Week 12 Fantasy Starters, Busts, Sleepers

Here’s a look at the position players you should be starting, sitting, and picking up off the waiver wire for Week 12 in your fantasy football league.

Fantasy QBs Week 12

START: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints. For the love of all that is holy, don’t give the fact that Brees is on the road at Atlanta a second thought. The Falcons are allowing an NFL-worst 105.8 passer rating to opposing QBs, as a gaudy 8.1 yards per attempt (30th in NFL).

START: Tom Brady, New England Patriots. It’s probably going to be a shootout in Gillette Stadium, and Brady’s going to get his against a Broncos defense that allows nearly 280 yards per game. Denver has quick linebackers, but Rob Gronkowski will be a matchup nightmare all game long. With the improvement of rookie WRs Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins, Brady’s a real threat for 300 yards in this game.

START: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers. Newton’s going to be a dual-threat nightmare for the Miami Dolphins, who rank 19th against the pass and 25th against the run.

START: Case Keenum, Houston Texans. Keenum has officially been named the starter by Texans coach Gary Kubiak for Sunday’s game vs. Jacksonville, and he’s probably salivating at the chance to throw against the Jaguars pass defense. The Jags have allowed 20 pass TDs against just 4 picks this season, allowing opposing QBs to accumulate a 105.4 passer rating.

SLEEPER: Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yeah, sounds crazy. But Glennon’s facing a Detroit Lions defense that gives up 284 yards per game (30th in the NFL), and he’s averaging 220 yards per game with 11 touchdowns against just 4 interceptions. If your QB situation is urgent (i.e. Aaron Rodgers), and the waiver wire is bare, Glennon might be worth a shot.

BUST: Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers. Only three NFL defenses have more interceptions than touchdowns allowed: the Seahawks, Titans, and the Kansas City Chiefs, who Rivers must play at Arrowhead Stadium this Sunday. Opponents only complete 54.2% of their passes against KC, the best defensive percentage in the league.

Fantasy RBs Week 12

START: Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs. Charles is back at home facing a Chargers defense that allows 4.8 yards per carry. With Kansas City likely playing ball control to keep the San Diego offense on the sidelines, expect Charles to get a load of touches and break a few of them into the open field.

START: Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers. The Washington Redskins are tied for the NFL’s worst mark with 15 rushing touchdowns allowed. When the 49ers get inside the 10-yard line – and they will a few times in this game – expect a heavy dose of Frank Gore and the San Francisco offensive line.

START: Zac Stacy, St. Louis Rams. What sort of Brian Urlacher-less universe are we living in where the Chicago Bears are 30th against the run, giving up 134 yards per game? Stacy should keep his hot hand rolling at home against the Bears, who allow 4.5 yards per rush attempt.

START: Andre Brown, New York Giants. The Dallas Cowboys are allowing 4.9 yards per carry and nearly 127 yards per game on the ground, and Brown’s the type of workhorse back who will gain most of his yardage in the second half. He should wear on the Dallas D as the game progresses.

SLEEPER: Donald Brown, Indianapolis Colts. With Trent Richardson performing more on leaked Internet sex tapes than on the field, the Colts are increasingly turning to Donald Brown, who had 15 touches for 94 total yards and 2 touchdowns against the Titans last Thursday.

BUST: Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens. Rice had a bounce-back game last week against Chicago, but that was more a function of a lackluster Bears rushing defense than Rice himself. This week, he faces the #1 run defense in the NFL in the NY Jets, who allow a meager 2.9 yards per carry.

Fantasy WRs Week 12

START: Wes Welker, Denver Broncos. Can’t you just see this one? Wes Welker, coming “back home” to Foxboro to take on his old Patriots squad, and Peyton Manning making a concerted effort to help his receiver torch his former team? With key injuries to the Patriots’ front seven and Aqib Talib busy with Demaryius Thomas, Welker could feast on New England over the middle. How ironic.

START: Andre Johnson, Houston Texans. Johnson has a nice matchup against Jacksonville. The Jags have allowed 12.1 yards per reception and 20 receiving TDs this season, as well as the longest pass play of the season (91 yards).

START: Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers. Yes, we know Scott Tolzien is starting at QB against for Green Bay. But with Tolzien, Nelson still went off for 8 catches and 117 yards against the NY Giants last week – and the Giants secondary is better than Minnesota’s, which has allowed an NFL-worst 23 receiving TDs this season. Nelson remains a must-start wide receiver.

START: T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts. If the Colts start slow yet again this week, Andrew Luck will look to Hilton as his bail-out for much of the game. Hilton faces an Arizona defense that ranks 23rd vs. the pass and has allowed 242 receptions, 5th-most in the NFL.

SLEEPER: Rueben Randle, New York Giants. Randle is third on the Giants in receiving yards but actually leads the team with 6 receiving touchdowns, as well as his 15.9 yards-per-reception average. With 4 touchdowns in his last 5 games, Randle is quickly becoming a red zone target Eli Manning looks for consistently.

BUST: Mike Wallace, Miami Dolphins. The Carolina Panthers give up just 10.1 yards per reception, 2nd-fewest in the NFL, and have allowed just 8 receiving TDs all season – also 2nd-fewest in the league.

Fantasy TEs Week 12

START: Garrett Graham, Houston Texans. The Jaguars are the second-worst defensive unit against tight ends in 2013, allowing 678 yards and 8 touchdowns to opposing TEs. Graham is a must-start. (Ed. note: Apologies for the initial oversight of listing Owen Daniels; even our best writers slip up at times!)

START: Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints. Because duh. There’s no choice.

SLEEPER: Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts. Coming off a 107-yard game against the Titans, Fleener’s success should continue against a Cardinals defense that allows a league-most 14 points per game to tight ends (886 yards, 10 touchdowns in 10 games).

BUST: Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers. The Kansas City Chiefs are the NFL’s best defense against opposing tight ends, allowing just 362 yards and 1 touchdown to the position over 10 games.