Key Starters and Tough Calls - Lineup Spotlights for Week 12

November 24, 2019

Scott Engel breaks down his Week 12 fantasy football lineup rankings, spotlighting key NFL players to start and tougher lineup start/sit decisions to make.

Welcome to Week 12, RotoBallers! Below you will find some of my spotlight plays and tough lineup decisions for the upcoming week of the fantasy football season.

These player selections are based on my Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller's NFL Premium Pass. Enter promo code KING at checkout for a 10% discount and get access to all of my ranks in all formats, plus a full roster of tools and analysis for the rest of the 2019 season. The Premium Pass is already at a slashed price for your playoff push!

Note that all skill position picks and analyses here are based on my PPR ranks.

Spotlight RB Starters for Week 12

Joe Mixon vs. PIT: Even though they may fall short, the Bengals will make a serious bid for their first victory at home against a Steelers squad that is half of what we expected it to be. The defense is still formidable, but Mixon is playing well recently, with two consecutive 100-plus yard outings from scrimmage and TDs in three of his past four games. He will make a valiant effort to get the Bengals into the win column.

Miles Sanders vs. SEA: You are probably tired of me endorsing this kid so much, but the Eagles really need him to step forward this week as they try to hang in the playoff race. Sanders must take control of an uncertain RB situation in Philadelphia this week. He is the one guy who can truly give the offense a needed jolt with his promising all-around skills.

Bo Scarbrough vs. WAS: This is truly a game only fantasy players will care about. Go grab a ticket for less than five dollars and watch Scarbrough run hard like he did last week and get into the end zone at least once. He will be a viable flex play and streamer for Week 12.

Spotlight WR Starters for Week 12

Jarvis Landry vs. MIA: He has already hinted this “Revenge Game” is somewhat meaningful to him. The Dolphins have allowed an AFC-high 16 TD receptions to WRs and Landry has rediscovered the end zone recently. He will be a must-start in both seasonal and DFS formats.

Allen Robinson vs. NYG: He has often risen above the playing level of his teammates this year, and would be producing must-start fantasy totals if he had a better QB. Robinson is playing superbly in terms of technique and looking fully healthy again this season. The Giants allow the third-most fantasy points per game to WRs.

Devante Parker vs. CLE: The Dolphins-Browns game could feature a lot of passing yardage. Parker has emerged as a must-start fantasy WR3 and he is going to want to outduel his old teammate, Landry. I will be stacking this game in DFS too. Speaking of which, when you have a tough lineup call to make, you should consult the projections in the RotoBaller DFS Optimizer. They can help you make sound seasonal decisions, too.

Spotlight TE Starters for Week 12

Dallas Goedert vs. SEA: He has become a regular TD threat and the Seahawks have always been more vulnerable to tight ends in the Pete Carroll era. Even during the Legion of Boom years, TEs were often likely to deliver respectable totals while wide receivers had to work much harder for their production.

Vance McDonald vs. CIN: McDonald is overrated and I do not recommend him very often. But the Pittsburgh passing game has become quite depleted and the Bengals have allowed the most FFPG to TEs over the past month.

Spotlight QB Starters for Week 12

Derek Carr vs. NYJ: As a pure NFL player, Carr is enjoying a nice resurgence under Jon Gruden, and he has also regained fantasy respectability. The Jets have allowed the second-most FFPG to QBs over the past month.

Jeff Driskel vs. WAS: He is a quality streamer if you are without Patrick Mahomes or Kyler Murray in Week 12. Driskel aggressively moves the ball downfield as both a runner and passer. With the Lions not playing for anything and Driskel getting a chance to show what he can do, the backup Detroit QB is playing with no fear.

Tough Week 12 Lineup Decisions

Phillip Lindsay over David Montgomery: The Denver RB should produce respectable numbers again. While Montgomery would appear to have more upside, he is trying to play through what could be a lingering ankle issue and that puts him out of the Top 15 this week.

Bo Scarbrough over Brian Hill: Neither of these guys has much of a track record, but Hill stumbled badly in his first chance to start last week and has a very daunting matchup vs. Tampa Bay. Scarbrough is more likely to get into the end zone against the Redskins. This may seem like a tougher call for some of you reading this, but I had to note it for those struggling with streamer options.

Terry McLaurin over James Washington: Dwayne Haskins looks worse than Mason Rudolph, but he will heave it up to McLaurin downfield or on a contested catch and let him try to make a play. McLaurin is just a better NFL WR than Washington, who could easily flop when given the opportunity to play an expanded role in the passing game this week. Though it should be noted McLaurin will have a rough matchup with Darius Slay.

Taylor Gabriel over Darius Slayton: Gabriel is incredibly inconsistent and Slayton already looks like he has more promise overall. But in the Bears-Giants matchup, Gabriel has a more favorable draw in terms of the defense he faces, and the potential return of Sterling Shepard does not help Slayton’s outlook.

Noah Fant over Cameron Brate: Yeah, yeah, I know Brate is coming off an impressive outing and has the better matchup. But he could easily disappear again and Fant has more upside and is higher in the passing pecking order on his team.

Carson Wentz over Josh Allen: Philadelphia is trying to keep its season alive, and Wentz will come through with one of his best games of the season. He has been unreliable even in good matchups this season, but there is a real sense of urgency surrounding the Eagles this week and he will respond productively. Eagles-Seahawks should be considerably more high-scoring than Broncos-Bills.

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