The Fantasy Footballers’ Starts of the Week for Week 12
If there is one thing that can ruin a push to the playoffs, it is a week full of fantasy-relevant players going on bye. Oh, look, that’s this week! If you, like many, struggle to figure out who to play and what matchups you might be able to target, you need to lock in on The Fantasy Footballers Podcast; they can help you navigate this challenging time. During Thursday’s episode, Andy and Jason—Mike is out of town—laid out their Starts of the Week. To catch the whole episode on YouTube, follow the link below:
If you need more assistance, make sure you have downloaded the Fantasy Footballers app and joined the Footclan, which will help you tremendously with your questions. The two essential tools I use are the Start/Sit tool and the Ultimate Dashboard, but there is even more you can access to help guide you.
Now, let’s get into Week 12’s Starts of the Week for The Fantasy Footballers.
Andy’s Starts of the Week
QB – CJ Stroud vs. TEN
Stroud is at home; he has his number-one receiver back, and it is time for him to shine again. When Stroud is at home, he makes a big step up in productivity as he averages 303 yards and has a 5% touchdown rate. Meanwhile, the Titans’ defense was better at the beginning of the year, but now they allow 26.3 points per game, the 26th-ranked team in the NFL, and eight of 10 opponents hit their team-implied total. It is time for Stroud to get back to his superstar ways.
RB – De’Von Achane vs. NE
Andy recognizes that you will start Achane but wants to give extra confidence that Achane could be the number one RB this week. When Tua plays, Achane averages 20.6 fantasy points per game, including 115 total yards and six receptions. This week, Achane faces a New England defense that ranked 26th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs; opposing RBs are running at 4.7 yards per carry. Have even more belief in Achane this week as you start him.
WR – DeVonta Smith vs. LAR
He is a start, of course, in the world where Smith is healthy and playing. He missed both Wednesday and Thursday practices, and there is a chance he will miss the game. If Smith plays, you should have confidence in getting him in your lineup. He has been up and down, but this week the Eagles have a 26-point team-implied total, so there should be some points to go around. Especially in the passing game, where the Rams rank dead last in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs. They allowed a monster game for JSN out of the slot, and Smith runs 53% of his routes in the slot. If he plays, it should be a huge week.
TE – Hunter Henry @ MIA
Through 11 weeks, Henry has run the most routes among all TEs and ranks fifth in targets. With Drake Maye as the QB, we have seen Henry receive a 21% target share, averaging seven targets per game. Meanwhile, Miami ranks 29th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs over the last month. Last week, Brock Bowers annihilated the Dolphins. Henry could be a quality player in a week when so many players are out on a bye.
Jason’s Starts of the Week
QB – Bo Nix @ LV
Bo Nix has been a top-12 QB in five of his last seven games. When Nix played the Raiders in Week 5, he finished as the QB9 and had three total TDs. He is rushing the ball quite a bit, giving him a safe floor weekly for a nice bonus. Since Week 3, the Raiders have ranked 28th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs and 30th in expected points added per pass attempt. The Raiders are circling the drain, and Nix and the Broncos could finish their flushing journey.
RB – Brian Robinson Jr. vs. DAL
He is averaging a solid 13.5 fantasy points per game. An impressive feat on only 16 opportunities a game. Robinson is tied with Joe Mixon for the fifth most TDs inside the 10-yard line with seven touchdowns. There could be a fear after the last few weeks that Robinson could have lost his role, but he still has as many 10-zone carries as James Conner and Alvin Kamara, despite his three missed games. Feel good about his role, and trust him to perform.
WR – Jauan Jennings @ GB
In games when Jennings has been a full-time starter, he has seen 12, 11, and 11 targets. Those are great numbers, but they are just there to make you want to put him in your starting lineup. His behind-the-scenes metrics are just as good. Jennings is targeted on 27% of his routes, averaging 2.84 yards per run. He is the first read on 28% of the team’s passing plays—alpha WR-type numbers. The only WRs to hit these metrics this year are Nico Collins, A.J. Brown, and Justin Jefferson. That is the elite company of which Jennings is a part.
TE – Luke Schoonmaker @ WAS
If you dive deep and dirty for a TE this week, the Skoon-man is a good spot start option. Do you remember that he was a second-round pick last year? Neither did Jason. In relief of Jake Ferguson‘s previous week, Schoonmaker saw 10 targets with six catches for 56 yards. He was targeted on 34% of his routes, leading the team last week. Dallas is facing a Washington offense that has been hard to stop. So Dallas will have to work hard to keep up the scoring. Meanwhile, the Commander’s defense is 24th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs. We know Dallas will have to pass the ball, and Schoonmaker should see many targets.
Comments
The problem with Jauan Jennings is that all the stats that he’s amassed was courtesy of Brock Purdy. This week JJ is getting a different QB, who might decide that his favorite wr is someone else while the 49ers are facing Green Bay, a top 10 defense against the pass.
Who would you start Juan Jennings or day flowers