Fantasy owners are out of the woods with Week 12 hours away—bye weeks, injuries and other unpredictable factors give way to a three-game Thanksgiving slate that is sure to make for an entertaining time.
It’s hard to account for all the potential Thanksgiving outbursts, including, but not limited to, Calvin Johnson, Cam Newton, Tony Romo, Alshon Jeffery and Aaron Rodgers.
While it’s great to be free of bye-week blues and other negatives, the format of Week 12 might throw some off their game. Below, let’s help make life easier by listing some value comparisons and notable players to start and sit.
QB
Start: Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (vs. OAK)
Hinging fantasy hopes on a rookie this late in the season usually doesn’t make for a fun time, but Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston changed that song last week by tossing five scores.
Next up on the breakout list is Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans.
Mariota has outbursts of 32 and 17 points over the course of his past three games, giving him five double-digit outings this year. Now he gets the Oakland Raiders, the team letting up the fourth-most points to quarterbacks on average.
Mariota’s going to have a field day in a shootout as his team attempts to secure its third win of the season.
Sit: Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills (at KC)
Early in the season, Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor looked like a must-start play no matter the matchup, going for double digits in each of his first five games.
Then Taylor got hurt and hasn’t posted more than 15 points in a game since, including just nine in Week 11 despite a good matchup against the New England Patriots.
If a good encounter didn’t produce big numbers from Taylor, a rough one certainly won’t. He next has to deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, a defense allowing the fourth-fewest points to quarterbacks.
Since Week 4, the defense has allowed more than one touchdown to a quarterback just once.
RB
Start: T.J. Yeldon, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. SD)
Despite seeing one of the most consistent carry clips of any player at his position, T.J. Yeldon of the Jacksonville Jaguars just hasn’t been the RB1 most figured he would be.
Yeldon has just three trips to double digits this year and one trip to paydirt, which might encourage owners to look elsewhere.
That would be a bad move this week against the San Diego Chargers, though. The defense allows the most points to backs this year, having allowed all but two opponents to break the 100-yard barrier.
Considering Yeldon has 14 or more carries in four consecutive games and running, his floor is unusually high with a great ceiling to boot.
Sit: Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders (at TEN)
Now wouldn’t be the time to rebuy stock in Oakland lead back Latavius Murray.
Murray seemed to rediscover some form in Week 11, scoring a touchdown for the first time since Week 7. But for the third game in a row he failed to reach 10 or more points, a problematic bit of info considering he’s only done so four times this year.
Despite the encouraging score, it wouldn’t make sense to expect him to breach 10 points on the road in Tennessee. The Titans allow the fourth-fewest points to backs this year, having let up just five scores.
Murray will have a breakout game at a later date, but not on the road in Tennessee.
WR
Start: Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins (at NYJ)
Jarvis Landry of the Miami Dolphins is one of fantasy’s most reliable producers regardless of matchup, having reached 50 yards in every game except two.
Owners might back off this week, though, because one of those games in which he didn’t look consistent came against the New York Jets in Week 4, where he caught just four passes for 40 yards.
Here’s the difference in a rematch—New York has looked downright terrible against wideouts as of late, having coughed up two or more scores to the position in three of its last four, including three touchdowns allowed to Oakland receivers and two to Jacksonville receivers. Houston’s receivers scored two touchdowns on just nine catches.
So have faith in Landry, both due to his consistency and the sudden Jets struggles.
Sit: Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings (at ATL)
Consider the hype train for Minnesota Vikings wideout Stefon Diggs dead.
Looking back, Diggs was officially a flash in the pan, scoring 12 or more points in three straight games beginning in Week 6. He’s cooled with outings of four, five and six points since.
That last number is the most concerning. It was a good matchup against the Green Bay Packers, yet six catches for 66 yards only turned into six points, suggesting Diggs is now only a touchdown-reliant producer.
It gets worse—now Diggs has to somehow score on an Atlanta Falcons defense surrendering the third-fewest points to his position with just three touchdowns allowed all season.
TE
Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers (at JAC)
It’s been a quiet season for future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates, but it shouldn’t cause owners to shy away from the San Diego Chargers’ top option in the passing attack.
Gates has just one trip to double digits this year and mustered just one catch in Week 11, but a road trip to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars should see him turn things around.
Those Jaguars allow the 10th-most points to the position and have been especially bad in recent weeks, allowing 11 and 12 catches with better than 100 yards to two sets of tight ends faced.
As the main option in the passing attack, Gates will put on a show for the holidays.
Sit: Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills (at KC)
Like Diggs, it’s over for Charles Clay.
Buffalo’s top tight end hit on seven or more points in three consecutive games starting in Week 2, but has since failed to reach seven since. Last time out, Clay caught just one pass against the Patriots in what should have been a reliable performance.
For whatever reason, the Buffalo offense continues to go away from its talented tight end, which helps create a doomsday scenario here as Clay goes into the showdown with the Chiefs.
Kansas City allows the fewest points to the position this year with two touchdowns permitted and no double-digit outings. Don’t expect Clay to somehow be the first.
All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of November 25. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.
Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com