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Who Should I Start for Week 12? Fantasy Football outlooks for Brock Purdy, Matthew Stafford, Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 12 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Brock Purdy, Matthew Stafford, Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes. 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:
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (toe) put forth a solid effort in his return to action in Week 11 after missing the previous six games. In what was just his third start of the season, Purdy threw for just 200 yards but did so with a tidy 73.1% completion percentage and completed three touchdown passes with no turnovers.
Purdy finished as the overall QB6 in the 49ers' win over the Cardinals and will be in the mix for another top-10 performance when San Francisco squares off against the Carolina Panthers on Monday night in Week 12.
The Panthers rank in the bottom five in the league in sack rate and pressure rate, so Purdy should have plenty of time to pick apart their secondary, which has allowed the sixth-most passing yards over the last four weeks. Fantasy football managers can plug Purdy into starting lineups with confidence in Week 12.
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is an excellent start for fantasy managers this weekend when he lines up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. Stafford has been incredible in 2025, having already eclipsed his touchdown totals from the previous three seasons.
Since Week 4, the 37-year-old has racked up a 22:0 TD:INT ratio, and has averaged 22.4 fantasy points per contest (fourth-most). On Sunday, he'll get another chance to keep his hot streak alive against a Buccaneers' defense that's allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game to QBs (19).
While the veteran had a down performance in their win over Seattle last weekend, his outlook is back on the rise with wide receiver Davante Adams further removed from an oblique injury.
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is cleared to play this weekend after dealing with an illness throughout the week. Mayfield will have a tough challenge ahead of him against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.
Last week, Mayfield completed 16-of-28 passing attempts for 173 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the loss to the Buffalo Bills. Mayfield has been held to under 200 passing yards in two of his last three games. It's not all his fault as Mayfield is working with a skeleton crew on offense.
The hope is that Chris Godwin (leg) will be able to make it back on the field this weekend. Regardless, Mayfield should be able to offer low-end QB1 value for this weekend in what should be a high-scoring affair.
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (ankle) is practicing for the second straight day on Friday, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. Jackson was held out of practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury, but he was a full participant on Thursday and appears to be just fine for the Week 12 matchup this Sunday against the visiting New York Jets.
The 28-year-old two-time MVP missed several games earlier this season due to a hamstring injury, but even before the injury, he wasn't running all that much. Jackson has only scored on the ground once so far in seven games in 2025, and that was back in Week 1.
He threw four touchdowns in his return from his hamstring injury against Miami on Oct. 30, but in the last two games, he has one touchdown and two picks. Jackson should still be considered a high-end QB1 option in a prime bounce-back matchup against the Jets.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12. Mahomes completed 29 of 45 pass attempts (64%) for 276 yards and a touchdown in the team's loss to the Broncos in Week 11. The veteran QB struggled against the stout Denver defense, taking three sacks and throwing an interception last week.
Mahomes and the Chiefs have now lost back-to-back games for the second time this season and will look to bounce back against Indianapolis. The Colts defense has been an average matchup for opposing quarterbacks, but their offense is the main reason to be intrigued. The Indianapolis offense is the highest scoring offense in the league, with the most yards and points scored this season.
This Chiefs-Colts matchup is tied for the third-highest total of the week, meaning Vegas is predicting a shootout. Mahomes should be able to keep pace with the Colts, leading to a potential ceiling performance. Mahomes is ranked QB4 in our RotoBaller rankings, making him a must-start QB1 once again.
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 - Brock Purdy, Matthew Stafford, Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes. 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 Brock Purdy, Matthew Stafford, Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes:
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