To freak out, or to keep calm? That’s the question almost any fantasy manager will have about at least one player on their roster each week. It can be easy to overreact and lose control over a disappointing performance, but each week, we’ll dive into a few of fantasy football’s biggest names and help you decide if we should panic over a poor fantasy output or if we should stay the course and keep them in our lineups. Are there reasonable excuses for why the player had a down week or a few concerning performances? Is it an outlier, or is there something to their struggles and time to look for alternative options? That’s what we’ll aim to answer in Patience or Panic each week throughout the season.
You might be thinking, why is this being posted late in the week? Shouldn’t we decide to panic or be patient right after the previous week’s games? The goal is to look forward to the following week regarding lineup decisions, while being a few days removed from the emotions of a down performance.
Ahead of Week 12, we dive into two quarterbacks who had disappointing outings a week ago and see if we should stick with them or look elsewhere.
Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes and the Chiefs sit at just 5-5 as we approach Thanksgiving, uncharted territory for the future Hall of Famer. Usually, Kansas City is in the mix for the 1 seed and a bye week, but this year, they’re just trying to fight for their playoff lives. That’s exactly why I love Mahomes this week, despite two straight underwhelming performances. In Weeks 9 and 11, the Chiefs played in two difficult environments in Buffalo and Denver, but now they’re back home. They know their backs are against the wall and that a wild card berth isn’t even guaranteed.
The 8-2 Colts come into Arrowhead in Week 12. It’s no easy task for the Chiefs, but the Indianapolis defense isn’t unbeatable. They sit at 13th in scheduled-adjusted fantasy points allowed, according to fantasypoints.com. It’s a relatively neutral matchup for the Chiefs, but the game theory is more of the reason to stick with Mahomes in your lineup. He arguably has never walked into a more desperate game in his career in terms of staying alive for the playoffs, so now is no time to bail on him. Don’t let a few down weeks make you forget all the great weeks Mahomes has given you so far in 2025.
Verdict: Patience
Jared Goff, Quarterback, Detroit Lions
Anyone who watches football knows Jared Goff is a different player when he plays indoors compared to outdoors. Last week, his matchup outside in Philly against an exceptional defense on Sunday night was almost impossible. It was the easiest bet in the world to assume Goff would struggle in that environment, but Week 12 is a different story. The 2-9 Giants come to town, where they’ll be nice and cozy inside Ford Field.
Big Blue’s defense was supposed to be more of the strength of their team, but it’s been anything but that. The Giants give up 27.3 points per game, ranking 29th in the NFL. They’re also 29th in the league in defensive expected points added (EPA) per play, and they just have six takeaways on the season, all according to bigblueview.com.
The high-priced Giants defense also ranks seventh in scheduled-adjusted fantasy points allowed, according to fantasypoints.com. All the ingredients are here for a nice bounce-back performance from Jared Goff. Indoors at home against a bad defense in a game that may have some underrated importance for the Lions all add up to a nice fantasy day from Jared Goff. Similar to the Chiefs, the Lions are no guarantee to even grab a wild card spot at this point. This isn’t a game they can afford to drop, knowing they have to get the offense back on track ahead of a Thanksgiving showdown versus the Packers. If you’ve been streaming with Jared Goff and putting him in your lineups when the matchup looks right, this is your week.
Verdict: Patience
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Icon Sportswire | Featured image by Ethan Kaplan (@djfreddie10.bsky.social on Blue Sky and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)