Welcome to another edition of our weekly fantasy football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em. In this series, we’re here to help you set your lineups and put yourself in a position to win your fantasy football matchups each week. With nine weeks in the books, it’s time to take a look at Week 12 of the 2023 NFL and fantasy football season.

These players will be those “less-obvious” players that you’re on the fence about starting as your WR3 or Flex type of options. Nobody needs to tell you to start Patrick Mahomes or Christian McCaffrey.

Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week 12

Week 12 Start Em

Gardner Minshew QB – Indianapolis Colts vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Before the Colts went on their bye week in Week 11, Gardner Minshew wasn’t exactly blowing the doors off of anyone. So far, he’s averaging only 178 yards passing one touchdown, and nearly an interception per game. Not exactly a league-winning stat line with fantasy football playoffs coming up soon. However, this week Minshew and the Colts face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense, who is allowing 19.52 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.

Coming off a bye week, and in the thick of a playoff run, I think Minshew puts up some decent numbers this week. Not to mention, the secondary in Tampa Bay has been a mess. 

Jordan Love QB – Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions

If you’re streaming the quarterback position, one thing you might take note of is a player who is performing at his best. Jordan Love has set his career high in passing yards in each of the last two weeks (289 yards and 322 yards) with two passing scores in each game. On top of that, many players put their best foot forward in divisional games, like the next one for Green Bay.

Furthermore, Detroit’s sixth-highest D-PAC Score (5.62) against quarterbacks would make any fantasy football manager grin. In two of the last four contests, Detroit has allowed opposing quarterbacks to throw for over 320 yards and at least three touchdowns. If we look back at the previous matchup between these teams, we see that Love scored twice. One on the ground and one passing. Additionally, he completed a two-point conversion – the last time he did either/both in one game.

In a week where we don’t have to worry about teams on bye, Love will be overlooked. For those of us trying to get one step closer to the fantasy playoffs, he will be that sneaky piece that no one saw coming. Plus, getting that early lead on your opponent may cause them to overthink their strategy.

Jerome Ford RB – Cleveland Browns @ Denver Broncos

After taking over the lead running back role in Cleveland, Jerome Ford has not exactly been the model of running back consistency. So far, he’s the 44th-ranked running back for the year with a Consistency Score of 2.17. Additionally, he is only pulling in about 11 fantasy points per game, which can be a risky play this time of year.

However, if it’s only Kareem Hunt and Ford seeing the touches, he’s consistently getting the bulk of the carries in the Browns backfield. Since he is receiving the bulk of those carries and the Broncos are giving up nearly 32 fantasy points per game to running backs, I have no issue with starting Ford this week.

Ezekiel Elliott RB – New England Patriots @ New York Giants

Looking for a solid floor play with the possibility of an added touchdown? Ezekiel Elliott has got you covered. In Week 10, Elliott churned up a season-high 88 total yards on 15 touches. With the uncertainty of who’s going to be under center, and the lack of any marginal relevance, the passing game has been a joke.

This week, the running game needs to take center stage and Elliott is getting enough work to have fantasy football value. Add to the mix a Giants defense that is allowing 5.1 YPC over the last two weeks, and you’ve got a solid fantasy option at running back. No, it’s not great, but he’s worth an RB3 or Flex if you’re getting thin at RB.

Khalil Shakir WR – Buffalo Bills @ Philadelphia Eagles

Busting out in a big way last week, Khalil Shakir had a career-best game putting up 115 yards on three receptions and a touchdown. He also put Sauce Gardner on skates as he took an 81-yard pass from Josh Allen to the house. Anyone who has been watching the Bills could see this emergence was coming, as Shakir seemed to be involved more and more in the game plan each week. Despite the dud performance in Week 10, it was great to see him bounce back this week.

This week the Bills play the Eagles, who have a solid defense but wide receivers can score points against them. They are by-and-far giving up the most fantasy points in the league against opposing wide receivers at nearly 48 points per game. Personally, I’m expecting another big showing with Shakir, especially with it being expected that the Eagles will try to put the clamps on Stefon Diggs. Shakir may finally be securing the WR2 role in Buffalo.

Romeo Doubs WR – Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions

If I’m going with the Packers quarterback, I might as well suggest the Packers receiver with the most targets (65), receptions (38), and touchdowns (7) at this point. Doubs has scored in four of the last five contests, a stat that could culminate in this week’s matchup with the Lions. To compete with Detroit, a team needs to score more points and with the average combined score of Lions games being 50.1 points, there’s likely to be plenty of scoring going on. Late in games, the pass is the preferred way to move the ball, so look for Doubs and the Packers to air it out often this Thursday.

Isaiah Likely TE – Baltimore Ravens @ Los Angeles Chargers

It was hard to watch that Bengals and Ravens game last Thursday night with all the season-ending injuries that occurred. Of course, there was Joe Burrow, but the Ravens also lost Mark Andrews for the season. Andrews was easily Lamar Jackson’s favorite target and he was seeing nearly 7 targets per game leading up to last week’s game.

Moving forward, Likely probably won’t see all the same targets as Andrews. However, in his first start, he should see a much-increased role in the offense. For Week 12, the Ravens face the Chargers, who are giving up nearly 15 points per game to opposing tight ends. If there ever was a time for Likely to make a name for himself, this is the perfect opportunity.

Tyler Conklin TE – New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins

When a new or less experienced quarterback takes over, a lot of times we will see them focus on shorter passes to the running backs or tight ends. Tim Boyle is taking over under center for the Jets and Conklin is one of the first guys he’s going to turn to when things get sweaty. With injuries and less-than-stellar play from the offensive line, that pocket is going to collapse quickly, forcing Boyle to get rid of the ball. With the rushers getting into the backfield and the secondary locking down Garrett Wilson, Conklin will have a game like he did before last week where he hauled in six and seven passes for 66 and 70 yards, respectively.

Week 12 Sit Em

Russell Wilson QB – Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns

As of late, I think the best way to describe Russell Wilson’s play has been efficient. He’s managing the run-heavy Bronco’s offense and not forcing the ball into bad situations as he has not thrown an interception in his last four outings. Additionally, he has not been a huge point provider as he’s only averaging 190 yards and one touchdown per game over that same four-game period.

Looking to Week 12, this game is going to be much more of a challenge in that he is facing a Browns defense that has been one of the best in the league. Showing a league-low D-PAC Score of 2.04 and only allowing 11 points per game to quarterbacks is an amazing stat line, and they are really good against the run as well. Wilson is going to be forced to throw the ball this week and it’s not going to be pretty.

Joshua Dobbs QB – Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears

The best thing about Joshua Dobbs, from a fantasy outlook, is his scrambling ability. Notably, he has scored rushing touchdowns in five straight games and has surpassed 40 rushing yards in four of his last six games. The downside of Dobbs, he’s never played on Monday and he averages 157.3 passing yards and 1.8 fumbles in primetime games.

The Bears don’t appear to be the kind of defense that worries opposing passing games, but they’ve limited some recent signal callers. They picked off Jared Goff three times last week and have allowed just 211.7 passing yards across their last three games.

I’m not saying the Bears will upset the Vikings in Week 12. However, I want you to confine your expectations in a game that could turn out to be closer than many folks perceive it will be. All things considered, there are a number of other quarterbacks I would look to this week over Dobbs.

Any Green Bay Packers Running  Backs @ Detroit Lions

Detroit has consistently been one of the best defenses this season against the run. So far, they’re allowing 16 points per game to opposing running backs. So not a good starting situation for the Packers offense. Now throw in that we have no idea who that starter might be, due to injuries to Aaron Jones (who was a “did not practice” on Monday) AJ Dillon (limited in practice on Monday), and Emanuel Wilson (also a non-participant on Monday). Furthermore, on Monday the Packers added James Robinson and Patrick Taylor to join a few practice squad players in this mess of a running back room.

Needless to say, I don’t think any of those players need to be picked up on waivers, or started, this week against the Detroit Lions. While it might be tempting to get a few extra players in your lineups to follow on Thanksgiving, it would be wise to just avoid this backfield entirely. Dillon, more specifically as he’s likely the most appealing of the bunch due to Jones’s injury.

Javonte Williams RB – Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns

We got about what we should have expected from Javonte Williams this past weekend. Unfortunately, he managed just 37 yards on 11 carries and added another two catches for 16 yards. The Vikings’ run defense has been stellar down the stretch and we need to respect it.

Furthermore, in his last three games, Williams is averaging just 3.4 YPC, and Samaje Perine just showed us why he is one of the best pass-catching running backs in the league. The smart thing for Denver to continue to do is utilize their runners strategically. If Williams isn’t getting on the field for those late, close game situations, he becomes a liability for fantasy when they face difficult opponents like the Browns in Week 12. Cleveland has the fourth-toughest D-PAC Score of 4.62 against running backs, which is another reason to look elsewhere at the position.

Jerry Jeudy WR – Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns

To go along with my Russell Wilson sit pick for quarterback, I’m also picking one of his primary targets with Jerry Jeudy to sit as well. This might be quite obvious if the Browns are strong against opposing quarterbacks. More importantly, they are quite tough against the wide receivers as well. This year, they are only allowing 24 points per game to opposing wide receiver groups.

Furthermore, it doesn’t help that Jeudy hasn’t exactly been a premier fantasy football producer either. This year, he’s averaging 3.5 receptions, and 43 yards per game on the season. Add to that he only has one touchdown TOTAL on the season and it’s not a great look. Sit Jeudy this week.

Zay Flowers WR – Baltimore Ravens @ Los Angeles Chargers

The loss of Mark Andrews is going to be tough for Baltimore, but they have the personnel to compensate on offense. Zay Flowers, however, likely still falls behind others in the pecking order. As we saw last week, Odell Beckham led the way in targets (7), receptions (4), and receiving yards (116) while Isaiah Likely stepped in as the starting tight end. Flowers will see his usual allotment of targets, but I believe the focus will be on Beckham, Likely, and the running game.

Many people view the Chargers as a defense that is weak against fantasy wide receivers. They’re partially right. A number of primary pass catchers have had some super performances against them. However, in the last four games, of all the players with four or more receptions (11), only one (Amon-Ra St. Brown) has surpassed 80 receiving yards. Their fantasy numbers are also skewed by the 424 yards and four receiving scores they allowed in Week 7.

With all of your available options this week, you probably have a better choice on your squad. I don’t see Flowers getting the kind of attention we want from a fantasy wide receiver this week.

Daniel Bellinger TE – New York Giants vs. New England Patriots

Not much is going well for New York City football teams this season. There was such great hope at the start of the season, and that all went down the toilet. The Giants signed oft-injured, but highly productive tight end, Darren Waller in the offseason only to get hurt and put on IR. Daniel Bellinger has been okay, but he isn’t what you would want as your team’s TE1.

What doesn’t help is that he’s receiving passes from Tommy DeVito. On the other side of the ball, the Patriots have not been good either, but they seem to be able to slow down opposing tight ends only allowing eight points per game. Look elsewhere for a streamer this week.

Cole Kmet TE – Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings

After a number of profitable fantasy football performances, Cole Kmet has come back to Earth with outputs of 45 and 30 yards in the last two weeks. Now he’ll face off with a Vikings defense that just seems to get a little bit better every week. The Vikings are sporting the sixth toughest D-PAC Rating of 1.62 against tight ends. Outside of the 60-yard Jonnu Smith touchdown in Week 9, Minnesota is allowing 39.3 receiving yards to tight ends in the last four games and they’ve surrendered just one other tight end touchdown since Week 3. The earlier matchup between these teams saw Kmet tally just two catches for nine yards. Find another tight end this week.

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Don’t forget to hit us up on Twitter with any of your lineup questions. You can find Benjamin @FFRabbitDad and Brendan @OBryanBren. If you have a question, we will give you some guidance. After all, we want you to win!

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