With three games on tap for Thursday, many fantasy football owners will have to make early-week start 'em, sit 'em decisions. The bye weeks are no longer a worry, so a full bench of players shouldn't force starting nods for potential busts. The sputtering Cowboys offense makes us doubt Dak Prescott and Jason Witten, and we think Jamaal Williams' and Marvin Jones's solid fantasy runs will come to an end in Week 12. Uncertainty surrounding Jay Ajayi's workload and Corey Coleman's offense make us doubt them, as well.
Last week, we went a perfect three for three on defenses (Bills, Seahawks, Bears) and hit at least once on every position with LeGarrette Blount, Eli Manning, Dede Westbrook, Eric Ebron, and Hunter Henry. We were also kind of right about Marcus Mariota, since he threw four interceptions, but that didn't stop him from a decent fantasy day thanks to an entire fourth-quarter of garbage time.
Go here to check out our Week 12 sleeper picks.
WEEK 12 RANKINGS
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 12 fantasy football busts: Running backs
Bilal Powell, Jets vs. Panthers (Tony Fortier-Bensen). The Jets are reluctant to give Powell a workhorse-type load, and it will be hard for him to put up a major fantasy day without it against the Panthers third-best rush defense.
Jamaal Williams, Packers @ Steelers (Vinnie Iyer). There's not much to like on Green Bay's offense, and Pittsburgh has shored up early issues against running backs.
Jay Ajayi, Eagles vs. Bears (Matt Lutovsky). LeGarrette Blount is getting more carries and Corey Clement is scoring the touchdowns. Ajayi is doing great in terms of yards per carry (11.2!), but against a solid Bears run defense, he carries more risk than you might think.
WEEK 12 DFS:
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Week 12 fantasy football busts: Quarterbacks
Dak Prescott, Cowboys vs. Chargers (Fortier-Bensen). The Cowboys offense is stuck in the sand without Zeke, and it won’t right the ship in time on a short week, even if Tyron Smith (groin) returns.
Jared Goff, Rams vs. Saints (Iyer). He cooled against a good pass defense on the road in Minnesota, and it doesn't feel much better against New Orleans without go-to guy Robert Woods.
Derek Carr, Raiders vs. Broncos (Lutovsky). Carr has managed just one TD in each of the past three games. The Broncos have given up more passing TDs lately, but they still allow fewer than 200 passing yards per game.
Week 12 fantasy football busts: Wide receivers
Marvin Jones, Lions vs. Vikings (Fortier-Bensen). Golden Tate is mainly a slot receiver, and Xavier Rhodes doesn’t defend the slot guys. Jones will have a tough time against Rhodes.
Robby Anderson, Jets vs. Panthers (Iyer). Carolina can contain deep shots to him from Josh McCown by getting good pressure up front and safety help over the top.
Corey Coleman, Browns vs. Bengals (Lutovsky). Coleman is Cleveland's No. 1 receiver, but what is that really worth in one of the NFL's worst offenses? Cincinnati allows the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to WRs, so this won't be easy for the recently activated Coleman.
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Week 12 fantasy football busts: Tight ends
Jason Witten, Cowboys vs. Chargers (Fortier-Bensen). The Cowboys offense has been a mess since the Zeke suspension started, and Witten runs into one of the best defenses against the TE.
Cameron Brate, Bucs @ Falcons (Iyer). He's the one target who sorely misses the connection with Jameis Winston, and O.J. Howard is starting to become a bigger factor.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Jets vs. Panthers (Lutovsky). ASJ is coming off a decent, garbage-time-aided performance, but in the three games prior to that, he caught 10 of 12 targets for only 69 yards and one score. The Panthers allow the fewest receiving yards per game to TEs (37.2), so this is very much a TD-or-bust game for Seferian-Jenkins -- and he's more likely to bust.
Week 12 fantasy football busts: Defenses
New Orleans Saints @ Rams (Fortier-Bensen). It’s not that the Saints defense can’t stop the Rams offense, but it will be hard for them to find points since the Rams allow the fewest points to fantasy D/STs and have given up two turnovers in the past four games.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Saints (Iyer). Good luck not getting a goose egg against that running game and Drew Brees.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Jaguars (Lutovsky). Normally the Cardinals at home against Blake Bortles would be a must-start, but Arizona's defense hasn't been as good this year. To make matters worse, the Jags are allowing the 11th-fewest fantasy points per game to D/STs.