Fantasy Football Week 12: Start 'em and Sit 'em

By now, you're probably slumped in your chair as you wonder who to start on Sunday for your league while glancing at the points scored from the Thanksgiving Day football games.  I'll save you the hassle of researching your own players by advising who to start and who to sit on Sunday. The options are a bit more limited since six teams have already played, so here is a short list of who to play for the remaining games.

QBs:

Start 'em:

Cam Newton: The Colts haven't fared very well against any QB they've come up against, but they're going to meet their first dual-threat QB this season with Newton. His play has slipped over the past two weeks, throwing only 1 TD and 5 INTs. His 4 INTs last week against the Lions were terrible. Newton has still picked up plenty of yards on the ground and threw the air, limiting the damage done by his lack of TDs. The Colts defense gives Newton a very favorable matchup to score at least 2 TDs.  He's a safe bet to throw for over 200 yards and may add 50 ore more on the ground.

Sit 'em:

Ryan Fitzpatrick: He's struggling badly and injuries to his WRs have put him in a tough position.  While the Jets defense does have their occasional lapse and aren't particularly strong against the run, they've still done a good job against QBs. The faced Fitzpatrick only a few weeks ago and limited him to under 200 yards passing and 1 TD. It wouldn't be surprising to see similar numbers again from Fitzpatrick.

RBs:

Start 'em:

Ben Tate:  Why would I suggest starting a backup RB?  Because he's still be getting over 10 carries a game the past two weeks and is scoring TDsand gaining big yards.  With Matt Schaub out and Matt Leinart getting his first action as QB, the Texans are going to play more conservative against the Jaguars. Jacksonville ranks 4th in the NFL against the pass, but their offense is anemic. Expect the Texans to run the ball more to protect Leinart while they use their defense to shut down Jacksonville's offense.

Sit 'em:

Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram: It's not that they are ineffective, but the Saintsare a pass heavy team and when they do run, they use many RBs.  Thomas and Ingram just don't see enough carries because they also share the backfield with Darren Sproles. If Chris Ivory returns, he may steal some snaps as well and may steal some of Ingram's goal-line duties.

WRs:

Start 'em:

Jabar Gaffney: Even if Santana Mossreturns this week, it'll be his first action in over a month and will probably have to shed some rust before he gets back in his groove. Gaffney is Rex Grossman's most reliable target and Grossman has targeted him more often than John Beck.  Gaffney was targeted a total of 11 times against Dallas and hauled in more than 100 yards and a TD. With Leonard Hankerson out and Moss still questionable for the game, it's a good time to play Washington's most reliable WR.

Sit 'em:

Steve Johnson: Donald Jones, now on the IR, was a great compliment to Johnson. Johnson's numbers slipped after Jones, the best deep threat WR to compliment Johnson, was out for most of October. Now Johnson goes against Darrelle Revis without Donald Jones and his replacement, David Nelson is banged up as well. Buffalo's offensive line and Fitzpatrick are also struggling, completing every check-mark to show Johnson is a bad play this week.

TEs:

Start 'em:

Rob Gronkowski: Unless you also have Jimmy Graham on your fantasy team, Gronkowski has become a must start in every game because of his prowess in the red zone. He has 10 TDs for the season, including 5 in the past 3 games, making him a must start.

Sit 'em:

Daniel Fells: He's had a few moments and is currently second in Denver for receiving yards when you exclude Brandon Lloyd since he's no longer on the team.  With Tim Tebow at the helm, he has only caught 4 passes and has been without a reception in the last two games. You're better off releasing Fells if you can't sucker someone into a trade to boost your bench.