Fantasy football advice, Week 12: Who to start/sit for Chargers vs. Jaguars
Can the Jaguars make a surprise playoff run down the stretch?
A reeling San Diego Chargers team, losers of six straight and eight of 10 this season, travel to Jacksonville Sunday to take on a somewhat hot Jaguars team, a team that has won two in a row to get to 4-6 and sit on the edge of first place in the AFC South.
The Chargers expect to have wide receiver Malcom Floyd and tight ends Antonio Gates and Ladarius Green all on the field Sunday despite all three being on the injury report. For Jacksonville, wide receiver Allen Hurns is the only regular fantasy contributor on the injury report, as he deals with thigh and foot issues, but he should be good to go for Sunday's game.
Sunday’s game between the two teams will be played in Jacksonville, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. Let’s take a look at the fantasy names to consider:
CHARGERS
Start ‘em?: You're still running Philip Rivers out there in most leagues, despite recent struggles and injuries to his top pieces. He's done more with less before. ... Danny Woodhead is a high-end flex play despite three or fewer fantasy points in two of his last three. ... Malcom Floyd, Stevie Johnson and Dontrelle Inman is a perfectly adequate wide-receiver corps, though there's no way to separate one from the others. Who knows who will perform. That makes all three low-end flexes with upside. ... If you have Antonio Gates, you're probably using him, though he's totaled 11 fantasy points over the last month and keeps getting banged up. ... Josh Lambo is a borderline starting fantasy kicker, with five or more fantasy points in seven straight games.
Sit ‘em: Given expectations, Melvin Gordon has to be the most disappointing rookie of 2015. He should still have a bright career ahead of him, but 2015 has been a wash. ... We can probably stop worrying about Ladarius Green unless/until Gates has to miss time. ... You normally like a defense facing Jacksonville, but the Chargers' defense just hasn't shown much this year.
JAGUARS
Start ‘em: Against a San Diego defense that can't stop the run, expect T.J. Yeldon to have a big day. ... Allen Robinson has 11-plus fantasy points in six straight games, and has averaged more than 13 fantasy points a game since Week 1.
Start ‘em?: The injuries that keep adding up for Allen Hurns limit his upside, though he still had nine or more fantasy points in seven straight before Week 11. ... Julius Thomas can find the end zone, but the yardage hasn't been there. He's a TE2. ... Jason Myers has 37 fantasy points in his last three games, though he didn't do nearly as much before that. ... The Jaguars' defense has averaged more than 10 points a game over its last four; San Diego's offense can be fearsome, but is no longer a guarantee.
Sit ‘em: A lot of people probably went with Blake Bortles the last couple of weeks and were rewarded with 24 fantasy points total in two games. He has a lot of upside, but just as much downside.
SUMMARY
Start in every league: T.J. Yeldon, Allen Robinson
Start if you're desperate: Philip Rivers, Danny Woodhead, Malcom Floyd, Stevie Johnson, Dontrelle Inman, Antonio Gates, Josh Lambo, Allen Hurns, Julius Thomas, Jason Myers, Jacksonville defense
Bench: Melvin Gordon, Ladarius Green, San Diego defense, Blake Bortles
