Fantasy football advice, Week 12: Who to start/sit for Eagles vs. Lions on Thursday

Despite some serious struggles in recent weeks, the Philadelphia Eagles carry a run differential of zero into Week 12 and are only a game out of first in the NFC East. The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, started 1-7 but have won two in a row to bring their record to an almost-respectable 3-7. Thursday, the two teams kick off Week 12 with a Thanksgiving game against one another.

The Eagles will be without running back Ryan Mathews and tight end Zach Ertz Thursday, as both deal with concussion issues. Quarterback Sam Bradford has been cleared of his concussion and is officially questionable to play, though insiders have called him a long shot to play. For the Lions, wide receiver Calvin Johnson and tight end Eric Ebron are both expected to play through their injuries.

Start ‘em: Despite what looked like a great Week 11 matchup, DeMarco Murray didn't get much going, tying his worst fantasy game since Week 4. He's still a must-start, but that was frustrating.

Start ‘em?: After four straight big games, Caleb Sturgis has cooled a bit, but he's still averaging 9.5 fantasy points a game his last six weeks. ... The Eagles' defense has fallen on seriously hard times of late. The unit still has elite upside, but we need to see something.

Sit ‘em: It sounds like Mark Sanchez will get the start in this game, but whether it's him or Sam Bradford, you want no part of this team's passers. ... Darren Sproles had a big Week 11, but it was his first productive day since Week 3. Tread lightly. ... There isn't a Philadelphia wide receiver who looks appealing. Jordan Matthews had a big Week 9, but three fantasy points in two games since. Josh Huff has had back-to-back decent games, after two combined points in three games before. Nelson Agholor hasn't been a worthwhile start all year. Just stay away. ... With Zach Ertz out, Brent Celek could be interesting in a deep streaming situation, but in standard leagues he doesn't have much upside.

Start ‘em?: Sunday was only the second of 20-plus fantasy points for Matthew Stafford all season, and he just hit the threshold at 20 points. It looks like a nice matchup, but Stafford has been so hard to trust. ... Matt Prater has been better of late than he was early in the year.

Sit ‘em: The triumvirate of Detroit running backs — Joique Bell, Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick — have barely combined for good fantasy games. Individually, the three have two games all season of double-digit fantasy points, and none since Week 5. Stay away. ... Golden Tate has only one game of 10 fantasy points all year, and none with more than that. ... Eric Ebron looked interesting early in the season, but he has two, two and zero fantasy points in his last three outings and has had trouble staying healthy. ... The Lions' defense has averaged barely two fantasy points a game since a big Week 4.