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Who should I start for Week 12? Fantasy football outlooks for Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, Jordan Love, Drake Maye, C.J. Stroud.
Quarterbacks are generally the highest-scoring position in fantasy football, and a dud game from your QB can sink your week and lose you your matchup. For that reason, it's vitally important that you make good start/sit decisions for this position, perhaps more so than others.
The floor QBs possess is always nice, but nightmare games, like the one Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson put up in Week 11, can be painful. Single-digit scores from signal-callers won't help you win your fantasy games.
So, who are five commonly rostered quarterbacks, and should you start each of them in Week 12? Let's find out.
Should I Start Geno Smith for Fantasy Football?
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is rostered in 62% of Sleeper leagues, and as he's the QB11 on the year, is a popular option for starting lineups this week. He'll face the Arizona Cardinals, who rank right around the middle of the pack in schedule-adjusted points allowed to opposing quarterbacks.
Geno Smith just completed his 10th game winning drive since 2022… the most in the NFL during this stretch #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/VESmBFe1y4
— Kole Musgrove (@KoleMusgrove23) November 18, 2024
He enjoyed a nice game against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11, mostly due to the rushing touchdown he picked up to seal the upset win after SF defender Nick Bosa (hip) picked up an injury and wasn't able to return. Other than that, his day wasn't great. The loss of his center, Connor Williams, to retirement hurts the whole team.
He's a solid starting option in leagues with 12 or more teams. His passing numbers have dipped recently, as he's not been attempting as many passes over the past few games, so his upside has dipped as well.
Should I Start Sam Darnold for Fantasy Football?
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (foot) somewhat redeemed himself in Week 11, tossing for 246 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 18 yards and a rushing score. He had an ugly three-interception game in Week 10, but that was only his second game scoring in the single digits.
Sam Darnold magic 🪄 pic.twitter.com/M9qHxFEwkl
— Patrick Siepman (@PatSieps) November 17, 2024
His Week 11 performance is more impressive considering that it was against the Tennessee Titans, who have one of the best overall defenses in the league. Ugly high-turnover games are just part of the deal with having Darnold on your fantasy teams. He'll have a tough matchup with the Chicago Bears in Week 12, though.
He's a good player to start in all leagues. You can't count the Vikings offense out from being explosive.
Should I Start Jordan Love for Fantasy Football?
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, much like Darnold, is a huge beneficiary of being on a team with good offensive line play, a great pass-catching corps, and an elite offensive mind for a head coach designing the offense. He's a good player to start in leagues with 12 or more teams as well.
great play by Jordan Love to avoid the safety pic.twitter.com/Xr6dD3CPVY
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 6, 2024
Much like Darnold, he also makes "dude, why did you do that" plays, but you'd find yourself inserting him into your starting lineup each week. He does have the occasional bad game, but the majority of the time, he'll at least get you 15-20 points. He's more often a help than a liability at the position for fantasy football.
Should I Start Drake Maye for Fantasy Football?
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye looks like a stud, but the problem is the players around him. He has perhaps one of the poorest wide receiver groups in the NFL. His team hung him out to dry by trading down to select wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk in the 2024 NFL Draft with an early pick. He's been dreadful.
Tough for Ja’Lynn Polk pic.twitter.com/jZ7BtTqbjY
— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) November 20, 2024
It's clear now that Maye is an excellent passer, so you can't blame him for Polk being one of the worst wideouts in the league. The rookie signal-caller has him, Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, Hunter Henry, and Austin Hooper to work with. Very little help.
Despite this, the new face of the franchise has been surprisingly effective, showcasing fantastic elusiveness and rushing ability. He's rushed for a ridiculous 9.3 yards per carry on the season and accounted for 10 total touchdowns in his last five fully healthy games.
He's a good start in leagues with 14 or more teams. The Miami Dolphins, his opponent in Week 12, have been excellent at limiting quarterback rushing this year, so it may be a struggle for him to pick up extra fantasy points with his legs.
Should I Start C.J. Stroud for Fantasy Football?
Stroud has been one of this season's biggest fantasy busts at quarterback, though it's not his fault. The signing of running back Joe Mixon has led to a much more run-heavy offensive game plan from Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. The offensive line has also played pretty terribly.
Texans QB CJ Stroud pocket movement here before delivering a strike to Tank Dell 🧑🍳 pic.twitter.com/7e639bHoC3
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) November 21, 2024
He's been under way too much pressure, but he has his elite WR1, Nico Collins, back in the lineup, so he should be fine. He'll face the Titans defense, though, who have been good at limiting the scoring of opposing quarterbacks. He profiles as a mid-range QB2 in this matchup, and he should probably only be started in leagues with 14 or more teams.
The lack of rushing upside and the potential to be under duress for a large part of the game won't help him. He also won't have his WR2, Stefon Diggs (knee), for the rest of the season, as Diggs suffered a torn ACL in Week 8. This leaves Stroud with a depleted WR corps and gives Slowik even more reason to feed Mixon. Not great, Bob.
Popular Week 12 Searches - Start/Sit Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 12 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, Jordan Love, Drake Maye, C.J. Stroud compared to others. You can also use the free Who Should I Start tool to run your own start/sit comparisons, up to four players at once:
Tua Tagovailoa or Geno Smith
Sam Darnold or Tua Tagovailoa
Matthew Stafford or Geno Smith
Anthony Richardson or Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold or Cj Stroud
Cj Stroud or Geno Smith
Geno Smith or Anthony Richardson
Geno Smith or Sam Darnold
Jordan Love or Geno Smith
Drake Maye or Anthony Richardson
Bo Nix or Geno Smith
Jordan Love or Sam Darnold
Jordan Love or Jared Goff
Cj Stroud or Sam Darnold
Geno Smith or Tua Tagovailoa
Bo Nix or Jordan Love
Jordan Love or Justin Herbert
Russell Wilson or Geno Smith
Geno Smith or Russell Wilson
Matthew Stafford or Sam Darnold
Tua Tagovailoa or Jordan Love
Anthony Richardson or Geno Smith
Jameis Winston or Drake Maye
Russell Wilson or Drake Maye
Russell Wilson or Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold or Geno Smith
Justin Herbert or Sam Darnold
Kyler Murray or Geno Smith
Sam Darnold or Russell Wilson
Tua Tagovailoa or Sam Darnold
Drake Maye or Jameis Winston
Geno Smith or Cj Stroud
Jared Goff or Jordan Love
Jordan Love or Bo Nix
Jordan Love or Russell Wilson
Matthew Stafford or Jordan Love
Drake Maye or Russell Wilson
Drake Maye or Sam Darnold
Geno Smith or Bo Nix
Geno Smith or Matthew Stafford
Jared Goff or Geno Smith
Jordan Love or Tua Tagovailoa
Sam Darnold or Bo Nix
Anthony Richardson or Drake Maye
Anthony Richardson or Jordan Love
Baker Mayfield or Jordan Love
Bo Nix or Sam Darnold
Jared Goff or Sam Darnold
Justin Herbert or Geno Smith
Sam Darnold or Anthony Richardson
Sam Darnold or Matthew Stafford
Baker Mayfield or Geno Smith
Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold
Brock Purdy or Sam Darnold
Drake Maye or Matthew Stafford
Geno Smith or Drake Maye
Jayden Daniels or Jordan Love
Jordan Love or Kyler Murray
Jordan Love or Matthew Stafford
Justin Herbert or Jordan Love
Jordan Love or Baker Mayfield
Kyler Murray or Sam Darnold
Matthew Stafford or Drake Maye
Sam Darnold or Drake Maye
Tua Tagovailoa or Drake Maye
Brock Purdy or Geno Smith
Caleb Williams or Sam Darnold
Jordan Love or Anthony Richardson
Jordan Love or Cj Stroud
Kyler Murray or Jordan Love
Patrick Mahomes or Jordan Love
Sam Darnold or Jordan Love
Brock Purdy or Jordan Love
Geno Smith or Jared Goff
Jordan Love or Jayden Daniels
Russell Wilson or Jordan Love
Geno Smith or Kyler Murray
Jayden Daniels or Sam Darnold
Jordan Love or Brock Purdy
Sam Darnold or Courtland Sutton
Sam Darnold or Justin Herbert
Austin Ekeler or Sam Darnold
Brock Bowers or Sam Darnold
Caleb Williams or Drake Maye
Cj Stroud or Jordan Love
Derek Carr or Sam Darnold
Drake Maye or Caleb Williams
Drake Maye or Patrick Mahomes
Drake Maye or Tommy Devito
Drake Maye or Will Levis
Emari Demercado or Sam Darnold
Geno Smith or Aaron Rodgers
Geno Smith or Caleb Williams
Geno Smith or Jameis Winston
Geno Smith or Joe Flacco
Geno Smith or Justin Herbert
Geno Smith or Patrick Mahomes
Jared Goff or Drake Maye
Jordan Love or Patrick Mahomes
Kyler Murray or Drake Maye
Lamar Jackson or Jordan Love
Patrick Mahomes or Drake Maye
Patrick Mahomes or Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold or Brock Purdy
Sam Darnold or Jared Goff
Sam Darnold or Kyler Murray
Sam Darnold or Tommy Devito
Will Dissly or Geno Smith
Aaron Rodgers or Sam Darnold
Cade Otton or Geno Smith
Caleb Williams or Geno Smith
Cj Stroud or Drake Maye
Drake Maye or Aaron Rodgers
Drake Maye or Bo Nix
Drake Maye or Cooper Rush
Drake Maye or Jared Goff
Drake Maye or Jordan Love
Drake Maye or Tua Tagovailoa
Gardner Minshewii or Drake Maye
Geno Smith or Baker Mayfield
Geno Smith or Drew Ogletree
Geno Smith or Jordan Love
Jalen Hurts or Sam Darnold
Jameis Winston or Sam Darnold
Jayden Daniels or Geno Smith
Johnny Mundt or Drake Maye
Johnny Wilson or Drake Maye
Jordan Love or Lamar Jackson
Jordan Love or Nick Chubb
Jordan Love or Tommy Devito
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