Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 12

If your fantasy team didn’t enjoy their Thanksgiving, you could be looking at an uphill battle to win your matchup this week. That’s where we come in.

The start/sit list for Week 11 was a mixed bag. Jamison Crowder was the WR3, Colin Kaepernick was a QB1, and the sit side of things was mostly useful. Of course, there were a few misses, like starting Tyrod Taylor. I’ll let you look back and judge me.

We’re focused on Week 12 now. Let’s break down some matchups.espn

QB Carson Palmer at Falcons
The Falcons are back, which means the most generous defense for quarterbacks is back. Atlanta allows the most fantasy points per game, as they’ve given up 2,970 passing yards and 23 touchdowns in 10 games. Palmer doesn’t exactly offer consistency in your lineup, but this week is about as close to a sure thing as possible for him and the Cardinals’ passing game.

QB Eli Manning at Browns
Whatever the Giants did over the bye week worked. Manning has thrown nine touchdowns in three games, and he actually didn’t turn the ball over in Week 11, not even once. We all know the Browns are terrible. They’ve allowed the most passing touchdowns in the league. Keep Manning in your lineup as he rides this momentum, wherever it came from.

RB Rashad Jennings at Browns
Let’s load up on the Giants this week. Surprise, the Browns are also awful against the run. They’ve allowed the most rushing touchdowns and the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs. Jennings played 70 percent of the snaps in Week 11 and broke 80 yards rushing for the second week in a row. His developing a floor every owner can stomach.

RB Jonathan Stewart at Raiders
Oakland gives up 116 rush yards per game. Stewart has been touchdown-dependent over the last three games, failing to post even five fantasy points in two of those matchups. But he continues to get plenty of touches, averaging 18 carries per game since returning from injury in Week 6. Four running backs have topped 100 yards in 10 games so far against Oakland.

WR Rishard Matthews at Bears
He’s on fire. He played 93 percent of the snaps in Week 11 and finished with season-highs for receptions (9) and yards (122). The Bears allow the third-most fantasy points to wide receivers. Matthews is locked in as Marcus Mariota’s favorite wideout. Plus, he has posted four straight games of 10-plus points in standard scoring.

WR DeVante Parker vs. 49ers
Parker bumped up to playing 88 percent of the snaps last week. The results is a 8/79/1 line against a top-10 pass defense. The past two games for the Dolphins offense have produced the Parker we have been hoping to see for a while. Now he faces the defense that allows the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.

TE Zach Ertz vs. Packers
I’m not sure who told the Eagles they should start utilizing Ertz more, but it’s paying off. He’s caught at least six passes in each of his last three games. Last week he saw a season-high 11 targets. Now he gets a Packers defense that yields the fifth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends.

QB Jameis Winston vs. Seahawks
The Cardinals are the only team that has allowed fewer passing touchdowns than the Seahawks, and Winston finished as the QB31 in that matchup. Only three quarterbacks have scored 20-plus points against Seattle. Winston is the QB11 so far this season, but his worst games have been against top-10 pass defenses.

QB Tyrod Taylor vs. Jaguars
Week 11 was Taylor’s second-worst showing of 2016. He failed to score a touchdown and finished with 205 total yards. Now he faces a Jacksonville defense that ranks fifth against the pass, allowing 210 yards per game. While they haven’t faced many runners, the Jaguars have only allowed 97 rush yards to quarterbacks. Taylor should bounce back a bit from last week’s blunder, but he shouldn’t be viewed as a QB1.

RB Tevin Coleman vs. Cardinals
It’s great to see Coleman back in the lineup for the Falcons, but his return probably won’t be much to celebrate with this matchup. The Cardinals allow the fewest fantasy points to running backs, and they’ve allowed the fewest receptions to the position. Coleman adds a different dynamic to the Falcons offense. However, volume has been the only way for a running back to hurt Arizona, and that’s not Coleman’s game.

RB Devontae Booker vs. Chiefs
The buildup to Booker becoming the starter was more exciting than his actual production as the No. 1 back for the Broncos. He’s averaged 3.4 yards per carry since taking over for the injured CJ Anderson. Booker’s inefficiency has been masked by his ability to score at times, as he was an RB2 in Weeks 7-8. Kansas City, though, has allowed just three rushing touchdowns to running backs, second-fewest in the league. Booker is boom-or-bust pending a touchdown, which is not a safe bet here.

WR Cameron Meredith vs. Titans
When Brian Hoyer started for the Bears, Meredith posted some huge lines. But now he’s down to filling in as the No. 1 wideout for Chicago with Matt Barkley under center. Zach Miller is done for the year, as well, which might make you believe in Meredith’s opportunity even more. Even in a decent matchup with the Titans, until we see Barkley look like a quarterback who can actually produce, I’m staying away from the Bears pass catchers.

WR DeAndre Hopkins vs. Chargers
He was on the sit list last week and it worked out. To recap what was said last time: he (still) hasn’t topped 60 yards since Week 6, and he (still) hasn’t scored since Week 5. You know regression is coming, but it’s too difficult to guess which game will be the breakthrough for Nuk. I’m rolling with better options.

TE Jared Cook at Eagles
Part of the fantasy community tried to hype up Cook before the season, but he didn’t produce in Weeks 1-3, and then he missed six games with an ankle injury. Last week he played 61 percent of the snaps and finished with a 6/105/1 line. This is what people were waiting for, right? For Week 12, Cook takes on the third-toughest defense for tight ends. Only two tight ends have finished with double-digit fantasy points against the Eagles. Cook is best kept on the bench this time.