Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 12? Juwan Johnson, A.J. Barner, Hunter Henry, Cade Otton, Theo Johnson, Jake Ferguson, Harold Fannin Jr., Dallas Goedert, Pat Freiermuth, Noah Fant

Hunter Henry, TE, Patriots

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry has momentum on his side ahead of Sunday's favorable matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12. Henry bounced back from a Week 10 dud by catching four of his six targets for 45 yards in Week 11. He is one of Drake Maye's favorite targets, establishing himself as a fringe top-12 tight end in fantasy football. Henry is an intriguing option in the Patriots' offense, but his ceiling has arguably never been higher than it is this week against the Bengals.

Cincinnati has the league's worst defense against tight ends, and it's not particularly close. They have allowed the most receiving yards, the most touchdowns, and the most fantasy points to tight ends in 2025. The gap in fantasy points allowed by the Bengals and the second-worst defense against tight ends is actually greater than the gap between the second-worst defense and the league median.

Meanwhile, Cincy's 12 touchdowns allowed to tight ends are five more than the next-highest. Time and time again, tight ends have feasted against the Bengals. Now, it's Henry's turn. He ranks as a mid-to-high TE1 with an extremely favorable matchup on tap.

Juwan Johnson, TE, Saints

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson scored in back-to-back games before the team's Week 11 bye, establishing a good connection with former college teammate Tyler Shough. It's been a strong four-game stretch for the 29-year-old, totaling 17 receptions for 255 yards and two touchdowns on 23 targets. With Rashid Shaheed dealt to the Seattle Seahawks at the trade deadline, Johnson has the opportunity to establish himself as the No. 2 target earner behind top wideout Chris Olave.

Johnson was the TE2 in PPR points per game (14.2) in the first three weeks of the season before cooling off in the following three contests. However, the Saints' offense is trending up with Shough playing decently well, and Johnson is back on the map as a potential low-end TE1 moving forward. Owned in 35% of ESPN leagues, he is worth adding in 12-team leagues if he is still available.

Mark Andrews, TE, Ravens

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has come alive in the last three weeks. After a slow start to his eighth season in the NFL, Andrews has scored four touchdowns in his previous three games, averaging 12.9 half-PPR fantasy points per game. The clear correlation is the return of two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, who made his return in Week 9, where Andrews scored two touchdowns.

As long as Jackson is the starting quarterback in Baltimore, Andrews will continue to find the endzone and produce fantasy matchup-altering performances. In the next two games, the Ravens face the Jets and the Bengals, who have allowed the most and second-most touchdowns to tight ends this season. While his lack of volume is concerning, Andrews will still be worth starting in fantasy due to his touchdown upside.

A.J. Barner, TE, Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner is coming off an excellent performance against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11. Barner hauled 10 of his 11 targets for 70 yards in the loss. It was a bit shocking to see Barner get double digit targets, but he made the most of his chances. Sadly for fantasy managers, Barner will continue to split up the reps with Elijah Arroyo.

That means, Barner is probably going to have a limited ceiling, but he can still offer fantasy value. The 23-year-old should be able to give fantasy managers at least TE2 value for the upcoming Week 12 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.