Fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em: Week 12

Fantasy’s top hot starts and cold sits for NFL Week 12.

It’s hard to believe it’s already Week 12 of the NFL regular season, and we’re rounding the corner — headed for Thanksgiving soon and nearing the end of the fantasy football regular season.

We have six teams off this week, too, so Week 12 will be a challenging time for some fantasy managers. The Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets are off, which means some significant holes on fantasy rosters. Managers have to scramble for fantasy replacements, especially if you have a players from a combination of those teams.

We saw in Cleveland in the Thursday night game that weather can also start playing a factor this time of year, too, so make sure to be cognizant of that situation, as well. Nothing is worse sitting down with your popcorn and soft drink to watch your fantasy player(s) in a particular game, only to see a maelstrom out on the field, and a slow go on offense or in the kicking game.

Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.

Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.

Feel free to ask any specific start/sit questions via X, formerly Twitter, (@danieledobish), or check out our start/bench list for Week 12: