Yay! No more freakin’ bye weeks! A few of those weeks were rough, but we all hopefully survived.

Injuries are still happening at an alarming rate and the injuries to Washington RB Chris Thompson and even Miami QB Jay Cutler (in super deep leagues) can really mess with a roster. We hope to give you some streaming options for the week.

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 12 of the 2017 NFL season…and enjoy our oddball triumphant MS Paint masterpiece of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

I want to explain what I mean by “sit” and “start.” Of course you are going to start some of the guys i say to bench this week, because you probably used high draft picks or a lot of money in an auction for them. My ‘sit’ players are guys I am just not completely sold that they will have good weeks. If you have a guy that you are on the fence about, maybe this will help you pick between the players.

START’EM

• QB Jacoby Brissett (Indianapolis Colts) – Brissett is technically still in concussion-protocol, but Colts think he will be ready for Sunday. The Titans have given up 21 passing touchdowns against opposing quarterbacks this season, which is the second-most in the league. The Titans have been very easy on quarterbacks recently with Steelers Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 399 yards in a blowout win last Thursday. Brissett can also hurt the Titans on the ground with his legs. Both teams have bad defenses, so this could end up being a shootout.
• WR Russell Shepard (Carolina Panthers) – Panthers rookie WR Curtis Samuel injured his ankle right when he was seeing a bump in playing time. Shepard should take over his spot and get plenty of playing time. It does hurt him that TE Greg Olsen should be ready to play soon, so keep an eye on his status.
• RB Byron Marshall (Washington Redskins) – Washington RB Chris Thompson went down with a horrible broken leg last week and Redskins needs a new passing-down back. Running backs Rob Kelley and Samaje Perine don’t fit the mold. Marshall will probably be the guy getting the kind of targets Thompson was getting out of the backfield. Most of Thompson’s fantasy points came from the passing game. Marshall caught a ton of passes while at Oregon, so the guy has good hands. Perine could also be a nice streaming option as well, since he will be getting the most carries.
• QB Case Keenum (Minnesota Vikings) – Keenum appears to have become entrenched as the starting quarterback, at least until he has a disastrous game. He is hitting WR Adam Thielen on a regular basis and the speedy receiver is getting valuable YAC yards. As long as Keenum keeps hitting him, the Vikings passing game will be dangerous. The Lions have given up an average of 18.48 fantasy points to quarterbacks the last three weeks…those QBs are Brett Hundley, DeShone Kizer and freakin’ Mitchell Trubisky. Keenum should have a very good game on Turkey Day.
• RB Dion Lewis (New England Patriots) – I’ve mostly stayed away from Patriots running backs here, but Lewis is becoming the consistent fantasy back in New England. He has lead the backfield in touches for five-straight weeks. He’s still available in most leagues and could be a nice streaming option against the Dolphins.
• Los Angeles Chargers Defense & Special Teams – The Chargers have so many pass rushers that every NFL offensive line should fear them. They play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving and it’s unknown if Dallas LT Tyron Smith will be ready to play. Dallas has lost back-to-back games with Smith out with an injury and it could get ugly if he’s out again. The Chargers are a smart streaming option against the Cowboys.
• WR Corey Coleman (Cleveland Browns) – Coleman might be the first Browns player I’ve recommended since RB Duke Johnson early in the season. Coleman played his first game of the season last week against the Jags and did just ‘okay.’ It was a horrible match-up to have right out of the gate. He faces the Bengals this week and even though that match-up isn’t ideal, it’s way better than facing Jacksonville. Coleman could be a guy they rely on and his speed could allow him to break a few big plays.
• RB Devontae Booker (Denver Broncos) – Denver plays the Raiders this weekend, who has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Booker appears to be ‘the guy’ in Denver now that RB Jamaal Charles and C.J. Anderson have been marginalized. Booker caught five passes on six targets for 54 yards last week against Cincinnati. He could be a nice safety net out of the backfield for QB Paxton Lynch. 
• TE O.J. Howard (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Howard is swallowing up playing time once given to TE Cameron Brate. Howard also seems like he’s the red zone target as well with four touchdowns on the season. Howard is a better overall tight end and should be given even more playing time over Brate. He’s a nice streaming option against the Falcons.
• WR Robby Anderson (New York Jets) – Anderson has big play ability and since he was on bye last week, he’s available on the waiver wire in more leagues than he should be this week. He’s the #1 receiver on the Jets and has a touchdown reception in four-straight games. The Panthers aren’t a great match-up, but he should get plenty of targets.
• RB Charles Sims (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) DEEP LEAGUE ALERT – Tampa Bay RB Doug Martin is only averaging 1.8 yards per carry the last three games. It’s time Martin is surpassed by other guys on the roster. Sims had three catches in two-straight games and is playing in more snaps. Sims could be a decent PPR flex play in deep leagues.

SIT’EM

• RB Doug Martin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – As I just said, Martin is really bad at football right now. He can’t penetrate the defensive line or find holes. He’s owned in nearly all leagues and there are better streaming options out there. Injuries are rampant this time of the year and there are guys who emerge as great fantasy options, so dump Martin.
• WR Will Fuller/Bruce Ellington (Houston Texans) – Fuller is dealing with a rib injury and Bruce Ellington did well in his absence. Neither guy is worth starting against the stingy Ravens secondary. Houston QB Tom Savage will have issues against them all game and I assume he will focus on getting the ball to WR DeAndre Hopkins. I don’t see Savage having a very good game, thus Hopkins is the only one worth a start.
• RB Ameer Abdullah/Theo Riddick (Detroit Lions) – Wow, two double-bangers in the ‘sit’em’ section. I hate the Lions backfield against the Vikings. Detroit needs to face a bad run defense to do any damage on offense. Minnesota has one of the best run defenses in the league, so I wouldn’t start either guy.
• Denver Broncos Defense & Special Teams – The Broncos defense has been pretty damn bad. They have a reputation that they haven’t lived up to this season. It doesn’t help that their offense isn’t helping them with field position. There are better options to stream and it’s time to write-off the Broncos defense.
• RB Joe Mixon (Cincinnati Bengals) – You wouldn’t think that playing the Browns would be a no-brainer start for a running back. Mixon hasn’t got going this season, even though he has broken a few big plays. This only teases fantasy players. There aren’t anymore bye weeks, so a guy like Mixon should be dropped.
• WR John Brown (Arizona Cardinals) – The Cardinals face the Jaguars this week, so receptions will be limited. Brown hasn’t been very good against any team this season. He’s only had over 50 yards receiving in two games this year. It hurt him when QB Carson Palmer went down with an injury. Also, Brown is dealing with turf toe and could miss the game.
• QB Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders) – I’m not condoning a drop of Carr, but I wouldn’t start him until Oakland starts to put up consistent offense. Carr has barely been average this season and there are other candidates like Colts QB Jacoby Brissett or Ravens QB Joe Flacco that would be better options this week. I would sit Carr this week.
• WR Sterling Shepard (New York Giants) – Shepard is currently out sick, but he could be well enough to play on Thanksgiving. Even if he does play, he will be covered by Washington CB Josh Norman. The Giants don’t really have any other options at receiver, so the Giants could have issues moving the ball through the air. I’d sit Shepard this week.
• RB Danny Woodhead (Baltimore Ravens) – Last week, Woodhead saw his first action since Week 1. He caught five passes on six targets, but only had 21 receiving yards. He will be slowly adding snaps to his snap count each week and I don’t think Houston is a good match-up since they have been rough on opposing running backs in fantasy.

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.