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Who Should I Start for Week 12? Fantasy Football outlooks for Joe Flacco, Jordan Love, Sam Darnold, Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, Bryce Young, J.J. McCarthy, Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Ward.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 12 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Joe Flacco, Jordan Love, Sam Darnold, Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, Bryce Young, J.J. McCarthy, Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Ward. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 12. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 12 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 12:
Joe Flacco, QB, Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (shoulder) was a full participant in Friday's practice session and has been cleared from the injury report ahead of Sunday's matchup against the New England Patriots, according to the team's official website. It's unclear whether Flacco will be the starter or return to a backup role, given that Joe Burrow (toe) practiced in full on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
However, he was limited on Friday and is officially listed as questionable for Sunday. The 40-year-old Flacco has filled in admirably for the star quarterback, totaling 2,268 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in five games as a starter, ranking as QB4 in fantasy points per game (22.1) since Week 6.
Flacco could wind up making one more start in Week 12 if Burrow is unable to play and the Bengals hold him out until he is fully cleared.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that quarterback Aaron Rodgers (wrist) is questionable for Sunday's game in Chicago against the Bears in Week 12 after being limited in Friday's practice, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. "We'll see where the weekend leads us," Tomlin said. Rodgers suffered a small fracture in his left (non-throwing) wrist in Sunday's win over the Cincinnati Bengals and is now up in the air to start this weekend.
The 41-year-old said it's "a safety thing" rather than a pain-management issue as to whether he actually suits up. The good news for fantasy managers deciding whether to use the future Hall of Famer as a QB2 this weekend is the fact that Pittsburgh and Chicago kick off in the early window on Sunday. If Rodgers is inactive in Chicago, Mason Rudolph will make his first start in 2025.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Vikings
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy should be considered a volatile Superflex option when his team goes to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers in Week 12. The former Michigan star's overall numbers are not pretty -- he's completed only 53% of his passing attempts and thrown eight interceptions in five games -- but the Vikings have continued to preach patience.
The Packers rank third in yards per play allowed, which presents a difficult matchup, but McCarthy has saved his best for NFC North road games thus far, as six of his eight total touchdowns this season took place in victories at Chicago and at Detroit. Additionally, McCarthy has also shown rushing ability by compiling 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns on only 24 carries.
Ultimately, however, McCarthy is on the road and has not played well lately, so managers will have to gauge their risk tolerance for playing the league's youngest starter as the fantasy playoffs approach.
Sam Darnold, QB, Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is in the streaming conversation in Week 12 against the Tennessee Titans. Despite two horrific fantasy outings in a row, Tennessee presents a great chance for Darnold to get back on track. The Titans have been one of the worst defenses in the league in just about every category. The only reason they are middle-of-the-pack against opposing quarterbacks in fantasy is because they are often down by so many points early in games that teams turn to the run to salt away their victory.
Darnold is coming off a performance in which he tossed four interceptions against the Los Angeles Rams. In Week 10, his services were hardly needed because the Arizona Cardinals fell behind so early in the game that the Seahawks essentially coasted after one quarter. The Titans could present a similar situation in Week 12, but look for Darnold to throw a couple of touchdown passes before this game gets out of hand. He is a low-end QB1 or high-end QB2 in Week 12.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 12 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Joe Flacco, Jordan Love, Sam Darnold, Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, Bryce Young, J.J. McCarthy, Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Ward. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 12.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 12 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 12 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 12 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 12 for Joe Flacco, Jordan Love, Sam Darnold, Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, Bryce Young, J.J. McCarthy, Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Ward:
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