Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 12 Lineups (2025)

Dave's fantasy football start 'em and sit 'em booms and busts for Week 12 of 2025. Sneaky starts that may boom, and typical starters who will disappoint.

Week 12 of the 2025 NFL season is upon us. We continue to move ever closer to the start of the fantasy football playoffs. Lineup decisions do not get any easier this time of year. With so much at stake, and players missing games due to injuries/byes, fantasy gamers must pay close attention to each lineup decision they face.

If you’re missing several players this week or are looking for a few potential match-winning starters, we’ve got you covered. We’ll identify a few players to target who could pop for big performances, as well as some who could derail your postseason dreams.

Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and download the RotoBaller app for all your fantasy football needs. Let's dive into our boom/bust picks for Week 12 of the 2025 NFL season.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
• Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
• FLEX fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Sonic Boom of the Week

Kenneth Walker III - RB, Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans

We listed Walker as a bust in this article last week. He promptly went out and accrued 111 scrimmage yards and scored his first rushing touchdown since Week 3.

Kenneth Walker III for the score! +6️⃣

📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/gYX2j7Wt5R

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 16, 2025

Walker now draws an enticing matchup in Week 12. The Titans allow 134.7 rushing yards per game, which is the seventh-most in the league. Tennessee also ranks 26th in FTN Fantasy’s defensive rushing DVOA and allows the ninth-most PPR points per game to opposing running backs this year, per Fantasy Football Today.

Earlier this week, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald praised Walker’s Week 11 performance and suggested that the running back has earned more opportunities.

Kenneth Walker III in Line to See More Backfield Work? https://t.co/845PeGGjc1

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 18, 2025

Walker has been Seattle’s most effective running back this year. There are a plethora of stats and advanced data that support that statement. Now Walker draws an ideal matchup, and his head coach has indicated more touches are coming his way.

With the Seahawks listed as 13.5-point favorites this weekend, we could be looking at a monster game for Walker. Fire him up as a strong RB2 play in all leagues.

Other Week 12 Fantasy Football Booms

Jared Goff - QB, Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants

Goff is coming off a QB17 finish in Week 11, where he completed just 14 passes on 37 attempts against the Philadelphia Eagles. Things should be easier this weekend.

The Giants have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. New York has also allowed the seventh-most passing touchdowns this season and ranks 24th in PFF’s pass coverage grade.

Detroit should face little resistance moving the ball through the air in this game. That means Goff should post a solid bounce-back performance here.

Start Goff as a solid QB2 play in superflex leagues, and consider him a solid streaming option in traditional single quarterback formats.

Jalen Coker - WR, Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers

Coker is coming off his best game of the season against the Falcons in Week 11. He posted a 4-52-0 line on four targets and finished as the PPR WR24.

Carolina now takes on a depleted San Francisco 49ers defense, and the numbers show this is a good spot to throw Coker into lineups. San Francisco has allowed the sixth-most PPR points per game, second-most receptions, and third-most receiving yards to wide receivers this year. The 49ers also rank 26th in DVOA against opposing teams’ WR2s.

With the Panthers listed as 7-point underdogs in this game, the team could be playing from behind for most of this contest. That would ensure plenty of opportunities for Coker against a bad passing defense. There’s also the possibility Carolina continues to ride the arm of quarterback Bryce Young after he threw for a career-high 448 yards last week.

Start Coker as a WR3 or flex play this weekend.

Mason Taylor - TE, New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens

The Jets placed wide receiver Garrett Wilson on injured reserve earlier this week. New York now has a gaping hole in its receiving room. Taylor, whom the team selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, could emerge as the team’s top pass-catcher.

The rookie tight end has played at least 72% of offensive snaps in every game this year. Veteran Tyrod Taylor is taking over as the team’s QB1, and his presence should be an improvement over the now-benched Justin Fields. That would mean good things for Mason Taylor.

This is also a plus matchup on paper as the Ravens only rank 27th in DVOA against tight ends. The Jets are also listed as 13.5-point underdogs and will likely be trailing for the majority of this game. That would make Taylor live for those all-important garbage time points.

Start him as a backend TE1.

Landmine of the Week

Ashton Jeanty - RB, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cleveland Browns

Despite having the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL (Chip Kelly), the Raiders' offense continues to be an absolute train wreck in 2025. Maybe hiring a failed NFL head coach whose offense was figured out by the rest of the league years ago as your play-caller was not such a great idea. But, I digress.

Jeanty has had a rough debut season and is only averaging a paltry 3.72 yards per carry. It’s not all been his fault, though, as the Raiders' offensive line has been a complete disaster.

Jeanty now draws a date against one of the best rush defenses in all of football. The Browns rank first in defensive rushing DVOA, first in PFF’s rushing defense grade, and have allowed the third-fewest PPR points per game to running backs.

It’s hard to see a scenario where Jeanty has a stellar game as a rusher behind a bad offensive line going up against one of the best defensive fronts in the league. The one thing Jeanty has going for him is that he’s locked into a bellcow role.

However, for fantasy purposes, this looks like a matchup where he is more of a TD-dependent RB2. If you have depth at running back, you should give serious consideration to leaving Jeanty on the bench.

Other Week 12 Fantasy Football Busts

Aaron Jones - RB, Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

Jones squares off against his former team this weekend. However, this could be a matchup where he struggles, as the Packers allow the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL.

More importantly, though, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy does not appear to be a starting-caliber NFL quarterback right now. The Minnesota offense is really struggling because of it. That could be highly problematic for Jones in this game, as Green Bay could sell out to stop the run and force McCarthy to beat them with his arm.

If that’s the case, then Jones could find little room on the ground. Until we see major improvement from McCarthy, it will be hard to recommend starting most Minnesota skill players.

Leave Jones on the bench in favor of other options this weekend.

Kirk Cousins - QB, Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints

With Michael Penix Jr. out for the remainder of the season with an ACL injury, Cousins will finish out the year as Atlanta’s starter. Unfortunately, he did not play well in a Week 8 start against the porous Miami Dolphins defense earlier this year.

Cousins just does not step into throws or drive the ball with the same velocity that he used to. How much of that is related to lingering effects from his Achilles injury is unknown, but Cousins has looked like a different player over the last two years.

New Orleans has not been one of the better defenses in the league, and currently ranks 24th in defensive passing DVOA. However, if Cousins could not play well against a Dolphins defense that ranks 29th in defensive passing DVOA and 21st in total defensive DVOA, then there is no reason to think he will play well against the Saints with WR1 Drake London out of the lineup.

Look for other streaming options this week.

Harold Fannin Jr. - TE, Cleveland Browns at Las Vegas Raiders

With Dillon Gabriel forced out of action due to a concussion, the Browns are starting rookie Shedeur Sanders at quarterback this weekend. We’ll see what kind of effect that will have on the Cleveland offense and Fannin. Regardless, this is not a great matchup for gamers to start the rookie tight end.

The Raiders have allowed the fourth-fewest PPR points per game to opposing tight ends. Las Vegas also ranks 11th in DVOA against the position and has allowed the fourth-fewest receptions and receiving yards to tight ends this year.

Throw in a fifth-round rookie quarterback making his first career start, and this does not look like a great spot to start Fannin, even if fellow tight end David Njoku can’t suit up. Consider other streaming options, and leave Fannin out of your lineup.

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