Week 12 is here, and if your roster looks anything like the Thanksgiving dessert table—half empty, vaguely chaotic, and relying on one uncle who definitely shouldn’t be carrying this much responsibility—you’re not alone. Bye weeks, injuries, and depth-chart plot twists are testing everyone’s patience.
To help you separate the sneaky starts from the “please don’t ruin my week” sits, we turn to the Featured Pros. Their expert picks for Week 12 Sleepers and Duds will help stabilize your lineup, calm your nerves, and maybe even prevent that annual holiday meltdown we pretend is “tradition.”
Let’s dig in.
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Fantasy Football Week 12 Start/Sit Advice
Duds
Which player inside the top 40 in the FantasyPros Flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week?
Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV)
“Ashton Jeanty faces a stiff matchup against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, and he’s coming off one of his worst games of the season. He posted just seven rushing yards and, luckily for PPR managers, collected six catches for 27 yards. Jeanty has five finishes outside of the top 20 RBs out of ten this season. I’m avoiding those odds against Cleveland because the Browns’ defense allows the third-fewest PPR points to running backs per game.”
– Matt De Lima (Athlon Sports)
“Ashton Jeanty ran just six times for seven yards last week. It was his worst rushing game of the season. The only positive is that he had a career-best six receptions. This salvaged his fantasy day a little. But even with that said, you have to worry about Jeanty’s production and workload in this offense. He has been more up and down than you would like. And he could have a down game this week against the Browns. Cleveland allows the sixth-fewest fantasy points to running backs. The Browns have allowed fewer than 100 rushing yards in five of 10 games.”
– Jeff Paur (RTSports)
“Ashton Jeanty is the top-40 play most likely to disappoint this week. He’s coming off his worst rushing outing of the season and has now logged eight games under 4.0 yards per carry, highlighting his growing inefficiency. Despite owning the 4th-highest opportunity share in football, he ranks just 38th in fantasy points per opportunity, largely due to poor run-blocking support and consistently negative game scripts. Now he draws the Browns, who rank No. 1 in rush defense DVOA and present the 28th-easiest matchup for fantasy RBs. Everything points to another tough day for Jeanty and a likely letdown for fantasy managers.”
– Ryan Linkletter (Blitz Sports Media)
“The clear answer is Ashton Jeanty. The Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive line is not great. Now, they will go up against the first overall defense in estimated points added against the run. I doubt Ashton Jeanty will find any success against this great Browns defense.”
– Ryan Prosick (Fantrax)
“It’s gotta be Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty can always get there if he manages to score, but his offensive line has suffered multiple, high-profile losses after already being awful. It’s affected the passing game as well, so it’s hard for this team to move the football when it matters. Geno Smith and company managed to punch in a touchdown in the 4th quarter against the Cowboys, but against a suddenly mediocre Dallas D, Jeanty accrued just 6.4 half-ppr points largely thanks to his six receptions for 27 yards. Against Cleveland’s 5th-stingiest fantasy run defense this week, it could look even worse. I don’t hate the player, but I do hate this game for Jeanty in Week 12.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)
“This is not the week for an Ashton Jeanty explosion. After being completely stifled on the ground Monday versus Dallas, Jeanty now gets a matchup against a Browns team that has completely dominated against RBs this year, only allowing four rushing scores to RBs in 2025. Poor offensive line play and really poor offensive play in general have really limited Jeanty’s upside in 2025. Cleveland will not be blowing out Vegas like Dallas did, but even with a healthy dose of carries, it is hard to see Jeanty returning an efficient performance in Week 12.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
“I hate to say it, but Ashton Jeanty. We just saw it against the Dallas Cowboys. I will acknowledge that this version of the Dallas Defense is much different than the one we saw earlier this season. They have gotten multiple starters back from injury and acquired three starters via trade. But this is about the Raiders and their offense. They are struggling with injuries on the interior of their offensive line. Jeanty is averaging about 1 yard before contact, with him being hit behind the line of scrimmage on most plays. We also see that Geno Smith is really struggling, and this offense is not efficient. His scoring opportunities also lower his upside. His #22 overall flex ranking is too high for me.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)
Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – JAC)
“The Committee has been activated! Travis Etienne’s workload just got cut in half by rookie RB Bhayshul Tuten, who proved in Week 11 that he’s here to stay. If you’re expecting the elite, high-volume days from Etienne, prepare to be disappointed! ”
– Luke Renton (The Franchise Tag UK)
Quinshon Judkins (RB – CLE)
“Quinshon Judkins has seen his efficiency drop over the past several weeks, averaging just over 3 yards per carry. He’s only scored in one game since Week 5, that being the 3 TD outburst vs Miami. The prospect of Shedeur Sanders starting at QB could wreck Judkins’ chances of scoring. The choice matchup doesn’t outweigh the potential of disaster for Judkins and the Browns in Week 12.”
– Pierre Camus (Fantasy Endgame)
“Quinshon Judkins is averaging 3.2 yards per carry over his last five games and has produced just eight receiving yards over that stretch. Judkins has gone three straight games without a touchdown. His matchup against the Raiders seems enticing, but the Raiders’ run defense is respectable, ranking 16th in DVOA. The Raiders have allowed the 14th-fewest fantasy points to RBs. The Browns-Raiders game has a Vegas total of 36.5 points. I’m just not that excited about Judkins this week.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Jaylen Warren (RB – PIT)
“The player inside the top 40 in the FantasyPros flex rankings that is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week is Jaylen Warren. Warren suffered an ankle injury last week, but is presently scheduled to play. He’s been limited in practice this week. Kenneth Gainwell should vulture a lot of carries this week, and it would not surprise me if Gainwell leads Pittsburgh in carries in week 12. Personally, I would start Gainwell over Warren if I had the option.”
– Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire)
“Keep an eye on practice reports these next few days with Steelers Running Back Jaylen Warren. I know he said he could have returned to the game last week, that they were being careful with him after leaving with an ankle injury. We could see Kenny Gainwell leading the Pittsburgh backfield vs Chicago. Even if Warren plays, it could still be Gainwell leading what could look like a 60-40 to at least a 50/50 split.”
– Justin Jaksa (Dr. Roto)
Javonte Williams (RB – DAL)
“Javonte Williams. I wanted to go with Chase Brown (the Patriots’ Matchup is brutal). I tried to convince myself that Rico Dowdle wouldn’t be the everything guy for Carolina or that Christian McCaffery could somehow have a tough week as an elite, high-expectation play, but I couldn’t get there on either, so I went with Williams. That Eagles defense is stifling. They stymied a Detroit Lions offense, and while Jamyr Gibbs flashed moments of brilliance, Williams isn’t that type of guy with those kinds of skills. Williams has benefitted from an explosive pass attack, but as we saw against the Lions, the Eagles can quash that, and without it, Williams is going to struggle. And, he won’t be bailed out by dump-offs and screens because he is completely nonexistent in the passing game. This game has an over/under of 47.5. I’m expecting successful bettors to be looking up at the over and laughing at how far away it is. This is a 24-17 game at best, with a good chance at a 17-13 type of struggle. Not a good projection for a big day from Javonte Williams. He’s your bust this week.”
– Chris Mitchell (FantasyData)
“It pains me to say this because I love him so much, but Javonte Williams vs. the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles’ run defense is as elite as they come, so the Cowboys would be wise to pass the ball quite a bit with Dak and company this week, as the only sort of shaky part of the Eagles’ defense is their CB situation. Dallas will look to expose that. Javonte could still get held up by volume in this matchup this week, but it’s going to be ugly and inefficient volume, I feel, unfortunately.”
– Aidan Weingartner (Fantasy In Frames)
Chase Brown (RB – CIN)
“Chase Brown has played much better recently. In week 11 against Pittsburgh, he had 127 all-purpose yards, including six receptions. This week, the Bengals will be facing a stout New England Patriots defense that is allowing the fewest rushing yards in the league (84.7/game). Brown seems to be turning the corner, but with a #20 half-PPR ranking this week, owners will be disappointed.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)
“Justin Jefferson at 25 with McCarthy under center in a tough matchup vs. GB. He’s scored once since the opener against the Bears and hasn’t topped 100 yards since Week 5. He’ll get his targets, and you’ll be saved from crashing through the floor in PPR leagues (three or more receptions every week), but that ceiling is awfully low.”
– Mike Harmon (Swollen Dome)
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