Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 12? Brock Purdy, Bryce Young, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Rico Dowdle, Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, George Kittle, Chuba Hubbard

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.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is coming off the best performance of his NFL career. In Week 11, Young finished with three passing touchdowns, no interceptions, and set a new Panthers single-game franchise record with 448 passing yards. He was also the fantasy QB2 for the week and earned a season-high 31.8 fantasy points.

Carolina faces the San Francisco 49ers in Week 12. The Niners' defense continues to be riddled with injuries. San Francisco ranks 24th in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to QBs and has surrendered the second-most passing yards (2,817) in the league this season. Last week, Arizona QB Jacoby Brissett completed 47 passes for 452 yards and two TDs against the Niners.

Fantasy players looking for a streaming option in deeper leagues should consider Young. He may produce quality fantasy totals for Week 12 even if he doesn't quite approach last week's numbers.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall's (knee) returned to action in Week 11 after a six-week absence due to a knee injury sustained in Week 4. Unfortunately, the second-year wideout had just one catch for no gain on two targets in the 49ers' 41-22 trouncing of the Cardinals. On the positive side, Pearsall's knee injury appears to be in the rearview.

Pearsall had a 75% snap share in Week 11 and logged a full practice on Thursday and Friday ahead of the 49ers' upcoming game against the Carolina Panthers. Fantasy football managers are advised to keep an eye out for the 49ers' final injury report, which will be due out Saturday as the team plays on Monday night.

Barring any unforeseen issues during pregame warmups, Ricky Pearsall projects as a WR3 and can be plugged into starting lineups for Week 12.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings held onto his role at the top of the depth chart despite Ricky Pearsall's (knee) return in Week 11. Jennings, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle led the team in targets with six apiece, though Brock Purdy's (toe) three touchdown throws went to the latter two, leaving Jennings with a mediocre 4-54-0 line in a 41-22 rout of the Cardinals.

Jennings is in line for a more productive game in Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers. Carolina's secondary has been slipping lately, resulting in a top-12 finish for an opposing wide receiver in three of the last four weeks (the gap filled by a top-24 performance).

The veteran role player straddles the line between WR2 and WR3 in Week 12 projections and is worthy of a starting slot in fantasy football lineups.

Carolina Panthers rookie first-round wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan delivered his best performance of the season in the Panthers' 30-27 triumph over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11. The rookie WR totaled 130 receiving yards on eight receptions and caught two touchdown passes. He finished with 33 PPR fantasy points.

In one game, McMillan doubled his TD total for the season. It was the first time this season that McMillan surpassed 30 PPR fantasy points, and he placed as the overall fantasy WR2. In Week 12, Carolina will go against the San Francisco 49ers, who rank 28th in the league in fantasy points per game allowed to WRs in 2025.

Last week, the 49ers gave up 452 yards, the most of all teams. With a plus matchup lining up for McMillan, he remains a must-start in all formats this week.

Last week, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette delivered his best fantasy outing since Week 7. The second-year WR caught four passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. He finished with 18.3 PPR fantasy points. It was only the second time in 2025 that Legette registered more than 15 PPR points.

However, he also injured his hip during the fourth quarter. He was a full participant in all practices for Week 12 and is not on the injury report for Monday's game against the 49ers. The Niners have surrendered 36.6 fantasy points per game to opposing WRs this season, which ranks 28th of all teams.

Legette has been targeted more than five times just twice since Week 7. Inconsistent volume throughout the year, despite a favorable matchup, makes Legette an unreliable option in deeper fantasy leagues for Week 12.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle finished Week 11 with six catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns on six targets. His production made him the second-highest scoring tight end in fantasy football for the second week in a row.

Even with wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) returning to the lineup, Kittle remained a priority target for quarterback Brock Purdy (toe). Kittle can keep the good times rolling in Week 12, when the 49ers face the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football.

The Panthers have allowed the fourth-most receiving yards to tight ends this year and are seeing the highest average yards per target to the position. Kittle is one of the safer bets one can make on a tight end in fantasy football, and he should be locked into starting lineups for Week 12.

Last week, Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard played on 19% of the offensive snaps, logged 21 rushing yards on four carries, and caught one pass for seven yards as he continued to operate as a backup RB. Since his return from a calf injury in Week 7, Hubbard has registered 117 rushing yards and is averaging 5.0 PPR fantasy points per game.

The fifth-year RB should only be rostered as a handcuff for Rico Dowdle. He will only be a fantasy asset if Dowdle misses time. At this point in the season, if you roster Hubbard and not Dowdle, you can simply cut the Panthers' backup RB.