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Happy Thanksgiving RotoBallers! As we head into Week 12 of the NFL season, we are now in the midst of the playoff push as the NFL season is flying by.
It's more critical than ever to make the right lineup decisions and start the right players to put out your optimal lineups, as managers need to string some wins together to get in the postseason.
Listed below will be some players who could be in for a disappointing performance relative to their overall expectations. No matter how bad of a matchup some of these players may have, fantasy managers likely aren't in a position to leave them on their bench. Having said that, there are a couple of guys who are by no means a must-start in Week 12.
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Who Should You Bench or Sit in Week 12?
QB - Ryan Tannehill, Tenneesee Titans
Tannehill and the Titans are traveling to New England to take on one of the hottest teams in the league in Week 12. The Patriots are fresh off a shutout win in Week 11 over the Atlanta Falcons and have 10 days to prepare for the Titans' offense that could get nothing going against the Houston Texans in an upset loss last week.
The Patriots have given up just 6.7 yards per attempt this season, which is good for seventh-fewest in the league. Not to mention, their 13 passing touchdowns allowed is the third-fewest, and their 18 interceptions are a league-high. Coming off a season-high four-interception game, Tannehill is likely going to make a couple of mistakes against the Patriots' elite defense, which could possibly be offset by a couple of touchdown passes, but that seems highly unlikely when we look at his 2021 game log.
Tannehill has one or zero touchdown passes in all but two games this season and has had most of his touchdown production come from running it in himself. Still, the Patriots have given up the second-fewest number of rushing touchdowns so there is almost nothing about this matchup that has any appeal for the dual-threat quarterback. With Adrian Peterson being released, Tannehill could get a couple of goal-line carry opportunities, but fantasy managers shouldn't count on this. Some better options this week include Tyrod Taylor, Taylor Heinicke, and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Is Leonard Fournette A Risky Start in Week 12?
Fournette hasn't found the end zone since Week 7, and he now goes up against the solid run defense of the Indianapolis Colts who have given up just four rushing touchdowns all season. In the past, the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay offense has not been shy to go pass-heavy, and that could be what we see in Week 12 against one of the more exploitable secondaries in the NFL. The Colts have given up the seventh-most passing yards this season, so we could be seeing some big days from Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on Sunday. The thing that doesn't bode well for Fournette is his team’s tendency to throw the ball in scoring position. Brady leads the NFL in passing attempts inside the 20-yard line with 82, and inside the 10-yard line with 38.
A matchup with the team that has given up the fewest rushing touchdowns along with the quarterback that throws the ball the most close to the goal-line is simply not a good match to be banking on a Fournette touchdown in this game. However, the former Jacksonville Jaguar has still been able to have solid days without finding the end zone, as he has caught 14 passes in his past two games. He is by no means a must-bench option, but fantasy managers should proceed with caution this week against a less than ideal matchup.
Sorry my fantasy football owners, we have superstars all over our team with ONE ball on the field so y’all get the rest ?
— 7⃣ Leonard Fournette (@_fournette) November 24, 2021
Should You Sit Myles Gaskin in Week 12?
Gaskin has handled a solid workload in two of his past three games, as he was given 26 touches in both Week 9 and Week 11 against two dream matchups with the Texans and Jets. Gaskin was inefficient with his workload, putting up just 34 rushing yards on 20 carries against the Texans, and 23 carries for 89 yards against the Jets.
He now faces the Carolina Panthers in Week 12, who have given up just eight rushing touchdowns all season. Gaskin has found the end zone on the ground just one time, as four out of his five total touchdowns have been a receiving touchdown. The Panthers' offense looked somewhat improved with Cam Newton under center, so this could be a game where the Dolphins play from behind, which they are no stranger to doing. This would likely limit his workload a bit, but the Dolphins clearly have not been shy to run the ball.
However, against stronger opposing run defenses in Week 8 against Buffalo and Week 10 against Baltimore, Gaskin was not able to eclipse 40 rushing yards or find the end zone. Considering the offensive line woes and relatively uninspiring offense as a whole, Gaskin has a low floor and a limited ceiling in Week 12. He can be valued as a FLEX play at best against Carolina.
Is A.J. Brown A Risky Start in Week 12?
UPDATE: A.J. Brown has been placed on IR, after initially being ruled out for Week 12.
Other than the stretch from Week 6 to Week 8, Brown has been one of the biggest disappointments this season and is completely off his game. There is no reason to believe that will change in Week 12 against the Patriots defense that has been able to eliminate some star players out of their opposition’s game plan. Without Julio Jones and Derrick Henry in the lineup, it has been easier for teams to focus on Brown, which has limited him to three straight duds for fantasy managers. The good sign is he has seen 24 targets in his past three games, but that has been turned into just 106 receiving yards and no touchdowns.
The Patriots defense has held some high-profile players to almost non-existent stat lines this season, most recently Kyle Pitts who finished with three catches for 29 yards. Bill Belichick has been able to pick and choose who he wants to eliminate from the game plan, and that will certainly be Brown this week in a shorthanded Tennessee offense.
Chris Godwin was held to three catches for 55 yards in New England, and Amari Cooper was held to five catches for 55 yards while Mike Evans and CeeDee Lamb had solid games. Unfortunately for Brown, Jones won’t be in the lineup to take off the attention, so he will almost certainly be getting the Godwin and Cooper treatment. Brown is a highly valued asset, but he is by no means a must-start option this week based on what we've seen over the past three weeks.
Should You Sit Jarvis Landry in Week 12?
Landry will be the focal point of the Cleveland passing attack that has struggled over the past two games, so Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland offense will look to get back on track against their divisional rival Baltimore Ravens. It has been a miserable season for Landry up to this point, as he has failed to eclipse 40 receiving yards in four out of his last five games.
Fantasy managers likely had their expectations for Landry heightened after Odell Beckham Jr.’s departure from Cleveland, but that has simply not been the case. In his past three games without Beckham, Landry has finished with stat lines of three catches for 11 yards, and four catches for 26 yards in back-to-back games. The Browns have leaned on Nick Chubb and the running game all season long, and with Kareem Hunt’s imminent return, we could see the Cleveland rushing attack become even more prominent to open up the passing game for Mayfield.
Landry has been able to average six targets over his past three games, but has been averaging extremely low yards per reception numbers, which he is notorious for. He will likely be seeing a lot of Marlon Humphrey on Sunday night, which is another reason to downgrade the former LSU star. Humphrey has had his struggles this season, but he is still one of the premiere corners in the league. With the state of the current Cleveland passing attack, Landry is an easy fade in Week 12.
#Browns Jarvis Landry on his involvement in, and the state of, the passing game. pic.twitter.com/z93Tm35F7H
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) November 16, 2021
Should You Sit Tyler Conklin in Week 12?
Conklin once again finds himself on the bust in a tough matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on the road, who have given up the seventh-fewest fantasy points. The 49ers have been able to possess the ball for the majority of the game in the past two weeks through a heavy rushing attack, and there is no reason to believe they won’t do the same this week.
If Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen can be kept off the field for as long as possible, there likely won’t be enough volume for Conklin to go around when the Minnesota offense is on the field. In a Week 11 shootout with the Green Bay Packers, Conklin was able to catch three passes for 35 yards, and was held to just three catches for 11 yards (and two touchdowns) against the Chargers in Week 10.
The Vikings have said they would like to get Jefferson the ball more, which will likely come at the expense of their tight end. Not to mention, we will likely be seeing Cook continue to have positive touchdown regression, as he has now found the end zone in back-to-back games for the first time all season. Conklin isn't a must-bench due to the nature of the tight end position, but fantasy managers should shouldn't expect a huge game out go him.
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