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Welcome to Week 12 and Happy Thanksgiving RotoBallers! The season has been flying by, and it is now crucial to make the optimal lineup decisions on a weekly basis. As injuries and bye weeks pile up, it is essential to start racking up some wins as the playoff race is in full force.
Heading into the twelfth week of action, we are well into the most crucial point of the regular season, as fantasy managers who have gotten off to a slow start need to string some wins together from here on out.
Here are some players I think will be in for a challenging game in Week 12 and could disappoint their fantasy managers. However, there could be some managers out there who aren't in any position to bench these players given that we must deal with bye weeks and injuries to notable players. Here are some players that fantasy managers need to temper their expectations for.
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Should I Bench Aaron Rodgers In Week 12
After a comeback victory over the Cowboys in Week 10, it looked like the Packers' season got the spark they needed to turn their season around. Then, Week 11 happened. Rodgers missed all kinds of throws and the Packers' limited time of possession led to yet another loss. It won’t get any easier for them in Week 12, as the Packers travel to Philadelphia to take on the 9-1 Eagles on Sunday night.
Rodgers will face an Eagles secondary that has allowed the second-fewest passing yards and fewest yards per attempt this season, making this a nightmare matchup for the struggling veteran. We have seen the Eagles struggle to stop the run in recent weeks, so we could be looking at a game where Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon are the focal points of the offense.
Based on the fact that the Eagles allow 5.1 yards per attempt, any sort of limited volume will be detrimental to Rodgers’ fantasy value this week. It is hard to believe that Rodgers hasn't surpassed 20 fantasy points in a single week this season, so it seems very hard to count on him in this one given how limited his ceiling is. From what we’ve seen from Week 2 on, it wouldn't be the craziest idea to bench the back-to-back MVP. His potential low floor is worrisome for this matchup, as we have seen games where he has posted 3, 11, and 13 fantasy points when facing some solid defenses.
Rodgers is not a must-start in Week 12.
Should I Bench Alvin Kamara In Week 12?
Kamara has been a massive disappointment for most of this season, as all three of his touchdowns came in the same game back in Week 8. The Pro Bowler will face the 49ers' run defense that has allowed the fewest rushing yards and yards per carry this season. When we look back at his production over the last three weeks, it seems there is no reason to believe that this will be the game where he gets back on track.
Stat lines of 12 carries for 42 yards, eight carries for 26 yards, and nine carries for 30 yards are likely a pretty good representation of what we can expect this week.
Alvin Kamara hasn’t received more than ten rush attempts in two straight weeks.
— Zareh Kantzabedian (@ZKantzFF) November 13, 2022
Kamara’s ability as a pass-catcher could heighten his floor in this one, so fantasy managers have some reason for optimism when starting him this week. I am not saying to bench Kamara, as most fantasy managers are probably in no position to do such a thing, but proceed with caution this week.
Should I Bench Isiah Pacheco In Week 12?
Pacheco is coming off a breakout performance as he carried the ball 15 times for 107 yards, but that was against one of the worst rush defenses in the league. Pacheco will now face the Rams' defense, who have allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards and just 3.9 yards per carry.
With Clyde Edwards-Helaire on IR, it is safe to say the Chiefs' new starting running back will be handling most of the carries, but that isn't exactly all that valuable against a good run defense, especially in PPR formats. The rookie has basically no involvement in the passing game, as he has caught just three passes on three targets all season. He isn't a must-bench option, but fantasy managers should be aware of his low floor in this one unless he is able to find the end zone for the first time since Week 1.
Should I Bench Darnell Mooney In Week 12?
Potentially without Justin Fields, Mooney draws a nightmare matchup with Sauce Gardner and the stingy Jets pass defense. The Jets have allowed the sixth-fewest passing yards this season, which doesn't bode very well for the outlook of Mooney in this one when you consider the type of offense the Bears run. The speedy wideout’s limited target volume could prove to be problematic, as he has seen more than five targets on just four occasions this season.
With Justin Fields breaking out over the last month, Mooney has started to see some increased production relative to the first half of the season. However, fantasy managers shouldn't trust him this week. Gardner has shut down opposing wide receivers such as Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Courtland Sutton, so there is no reason to believe he won’t do the same to the Bears’ No. 1 wide receiver.
Chase Claypool could draw some coverage from Gardner, but even then, D.J. Reed is another tough matchup for Mooney. At best, he is a low-end FLEX option in Week 12.
Should I Bench D.J. Moore In Week 12?
There could be some optimism for Moore with Sam Darnold set to start in Week 12, as we saw Moore get off to a hot start with Darnold playing his first season in Carolina in 2021. However, the matchup with the Broncos secondary led by Patrick Surtain II could be a nightmare for the Panthers’ No. 1 wideout.
Surtain lost his matchup with Davante Adams in Week 11, but make no mistake, he has looked like one of the, if not the best, cornerbacks in the league this season. His strong play has led to the Broncos' defense allowing the third-fewest passing yards this season, as they have become a matchup for fantasy managers to avoid.
We just saw what happened to Moore in a tough matchup last week, albeit with Baker Mayfield, but he still only caught three passes for 24 yards as Marlon Humphrey played lights out in Week 11. Considering how bad the Broncos' offense has been, it doesn't seem likely we can even count on a potential pass-heavy game script for Moore to offset the tough matchup with a lot of volume.
forcing myself to start DJ Moore again knowing damn well i’m banking on garbage time pic.twitter.com/FFfcyMUJV8
— Kev Mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon) November 18, 2022
Fantasy managers can feel good about benching him this week.
Should I Bench Hayden Hurst In Week 12?
Hurst figures to have his role in the passing game diminished this week, as Ja’Marr Chase looks set to return to action for the first time in four weeks. The Titans' pass defense is not a matchup to avoid, but Hurst saw just 12 targets in the three games that Chase was held out of action. Although the Bengals could potentially be looking at a pass-heavy game plan due to the Titans' elite run defense, Hurst doesn't figure to get a huge slice of the pie.
Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd are all ahead of Hurst for targets, and the Titans figure to try and limit the Bengals time of possession in this one, which is just another thing that doesn't favor the outlook of the big tight end.At such a thin position he isn't a must-bench, but fantasy managers shouldn't be all that excited to start the former Raven and Falcon in this one.
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