Week 12 comes with the added challenge of six teams on byes, making it more difficult to fill out fantasy rosters.
Fortunately for fantasy gamers, three months of data provides great intel into usage and matchups.
With six teams on bye, it is difficult to fill a lineup with players who are going to score double-digit fantasy points, but we can identify players who have a fantasy floor in a week when many teams won’t hit their ceiling outcome.
Week 12 Fantasy Football Starts:
| Week 12 Starts | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Bo Nix | QB | Broncos |
| Javonte Williams | RB | Broncos |
| Quentin Johnston | WR | Chargers |
| Sam LaPorta | TE | Lions |
Week 12 Fantasy Football Sits:
| Week 12 Sits | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford | QB | Rams |
| Chuba Hubbard | RB | Panthers |
| Tank Dell | WR | Texans |
| Tucker Kraft | TE | Packers |
Quarterback Lineup Advice, Fantasy Football
Start Bo Nix in Week 12
Nix is ascending the OROY odds and is becoming a usable weekly fantasy option, making him a starting option in Week 12.
Nix has a solid fantasy floor as he is averaging 4.8 rushing fantasy points per game, and improvement as a passer has led to him scoring over 21 fantasy points in four of his last eight games.
The Raiders are allowing the eighth most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and Nix scored 23.1 points in his first matchup.
Honorable Mention: Tommy DeVito
Joking/not joking, but when DeVito wasn’t sacked last season, he completed 68% of his passes and has a new weapon in Malik Nabers.
DeVito faces a Buccaneers defense that allows the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
The Buccaneers are allowing 18.3 passing points per game, and he averaged nearly 30 yards rushing in his starts last season.
The offensive line issues could be a major problem this week, but the matchup is as good as it gets for DeVito.
Sit Matthew Stafford in Week 12
Pocket passers like Stafford require passing efficiency which he will struggle to get against the Eagles, making him a sit in Week 12.
The Eagles are allowing 173 passing yards per game, the second lowest in the league, but over the past six weeks the Eagles are allowing 130 yards per game as the defense has blossomed under Vic Fangio.
With the return of Cooper Kupp and Puca Nacua, the Rams passing offense has taken off over the past month.
Stafford has 4 passing touchdowns in two different games, which has elevated him as a fantasy option.
Stafford’s rushing total for the season is in the red, which makes him reliant on passing touchdowns and passing yardage.
Outside of the 4-passing-touchdown games, Stafford has finished as a top 12 fantasy quarterback scorer in one week, ranking 12th in Week 1 when offenses around the league struggled.
Based on the Eagles' recent defensive results, it’s hard to envision a Stafford spike fantasy week.
Running back Lineup Advice, Fantasy Football
Start Javonte Williams in Week 12
The Denver Broncos find themselves in the final playoff spot and have a favorable matchup against the Raiders this week, making the veteran Willams a start candidate in Week 12.
Sean Payton continues to troll the fantasy community with his player usage coach speak, but given the Broncos' position, Williams is the most likely to provide fantasy value this week.
Two weeks ago, when Audric Estime got the workload down the stretch, Williams started the game.
The Raiders are allowing 100 rushing yards per game to running backs and have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to the position.
In their previous meeting, Williams was more of a compiler with 61 rushing yards and 5 receptions, but the Broncos offense has surged as of late, improving the likelihood Williams can find the end zone.
The Broncos backfield has produced only three top 12 running back weekly scores this season, but all three have been by Williams.
Honorable Mention: Rico Dowdle
Dowdle struggled against the Texans, but it is not all on him as he averaged -0.80 yards before contact.
The Commanders are a much softer run defense than the Texans were last week, and Dowdle has been targeted on 22.5% of his routes this season.
As double-digit underdogs, Dowdle’s receiving usage provides a solid fantasy floor.
He has three or more targets in four consecutive games with at least five targets in three of the four.
The Cowboys offense is a trainwreck, but the Commanders are allowing a league-worst 5.1 yards per carry to running backs this season.
Sit Chuba Hubbard in Week 12
Hubbard is coming off a career-high 153 rushing yards before the bye but faces the league's top run stop defense and is a potential sit in Week 12.
Last week, the Chiefs held James Cook to 20 rushing yards, but fortunately for Cook, he found the endzone twice.
The Chiefs lead the league in allowing 3.1 yards per carry and 52.2 yards per game to running backs.
This could be the week Jonathon Brooks returns to the lineup, but his receiving ability could lower Hubbard’s floor in this matchup.
Rushing volume should exist, but the limited efficiency is a concern for Hubbard fantasy managers this week.
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Wide Receiver Lineup Advice, Fantasy Football
Start Quentin Johnston in Week 12
Johnston scored a touchdown for the third consecutive week on Sunday as his second-year breakout continues.
Johnston has been targeted on more than 20% of his routes in six of his eight games this season and faces a Ravens secondary that has struggled against outside wide receivers.
As per Rich Hribar’s Worksheet, the Ravens are allowing a league-high 128 yards per game to outside receiving including 17 receptions on deep targets, which Johnston is earning.
Johnston is not only improving his dynasty stock, but he is also currently a weekly redraft option with upside.
Honorable Mention: Rome Odunze
Odunze tied a season-high six receptions on Sunday and caught all six targets that were not deemed inaccurate.
In the first game without Shane Waldron, Odunze was targeted on 28.6% of his routes, his highest of the season.
Working in Odunze’s favor is the fact that he is earning high fantasy calorie targets down the field, averaging 14.2 air yards per target over the past four weeks.
The Vikings are allowing 184.4 yards per game to wide receivers, the third highest in the league.
Sit Tank Dell in Week 12
Dell’s sophomore season has been a bit of a disappointment.
He averaged 2.22 yards per route run in his rookie season but only has a single game in which he has averaged over 2 yards per route run in 2024.
Even with both Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins missing time, Dell hasn’t produced a top-12 WR fantasy week.
Although the Titans have struggled all season, the pass defense has been really solid, allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers.
Hopefully better fantasy days are ahead for Dell in 2024, but managers may need to wait another week.
Tight End Lineup Advice, Fantasy Football
Start Sam LaPorta in Week 12
A return to the lineup on Sunday against the Cover 3 heavy Colts provides ample opportunity for LaPorta as a start in Week 12.
The Lions offense continues to roll after a 7-touchdown performance on Sunday, making it eight straight games scoring 3 or more touchdowns.
With LaPorta returning from injury, could this be the week that Ben Johnson’s bag of tricks is focused on the sophomore tight end?
The Colts are allowing 5.7 receptions per game and have allowed 6 touchdowns to tight ends this season.
Honorable Mention: Dallas Goedert
Goedert is quietly having a solid season as he is averaging 2.16 yards per route, this highest since A.J. Brown joined the Eagles.
Goedert could see an additional target bump if DeVonta Smith doesn’t play on Sunday.
The Rams provide a favorable tight end matchup as they are allowing a 77.1% completion rate to tight ends in addition to a 24.7% target rate.
Even if Smith is able to play on Sunday, Goedert is a solid tight end option this week.
Sit Tucker Kraft in Week 12
It seems so long ago that Kraft was considered a top-waiver addition, but Kraft has been a touchdown-or-bust play and should be sat in Week 12 against Fred Warner and the 49ers.
Outside of back-to-back weeks as the leading tight end fantasy scorer, Kraft has not finished as a top-six scorer in any other week.
Kraft has caught more than 4 receptions in only a single game this season which does not provide a safe fantasy floor.
This week, the Packers face the San Francisco 49ers who have been dominant against tight ends thanks to the play of Fred Warner.
The 49ers rank second allowing 5.5 yards per target to tight ends, and combined with Kraft’s 12.4% target rate over the past five weeks, that makes Kraft a sit and bench hold.