Week 12 Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: Quarterbacks

Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football. This column will not cover the elite players in the NFL like Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey or Justin Jefferson. Instead, I’ll look at the players you have questions about who could exceed or fail to meet expectations at each position. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out my weekly player rankings which will be updated daily throughout the 2023 NFL season.

Fabs’ Top 10 Quarterbacks

1. Josh Allen at Eagles
2. Patrick Mahomes at Raiders
3. Jalen Hurts vs. Bills
4. Lamar Jackson at Chargers
5. Dak Prescott vs. Commanders (Thur.)
6. C.J. Stroud vs. Jaguars
7. Justin Fields at Vikings (Mon.)
8. Kyler Murray vs. Rams
9. Brock Purdy at Seahawks (Thur.)
10. Justin Herbert vs. Ravens

Week 12 Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | KICKERS & TEAM DEFENSES

Week 12 Start ’Em: Quarterbacks

Start of the Week

C.J. Stroud vs. Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Stroud didn’t post a huge fantasy stat line last week, but he did throw for 336 yards in a win over the Cardinals. I expect him to be better this week, as the rookie phenom faces a plus matchup against the Jaguars. Their defense has allowed 20-plus points to five quarterbacks this season, including Stroud, who beat them for 280 yards and 20.6 points back in Week 3.

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Start ’Em

Dak Prescott vs. Commanders (Thur. 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS): Prescott has scored 24-plus points in four of his last five games, and this week’s turkey day matchup against the Commanders couldn’t be juicier. Their defense allowed 20-plus points to Tommy DeVito last week, and quarterbacks have scored over 20 points in eight games against them. Look for Prescott to make stuffing of this porous defense.

Kyler Murray vs. Rams (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Murray is back! In his first two games of the season, he’s averaged more than 19 fantasy points. His return from a torn ACL hasn’t hurt him as a runner, either, as he’s scampered for 84 yards. This week he faces the Rams, who have allowed an average of nearly 18 fantasy points per game and a 105 passer rating to enemy quarterbacks over their last four games.

Trevor Lawrence at Texans (1 p.m. ET, CBS): I was dead wrong about Lawrence last week, as he scored a season-high 32.2 fantasy points in a blowout win over the Titans. That performance gives fantasy managers more confidence in starting him moving forward, including in this week’s matchup in Houston. Over their last four games, their defense has allowed the ninth-most points to quarterbacks.

Joshua Dobbs vs. Bears (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): Dobbs has been solid in the stat sheets lately, scoring 20-plus points in three of his last four games. He has a plus matchup this week, too, as he’ll face a Bears defense that’s allowed 18-plus points to quarterbacks seven times this season. That’s been the norm, too, as field generals have averaged the sixth-most points against Chicago since Week 8.

More Starts

Jordan Love at Lions (Thur. 12:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
Brock Purdy at Seahawks (Thur. 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
Baker Mayfield at Colts (1 p.m. ET, CBS)

DFS Bargains (DraftKings)

Kyler Murray vs. Rams ($6,900)
Trevor Lawrence at Texans ($6,400)
Gardner Minshew vs. Buccaneers ($5,100)

Week 12 Sit ’Em: Quarterbacks

Sit of the Week

Russell Wilson vs. Browns (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Wilson’s numbers haven’t been great in recent weeks, as he’s scored fewer than 15 fantasy points in three of his last five games. That trend is likely to continue this week, as a bad matchup against the Browns is next on the schedule. Just two quarterbacks have scored more than 13.8 points against them, and both of them rushed for two touchdowns.

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Sit ’Em

Sam Howell at Cowboys (Thurs. 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS): Howell is a tough field general to sit, as he’s had a good ceiling and floor for most of the season. Still, this week’s matchup against the Cowboys makes him a tough sell. Their defense has suffocated quarterbacks at home, allowing an average of fewer than 10 points per game. That includes allowing just four touchdown passes in those four games.

Geno Smith vs. 49ers (Thurs. 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Smith suffered an injured elbow in last week’s loss to the Rams, so playing on a short week is not ideal. In any event, I’d still sit him against the 49ers. Over the last four weeks, their defense has allowed an average of 13.4 fantasy points per game to opposing signal-callers. I’d keep Smith on the sidelines in what could be a real turkey night stinker.

Matthew Stafford at Cardinals (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Sitting Stafford has nothing to do with the matchup against the Cardinals, which is actually favorable. Instead, it’s about the fact that Stafford hasn’t scored 17 points in a game this season even when the opponent is weak. What’s more, he’s scored fewer than 15 points seven times in his nine starts in 2023. Stafford could be without Cooper Kupp, too.

Derek Carr at Falcons (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Carr isn’t a reliable fantasy starter, but the position is super thin and I’m running out of options! The matchup is actually a good one, as the Falcons have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks in the last four weeks, but Carr still can’t be trusted. In fact, he has failed to score more than 17 points in all but two games. Keep Carr sidelined.