The Biggest Start/Sit Decisions for Week 12 (Fantasy Football)

“I hope every one of you have a Happy Thanksgiving with your friends and families. We have a lot to be thankful for as we go through this gift called life, but without them, none of it would be worth it. Don’t wait to appreciate something until it’s gone.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.”
— Mike Tagliere

Happy Thanksgiving, Footclan! Welcome to Week 12 of the Start/Sit series, where we’ll identify and discuss your most commonly asked “Who should I start?” questions for the week.

The projections between any two players on your roster may appear similar, but this “simple” choice could be the difference between your team’s victory or defeat. Luckily, the Fantasy Footballers have created an amazing Start/Sit tool to easily compare any two (or more) players with insight from the Ballers themselves, and trust me — it’s an extremely valuable asset that will help you make these crucial lineup decisions that could ultimately lead you to your #FootClanTitle. Please note that the Footballers’ rankings are constantly being updated as news breaks, so make sure you check out the tool for yourself to catch any last-second changes.

So, without further ado, let’s kick things off with the most popular Start/Sit questions for Week 12:

Featured Matchup

WR:
Christian Watson (GB) or Josh Palmer (LAC)?

First off, sincere apologies to anyone who followed my advice last week regarding Josh Palmer vs Kadarius Toney. Yikes. But it’s a new week, and we now know that perennial tease Mike Williams most likely won’t be suiting up, leaving Palmer with another grand opportunity to erupt with Keenan Allen taking away coverage. Since Week 6, Palmer is averaging 10 targets, seven receptions, and over 78 yards per game, and his 27.8% targets per route run is extremely encouraging. What’s not encouraging is his matchup, as the Cardinals are giving up the 6th lowest fantasy points above expectation to opposing receivers.

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Christian Watson has emerged as Aaron Rodgers‘ favorite big-play target. He’s scored five TDs in the last two weeks and is fantasy’s WR2 in that timespan. However, Allen Lazard is still the team’s target leader, and Watson’s upcoming matchup against James Bradberry and Darius Slay will make things tough for the rookie. You’re banking on another score or three, but Rodgers is clearly looking his way, and he’s proved that he can get it done.

GOIN' DEEEEEEEEEP@Flowercitysown | @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/7hgnyoPfJv

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) November 21, 2022

While Watson’s TD upside is tempting, it’s hard not to side with Palmer. Justin Herbert continues to sling it at an insane pace, so Palmer should see ample opportunities again. Just monitor the injury reports to ensure that Mike Williams is indeed inactive, but Palmer’s probably the safer choice regardless.

The Verdict
Josh Palmer

RB:
Rachaad White (TB) or Isiah Pacheco (KC)?

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	Rachaad White TB RB @ CLE Sun, 11/27 1:00pm EST Clips	Isiah Pacheco KC RB vs LAR Sun, 11/27 4:25pm EST Clips
	EXPERT PROJECTIONS
Proj. Points	11.4	12.1
Andy Rank	RB #24	RB #23
Mike Rank	RB #24	RB #20
Jason Rank	RB #26	RB #24
	MATCHUP DETAILS
Opp. Rank	31	8
Home/Away	Away	Home
Over/Under	42.5	43
Line	-3.5	-15.5

Oh boy, it sure is hard not to start Rachaad White this week. He’s coming off his best game yet (22 carries, 105 rushing yards), Leonard Fournette is hurt, and he’s fresh off a bye where rookies normally start to emerge. Now he gets a porous Browns defense that allowed three fantasy RB1 finishes in the last two weeks. I don’t blame anyone for wanting to wait a week to see if he’s truly given the keys to the backfield, but it might not even matter because the matchup is just that juicy. He’s Mike’s RB Start of the Week.

Speaking of rookie RBs coming off their best game, Pacheco also crossed the century mark (107 rushing yards) last week. But his lack of usage in the passing game (three targets in 10 games played) and near the goal line (one carry inside the 10 since his Week 8 bye) caps his upside. He hasn’t scored a TD since their first game of the season. The matchup isn’t ideal either, but the team is such a massive favorite that he should find himself with more opportunities to score. Then again, Patrick Mahomes could just decide to throw tuddies to any one of his pass-catchers instead.

The Verdict
Rachaad White

TE:
David Njoku (CLE) or Greg Dulcich (DEN)?

David Njoku‘s return to action went off not with a bang but a whimper, going just 2-17-0 on just three targets. But he was clearly being eased back as he only saw the field for 37% of snaps, which was a far cry lower than his 85% season average. Greg Dulcich didn’t fare much better (4-30-0 on five targets).

Njoku has a much better matchup on paper, but there’s not much of a difference when considering the schedule-adjusted rankings (14th vs 10th). I have more faith in a healthy Njoku who has shaken off the cobwebs, but he requires a leap of faith in assuming that he’ll actually see a full workload. But until he does, it’s safer to wait and play someone like Dulcich instead.

The Verdict
Greg Dulcich

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QB:
Tom Brady (TB) or Jimmy Garoppolo (SF)?

In this battle of the ex-Patriots, both guys are fringe-QB1 options, but it’s the Handsome One that has the edge. Jimmy Garoppolo has certainly enjoyed having an embarrassment of riches in his arsenal, most notably scoring four times last week, something Brady has yet to do this season. He’ll be up against a Saints defense that’s giving up the 6th MOST points to opposing QBs in the last three weeks, making him a strong start and Mike’s QB Streamer of the week.

But Tom Brady is no slouch. The Plant Man is throwing the ball incessantly, currently boasting a 17-game pace of 725.9 pass attempts. It hasn’t translated into much success, however, as he’s finished as a top-12 QB only twice this year back in Weeks 4-5. But as long as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin (and even Julio Jones) are active, Brady’s always a threat to score multiple times. This could be his bounceback week against an exploitable Browns team. Brady is Jason’s QB Start of the Week.

The Verdict
Jimmy Garoppolo