fantasy football has become just as chaotic as the NFL as last week we saw Jonathan Taylor bring in five total touchdowns and Elijah Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling finished as top-5 wide receivers. I can’t seem to pick a consistent defensive back to save my life, but I am here for all your tackle-heavy linebacker lineup needs. Now, we head to Week 12 Fantasy Football matchups!
On bye: Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs
Here are your 4-EYED Starts & Sits of the Week!
Quarterbacks
Start: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks against the Washington Football Team
It feels weird having to give Russell Wilson a vote of confidence. He hasn’t looked the same since returning from his hand injury. He has a total of 16.1 fantasy points between two games since returning. This week though, he gets the Washington Football Team in a perfect get-right game. The WFT is giving up the most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.
Additional Week 12 Fantasy Football Starts:
Tyrod Taylor against the New York Jets, Derek Carr against the Dallas Cowboys, and Cam Newton against the Miami Dolphins.
Sit: Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It’s not that Wentz has a bad matchup, as the Buccs are giving up the 10th most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. It’s that Wentz is at his best when he hands the ball off to star running back Jonathan Taylor. Wentz has pulled solid performances out of nowhere before this season, but I don’t think he has one this week.
Additional Week 12 Fantasy Football Sits:
Andy Dalton against the Detroit Lions, Tua Tagovailoa against the Carolina Panthers, Ryan Tannehill against the New England Patriots.
Running Backs
Start: Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team against the Seattle Seahawks
Gibson hasn’t had the season that we were all hoping for, but he does have value this week. Gibson and the WFT take on the Seahawks this week. Their defense is giving up the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. This is a great matchup and he should be able to perform well.
Additional Week 12 Fantasy Football Starts:
James Robinson against the Atlanta Falcons, Darrell Henderson Jr. against the Green Bay Packers, and Tony Pollard against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sit: Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints against the Buffalo Bills
Ingram has played a nice role in New Orleans while star-running back Alvin Kamara was sidelined with injury. But, this week he is going to run into the Buffalo Bills defense. Sure, they just got abused by Jonathan Taylor, but Ingram is no Taylor. Plus, if Kamara is back, that shrinks Ingram’s workload dramatically. Even if he is the starter again, this matchup is tough so I wouldn’t put much faith in him.
Additional Week 12 Fantasy Football Sits:
Miles Sanders against the New York Giants, Javonte Williams against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Alex Collins against the Washington Football Team.
Wide Receivers
Start: Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks against the Washington Football Team
Going hand in hand with Russell Wilson’s return to fantasy relevance we have Tyler Lockett. He only has four games being fantasy-relevant and he is due for another. The WFT is giving up the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. The Seahawks are learning they can’t just run the ball all game like they are used to and they have to adjust which is going to be involving Lockett.
Additional Week 12 Fantasy Football Starts:
Jakobi Meyers against the Tennessee Titans, Brandin Cooks against the New York Jets, and DJ Moore against the Miami Dolphins.
Sit: Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers against the Cincinnati Bengals
Claypool has only played in eight games this year and has three games of double-digit fantasy points. The first time Claypool took on the Bengals, he had 14.1 fantasy points. The problem is that he has only has more than that in one game since. With other pass-catchers starting to step up for the Steelers, Claypool may get left behind.
Additional Week 12 Fantasy Football Sits:
Marquez Callaway against the Buffalo Bills, Jerry Jeudy against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Jaylen Waddle against the Carolina Panthers.
Tight Ends
Start: Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys against the Las Vegas Raiders
It is finally time for Schultz to perform like we all thought he would when Blake Jarwin got put onto IR. The Raiders are giving up the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. With CeeDee Lamb dealing with a concussion and Amari Cooper dealing with Covid-19, the door is wide open for Schultz to be heavily targeted and an important piece of your fantasy lineups.
Additional Week 12 Fantasy Football Starts:
Evan Engram against the Philadelphia Eagles, Rob Gronkowski against the Indianapolis Colts, and Dan Arnold against the Atlanta Falcons.
Sit: Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears against the Detroit Lions
Cole Kmet was a fringe starter last week and he dropped the ball almost literally. After weeks of being the better tight end on the team, he was out-targeted by veteran Jimmy Graham last week. Kmet struggles to take that next step forward and with Andy Dalton under center, he is too risky of a play this week.
Additional Week 12 Fantasy Football Sits:
Jared Cook against the Denver Broncos, Hunter Henry against the Tennessee Titans, and Tyler Conklin against the San Francisco 49ers.
With IDP options being so plentiful in fantasy football, each week we’re going to list for you an option at each position with honorable mentions to help set your lineups with confidence.
Defensive Linemen
Start: Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints against the Buffalo Bills
Jordan takes on the Buffalo Bills this week in a good matchup. He is the most effective pass rusher that the Saints have and even though Josh Allen was only sacked once last week, the Saints are equipped to slow down this offense. Jordan will play a large part in that and will anchor this defense.
Additional Week 12 Fantasy Football Starts:
Myles Garrett against the Baltimore Ravens, Sam Hubbard against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and DJ Jones against the San Francisco 49ers.
Linebackers
Start: Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys against the Las Vegas Raiders
Parsons was a start for me last week and he finished as the overall LB9. He had four tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. Parsons has taken some time to adjust to the pace of the NFL, but he is improving each week. He has at least 19 fantasy points in four straight games.
Additional Week 12 Fantasy Football Starts:
Denzel Perryman against the Dallas Cowboys, De’Vondre Campbell against the Los Angeles Rams, and Roquan Smith against the Detroit Lions.
Defensive Backs
Start: Harrison Smith, Minnesota Vikings against the San Francisco 49ers
Alright, let me try something different for my defensive back starter. I tend to go heavy on the corners because they are more exciting to watch with interceptions, but that hasn’t paid off. Let’s go safety-heavy this week and start off with Harrison Smith. He has at least 12 fantasy points in four straight games. Smith has also exceeded his projected fantasy point total in seven of his eight games played this year. The all of a sudden pass-heavy 49ers create a great matchup for him.
Additional Week 12 Fantasy Football Starts:
Jeremy Chinn against the Miami Dolphins, Kyle Dugger against the Tennessee Titans, and Brandon Jones against the Carolina Panthers.