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John Johnson looks at fantasy football landmines, busts, and avoids for Week 12 of 2025. Given these fantasy situations, consider benching these players.
There are players that are rostered in a majority of fantasy football leagues that you simply don't want to start some weeks, even if they're their team's starter at the position. Not every player can consistently put up high-end production.
There are a few players who can maintain start-worthy stat lines every week -- it's not like we're not starting them, but knowing your guy will at least get you 12 or more PPR fantasy points even on their bad days is nice.
This isn't the case with all players, of course, and that's what we'll dive into today. It won't be possible to predict with certainty which of these players will bust, but key data might be able to help us along the way. So let's dive in!
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Trevor Lawrence, QB, vs. Cardinals
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was featured in last week's version of this article. Unfortunately for that bet, the Jaguars' defense absolutely dominated the Los Angeles Chargers, and while Lawrence had a very pedestrian passing day, he did score a rushing touchdown.
That score salvaged an otherwise unremarkable day in which he threw for just 153 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Cardinals have a solid defense that shouldn't have any trouble shutting down Jacksonville's depleted WR corps, though.
'SPEODHJFB[GNSTPMSE[N YOOO!!!!!
📺: @nfloncbs pic.twitter.com/wk5SoL3Q3T
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 9, 2025
Lawrence will still be missing his top wideout, Brian Thomas Jr. (ankle), who's dealing with a high-ankle sprain. He could be working without his No. 1 tight end as well -- Brenton Strange (quad) remains on injured reserve. He could be activated ahead of the game, though.
Still, Arizona has been quietly good against quarterbacks this season, holding them to 6.5 yards per pass attempt, which is better than league average. They were crushed by the San Francisco 49ers last week, but it's hard to forget the job they did against Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott a few weeks ago.
Dak Prescott fires to CeeDee Lamb, it’s incomplete, Cardinals take over.
Dallas is 0/2 on 4th down conversions. pic.twitter.com/EAFrGnwvsM
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) November 4, 2025
The Cardinals match up well against the Jaguars' poor overall receiving corps. I'd keep Lawrence on the bench this week, even in 2QB leagues.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, vs. Detroit
Tracy had his best game of the season in Week 11 against the Green Bay Packers. He rushed for 88 yards on 19 carries and caught four passes for 51 yards, but the Packers have been abysmal against the run this year, so that's not a huge surprise.
To make matters worse, backup Giants RB Devin Singletary vultured two of his touchdowns. It appears that he's the more productive goal-line back, which heavily restricts Tracy's upside. The matchup difficulty pendulum will swing all the way in the other direction in Week 12, when the Giants will face the Detroit Lions.
WOW... What a play by Tyrone Tracy to pick up a 1st down on 3rd and long #NYG pic.twitter.com/K5ZJ6uDJnx
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) November 16, 2025
It would be a stretch to say he can't make nice plays, but Detroit allows the third-fewest schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to running backs this season. They allow fewer points on both receptions and rushes so far in 2025.
It will be tough sledding, especially in a game where QB Jameis Winston will be starting in place of the injured rookie Jaxson Dart (concussion). Winston struggled in Week 11, throwing for just 201 passing yards, one interception, and a bunch of other turnover-worthy passes.
Tracy is a tough player to start this week. The Giants' running game should struggle to find any room against a very good Lions defensive front.
Jerry Jeudy, WR, vs. Cleveland
Jeudy's "breakout" in Week 10 against the New York Jets saw him catch six of his 12 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown. He didn't replicate that performance in Week 12, when he scored just 5.1 PPR fantasy points by snagging five of the seven passes that went his way for 21 yards.
Jeudy's been a miserable player to have on fantasy football rosters this season, so his poor production isn't a total surprise. Browns starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel (concussion) won't play in Week 12, paving the way for the first start of rookie QB Shedeur Sanders.
235 receiving yards ✅
Most receiving yards vs. former team in NFL history ✅@jerryjeudy made sure to put on a SHOW against the Broncos last season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QwwXVULYtg— NFL (@NFL) May 30, 2025
Sanders might be the opposite of Winston. We haven't seen Deion Sanders' son start in an NFL regular-season game yet, but in relief of Gabriel, he completed just four of his 16 passes for 47 yards and an interception. He also fumbled the ball and was sacked twice.
Sanders finds Fannin
Browns on the move pic.twitter.com/L1u1qLXQDE
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 17, 2025
Sanders was an accurate QB in college. His problem is standing back in the pocket far too long, not having an eye for pressure, being unable to deal with it as it comes, drifting in the pocket towards rushers at times, and taking far too many bad sacks.
He needs a lot of time in a clean pocket to make his reads and deliver his passes. That's not something that happens in the NFL. Jeudy might struggle to reach 10.0 PPR fantasy points in a game where Sanders completes a very low percentage of his passes and finishes the day with under 200 passing yards.
D.J. Moore, WR, vs. Pittsburgh
Moore has been a landmine in general this season in drafts. He was widely selected between the fourth and sixth rounds, and the value he's returned has been that of a completely unstartable player. Rather than taking a leap with new head coach Ben Johnson in charge of the Bears' offense, he's regressed.
It's hard to see this turning around. Second-year WR Rome Odunze emerged early as the team's WR1, and though he's been very inconsistent recently, he's still demanding a large target share. Additionally, the rookie tight end and wide receiver Chicago selected in the first and second rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft have gotten more involved as the season has gone along.
This route by Luther Burden wow. Sells vertical. Quick in and out of the break great reactive catch.
Give this man more targets. #DaBears #Bears pic.twitter.com/NdwipjPaxw
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) November 9, 2025
Rookie tight end Colston Loveland had an absolutely massive game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9, catching six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns on seven targets. He's been targeted eight times total in the two games since, as has rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III.
Of particular note is just how efficient Burden has been -- he's the most efficient WR the Bears have on a per-route basis, and you can see above just how talented he is. He appears to have taken impressive strides as a route-runner, and his elusiveness, power, and speed have translated from the college level.
Gotta get in the endzone but solid answer drive. Luther Burden great speed, eyes, quick out the break. Perfect ball here.
More Burden Please. #DaBears #Bears pic.twitter.com/zK3NRULA1P
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) October 19, 2025
All the coachspeak from the Bears about how Burden has been progressing indicates that he'll get more playing time and targets moving forward. Moore is still on a sizeable contract, but his role should continue to shrink. With Bears QB Caleb Williams struggling with accuracy and passing volume, he can't support three fantasy-relevant pass-catchers.
The little work Moore gets could continue to evaporate. It doesn't seem like the team plans on keeping him around after this season, either, which supports this claim.
Final Thoughts
It's very difficult to predict what will happen each given Sunday. Instead, it's usually far easier to notice trends in player usage, look into matchups against opposing defenses, pay attention to injuries at all positions on both the friendly and opposing team of each player, and make decisions based on the data and film.
That's what I tried to do above. That doesn't mean each of these players will have a bad game. There are no guarantees, but the red flags are there for potential bust performances, and if you have similar players with easier matchups in Week 12, perhaps you should bench the guys above for your other players.
For example, I'd start someone like Alvin Kamara over Tracy, Burden over Moore, Tyler Shough over Lawrence, and Ricky Pearsall over Jeudy (even though Pearsall had zero fantasy points last week). Chasing upside and paying attention to red flags makes a lot of sense when choosing your starters in fantasy football!
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