Fantasy football start/sit: Rishard Matthews vs. Jordy Nelson
Every week, our friends at Bruno Boys Fantasy Football take a look at every NFL game on the slate and offer up their recommendations of players to start or sit, based on that week's matchups.
(Some picks may not agree with — or may run counter to — the rankings and other opinions expressed elsewhere on this site. As always, fantasy owners are encouraged to absorb as much information as possible to make an informed decision for their teams.)
Fantasy rankings: How the players stack up at each position in Week 12
Start
Vikings RB Latavius Murray. The bruising runner has scored a touchdown in three of his last four games and found pay dirt twice in Week 11. He’s seen double-digit touches in six games in a row as well. Look for him to make easy work of a Lions defense, which allows 4.4 rushing yards per carry.
Cowboys RB Alfred Morris. Morris turned 17 rushes into 91 yards in a Week 11 loss and had 53 yards on just 11 carries in Week 10. No team gives up more rushing yards per game than the Chargers. Look for Morris to flirt with 20-plus touches and likely score a touchdown.
Redskins QB Kirk Cousins. Cousins posted his second consecutive 300-yard passing performance in a Week 11 loss to the Saints. He also had three touchdown passes. He next has a matchup against the Giants’ 29th-ranked passing defense.
Titans WR Rishard Matthews. Mathews had 113 receiving yards and a TD on five receptions and now has a score in two of his last three games. In an earlier meeting with the Colts, Matthews had 69 yards on four receptions, and this game has the makings of a shootout.
Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery. He had 67 yards and a touchdown in a blowout of the Dallas Cowboys. He has four touchdown receptions over his last three games and has emerged as Carson Wentz’s primary target. Jeffery spent five seasons with the Bears, so Wentz could force feed him the football. Count on Jeffery scoring a touchdown or two.
Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart. In a Week 10 blowout of the Miami Dolphins, the Panthers pounded the ground more and the running back finished with 17 rushes for 110 yards. He faces the Jets’ 23rd-ranked rush defense.
Patriots RB Dion Lewis. The Patriots appear to have found their workhorse running back. He had double-figure touches for the fifth game in a row and finished with 88 total yards and a score. The Dolphins are struggling on defense, and Lewis is a lock for another big game.
Falcons QB Matt Ryan. While Ryan hasn’t had the season many had hoped, the quarterback has at least one touchdown pass in every game and two in each of the last four games. Tampa Bay’s defense allows 383.5 yards per game.
Bengals QB Andy Dalton. It was another productive day for Dalton in a Week 11 win over the Denver Broncos. He was efficient as three of his 15 completions went for touchdowns. The last time Dalton faced the Browns (Week 4), he threw for four touchdowns.
Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill. Hill cashed in on all seven of his Alex Smith targets and went for 68 yards. However, the wideout failed to make the big play as he looks to regroup in Week 12 against the 24th-ranked Bills passing defense.
Seahawks TE Jimmy Graham. He has scored seven touchdowns over his last six games. QB Russell Wilson looks his way in the red zone, and the duo has showed no signs of slowing down. They’ll be able to exploit a vulnerable and inexperienced 49ers linebacking corps.
Saints RB Mark Ingram. The Saints have won eight in a row, and Ingram has been a beast in their backfield. He had three rushing touchdowns in Week 10 and followed up with 134 rushing yards and a score in Week 11. Ingram has scored in five of his last six games.
Jaguars QB Blake Bortles. The Jaguars relied on stellar defense to upend the Cleveland Browns 19-7 in Week 11. Bortles did finish with 154 passing yards. He has a touchdown pass in five consecutive games and should make it six against the reeling Cardinals.
Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas. He has scored a touchdown in three consecutive games and hauled in 18 receptions during that span. The Raiders’ soft secondary has allowed 17 touchdown receptions, though it did hold him to one reception in Week 4. Expect a better day from Thomas this time.
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben had 299 yards and four touchdown passes in a blowout win against the Tennessee Titans. He has six touchdowns over the last two games and should be able to add to that total against the struggling Packers.
Texans RB Lamar Miller. Miller had 61 rushing yards and a touchdown catch in Week 11. With the Texans’ game plan likely to be conservative, Miller should be a safe bet for close to 20 touches.
Sit
Lions RB Ameer Abdullah. Abdullah has scored a touchdown in three consecutive games, but the dynamic running back managed just 35 total yards in a Week 11 win over the Chicago Bears.
Chargers TE Hunter Henry. Henry has just five receptions for 43 yards and no touchdowns over the last three games. With quarterback Philip Rivers simply throwing to the open wideout and not forcing the football to Henry, it’s clear that his upside is limited right now.
Giants QB Eli Manning. On paper it looks like Manning has a great matchup against the Redskins’ swiss-cheese secondary. However, the veteran has a limited set of wideouts and can't be trusted right now. He finished 19-for-35 for 205 yards in a Week 11 win.
Bears RB Jordan Howard. Howard is fresh off a 125-yard showing on 15 touches, but a matchup against the Eagles’ top-ranked run defense has nightmare written all over it.
Colts RB Marlon Mack. Mack has cooled off significantly over his last two games, as evident by his 36 rushing yards on 16 carries. While Mack does play a role in the receiving game (12 receptions on season), he can’t be trusted against fifth-ranked rushing defense.
Jets WR Robby Anderson. With a touchdown in four consecutive games, it’s clear Anderson and quarterback Josh McCown are locked in. The wideout has produced like a top-tier talent of late but now faces the Panthers’ swarming secondary.
Dolphins QB Jay Cutler. Cutler has a lot of factors against him. He was knocked out of his Week 11 loss with a concussion, and he’s inconsistent. There is no guarantee he passes concussion protocol. Trusting him to produce is like flirting with fire.
Buccaneers WR DeSean Jackson. The speedster cashed in one of his two receptions and scored a touchdown. But the Falcons entered their Week 11 game allowing a league-low 22 plays of 20-plus yards. Jackson’s opportunity for a big play are minimized this week.
Browns WR Corey Coleman. He finished with six receptions for 80 yards against a stubborn Jaguars secondary. However, the Bengals rank seventh against the pass and have allowed just two receiving touchdowns at home to opposing wide receivers.
Bills TE Charles Clay. In his second game back from injury, Clay had three receptions for 27 yards in a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Next week’s starting quarterback hasn’t been decided. Though the Chiefs allow a lot of yards, they do well defending tight ends.
49ers WR Marquise Goodwin. He has taken advantage of Pierre Garcon’s injury to emerge as the No. 1 wideout. But when the 49ers played Seattle in Week 2, Goodwin was held to 26 yards on three catches.
Rams WR Cooper Kupp. The rookie continues to be a nice safety valve for Jared Goff. He has 12 receptions over his last two games for 111 yards but has not scored since Week 7. The Rams might play ball control in this game, which could limit Kupp’s opportunity.
Cardinals RB Adrian Peterson. Peterson and the entire Cardinals offense has struggled the past two games. He has 55 rushing yards over his last 35 rushing attempts, and Arizona’s offense has shown no signs of figuring things out anytime soon.
Raiders RB Marshawn Lynch. He had 124 yards and two touchdowns over the last two weeks. But the Broncos do a good job of stuffing the run and held him to 12 yards on nine carries earlier this season.
Packers WR Jordy Nelson. Since Aaron Rodgers’ injury, Nelson has 10 receptions and no touchdowns over his last four games. Don’t expect anything to get better in Week 12 against the Steelers’ No. 1-ranked passing defense.
Ravens WR Jeremy Maclin. Maclin had eight receptions in Week 9 before the bye and followed with four receptions for 34 yards in Week 11. He’s developed a nice rapport with QB Joe Flacco lately (12 receptions over the last two games), but the Ravens offense is too inconsistent to count on Maclin to produce on a weekly basis.