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Quarterback
Start of the Week: Bo Nix (@ LV)
Nix is coming off his best game as a pro with 307 yards and four touchdowns through the air in a blowout win over the Falcons, and his confidence should be at an all-time high ahead of a matchup versus a Las Vegas team that he scored 23.14 fantasy points against in the first meeting. Since a slow start, Nix has thrown for 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions over the past nine weeks—and he ranks as the overall QB7 on the season, which is where we have him ranked for Week 12.
Start: Baker Mayfield (@ NYG)
The Giants having the second-most sacks in the league (36) overshadows their struggles on the backend, but I fully expect Mayfield and the Bucs to come out firing this weekend—especially with Mike Evans (hamstring) back in the lineup. Even with Evans out (including when he left early against Baltimore), Mayfield has averaged 38.8 pass attempts per game over his past four outings, so there is no reason to expect Tampa Bay will suddenly scale back the passing attack. Start the former No. 1 overall pick as a top-10 play.
Start: Anthony Richardson (v DET)
The upside for Richardson was apparent in his return to the starting lineup with 28.08 fantasy points, and the Lions—despite allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks (13.4)—might not such a bad matchup based on their struggles defending mobile passers under Aaron Glenn. There is always concern about the floor, but Richardson having a big day as a runner to keep the Colts competitive is very possible, and he could rip off some chunk gains versus heavy man coverage if the Detroit pass rush doesn’t get home.
Start: Jared Goff (@ IND)
Goff had cooled off from a statistical perspective with 145 yards and a touchdown in the rainy win over Green Bay and then the five-interception performance against Houston—but he made up for it last week by completing 24-of-29 passes for 412 yards and four touchdowns. Perhaps a bottom-five run defense for the Colts will allow the Lions to keep the ball on the ground, but Indy also struggles to defend the pass (seventh-worst in the NFL), and last week obviously showed the Lions will keep their foot on the gas. Based on the matchup and all the weapons in Ben Johnson’s offense, Goff should be a borderline top-five option.
Sit of the Week: Jordan Love (v SF)
Love always carries upside with his big-play ability, but the Packers interestingly only had 17 pass attempts last week—and interceptions have remained an issue for him with 11 of them in not even eight full games. Remember, Love was not at his best in the playoff loss to San Francisco with 194 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, so we’ll see if Green Bay keeps the more balanced offensive approach; also, I’d expect the Niners to be ready coming off a disappointing loss that dropped them to 5-5.
Sit: Russell Wilson (@ CLE)
Wilson disappointed last week in the win over Baltimore, but these AFC North matchups can always turn into slugfests—which is the danger for him heading into Cleveland for a primetime matchup. Although the Browns haven’t been close to as stout defensively this season (as shown last week in the loss to New Orleans), they’ll be fired up with the Steelers coming to town, and the ceiling for Wilson could be capped with Mike Williams (one target in two games) still getting integrated into the offense.
Sit: Sam Darnold (@ CHI)
It was good to see Darnold bounce back from a three-interception performance with three total touchdowns last week, but Sunday brings a difficult matchup versus a Chicago defense that has allowed a 7:9 touchdown-interception ratio on the season. Last year, the Vikings only had 181 yards and a touchdown through the air in the lone matchup with Kirk Cousins under center, so Darnold is another quarterback that could provide limited upside on the road—especially if the Minnesota defense is able to limit Caleb Williams.
Sit: Jameis Winston (v PIT)
Winston has gone off in two-of-three opportunities as the starter, but his QB1 days sandwich a three-interception game versus the Chargers, and I’m expecting his outlook to remain tied to the opponent. If so, that means a low-floor game could be coming with the Steelers allowing the second-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks (11.5)—and “bad” Jameis showing up needs to always be a consideration. Even with six teams on a bye, we have him outside the top 20 at the position.
Running Back
Start of the Week: Rhamondre Stevenson (@ MIA)
Stevenson has been held out of the end zone in back-to-back games, but he’s handled touch totals of 21 and 24—so the feature role is unquestioned for a New England squad that has been more competitive over the past few weeks. Before the brief touchdown drought, Stevenson had back-to-back games with multiple scores, and Miami just allowed Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah to catch six passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. I like Stevenson as a top-15 option as the focal point for the Patriots.
Start: Rachaad White (@ NYG)
Bucky Irving could be included here, too, as both Tampa Bay runners are in the RB2 range facing a Giants defense that is allowing the most yards per carry in the league (5.3)—and the benching of Daniel Jones adds another layer to the game with New York players being vocal about disagreeing with the move. That is not to say motivation will be an issue, but the Giants obviously don’t stop the run well to begin with, and White’s involvement as a pass-catcher is another boost with four receiving touchdowns over the past four games.
Start: Isiah Pacheco (@ CAR)
Pacheco (leg) isn’t a lock to make his return this weekend, but if he does, fantasy owners shouldn’t expect anything less than his usual angry running style—and it comes versus a Carolina defense that has allowed the most fantasy points per game to enemy backs (28.3). While the play of Kareem Hunt might make it more of a split, Pacheco averaged 94.5 total yards per game in not even two full appearances to begin the season; he should immediately return as a top-24 option.
Start: Javonte Williams (@ LV)
There will be some uncertainty in the Denver backfield moving forward with rookie Audric Estimé continuing to show well, but Williams was back in the lead role last week—turning 13 touches into 87 yards and a touchdown. In the first meeting against Las Vegas, Williams led the way with a season-high 111 total yards, which included 4.7 yards per carry and five receptions for 50 yards as a receiver. Now, the Raiders sit at 2-8 and the Broncos are rolling, so Williams is a more confident start.
Sit of the Week: Chuba Hubbard (v KC)
The Panthers want to establish the run and might be recharged to do it successfully following the bye, but Kansas City—with extra motivation coming off their first loss of the season—has the NFL’s third-best run defense in terms of both rushing yards per game (85.3) and yards per carry (3.6) allowed. Plus, the debut of second-round pick Jonathon Brooks (knee) will likely take carries away from Hubbard, so you’re probably banking on a touchdown for him as a low-end RB2/FLEX in a game where Carolina may trail if the Chiefs are on offensively.
Sit: Nick Chubb (v PIT)
Chubb’s efficiency last week was what fantasy owners would have liked (11 carries for 50 yards), but Cleveland wasn’t committed enough to the run in an eventual 35-14 loss. For his career, Chubb has showed extremely well versus Pittsburgh with 4.8 yards per carry in 10 regular season matchups, and it’d be awesome for him to have a breakout night in the first meeting since last year’s gruesome knee injury. However, the hope isn’t enough to make him more than a FLEX with a lower floor and ceiling than you’d like based on the talent.
Sit: Alexander Mattison (v DEN)
The bye week and changes to the offensive staff led to Zamir White starting for the Raiders in Week 11, so Mattison—although the preferred play because of his involvement in the passing game—gets an undeniably worsened outlook moving forward, particularly this week against an elite Denver defense. In the first matchup this season, Mattison was contained with 15 carries for 38 yards (2.5 YPC), and he hasn’t found the end zone since Week 6 after a hot start to the campaign.
Sit: D’Andre Swift (v MIN)
Swift remains a mid-to-low-end RB2 with six teams on a bye, but the first game under interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown resulted in a split with him and Roschon Johnson seeing 14 and 10 carries, respectively. More of a committee is something head coach Matt Eberflus expects moving forward, so Swift—who often didn’t handle goal-line carries before the split—might be dependent on a big play and/or receiving work versus a tough Minnesota defense.
Wide Receiver
Start of the Week: Malik Nabers (v TB)
Those with Nabers are surely starting him, and I’m optimistic he could get back to his early-season form (before suffering a concussion) when he took the league by storm. It’s unfortunate that injuries and getting battered behind a sub-par offensive line ruined Daniel Jones after promise earlier in his career, but Tommy DeVito has a quicker trigger at this point, and that should lead to more consistency for Nabers—and perhaps more chunk gains if DeVito can hit him when Brian Daboll schemes the rookie open. We have Nabers as the overall WR4 this week.
Start: DJ Moore (v MIN)
The Vikings can cause havoc and might make it a long day for Caleb Williams this weekend, but they are allowing the fifth-most receiving yards per game in the league (258.9)—and Moore showed well in the most recent matchup with 11 receptions (on 13 targets) for 114 yards last November. After a quality showing by catching all seven of his targets for 62 yards in the loss to Green Bay, Moore is a solid WR2 with increased upside if the shorter targets can be supplemented by connecting on a deep shot.
Start: Romeo Doubs (v SF)
Doubs having a quiet game in Chicago wasn’t a surprise with one reception for 17 yards, but San Francisco will be a much better matchup for him—and he was key in the playoff loss with four receptions for 83 yards. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Green Bay has struggled to move the ball through the air in two November games with Doubs being less of a factor, so look for him to be highlighted more in a huge NFC clash. We have the 24-year-old as our overall WR25.
Start: Quentin Johnston (v BAL)
Johnston has found the end zone in three consecutive games since his return to the lineup, and he’s now up to six touchdowns in eight games while averaging 16.1 yards per reception and 9.6 yards per target. Basically, the 2023 first-rounder has turned into the primary downfield threat (though Ladd McConkey and Joshua Palmer can also made plays vertically) for the rocket-armed Justin Herbert, so he could stay hot as an upside FLEX with the Ravens being very vulnerable to the deep ball.
Others: Jauan Jennings (@ GB), Jameson Williams (@ IND)
Sit of the Week: Marvin Harrison Jr. (@ SEA)
Harrison has started to become more of a force with a touchdown in two of the past three games to break out of a slump, but I don’t feel great about the matchup versus Seattle with the rookie set to spend a lot of time battling Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon. In general, Arizona would like to have a ball-control offense, and Harrison hasn’t seen more than seven targets in a game since Week 3. If you have options, we’d consider him a low-end WR2 that doesn’t need to be in lineups.
Sit: Jayden Reed (v SF)
The low passing volume for Green Bay last week held Reed back despite an early touchdown grab, and it’s notable that he was limited to four receptions for 35 yards in the January matchup versus San Francisco—who should mix up the coverage looks with plenty of capable options at cornerback and safety. If you are starting Reed, the Packers might need to involve him more as a runner with designed touches for him to return at least low-end WR2 value and get closer to his early-season production.
Sit: Courtland Sutton (@ LV)
Sutton investors have to be encouraged about the play of Bo Nix and his increased numbers in recent games—as the veteran wideout gone for lines of 8/100, 7/122, 6/70/1, and 7/78 since a zero-catch performance in Week 7. One of Sutton’s worst games this season came against the Raiders, though, and he’s gone for yardage totals of 32, two, and 32 over the past two years. It might be tempting to keep rolling with Sutton while he’s putting up big numbers, but this could be a spot to consider others.
Sit: Cedric Tillman (v PIT)
The Steelers allowed Joey Porter Jr. to shadow Zay Flowers quite a bit last week, and it paid off with a late score on Donte Jackson being the only real damage Baltimore’s top wideout did. The media doesn’t talk about Porter much as a shutdown cornerback for whatever reason, but he’s been a matchup to avoid since he was drafted, and the danger is enough for Tillman to be downgraded as a FLEX candidate on Thursday night.
Others: Jakobi Meyers (v DEN), Michael Pittman Jr. (v DET)
Tight End
Start: of the Week: Isaiah Likely (@ LAC)
Likely left early in Week 9 with a hamstring injury and then sat out in Week 10, but he looked explosive last week in the loss to Pittsburgh—catching four-of-five targets for a team-high 75 yards. If you can live with the floor in a spread-the-wealth offense, Likely is back in the TE1 ranks as someone that hopefully showed he should be a more consistent factor; and as shown by Travis Kelce earlier this season (7/89) and over the years, Los Angeles can be attacked by tight ends despite not allowing a touchdown to the position in 2024.
Start: Will Dissly (v BAL)
On the other side of Ravens-Chargers, Dissly has worked his way into weekly consideration based on his play since the bye—putting him on a season-long pace of 108 targets, 79 receptions, 756 yards, and three touchdowns over the past six weeks. Baltimore struggling to defend the middle of the field could allow Dissly to keep it going, and I don’t think the numbers are a fluke with the former Seahawk beginning his career with six touchdowns across his first eight games.
Start: Pat Freiermuth (@ CLE)
I am less confident about Freiermuth as more of a feeling play that has been limited to just nine total yards over the past three matchups versus Cleveland—but it’s easy to imagine him breaking out of a slump on a short week. The 54.52 fantasy points allowed by the Browns last week to tight ends of the Saints (thanks to Taysom Hill) are juicing the numbers on the season, but they allowed a touchdown to Juwan Johnson and 50 yards to Foster Moreau as well, so “Muth” could be a solid play with star linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (neck) out for Cleveland
Sit of the Week: None
Again, six teams have a bye this week, so there really aren’t options to recommend you avoid at fantasy football’s most frustrating position. I would just say it makes sense to get a backup tight end if a good one is available for those gearing up for the fantasy playoffs.