Week 12 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em Flex picks feat. Bo Nix, Dallas Goedert
Setting a fantasy lineup with six teams on bye has never been more challenging. Gut-wrenching adds, and drops are being made to fill out your Week 12 roster. Hopefully, you’ve been reading this article faithfully all year and have a plethora of talent at your disposal. If you don’t, no problem. I’m here to help.
This column focuses on flex plays in deeper leagues. Guys you might even have available on your waiver wires to pick up and play this week. With so many byes crushing our spirits, it’s the perfect time to dig deep and find a diamond in the rough. Let’s get that upside play in your lineup and fight for a win as we head towards the fantasy playoffs.
Week 12 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em Flex Picks
Week 12 Starts:
Bo Nix (QB, DEN) - If you need to replace Josh Allen or Joe Burrow, let me offer Bo Nix as the top option. The Broncos rookie has scorched his opponents of late. Over his last two games, Nix has thrown six touchdowns and 522 yards. If you dig deeper, Nix is averaging the sixth most fantasy points among QBs from Week 8 on. He’s legit, folks. This week, he’ll face a pathetic Raiders unit that surrenders the eighth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Nix isn’t just a streamer; you can roll with him going forward, as his fantasy playoff schedule includes dates with Indy, LA Chargers, and Cincinnati.
Roschon Johnson (RB, CHI) - Word out of the windy city is that D’Andre Swift is hobbled by a groin injury. That doesn’t sound fun or good for our fantasy fortunes this weekend. The Bears gave Johnson ten carries last week, severely eating into Swift’s role. The former Texas Longhorn also received a goal-line carry which he plunged in. I want Johnson ready to go if the word on Swift goes south. Either way, new Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown has shown an affinity for Johnson, and even against a stout Vikings front could get you just enough fantasy points to make the add worthwhile.
Dallas Goedert (TE, PHI) - We’ve read disturbing practice reports surrounding DeVonta Smith and his hamstring heading into Sunday night’s big game between the Eagles and Rams. Smith has not practiced all week long, putting his status in doubt. Philly’s passing game pivot would be Dallas Goedert. The tight end would see a favorable matchup versus the Rams, who allow the eighth most points to opposing TEs. Coming off back-to-back double-digit performances, Goedert should be considered a must-start.
Luke Schoonmaker (TE, DAL) - Let’s fire up another tight end who could be very productive on Sunday. You may not know the name Schoonmaker, but when you see what he did last week, you’ll learn to love it. When Cowboys’ TE Jake Ferguson left with a concussion in Week 11, it was Schoonmaker who caught six of 10 targets for 56 yards. Playing against a high-powered Commanders’ attack should ensure Cooper Rush drops back a significant amount of times. That will lead to looks for Big Luke. Available in 90% of Yahoo leagues, this sleeper is ready to wake up your fantasy playoff chances.
Dylan Laube (RB, LV) - Injuries to Raiders running backs Zamir White and Alexander Mattison put rookie Dylan Laube on our radar. An explosive runner out of New Hampshire could see a large workload against Denver. Now, that’s a bad matchup for anyone, let alone a rookie with one carry to his name, but we’re looking for deep reaches, and he’s pretty darn deep. This is a bad team with a horrific offense, but if you’re desperate, he’s out there in most leagues. The only other back Las Vegas could play is Ameer Abdullah.
Week 12 Sits:
Audric Estime (RB, DEN) - Just one week ago, Estime was a waiver wire darling. Now he’s toast. That’s what happens when your coach is Sean Payton. Denver’s headman admitted he would go with a “hot hand” approach when running back. That’s not what we, as fantasy managers, want to hear. Estime saw a 22% drop in his snap share in Week 11. While he did catch three balls, he only was given six carries. Even against the lowly Raiders I can’t endorse a player who isn’t guaranteed touches.
Ricky Pearsall (WR, SF) - Admittedly, playing in his first-ever cold-weather game this Sunday in Green Bay I’m out on Pearsall. There are just too many mouths to feed in this offense. Last week, without George Kittle, he only saw two targets (catching zero of them). Now we get word that QB Brock Purdy is banged up and in danger of missing this start. There has got to be someone better on your waiver wire than the sixth option in the 49ers offense.