Fantasy Football Start or Sit: Week 12

Gobble Gobble League Winners! Welcome to the Thanksgiving Week 12 version of start or sit. Who should be in your fantasy football lineups this week? Who should take a seat?

Before you put the turkey in the oven lets go find out!

Start

David Montgomery, RB – Chicago Bears (Joe O’Leary)

In two games since returning from his injury, David Montgomery hasn’t really lit up the ol’ fantasy football scoreboard. That should change quickly in Week 12 versus the Lions.

Despite the lack of production since his return, the usage David Montgomery is seeing is elite. Any questions on whether or not he would have the same role as pre-injury have been answered. His first week back at Pittsburgh Monty saw an 85 percent snap share. That bumped up to 95 percent last week.

Now to the matchup in Week 12. According to Broto Fantasy Football, the Lions are giving up a massive 36.3% points over average to running backs. Here’s a list of performances to feature running backs Detroit has allowed this season.

• Elijah Mitchell 16.4 PPR points
• Aaron Jones 41.5 PPR points
• David Montgomery (!) 22.6 PPR points
• Alexander Mattison 26.3 PPR points
• Joe Mixon 26.3 PPR points
• Jordan Howard 17.7 PPR points
• Najee Harris 17.3 PPR points
• Nick Chubb 22.4 PPR points

David Mongtomery is in a smash spot on Thanksgiving. Gobble Gobble League Winners.

Jamison Crowder, WR – New York Jets (Matthew Morris)

Let’s be real for a second: an early Sunday matchup between two of the worst teams in the NFL sounds like must-avoid TV. Don’t let the unseemliness of the matchup deter you from picking up some easy fantasy points. While Elijah Moore has exploded onto the scene as the WR1 through the last four weeks, there’s another Jets WR fantasy football managers should have their eyes on.

Jamison Crowder was the PPR WR20 in those same four weeks, outperforming guys like DJ Moore, Mike Williams, and Jakobi Meyers. With Michael Carter going down, there should be additional short-area targets available, which is where Crowder thrives. Neither defense in this matchup is very good, so there will be plenty of points and offensive production to be had. Crowder can be flexed as a solid floor play with upside.

Brandin Cooks, WR – Houston Texans (Keith James)

The ultimate professional, Brandin Cooks enters Week 12 in a bit of a slump. After being declared “QB Proof” when putting up good numbers with the likes of Davis Mills, Cooks fell flat with his worst game of the season last week.

I fully expect a bounce-back week against a leaky Jets secondary. Cooks doesn’t score much with only two TD’s in the season, but his floor is about 6 catches and 65 yards. I think he finds the end zone this week and puts together a top-20 scoring week.

Dalton Schultz, TE – Dallas Cowboys (Jeremy Shulman)

If you roster Dalton Schultz, you may have another fringe option you’re considering to start instead this week. I’m here to tell you to ignore that feeling and fire up Schultz this Turkey Day over almost any other TE outside of the top-tier.

With no Amari Cooper and a concussed CeeDee Lamb this past week, Schultz saw 8 targets, catching 6 balls for 53 scoreless yards. However, there should be more open field against a Raiders unit who are tied for worst in the league when it comes to giving up fantasy points to tight ends. With Amari and CeeDee likely out again due to the short week ahead, Schultz looks the part of a top-6 TE this week. Start him and expect at least what he gave you last week.

Ty Johnson, RB – New York Jets (Thomas Christopher)

With Michael Carter going down, the Jets need someone to establish the run. Tevin Coleman saw work in last week’s game after Carter’s injury, but Johnson has been the relevant fantasy football player to date. Ty Johnson gets most of his work done in the passing game, and with Zach Wilson potentially struggling for another week, there’s room for him to soak up some dump offs. Johnson isn’t my most confident pick this week, but against a horrible Texans rushing defense he should have opportunity nonetheless.

Sit

Ryan Tannehill, QB – Tennessee Titans (Joe O’Leary)

Ryan Tannehill fantasy football managers likely weren’t thrilled to look at their schedule and see Tannehill facing the Patriots this week on the road. The Patriots have erased quarterbacks over their five-game winning streak, allowing only 191 passing yards per game. The Pats have allowed only one offensive touchdown in their last three games. To make matters even worse, New England has allowed one passing touchdown and forced eight interceptions in that same three-game stretch.

This isn’t the week to get cute and keep Tannehill in your lineups. He shouldn’t warrant any consideration in one QB format. In SuperFlex leagues I hope I have another viable starter or I’m scouring the waiver wire for a better option.

Michael Gallup, WR – Dallas Cowboys (Matthew Morris)

At first glance, it feels like Michael Gallup is in a smash spot for the Thanksgiving matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Gallup has the potential to step in as the Cowboys WR1 with Amari Cooper ruled out and CeeDee Lamb recovering from a concussion suffered in Week 11.

The Raiders pass defense is performing at an elite level, allowing only 220.8 passing yards per game and 18.9 fantasy points to the wide receiver position. Gallup is still flex-worthy this week, but expectations should be tempered as the Cowboy’s offense looks for a get-right game against a solid pass defense.

Myles Gaskin, RB – Miami Dolphins (Jeremy Shulman)

Week 12 is an even week, so you should already be planning to sit Myles Gaskin. In his five even week games, Gaskin has managed just 26.3 PPR fantasy points total; or roughly 20% of his total output this season. Of course, matchups have played a role in Gaskin’s seven-week oddity, and the Panthers are perfectly aligned to keep Myles maligned for another week that’s easily divisible by two. The dual-threat Gaskin can get his on the ground or through the air, but I’m confident he’ll be bottled up again this week, continuing this ridiculous trend.

Josh Jacobs, RB – Las Vegas Raiders (Keith James)

Josh Jacobs has put together a solid fantasy football season. He’s RB24 despite sharing the backfield with Kenyan Drake, and missing time. However, Jacobs needs to score in order to be a solid fantasy asset for your squad. Jacobs hasn’t scored since Week 7, though. Going up against the Cowboys 7th ranked rush defense, I don’t foresee much production on turkey day against an angry Cowboys team playing at home.

Elijah Moore, WR – New York Jets (Thomas Christopher)

Elijah Moore has been incredible in the last five weeks, posting five touchdowns in five games. During that stretch, he’s been the WR4 in fantasy football. This week, Zach Wilson is back under the helm, and I think that hurts Moore more than it will help him. Wilson has been wildy inaccurate when targeting Moore, and unless there’s significant changes, I don’t see tha trend stopping in Wilson’s first game back from injury. Temper expecations for Elijah Moore this week.