Key Starters and Tough Calls - Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football Week 12 Include Rachaad White, Michael Carter, Chris Olave

Every week, I share some of my favored players to go with when dealing with challenging lineup decisions. These choices are based on my Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. Enter promo code KING at checkout for a discount and get access to my ranks in all formats, plus a full roster of tools and analysis for the 2022 fantasy football season.

We feature players that you should lean to in tough calls, and guys who may exceed expectations this week are also highlighted, so you can feel even more confident about starting them. Skill position analysis here is based on my PPR rankings. When considering each player for your lineup, check my rankings to see exactly where they are positioned when compared to your other possible lineup choices.

Scott Engel was the No. 2 overall fantasy football accuracy ranker on fantasypros.com in Week 9.

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Running Backs – Fantasy Football Week 12

Rachaad White

In a win over Seattle before the Week 10 bye, White delivered the breakout game many fantasy analysts had been waiting to see, as he rushed for 105 yards on 22 carries. Now he heads into Week 12 as the apparent main RB for Tampa Bay against Cleveland, which allows the second-most Fantasy Points Per Game to RBs.

What was interesting about White’s performance vs. Seattle is he did not catch any passes, and receiving is a potentially strong part of his fantasy profile that we may see more of this week. I would not start him over a proven top fantasy RB such as Jonathan Taylor or Nick Chubb. I do think Kenneth Walker III has more upside. But it is hard to recommend any other remaining Week 12 RB over White for dual-threat potential in an expanded role.

Jeff Wilson

Wilson is in the same region as White, in the top 10 at RB for Week 12, but I still slightly prefer a more established RB who has shown us more as a primary back. In many cases, you should be able to pair Wilson with a Taylor or Chubb.

Jeff Wilson is a🔒RB1 this week, see below:

•Raheem doubt.
•Back-to-back top-12 finishes
•170 yds & 1 TD on 26 att.
•45 yds on 5 rec

HOU Matchup

•31 PPR P/G allowed to RBs (32nd)
•27.4 PPR P/G allowed to WRs (4th)
•6 RB1’s allowed
•4 RB2’s allowed#FantasyFootball pic.twitter.com/Q4rQu8LSKT

— Jeremy (@PopesFFH) November 25, 2022

In Week 10, Wilson had 143 scrimmage yards (119 rushing), and he has two TDs from scrimmage in two games with Miami. He has career highs in scrimmage yards (774) and rushing yards (638) in 2022. The matchup is obviously an ideal one for Wilson, as Houston is the best fantasy draw for any RB.

My one minor concern with Wilson as compared to White is that Mike McDaniel comes from the 49ers coaching tree and he may not let Wilson purely dominate the carries. We could see Salvon Ahmed get some complementary work, too.

Michael Carter

The Jets' switch to Mike White at QB changes the outlook for Carter in terms of his TD and pass-catching promise.  He has three rushing TDs in his past three home games. Carter is aiming for his third game in a row at home with 50+ scrimmage yards.

Last season, in the two games White started and finished, Carter rushed for TDs in each outing. He also had 13 receptions in those two games. The Bears have allowed an NFC-high 12 rushing TDs to RBs, so White is a quality flex option for Week 12.

Latavius Murray

He is now the clear lead RB for the Broncos with Melvin Gordon out and Chase Edmonds injured. Murray had a season-high 72 scrimmage yards (49 rushing) and a rushing TD last week. He has a rushing TD in three of his past four games. The Panthers rank 28th in rushing yards allowed to running backs.

Carolina has also allowed nine rushing TDs to RBs. The opportunity and matchup do look appealing enough for Murray as a possible flex play. But regardless of the opponent, Murray lacks any upside at this point of his career, and you have to rely on the TD output. Adequate production is possible, but working for the lowest-scoring offense in the league means you are hoping for about 65 rushing yards and a TD from Murray.

Wide Receivers – Fantasy Football Week 12

Treylon Burks

The rookie had a breakout game in Week 11. Burks led the Titans with career-highs in catches (seven) and receiving yards (111) as he registered his first career 100-yard game. It was Burks’ second game back in action since returning from the IR, and he will likely prove that he can build on the outing.

Burks had started slowly this season, not scoring nine PPR points in his first five games played. But we do have to often be patient with rookies, especially when they miss some time. Burks was a first-round pick who was ticketed to quickly become the Titans’ No. 1 WR and now he should continue to be frequently targeted. The Bengals are sixth-best in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to WRs, but Burks should still get strong lineup consideration despite the tougher matchup via the statistics.

Joshua Palmer

Palmer led the Chargers with eight catches for 106 yards and had his first career game with two TDs last week. He had the same identical reception and yardage stat line on Nov. 6. Palmer has 8+ catches in three of his past four games.

Mike Williams is out again this week, so Palmer should play a significant role in the Los Angeles passing game again. Keenan Allen is back in action, which does help Palmer in terms of facing less heavy defensive attention as the No. 1 WR for Justin Herbert. The Cardinals have allowed six receiving TDs to TEs over the past four weeks, tied for the most in the league.

Chris Olave

Many fantasy players seem to be unsure about starting Olave, but the numbers indicate that he is hard to bench. Olave led the Saints with five receptions for 102 yards and a TD catch in Week 11. He has three games with 100+ receiving yards, the most among rookies. Olave leads all rookies in receptions (51) and receiving yards (760). He has scored in double figures in PPR points in every game since the season opener.

The 49ers have one of the best defenses in the NFL overall, but they don’t operate as a shutdown defense against opposing WRs. Over the last four weeks, they rank 23rd in FFPG allowed to WRs, and San Francisco ranks 19th for the season. Olave should still be locked in as a fantasy WR2 even with the perception that New Orleans doesn’t have much of a chance to win at San Francisco. The Saints can still get the ball to Olave, especially when playing from behind.

Chris Godwin

You should not have much hesitance to start Godwin anymore. In the Week 10 win over Seattle, it was apparent that he has regained much of his better form. He had six catches for 71 yards and notched his first TD of the season. Godwin has maintained terrific consistency in terms of receptions, as he is aiming for his eighth game in a row with 6+ catches.

Video: Bucs receiver Chris Godwin talks about his ongoing recovery from knee surgery and how he continues to feel better as that progresses. pic.twitter.com/TEry1q67qE

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) November 11, 2022

In the week leading up to the game, Godwin told reporters that he was still making progress in his continued recovery from last season’s torn ACL. He performed well against a solid Seattle secondary and also had a bye week off to rest further. Godwin has scored in double figures in PPR points in seven consecutive games, and the Tampa Bay offense looked like it was starting to click more in Week 10. Godwin should be started in any matchup.

Quarterback And Tight End – Fantasy Football Week 12

Geno Smith

The ultimate 2022 fantasy sleeper at the QB position should exploit a friendly Week 12 matchup vs, the Raiders. Las Vegas allows the third-most FFPG to QBs. We could see a three-TD day from Smith. Unless you roster a top 5 fantasy QB, Smith should be your preferred starting choice in Week 12.

Smith finished with 275 passing yards with 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs in Week 10, as he passed for 275 yards in a second consecutive game. He leads the NFL with seven games of 2+ TD passes and he is aiming for his fifth game in a row with 2+ TD passes. Smith leads the NFL in completion percentage. (72.8) and he has the third--highest completion percentage in a team's 1st 10 games of a season all-time (min. 300 atts.). He is also second in the league in QB rating (108).

Juwan Johnson

Johnson is emerging as a fantasy TE1 due to his recent strong TD production. He registered his career-high fifth TD of the season last week, tied for second-most among TEs in 2022. Johnson is aiming for his third game in a row on the road and fourth in a row overall with a TD catch.

Obviously, Johnson is highly TD-dependent, but at the thinnest position in fantasy football, he is a worthy starter when so many other players are unreliable. But if he is not getting into the end zone, Johnson may not help your team enough. He has yet to reach 50 yards in a game this season. The 49ers have allowed only one TD to a TE this season. Johnson could be headed for a sub-10 point PPR game this week

Scott Engel's fantasy and betting analysis is also featured at The Game Day.

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