Fantasy football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: 23 players to start, sit in Week 12

Nov 2, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell speaks with quarterback Jared Goff (16) in the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field.

The pressure is on for fantasy football managers as the fantasy playoff push is here – as are more bye weeks and injuries to navigate in Week 12.

Fortunately, only four teams are on a bye: Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders.

The 2025 fantasy football season has been challenging in many ways, but we've offered a guide to help you organize your fantasy lineup for every position in Week 12.

The Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans kicked off the week with a "Thursday Night Football" matchup that featured plenty of fantasy football star power.

With eyes on Sunday and Monday, with fewer options and more difficult decisions to make, the USA TODAY Sports staff has you covered with those tough start-sit decisions and rankings for the rest of Week 12.

Fantasy football start 'em: Week 12 QBs

START: Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

Brissett has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks in fantasy football this season. Since taking over for Kyler Murray in Week 6, Brissett has thrown two touchdowns in every start. He has also thrown for at least 258 yards in each of his five starts and is averaging an impressive 314 yards per game through the air.

Brissett should be a nice start against a Jacksonville team that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to quarterbacks this season. He may not have to throw 57 times in this game, as he did against the 49ers in Week 11, but he should have plenty of volume to be a solid streamer.

START: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (vs. New York Giants)

Goff is coming off one of the worst games of his career, as he completed a career-low 37.8% of his passes against the Eagles. He should be primed for a bounce-back against the Giants, playing at home in the climate-controlled environment at Ford Field.

The Giants have surrendered the second-most FPPG to quarterbacks this season. They have surrendered 12 passing touchdowns over their last five weeks, so Goff should have a high floor-slash-ceiling combination in this matchup.

START: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Carolina Panthers)

Purdy made just his third start of the season in Week 11 against the Cardinals. He finally looked healthy, throwing for 200 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout win.

Purdy is one of the more consistent quarterbacks in fantasy football, as he has averaged 262 passing yards per game this season while recording multiple touchdowns in all three of his starts. Carolina isn't an easy matchup for Purdy – the Panthers have allowed just three passing touchdowns over their last five games – but he should still be a solid starter on "Monday Night Football" in Week 12.

Fantasy football sit 'em: Week 12 QBs

SIT: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)

Prescott is coming off a top-tier, four-touchdown performance against the Raiders. He will face a much tougher task against the Eagles.

Philadelphia hasn't allowed an opposing quarterback to log multiple passing touchdowns since Week 4. Prescott didn't even log one score while throwing for just 188 yards in Dallas' Week 1 loss to the Eagles. Philadelphia's defense has only gotten better since then – and Jalen Carter isn't likely to be ejected on the first play again – so it's hard to recommend trusting Prescott in this matchup.

SIT: Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts (at Kansas City Chiefs)

Just three NFL teams have allowed less than 10 passing touchdowns to quarterbacks this season. The Chiefs are one of them, having surrendered just nine across their first 10 games.

That may make it difficult for Jones to be a viable fantasy starter in Week 12, especially after logging two touchdowns and four interceptions over his last two starts. The Colts may prefer to get Jonathan Taylor and their running game going against a middling Chiefs run defense, anyway.

SIT: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Los Angeles Rams)

The Rams have allowed one passing touchdown or less in four of their last five games. That doesn't paint a rosy picture for Mayfield, who has only logged multiple passing touchdowns once in his last four games while averaging 206.5 passing yards per game.

Mayfield still has a decent floor, but it's worth wondering whether his ceiling will be enough to make him a top-10 fantasy quarterback in Week 12.

Fantasy football start 'em: Week 12 RBs

START: Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars (at Arizona Cardinals)

Etienne's quietly gone on a run for the Jaguars since coming back from the Week 8 bye. That run crescendoed into his first multi-touchdown performance of the year last week against the Chargers. Etienne had 19 carries for 73 yards and two scores against what's been a good-to-great Los Angeles defense.

Next up for Etienne and the Jaguars is a Cardinals defense that just allowed the San Francisco 49ers running backs group to tally 171 total yards and three touchdowns in Arizona. Granted, the vast majority of that came with McCaffrey and it's not fair to compare Etienne to one of the top running backs in the league.

Taking a wider view, though, the Cardinals' defense has been especially kind to running backs over the last month and a half. Opposing groups have either tallied high yardage totals (184 to Seattle in Week 10, 153 to Indianapolis in Week 6) or multiple touchdowns (two to Green Bay in Week 7). In either case, Etienne should continue his torrid run despite the increased workload for rookie Bhayshul Tuten.

START: David Montgomery, Detroit Lions (vs. New York Giants)

Montgomery was a start recommendation for us last week and disappointed, totaling 37 yards on seven touches as the Lions offense couldn't get anything going against the defending champion Eagles. Conditions made throwing the ball tough for Detroit quarterback Jared Goff, and Philadelphia could clamp down on the offense as a whole.

A different NFC East foe this week could provide a bounce-back game for Montgomery, though. In Week 11, New York had its best outing against running backs of the last month: 97 total yards and one touchdown allowed on 20 touches. But that was against the Green Bay Packers and lead back Josh Jacobs left the game in the first half due to injury.

A week earlier, the Bears' running backs tallied 126 total yards and a touchdown. Before that, San Francisco's backs had 238 total yards and three touchdowns. New York has allowed at least one touchdown to opposing running backs every Sunday since Week 7. Montgomery and the Lions should be in a much better spot this week.

START: Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks (at Tennessee Titans)

Walker III was a sit recommendation in Week 11 against the stout Los Angeles Rams defense and proved us wrong with 111 total yards and a touchdown – his first trip to the end zone since Week 3. He out-touched teammate Zach Charbonnet 19-13 and was the more effective offensive weapon against Los Angeles overall.

This week, Seattle gets a break from the Rams' front. Tennessee has turned in good performances against running backs in recent weeks, but that was against the Texans and Chargers – two of the worst offensive lines in the league. Seattle's front is in a much better place than both teams.

That should see a stat line more like what the Titans had against the likes of New England (111 yards, one touchdown allowed) or Indianapolis (184 yards, two touchdowns). Considering how effective Walker was as a receiver against the Rams, that bodes well for him to get plenty of looks through the air in Week 12.

START: Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints (vs. Atlanta Falcons)

NFC South matchups are a doozy to predict. New Orleans shocked us with a convincing win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 prior to the Saints' bye and they're back this week at home against another divisional foe.

That extra week of preparation could pay off for New Orleans, especially for Kamara. Atlanta bottled up the Panthers' run game in Week 11 with 2.83 yards per carry allowed – the Falcons' best mark of the season – but let the Panthers' running backs tally six catches for 62 yards in the passing game.

With Falcons quarterback Michael Penix out for the season, the game script in this one could come around in Kamara's favor. Kirk Cousins did not play well in relief against the Panthers and that means the Saints may play with a lead, giving Kamara the opportunity to string together a pair of good weeks in fantasy football.

Fantasy football sit 'em: Week 12 RBs

SIT: Ashton Jeanty, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Cleveland Browns)

The Raiders' offensive line could do little to open up running lanes for Jeanty against the Dallas Cowboys in prime time in Week 11. Jeanty managed a season-low seven rushing yards on six carries. His 27 yards on six catches did little to rescue a rough evening for the highly touted rookie.

If Las Vegas thought the Cowboys' revamped defensive line featuring Quinnen Williams was a tough opponent, Cleveland's front is on a different level. The Browns lead the league in fewest expected points added (EPA) per rush at -0.14, lead the NFL in ESPN's pass rush and run stop win rate (52% and 36%, respectively) and have allowed five touchdowns by a running back this season.

For any running back and offense overall, the Browns' defensive front is the toughest outing on their schedule. But after what the Raiders showed us on "Monday Night Football" in Week 11, we're steering clear of this matchup.

SIT: Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at Los Angeles Rams)

Tucker's breakout came against one of the league's worst defenses against running backs in fantasy football. Tampa Bay's chaser for that game is a matchup with one of the best run defenses in the NFL.

Los Angeles has allowed three total touchdowns to running backs all season. Week 11 was just the second time all season that opposing running back groups have broken 100 rushing yards. Tucker's breakout means he may get more play this week and cut into White's workload against a tough opponent. There's also a chance Bucky Irving returns to the lineup for Tampa Bay this week as he ramps up his practice participation. All of those factors make it a good week to keep White on your bench if possible.

SIT: Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants (at Detroit Lions)

Tracy was a sit recommendation for us last week and performed well, totaling 139 yards on 23 touches. He's getting a solid workload in New York with Cam Skattebo out of the picture. But things could've been better as Devin Singletary scored two touchdowns – his first scores of the year – in an odd game script against Green Bay.

New York is on the road this week against a Detroit team that just suffered a key loss on the road to Philadelphia in prime time. The Lions' defense held the Eagles' running game in check relatively well at just 3.9 yards per carry and kept Saquon Barkley out of the end zone. Detroit's allowed just one touchdown to a running back since Week 5.

Tracy could continue to see a bigger share of the touches in the offense but this week on the road could be a tough outing. He's a sit recommendation once again this week.

SIT: Tyjae Spears or Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans (vs. Seattle Seahawks)

Tennessee had a tough day on the ground against the Texans' defense in Week 11 and things may not get much better in Week 12. Seattle's tied with Cleveland for the best mark league-wide in EPA per rush (-0.14) and are playing on the road, where they've historically been very good under Mike Macdonald.

Seattle's defense had one of its worst days against running backs in Week 11 against the Rams. But even on a bad day, the Seahawks were still solid against Los Angeles' backs with 101 total yards and a touchdown allowed. That marked their fourth rushing touchdown allowed all season.

The Seahawks will look to get back in the win column against the league's lone one-win team this weekend and Spears and Pollard will likely struggle to find room to run.

Fantasy football start 'em: Week 12 WRs

START: Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers (@ San Francisco 49ers)

Through 11 weeks, the 49ers have allowed the third-most receiving yards to opposing wide receivers. Trimming down the data to the last four weeks, San Francisco ranks first in the statistic. The same is true for the last two weeks.

McMillan has been pushing toward rookie breakout status all season in Carolina, but Week 11 was his coming-out party with eight catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns against the Falcons. He now leads all rookie wideouts with 54 catches and 748 yards, and he gets an even better fantasy matchup this week against a 49ers defense that has proven incapable of shutting down opposing receivers, especially recently.

START: Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints (vs. Atlanta Falcons)

Atlanta just allowed 130 yards and two touchdowns to Carolina's lead receiver in Week 11. That continued a trend the Falcons' defense has been following in recent weeks. In each of their last four matchups, only one opponent's leading receiver failed to tally 100 yards and a touchdown: Dolphins star Jaylen Waddle, who had 99 yards and a touchdown.

Over the last four weeks, the Falcons rank third in average fantasy points allowed to receivers. Over the last two weeks, they rank second.

Olave and the Saints are fresh off a bye. The week prior, New Orleans' top receiver put up 104 yards – his first 100-yard effort of the year – and a touchdown on five catches in his second full game with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. With Brandin Cooks and the Saints parting ways on Nov. 19, he also has one fewer receiver to compete with for target share.

START: Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns (@ Las Vegas Raiders)

Want a bold "start" recommendation? Here's a bold start recommendation. Jeudy will be playing his first game with rookie Shedeur Sanders as his starting quarterback. Given Sanders' 4-of-16 for 47 yards and an interception last week, that's not a super promising sign for the veteran wideout being more productive.

It's just that there is so much going right for Jeudy otherwise. His four targets after Sanders entered the game were more than half of the seven total he saw on Nov. 16. What's more, the Raiders' passing defense has allowed the fourth-most receptions to receivers in 2025 and the fifth-most in the last two weeks. Las Vegas currently ranks second in average fantasy points allowed to wide receivers (38.87).

If Sanders can get going against this subpar Las Vegas defense, Jeudy would hypothetically be the biggest beneficiary as the rookie quarterback's top target in limited snaps last week.

Fantasy football sit 'em: Week 12 WRs

SIT: Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Cleveland Browns)

Cleveland's poor record has obfuscated the excellence of its passing defense this season. The Browns rank seventh in EPA allowed on dropbacks (-0.004) and ninth on dropback success rate allowed (44.4%). They also rank eighth in fewest average fantasy points allowed to receivers (28.25), a ranking that jumps to fourth in the last four weeks (23.07) and first in the last two (10.35).

Tucker might be the top wide receiver in Las Vegas' offense with Jakobi Meyers gone to Jacksonville at the trade deadline, but tight end Brock Bowers is the Raiders' true top target. Given that Cleveland has had a slightly harder time stopping tight ends this year, Bowers will likely see a notably heavier target share than Tucker.

Fantasy football start 'em: Week 12 TEs

START: Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (at Bengals)

The red-hot AFC East-leading Patriots get the Bengals this Sunday. Unless you've been living under a rock, you'd know to start your tight end against Cincinnati in 2025. The Bengals have been historically bad, allowing a league-high 22.5 PPR points per game to opposing TE rooms.

Cincy has allowed a league-high 12 touchdowns to the position. Henry has scored just once over the last two months and has topped 50 yards just once since Week 3, but this matchup is too tasty to leave the veteran out of lineups. He played 94% of snaps last week and has at least six targets in two of his last three games. He's plenty involved, so start him with confidence in Week 12.

START: Noah Fant, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Patriots)

Fant is the top streamer of the week at the position who will likely go unnoticed by your league mates. With Ja'Marr Chase suspended, the veteran could be in for added opportunities against the Patriot. Fant will either benefit from Joe Flacco's gunslinger mentality or the return of Joe Burrow in this matchup, one that projects to be a negative game script for Cincy when it plays the AFC East-leading Patriots.

New England's defense has allowed the most receptions to opposing tight ends in 2025. The 27-year-old is coming off a season-high six targets and has scored a touchdown in two of the last four games. He could be in line for his third finish inside the top 10.

START: Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears (vs. Steelers)

Tyler Warren in Indianapolis has dominated the conversation as the top rookie tight end in 2025, but get your popcorn ready, because Loveland is poised to break out.

The Bears' rookie had a season-high 75.3% snap rate with Cole Kmet healthy this past Sunday against the Vikings. The offense is crowded, so Loveland is still matchup-prone, but Chicago hosts the Steelers this week, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to the position. Pittsburgh has surrendered the most passing yards per game. If you're searching for upside this week, Loveland is your target.

START: Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Rams (Sunday Night Football)

The Buccaneers' No. 1 receiver, Mike Evans, suffered a broken collarbone in Week 7 and Chris Godwin could be sidelined again. Otton is a top-10 option and one of the top streamers of the week at the position when the Buccaneers take on the Rams. This game is tied with the highest projected total of the week (49.5).

Otton was a start in Week 10 and a sit in Week 11, but he can be trusted again in Week 12. The Rams have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends, and Tampa Bay is a road underdog, suggesting it will need to throw plenty to keep pace with the high-powered Rams. Otton is a focal point in the offense with the Bucs' wide receivers banged up and could notch a top-five finish this Sunday if he can find the end zone for the first time in 2025.

Fantasy football sit 'em: Week 12 TEs

SIT: T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings (at Packers)

Another week, another sit recommendation for Hockenson. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been among the NFL's more disappointing players, and his struggles may have rubbed off on the rest of the offense. While Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Hockenson are among the most talented at their position in the NFL, they just haven't been able to get in sync with their starting quarterback.

Hockenson has been one of the biggest disappointments of the fantasy season so far, finishing outside the top 15 at the position in all but one game. There have been few signs to trust Hockenson in 2025, so leave him on the bench again in Week 12 when the Vikings face the Packers on the road.

Fantasy football D/STs rankings Week 12