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NFL, American Football Herren, USA San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Oct 12, 2025 Tampa, Florida, USA Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield 6 warms up before a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Raymond James Stadium Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xNathanxRayxSeebeckx 20251012_tcs_fo8_098

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NFL, American Football Herren, USA San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Oct 12, 2025 Tampa, Florida, USA Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield 6 warms up before a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Raymond James Stadium Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xNathanxRayxSeebeckx 20251012_tcs_fo8_098
The fantasy football playoffs are right around the corner. There are just a few more weeks left in the regular season, and if you haven’t already locked in your spot in the playoffs, these next few games could make or break your season.
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Every Wednesday, I give you two of my best starts and sits at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end. Then, on Saturday, my boss Tim Wood and I collaborate on a last-minute start-sit. That’s 48 players we give advice on each week. For those of you who are obsessed with fantasy and are already thinking about your lineup this week, this is for you.
Here are my best starts and sits at each position for Week 12.
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Start ‘Em
Quarterback

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NFL, American Football Herren, USA Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles Nov 16, 2025 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff 16 throws a pass under pressure form Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter 98 during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field Pennsylvania USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xEricxHartlinex 20251116_eha_se7_03281
Jared Goff has a great fantasy matchup this week against the New York Giants. Goff’s been great all season, but has really come around fantasy-wise in recent weeks. I know Detroit is going to want to run the ball a lot in this game, but they’re going to put a lot of points on the board, so I expect Goff to have at least a pair of touchdowns this weekend.
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Jacoby Brissett is another great start this week. He has finished as the QB10 or better in all but one of his five starts since Kyler Murray was hurt. This week, he faces one of his easiest tests yet against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that gives up the fifth-most points to opposing quarterbacks each week. Easy start for me.
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Running Back
TreVeyon Henderson is a must-start this week, even if Rhamondre Stevenson is ready to go. In fact, I’d say both of them are good starts this week against a Cincinnati defense that gives up over 34 points per game to opposing running backs. New England likes to run the football, especially with their rookie, who is really finding his stride. Henderson will have the better game, but Stevenson could also put up 10+ depending on his workload.
Alvin Kamara hasn’t been a great fantasy back this season, but he saw 25 touches a week ago, and it was the best their offense has played in a while. Kellen Moore knows he needs to get Kamara the ball more often if he wants the offense to be successful, so I expect Kamara to approach that 20-touch mark again. And to make things even better, he faces an Atlanta Falcons defense that allows the fourth-most points to running backs.
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Wide Receiver

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NFL, American Football Herren, USA Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings Oct 19, 2025 Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Devonta Smith 6 runs the ball during the first half against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Minneapolis U.S. Bank Stadium Minnesota USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xBradxRempelx 20251019_tdc_ai9_060
If we’re playing the matchup game, Rome Odunze is an obvious start this week. I know he hasn’t been very consistent, but the Pittsburgh Steelers give up 39.21 points to opposing wideouts. With DJ Moore not really challenging him for targets in recent weeks, Odunze should feast on Sunday.
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The Philadelphia Eagles’ offense has been extremely unreliable, but DeVonta Smith has actually been pretty consistent in recent weeks. He did score just 1.8 points last week, but before that, he had 14+ in three straight weeks. Now he gets to play a Dallas defense that didn’t upgrade its secondary at the trade deadline, so there are still plenty of opportunities for receivers to go off.
Tight End
Colston Loveland has steadily been outperforming Cole Kmet in recent weeks, and I think that trend will continue this week. He’s their tight end of the future, and they want to get him more and more involved. And now he faces a Pittsburgh defense that allows 16.43 points per game to tight ends. He should see a fairly heavy workload on Sunday.
Hunter Henry has steadily scored 8+ points per game in recent weeks, but that’s not good enough to be a consistent starting option. Luckily, he faces the Bengals, who surrender the most points to opposing tight ends, this week. I don’t think Stefon Diggs will be as much of a factor in this game (we’ll get to more on that later), so Drake Maye is going to look Hunter’s way more often this week, especially in the red zone.
Sit ‘Em
Quarterback

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Tampa Bay Buccanners vs Detroit Lions DETROIT,MICHIGAN-OCTOBER 20: Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield 6 during the first half of an NFL, American Football Herren, USA football game between the Tampa Bay Buccanners and the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Michigan USA, on Monday, October 20, 2025 Detroit Michigan United States PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xJorgexLemusx originalFilename:lemus-tampabay251020_npMb1.jpg
Baker Mayfield is starting to find his form again after a bit of a slump in the middle of the season, but I am benching him this week against the Los Angeles Rams, who have been a terror for opposing quarterbacks. Their pass rush is great and puts a ton of pressure on the quarterback, which means less time for their receivers to get open, and right now, he’s down two of his top targets. I am not hesitating to put him on the bench this week.
I also don’t love Daniel Jones’ matchup this week against the Kansas City Chiefs. Much like LA, the Chiefs’ defense has been very good this season, and opposing quarterbacks don’t tend to perform too well against them. They’re giving up just 15 points per game to the position, so Jones is a bench for me this week.
Running Back
Sean Tucker will be a very popular start this week, especially if Bucky Irving can’t go again, after his massive performance on Sunday, but I am not starting him this week. Not just because Irving could be back, but because I hate his matchup against the Rams, who have a top-three run defense. He may get a ton of work, but I don’t see him being all that successful.
I’m also sitting Aaron Jones this week. I don’t like his matchup against the Green Bay Packers, but I also don’t trust this offense. J.J. McCarthy has looked horrible these past two weeks, which has really limited Jones’ fantasy production. He should be an okay option this week, but there are plenty of better running backs out there this week.
Wide Receiver

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Source: Instagram/Stefon Diggs
The first receiver I’m putting on my bench is Khalil Shakir. He’s been a decent fantasy option this season, but this week he plays a Houston defense that allows the second-fewest points to opposing receivers. I think Buffalo’s offense might struggle a bit on Thursday night, so I’m benching Shakir.
This may seem like it’s coming out of left field, but Stefon Diggs is my other sit this week. The Bengals don’t have a great defense, but they have one of the best cornerbacks in the league in DJ Turner II. He’s allowing a 45 percent completion percentage when targeted and has locked down some of the best receivers in the game this year. He is an All-Pro-level player, and if he follows Diggs around, he could have a rough night. I know it’ll be hard to bench him, but this is just me saying don’t be surprised if he has one of his worst games in recent memory.
Tight End
Dalton Schultz has played really well in recent weeks and has worked his way up to TE8 on the year. He’s averaging 14.5 points per game with Davis Mills under center, but they face a Buffalo defense that gives up just 6.0 points to opposing tight ends. They’re the best defense in the league when it comes to stopping tight ends, so I’m benching Schultz.
I would also be cautious with Jake Ferguson. Most of his fantasy production has come off touchdowns, which he’s only had one of in the past three games. He doesn’t get vertical, so while he catches a lot of passes, he doesn’t put up many yards. Now he has to face an Eagles defense that gives up the second-fewest fantasy points per game, so I don’t love him this week.
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