Sit/Start Week 12 Reviewing All Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, November 29th at 1:00 PM ET

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Betting Odds: MIA -7, 44.5 total via Oddsshark

Network: CBS

Miami Dolphins

Quarterback

Tua Tagovailoa (Start, QB2)

After getting benched in Week 11 due to poor performance, Head Coach Brian Flores has announced that Tua Tagovailoa will remain the starting QB for the Miami Dolphins in Week 12. This shouldn’t come as a shock, as the Dolphins made their bed by making him the starter a few weeks ago and now have to live with it, but it was clear and obvious that Ryan Fitzpatrick is the better player at this stage of their careers and gives them the best chance to win football games. The offense was much more efficient under Fitzpatrick and the chemistry between him and the receiving options in that offense is clear. If I were a Dolphins fan, I would want Fitzpatrick starting this game against the woeful Jets, but instead, we’re going to see the young guy once again.

So what does this mean for fantasy purposes? Well, It’s really hard to trust Tua as his fantasy production has decreased in each of the past three weeks. Granted, it is tough to throw the ball when you’re sacked six times due to your inexperienced offensive line getting manhandled by opposing defenders, but the Jets are simply not a good defensive football team. Their 14 sacks rank 27th in the league, so Tua should have more time to stand in the pocket this week. Teams have thrown on them to the tune of 2,883 yards, third-worst in the league, and they’ve allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season. So, the matchup is great on paper for a Tua rebound, but I’m still going to temper expectations just because we don’t know how the young QB will bounce back from his benching. He’s a QB2 with QB1 upside this week.

Running Backs

Salvon Ahmed (Start, RB3), Matt Breida (Sit)

On the surface, this looks like a potential breakout game for Salvon Ahmed. It’s the Jets! They stink! Miami’s going to run all over them! Well, in the words of the wise Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend.” The Jets have actually been serviceable at stopping the run this year, allowing the 11th fewest rushing yards on the season, and their 3.8 YPC allowed actually ranks fifth-best in the league. That’s not to say they’re an impenetrable wall upfront, but they’re not exactly made of swiss cheese, either. He did have five catches on six targets last week, and that could be a huge boost for him moving forward if that trend continues. Again, I’m tempering expectations a bit here, but Ahmed is a solid Flex with RB2 upside this week.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

DeVante Parker (Start, WR2), Jakeem Grant Sr. (Sit, Deep Flex), Malcolm Perry (Sit), Mike Gesicki (Sit, TE2)

This matchup is fantastic for this receiving corps, but they will be limited based on however Tua performs, obviously. DeVante Parker is clearly the best receiving option on this team, but his 60.9% catch rate in the last three weeks is actually the worst on the team. While he leads the team in targets over that time, he’s not dropping passes at an alarming rate (three on the season), and his 80% catchable target rate (per PlayerProfiler) is respectable so it’s not like Tua is wildly overthrowing him all the time. Regardless, this matchup is ripe for the picking and he should return solid WR2 numbers.

Jakeem Grant Sr. is second on the team in targets since Week 9 and has stepped in to pick up some of the slack since Preston Williams landed on IR. He’s not producing enough to be considered in standard leagues, but he might be worth a dart throw in deeper leagues or DFS. Those return yards also help in some leagues, and I imagine he’s already rostered there. Otherwise, I’m not trying to get cute with him in my lineup despite the solid matchup.

I have written up a lot of Miami sit/start articles this season, and it seems like I always fall in love with Mike Gesicki and recommend him. I really really want to for this one, as I really like the player and think his talents aren’t being fully utilized, but I simply can’t recommend him as a starter in this one. Remember, in their first matchup against the Jets earlier in the year he put up a big fat goose egg, and we want none of that as we try to squeeze our way into the fantasy playoff.

A guy who jumped out of the box score in last week’s loss is Malcolm Perry. He was targeted four times on Miami’s final drive, dropping his first target but bouncing back to make a few catches afterward. He played a vital role in helping them drive down the field to get into scoring position (before Fitzpatrick’s INT), and it’s not like they have anyone really blocking him from getting snaps at this point. Perry is a rookie out of Navy, where he was the starting QB and a team captain. I wrote a bit on him in one of my News from Training Camp articles in the preseason and I think he’s a guy we may see more of down the stretch. I’m hesitant to go out and start adding him, as most of his work came with Fitzpatrick under center and I assume the two of them have been working together a lot on the 2nd team offense in practice, but anything can happen and he’s at least worth keeping an eye on.

New York Jets

Quarterback

Joe Flacco (Sit), Sam Darnold (Sit)

Did you know the Jets have scored the fewest points in the league this season? You probably didn’t know for sure but you probably could have guessed it, so it’s likely not a total shock. Did you know they’ve scored 42 fewer points than the next worst team? Yes, the Jets’ 149 points rank dead last, just behind the Bears’ 191 points scored. That is terrible. The offense can’t stay on the field because they can’t effectively move the ball and that all starts and ends with the quarterbacks. Granted, Sam Darnold has been hurt for a good chunk of the season, but even when he was on the field they simply weren’t that good.

Joe Flacco ranks as QB29 in the past three weeks, making him all but useless except in 30 teams, 1 QB leagues. Please don’t start him this week, especially against an improved Dolphins’ defense that is surprisingly middle of the pack this season against the pass. There is a chance that Darnold returns this week, but are you really that desperate for a QB streamer? If you’re considering starting a Jets QB this week, you’re likely in a league where you don’t have a choice and whatever I say here doesn’t matter. For the rest of you… just look elsewhere.

Running Backs

Frank Gore (Sit), La’Mical Perine (Sit)

In their last three games, Frank Gore and La’Mical Perine have averaged 8.67 and 6.8 fantasy points, respectively. They’re running behind a Jets’ offensive line that ranks 15th in the NFL in run-blocking success per Pro Football Focus, which isn’t terrible, but the fact that they’re both splitting the work makes neither of them fantasy relevant. The matchup itself is actually decent, as the Dolphins have allowed the 6th most rushing yards on the year, but that doesn’t matter for fantasy purposes when the work is being split between two below-average backs. I would feel better if one of them were getting targets through the air, but they each only have four receptions in the past three games so that doesn’t move the needle either. If I absolutely HAD to start one, I guess it would be Gore simply because he’s getting more carries, but I’m not feeling good about it. Look elsewhere if you can this week (and probably every other week).

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Breshad Perriman (Sit), Jamison Crowder (Sit), Denzel Mims (Sit, Flex)

On paper, I like all three of these guys as players. Jamison Crowder has shown that he can be a very good PPR play on a weekly basis, but he’s battled injuries this season and only has five targets combined in his last two games. Denzel Mims has actually led the team in targets over the last three weeks, and while his catch% has gone down each week, his overall production has gone up as he’s accumulated more yards through the air in each of the last four games. Flacco is looking his way, and I actually like him as a sneaky flex this week if you can’t do better. Breshad Perriman is my ultimate fantasy crush, as I’ve liked him ever since he was drafted and I’m still convinced he can be a solid NFL player. I’m not sure he’s a number one receiver, however, and since he’s likely going up against Xavien Howard this week I wouldn’t play him anywhere.

-Ben Brown (@FelixTheDog23 on Twitter, iamatechnician on Reddit)