Week 12 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint (2025)

November 23, 2025

Who should I start or sit for fantasy football in Week 12 of the 2025 season? Andrew's potential fantasy football busts to avoid in Week 12 fantasy football lineups.

As we enter Week 12 of the NFL season, a quick reminder of the wide receivers we are missing this week: Ja'Marr Chase, Malik Nabers, Drake London, Mike Evans, Ladd McConkey, Terry McLaurin, Tyreek Hill, Marvin Harrison Jr., Courtland Sutton, Garrett Wilson, and Jaylen Waddle. That's 10 wide receivers (and Waddle) drafted in the first five rounds of most fantasy drafts.

It's a good thing there are some good matchups for many running backs this week, because the wide receiver landscape is looking rough, but there are still some to watch out for.

Below, we sort through the stats and find 10 fantasy football busts, or players that may disappoint, for Week 12 of the 2025 NFL season. Good luck, RotoBallers!

Quinshon Judkins (RB, CLE) at Las Vegas

Despite Cleveland's best efforts to keep Shedeur Sanders on the bench, they're forced to give the rookie his first start.

Remember when the Browns had Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and the two rookies in training camp? That depth disappeared quickly.

Anyway, back to Sanders. The fifth-round pick completed 25% of his attempts against Baltimore when filling in for the concussed Dillon Gabriel. That included an interception, two sacks taken, and just 2.9 yards per attempt. Needless to say, the offense was not clicking with the rookie, who had reportedly never taken first-team snaps in practice, under center. Oddsmakers immediately reacted to the news of Sanders' starting, and not in a positive way.

The news puts Cleveland into the Tennessee Titans' territory: There aren't any players worth starting, even against a mediocre Las Vegas defense. There will be too few scoring opportunities, if any, for Quinshon Judkins, who hasn't been running that well recently anyway. He hasn't averaged more than 3.5 yards per carry since Week 5.

Judkins' only saving grace would be Sanders checking down more than Gabriel. He did target Judkins on two of his 16 attempts, but, alas, they were incomplete.

Sean Tucker (RB, TB) at Los Angeles Rams

If you're experiencing déjà vu about Sean Tucker, you aren't alone.

The Buccaneers' third-string running back galloped for 140 total yards and three touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills in Week 11. It wasn't too dissimilar from when he hit 192 yards and two touchdowns in a game last season versus the New Orleans Saints. His usage in the following week plummeted. It wouldn't surprise me to see that happen again.

Buffalo was a dream matchup for Tucker. The Bills allow the second-highest yards per carry (5.4) in the NFL, but are fairly stout against running backs in the passing game. Tucker is a better pure runner than Rachaad White, and Tampa Bay's division of labor had been building to that conclusion over the past few weeks. White remains superior as a pass protector and catching the ball out of the backfield.

The Rams are the opposite of the Bills. Their front seven has given up the seventh-fewest yards and only two touchdowns to running backs on the ground. They are in the top 10 for most receptions to the position.

Tucker reeks of a downfall for fantasy managers chasing points, despite the coaching staff talking him up in practice this week.

Ashton Jeanty (RB, LV) vs. Cleveland

Go ahead, dunk on offensive coordinator Chip Kelly one more time for his utilization of sixth-overall pick Ashton Jeanty in Week 11. The high-profile rookie was given six rush attempts - for the second time this season - in the loss to the Cowboys. The first instance was a 31-0 loss to the Chiefs. This game was closer, but Kelly made it clear from the jump that Geno Smith was the game plan.

The game script shouldn't take Jeanty out of this upcoming game. The 2-8 Raiders are, at the time of this writing, four-point favorites over the hapless Cleveland Browns. However, the Raiders' tattered offensive line couldn't create holes for Jeanty against the Cowboys. How are they going to fare against a superior defensive front seven?

Denied by Donovan ❌@DonovanEze6 forces the safety!

📺: #DALvsLV on ESPN
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/RmDxAeDdUk pic.twitter.com/rdU5Y7Q69o

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 18, 2025

The Browns concede the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs and have given up just one rushing touchdown to the position since Week 5.

The over/under line for this game is 36 points, well below the other matchups on the slate. The recent struggles for Jeanty won't end in Week 12.

Chase Brown (RB, CIN) vs. New England

Note: This selection is mostly for non-PPR leagues.

For the last four weeks, fantasy managers have gotten the version of Chase Brown that warranted the second-round selection in drafts over the summer. He's been far more effective running the ball (2.8 YPC in the first six games versus 6.2). His snap shares have shot up (coinciding with Samaje Perine's ankle injury), and, best of all, he's been even more involved in the pass game (22 targets over the last two weeks).

The hope is that it continues in Week 12 against New England, but there hasn't been a lot of fantasy football success against the Patriots this season. Running backs are scoring the second-fewest points per game and running for the fewest yards against the New England defense. That's inflated by running backs catching more passes against the Patriots than any other team.

There have been just three running back touchdowns so far this season against New England, so paydirt seems unlikely. Catching passes is Brown's best path to scoring fantasy points on Sunday, especially with Chase suspended and out of the lineup. For non-PPR leagues, there is no added bonus, and the outlook for Brown doesn't project to be great.

Travis Etienne Jr. (RB, JAX) at Arizona

Bhayshul Tuten left Jacksonville's Week 11 win over the Los Angeles Chargers with an ankle injury, and he may be the healthier of the two Jaguars' running backs this week.

Travis Etienne Jr. donned a non-contact jersey in practice on Thursday due to a shoulder injury. Tuten also put in a limited practice, but is trending in the right direction.

Injuries aside, how does the backfield pie split moving forward? The rookie Tuten was the back handling the majority of the touches before his ankle issue, with a career-high 15 carries and out-carrying Etienne through three quarters.

Tuten train 🚂

LACvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/s0i1crfu9j

— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2025

The matchup is nothing to worry about this week: The Cardinals are the ninth-weakest defense against fantasy running backs, and the Etienne panic could be all for naught. The duo could see 10+ touches each, but there is the chance that Tuten is healthier than Etienne and has proven he's capable of being the RB1, and that's enough for fantasy managers to be cautious about Etienne this week.

Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison (WR, MIN) at Green Bay

Jordan Addison has been featured in this article a lot in the past month, coinciding with J.J. McCarthy's starts. The young quarterback hasn't completed more than 57% of his passes in four of his five starts. Unsurprisingly, Addison has two, three, and two receptions in the three games the pair has played together.

Justin Jefferson, however, has been excluded because, well, he's Jefferson. It's hard to look past the trend now. The All-Pro receiver is averaging 11.8 PPR fantasy points in the last three games because of a 51.8% catch rate. The targets aren't the problem. It's the quality of the targets.

Alohi Gilman and Chibode Awuzie with a pair of nice playts in coverage on Justin Jefferson, and the Ravens Defense was perhaps fortunate to hold Minnesota to a FG late in the 3rd Q. This is a 3rd Down where Awuzie stays connected to Jefferson into the EZ.#Ravens #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/TfCwEITwwV

— All 22 Films (@All_22_NFL_Cuts) November 9, 2025

Due to McCarthy's struggles, the Vikings have also shifted to a more run-heavy approach, particularly against defenses known to be stronger against the run than the pass. The Ravens and Bears are in the top 10 for most fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. The Lions aren't far behind. The Packers, meanwhile, give up the 11th-fewest.

The Vikings have an implied total of 17.5 points on Sunday. It takes guts to bench Jefferson, but it may be the time to make that call if you can afford to do so. Given the wide receivers we're missing this week, however, that's unlikely.

Michael Pittman Jr. & Alec Pierce (WR, IND) at Kansas City

Let's take a broad view of the Indianapolis passing game, because that is the crux of a potential letdown here.

Heading into the Colts' bye week, Daniel Jones looked more like the New York version of himself than the potential Comeback Player of the Year candidate we watched early in the season. He had seven turnovers to three touchdowns in those games against Atlanta and Pittsburgh.

Most of it stemmed from pressure on Jones in the pocket. He was sacked seven times. The Kansas City Chiefs have a similar pressure rate to the Falcons and have used that pass rush to limit all but one visiting quarterback to under 13 fantasy points. Jones has also been considerably worse away from Lucas Oil Stadium.

*Note: The "home" game in Berlin was counted as an away game.

None of that bodes well for the wide receivers, Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce. There have only been six touchdowns for opposing wide receivers against Kansas City this season (out of nine total). The Chiefs have also prevented wideouts from racking up yardage. They are the best in that department.

Dak Prescott (QB, DAL) vs. Philadelphia

Dak Prescott is fresh off his best game of the season: Four touchdowns and 268 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders. That performance was easy to predict - as were his booms against the Giants, Commanders, and Panthers. Sometimes, his busts are just as easy to spot.

The improving (a scary thought) Philadelphia defense already limited Prescott to 188 yards and no scores in their first bout. It was a similar case against a top-10 defense against fantasy quarterbacks, the Denver Broncos: 188 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. Arizona, another good quarterback defense, limited him to 250 yards, one touchdown, and one pick.

The Broncos and the Eagles have something in common: The units have allowed the fewest passing touchdowns in the league (nine). There have been just two passing scores on Philadelphia since Week 7.

The recent quarterbacks facing the Eagles haven't resulted in fantasy success. In the two games following Philly's bye week, Jordan Love scored 7.8 fantasy points (QB24) and Jared Goff posted 13.1 (QB17).

On throws beyond the line of scrimmage, Jared Goff was 7/27 for 140 yards and an INT

25.9 % completion rate was the 2nd-lowest in a game by any QB on such throws in the @NextGenStats era

(7/9 for 115 and 1 TD behind the line of scrimmage) https://t.co/UYYpmaub9R

— Fran Duffy (@FDuffyNFL) November 17, 2025

Prescott is a QB1 for the season, but falls in the QB2 range this weekend.

Jake Ferguson (TE, DAL) vs. Philadelphia

Jake Ferguson is TE2 on the season, and also somehow in the touchdown-or-bust territory.

Since CeeDee Lamb's return in Week 7, Ferguson has been held to under 3o yards in three of four games. Fantasy managers were saved by two touchdowns against the Commanders and another score on Monday night against the Raiders. The fourth game in that stretch? Well, that was a goose egg against the Broncos. Denver has one of the league's best defenses, but is middle-of-the-pack when it comes to fantasy points allowed to tight ends.

The Eagles, Ferguson's Week 12 opponent, is the second-best defense against the position. Only one tight end, Evan Engram, has scored a touchdown against Philly. The unit is also surrendering the second-fewest yards and third-fewest receptions.

Ferguson's average depth of target (4.1 yards, 37th among tight ends) and lack of explosive plays mean he has to win on volume and red zone looks. That's not the risk I'm willing to take against a thriving Philadelphia defense.

Juwan Johnson (TE, NO) at Atlanta

There's a lot to like about Juwan Johnson for the rest of the fantasy football season. He's the TE7 so far this season, and the arrow is pointing up. He's clearly the second option in the passing game now, with the departures of Rashid Shaheed and Brandin Cooks, to a much, much lesser extent. New quarterback Tyler Shough has looked his way in the red zone, and Johnson has great tight end matchups sprinkled into New Orleans' schedule.

This is not one of those matchups.

Three defenses rank inside the top three for fewest receptions, yards, and touchdowns allowed to tight ends: The aforementioned Philadelphia Eagles, the Buffalo Bills (which are allowing just six fantasy points per game), and the Atlanta Falcons, Johnson's Week 12 opponent. All three units have given up just one touchdown to the position.

If you've been streaming tight end, go ahead and stash Johnson on your bench. He'll be a good bet in future weeks, just don't plug him in lineups this weekend.

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