Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 12: Bears vs. Rams
They’re two games apart in the standings, but the Bears are tied for first in their division, while the Rams are in last. They face each other Sunday.
The Chicago Bears are coming off a much-needed win Sunday, bringing themselves back into a first-place tie in the NFC North, while the St. Louis Rams won their last game as well, in a Tavon Austin-dominated win over the Indianapolis Colts. Sunday, the Rams host the Bears in a 1 p.m. ET game that promises a fair amount of fantasy intrigue, at least when it comes to the visitors:
Bears
Start in every league: Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Robbie Gould
Start if you're desperate: Josh McCown, Defense/special teams
Bench: Martellus Bennett
Gauging the Bears’ offense coming off last week’s weather-marred game presents problems, as it is all too easy to say the storms and mud were what kept everyone’s numbers low. On the other hand, is that the whole reason? For now, it’s hard to downgrade Forte or Marshall for their struggles in that game, and Jeffery actually had a good game regardless. They’ve proven to have must-start pedigree. ... Gould, too, has been strong all season, sitting at ninth in fantasy points among kickers.
With Russell Wilson, Andy Dalton, and Nick Foles on byes, and Aaron Rodgers still hurt, the quarterback depth chart has gotten shallow. McCown's numbers weren't great a week ago, but again, there was that weather. McCown's been good in his limited play, and could be a strong sleeper pick. ... The Bears' defense struggles against the run, so Zac Stacy could make this a long day, but otherwise, there are't many offensive weapons in St. Louis, which could keep Chicago productive.
Bennett is still tied for 11th among tight ends in fantasy scoring, but he hasn't scored double-digit fantasy points since Week 2. He has averaged 4.5 fantasy points a game since then, which would tie him in production with Scott Chandler.
Rams
Start in every league: Zac Stacy, and Zac Stacy again, just for emphasis
Start if you're desperate: Greg Zuerlein, Defense/special teams
Bench: Kellen Clemens, Tavon Austin, Austin Pettis, Chris Givens, Jared Cook
The Bears gave up 23 fantasy points to opposing running backs in the first three weeks combined. Since then, they’ve averaged 24.3 points against. Meanwhile, Stacy has averaged 17 points per game in his last four. He’s proven to be a stud, and this is a stud with a dream matchup.
Zuerlein had an impressive rookie season, but hasn’t lived up to that level this year. Still, he’s got a big leg, so there’s always the potential for a big game. ... The Rams’ defense has scored 25 fantasy points twice in five games, and ranks seventh overall among defenses. On the other hand, the Bears are seventh-best against opposing defenses, so it’ll be a balancing act.
Clemens has yet to have anything approximating a strong fantasy day, averaging fewer than 10 points a start. ... Related, Austin had a huge game two weeks ago, and Pettis, Givens, and Cook have all had their moments, but a bad quarterback and a ball-hawking defense should keep the whole thing in check.
• Week 12 fantasy football position rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
