Week 12 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Top 10 Players, Stat Projections for Every Position

Plenty of fantasy football players enjoyed a bountiful Thanksgiving slate. Others enter Week 12’s weekend scrambling to salvage a win.

Anyone who started Kirk Cousins, Jordan Reed, DeSean Jackson, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell or Antonio Brown is thankful for the head start. Those on the other side of their big games need a holiday miracle to snag a crucial victory with the fantasy playoffs rapidly approaching.

And then there are managers staring at a giant zero courtesy of Eric Ebron. Come on, man.

After feasting on three Thursday games loaded with top talent, the updated Week 12 rankings don’t contain the usual star power atop each position. Let’s run through the premier options across the board, highlighting some of them to start with pride alongside others worth expelling to the bench.

    

Quarterback

Start: Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders

Opposing a Houston Texans squad currently fourth in passing defense, Derek Carr led several fantasy teams to a Monday-night triumph by registering 295 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception. While guiding the Oakland Raiders to a fourth-quarter rally in Mexico City, he also solidified his standing as a top-12 fantasy option.

Aside from Week 9’s victory over the Denver Broncos—the toughest matchup for any quarterback—the second-year passer has accounted for a touchdown in every game this season. Although his yardage tallies have fluctuated, he has completed at least 60 percent of his passes every time.

As noted by Pro Football Focus, he also received stellar protection from his offensive line Monday night:

.@DerekCarrQB was under pressure on only two of 31 drop backs tonight (6.5%) — the least pressured game for any NFL QB this year. #HOUvsOAK

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) November 22, 2016

Once a terrifying matchup, the Carolina Panthers have now relinquished the eighth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks under ESPN.com standard scoring. The defense has tightened up, allowing 70 points over the last four games, but it hasn’t fared well against top quarterbacks this season:

In a game against reigning MVP Cam Newton, Carr is the better Week 12 play.

Sit: Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill will have streamer allure this weekend against the San Francisco 49ers, who have relinquished the fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The Miami Dolphins quarterback enters the favorable matchup having completed at least 70 percent of his passes with two touchdowns in consecutive games, but he still brandishes limited upside.

No team has thrown fewer passes this year than Miami’s 300, and it shows in Tannehill’s middling 228.9 passing yards per contest. Against an atrocious 49ers defense that surrenders 5.2 yards per carry and 179.5 rushing yards per game, head coach Adam Gase will give breakout back Jay Ajayi all the work he can handle.

The Los Angeles Rams nearly shut out the Dolphins last Sunday before saving his real and fantasy employers. The Miami Herald’s Andre Fernandez noted his late-game heroics:

Ryan Tannehill completed 12 of his last 13 passes for 115 yards and 2 TDs. After going 12-21 for 57 yards and an INT. @HeraldSports

— Andre Fernandez (@AndreMHsports) November 21, 2016

They shouldn’t have any reason to pass late against a team that hasn’t won since Week 1. San Francisco has only lost twice by …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com