Sit Em, Start Em – Week Twelve

Sit Em, Start Em – Week Twelve

Start Em

Case Keenum was benched for Matt Schaub in week eleven but all signs point to the rookie getting another start this week against the lowly Jaguars. The Jags have given up the fifth most fantasy points to opposing QB’s and Keenum should have a strong fantasy day unless Kubiak pulls of another head scratcher and subs in Matt Schaub in-game. Keenum comes in as our 15th ranked QB play for week twelve and should vie for QB1 numbers this week with Andre Johnson ready to explode.

Donald Brown is officially the Colts best running back at the present time and remains a better option as a runner, receiver and red-zone back than T-Rich. Brown has continuously outplayed Richardson to the point where owners are now benching their first round pick and looking at other options week to week. Brown should continue to hold RB3 value going forward and is a solid flex play in deeper leagues. This week against the Cardinals Brown is worth a look in as the Colts will once again attempt to establish the run to open up the passing game, the Cardinals have been stout against the run for most of the season but the surprisingly authoritative brown should follow his blocks well enough to rip off a big run or two.

Chris Ivory has muscled his way back into the RB2 conversation with brute force and a lot of pop. Ivory and the Jets face off against the Ravens this week and we expect them to be in immediate ground and pound mode as they look to keep Flacco and the Ravens offense off of the field. Ivory has proven that he has what it takes to be a feature back in the NFL and should be in line for 100 yards on the ground providing Geno Smith does not dig the Jets into a hole.

Roddy White looks to be in line for his best game of the season this week against the Saints at home in Atlanta. The Falcons are expected to be down early in this one and will be throwing a ton. The Saints have given up the sixth fewest points to opposing wide receivers but have given up some solid fantasy days to the more talented receivers they have faced this season. Start White with confidence this week.

Kenny Stills is getting a lot of snaps for the Saints but it does not always translate into production as Stills played forty plus snaps and saw only two targets against the 49ers in week eleven. Stills is a boom or bust weekly play but is in line for a big game against a weak Falcons secondary giving up the eighth most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers including an 86 yard performance to Stills earlier this year.

If there is one thing we know about Ryan Fitzpatrick from his time with the Bills it is that he loves to target his tight ends in the passing game and Delanie Walker is one of the best he has played with. Walker should push for TE1 level production in PPR formats for the rest of the season and could be a decent stream play if your regular tight end has a particularly bad matchup.

Paul Worrilow has been on fire for the Atlanta Falcons and the undrafted free agent somehow managed to post 60 tackles in just the last four weeks. His breakneck pace obviously cannot be maintained but he has worked his way into the LB1 conversation with his eyebrow raising performances of 6, 19, 19 and 16 total tackles over the past four. Not even a hometown statcounter is the culprit here as three of the past four have been on the road. It appears the Falcons have found themselves a diamond in the rough and fantasy owners should make the add wherever possible, Worrilow is going to ball. Worrilow is currently fourth overall in our rankings.

Sit Em

Matt Ryan has been struggling this season without Julio Jones and it has become abundantly clear that Ryan is not, nor has ever been an elite QB in the NFL. Elevated by the monstrous talent around him in years past Ryan is on pace for a career high in interceptions and his three home losses this year are more than he had in all of 2011 and 2012 combined (only five regular season home losses in career prior to this season).

Bobby Rainey will be a top waiver wire target this week but expectations should be tempered following his breakout week eleven performance as the Bucs have the Lions next on the schedule. Brian Leonard is the teams clear cut passing down back which means Rainey may be hard pressed for carries if the Bucs, as expected, are playing from behind in this one. Leave Rainey on the bench this week unless you absolutely do not have a better option. Rainey is our 34th ranked running back play for week twelve.

DeAngelo Williams is not a strong start in fantasy leagues with Jonathan Stewart back in the fold, he also has Mike Tolbert and Cam Newton siphoning carries and goal line touches making Williams an extremely low floor option. Stewart is the teams passing down back and Tolbert is currently more trusted in pass protection meaning when Williams is in the game opposing defenses will be expecting the run; not a recipe for fantasy success. Sit DeAngelo in all but the deepest of leagues.

Kris Durham has been an option in deeper leagues for a little over the past month but with Nate Burleson expected to make his return this week we suggest sending Durham back to your bench. If you are in a deep enough league that starting Durham was a consideration than you may have the roster space to stash him until Burleson proves his health. Durham is nothing more than bench depth going forward but has a chance to return to WR4/WR5 status if Burleson were to miss anymore time.

Banged up and facing a Titans defense giving up the fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers Denarius Moore should be left on fantasy benches in all but the deepest of leagues. There is already talk of Moore potentially missing this weeks game and he did not show a good rapport with McGloin last week despite his trip to the end zone. Owners should hope Moore’s low target afternoon was a result of his injury and not a McGloin distaste for testing coverage which could be a death blow to Moore’s rest of season fantasy value.

By this point of the season only those in the deepest of leagues will even be considering starting Brandon Pettigrew this week but with Nate Burleson expected back Pettigrew should be left on fantasy benches. There was a time when Pettigrew was actually a PPR asset but the addition of reggie Bush has stolen many of those underneath passes that made Pettigrew a reliable fantasy option and Pettigrew’s own inconsistency has led to a further fall in value. There are even options on the wire right now in the deeper leagues that would be a better play than Pettigrew versus the Bucs.