Key Starters and Tough Calls - Week 12 Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football Include Bucky Irving, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, DeVaughn Vele, Rome Odunze

Scott Engel shares pivotal fantasy football lineup starts/sit options for Week 12 (2024). He focuses on key NFL players to start when faced with close Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions.

Welcome RotoBallers to our Week 12 fantasy football lineup spotlights, where we discuss key starters and tough calls for Week 12 fantasy lineups. Scott Engel’s Lineup Spotlights on RotoBaller.com feature key players to consider starting every week during the 2024 fantasy football season. “The King” highlights preferred starting options when you are dealing with challenging lineup decisions.

The players included in this rundown are based on Scott’s Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available in the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. Enter the promo code KING at checkout for an additional discount and unlock his player rankings for all formats. Plus, you will get access to a deluxe menu of tools and analysis for in-season use.

When considering the players presented here for Week 12 lineup usage, also consult our staff fantasy football rankings to see if they are ranked higher or lower than your other possible starters. The skill position analysis is based on Scott’s Week 12 PPR rankings.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

Running Backs – Fantasy Football Week 12

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Normally I wouldn’t include a top-level guy like Taylor in an article like this, but some fantasy players may be considering reserving him based on the tough matchup. The Lions look like an authentic championship team, and a blowout can certainly be anticipated against the mediocre Colts.

Yet us fantasy analysts are always recommending not to bench your best players. Defenses don’t always win the matchup, and Taylor will be a big key to Indianapolis staying in the game. The Colts must lean on their standout RB to help them control the clock as much as possible. Detroit ranks fifth in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to RBs, and all logic points to Taylor being a shaky starting option with very little upside.

However, six teams are on a bye and Taylor did post quality numbers against another top contender (114 rushing yards vs. Buffalo), a solid team vs. the run (105 vs. Houston), and a top overall defense (88 yards and a TD vs. Pittsburgh). View him more as a fantasy RB2 this week and keep Taylor active.

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay backfield has been tough to get a handle on from all fantasy perspectives. Irving is the most exciting player in the bunch, yet Rachaad White is a dual producer as a runner and receiver, and published reports have indicated that Sean Tucker may stay in the mix, too.

Irving is the upside play in my view, though. He is a future star who I want to roster in as many dynasty leagues as I can. The rookie RB has good vision, patience, accelerates past defenders, and cuts back to make them miss. As a runner, he is a certain upside performer who will continue to improve.

The Giants rank 29^th in run defense, and Irving is capable of creating his own running room in a matchup that Pro Football Focus grades as negative for the Tampa Bay offensive line. Both teams need a win to stop their skids and this will be a competitive game. Irving will play a significant role and should be started as a fantasy RB2.

Javonte Williams likes #Broncos giving bulk of carries to the hot back. “If you’re producing, you should play. And if not, you got to see what somebody else can do. That’s the way it should be. Nothing is to be given. You got to earn everything you get, so I like it that way.”

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) November 22, 2024

Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos

For those who need a fantasy starter because of byes and other reasons, Williams does merit consideration coming off of a strong performance while drawing the obviously fantasy-friendly matchup against the Raiders - but he also can’t really be trusted to build on last week’s performance.

Sean Payton indicated he will go with a hot-hand approach at RB, which means that Audric Estime could overshadow Williams in any given week, and even Jaleel McLaughlin might occasionally push his way into the picture. We cannot base any longer-term outlook on what we saw last week.

Still, Williams was projected to be the starter at the beginning of the season and Payton talked him up a lot. The threat of losing some work to Estime may have spurred Williams to elevate his level of play last week.

Las Vegas ranks 26^th in FFPG allowed to RBs, and we may see a second consecutive good outing from Williams, so start him as a flex spot if you need to. Don’t cut Estime if you have him, though.

Wide Receivers – Fantasy Football Week 12

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

In his second season, Smith-Njigba is breaking out as a fantasy performer. He is WR10 for the fantasy season so far and ranks 17th in Fantasy Points Per Game at the position. He has clearly arrived as a regular fantasy starter.

Entering Week 12, #Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith Njigba has MORE receptions than Justin Jefferson 🤯

-JSN has the SAME number of 100-yard games as Jettas (3).

-JSN is 8th in YAC with 274 (PFF).

-Both have played in 10 games, and both have been targeted 86 times so far. pic.twitter.com/7EUSGbnsaN

— Steezy A. Smith 🎙📺 (@steezyasmith) November 21, 2024

Over the past two weeks, Smith-Njigba leaped into fantasy prominence, with 37 and 21.8-point showings. The first performance was with DK Metcalf out, and the second was when Metcalf returned from a knee injury. JSN will benefit from the significant defensive attention Metcalf draws.

The big fantasy question now becomes if you start Smith-Njigba over your more established performers based on his recent play. Geno Smith ranks second in the NFL in completions and will consistently feed JSN. He can function as a regularly productive complement to Metcalf with frequent upside, much as Tyler Lockett used to be.

Smith-Njigba does need to perform at a high fantasy level for a longer stretch before I will rank him as a consistent top-12 fantasy WR. The issue for those who roster JSN now may be who to bench to keep him active. This week, I have him ranked just outside the top 10 in a big NFC West matchup against Arizona’s 21^st-ranked pass defense.

I am recommending that fantasy players start JSN over CeeDee Lamb, Zay Flowers, and Calvin Ridley. Every week going forward, he should continue to be in the 12 to 20 range because of a likely stable floor as a double-figure PPR producer. The second-year Seahawk is a must-start as a fantasy WR3 if you have that luxury and he will force many tough decisions as a WR2 if the spike performances continue.

Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears

The Chicago rookie was a non-factor for the first eight weeks of the season and was tossed onto the waiver wire in some leagues. Recently, though, Keenan Allen has faded away, D.J. Moore has been disappointing, and Odunze is starting to make some statistical noise. He finished with 12-plus fantasy points in two of his last three games. Keenan Allen was also added to the injury report late in the week and is questionable for Week 12.

In the last four games, Odunze was targeted six-plus times, and with a new coordinator guiding the offense last week, he caught six passes on 10 targets. Minnesota ranks 30^th in FFPG allowed to WRs. Odunze might deliver one of his best fantasy performances of the season this week, so start him as a fantasy WR3 or flex option.

Devaughn Vele, Denver Broncos

If you are digging deeper for a WR or flex streamer, Vele is a viable plug-and-play option for Week 12. Bo Nix is capable of making his WRs more useful for fantasy purposes as his star continues to rise. The Denver rookie is a sizable target at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, and can post at least respectable fantasy totals against the Raiders.

Devaughn Vele has the same anytime touchdown odds (+250) as the following wide receivers in Week 12 (via @FDSportsbook):

◽️ Malik Nabers +250
◽️ Josh Downs +250
◽️ Deebo Samuel +250
◽️ Jameson Williams +250

Josh Reynolds has already been ruled out and Sean Payton loves this kid pic.twitter.com/2dtsaipuHk

— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) November 23, 2024

Las Vegas has allowed the most FFPG to slot WRs since Week 6. Courtland Sutton will naturally draw much defensive attention, and Nix can work with Vele as an alternative. Payton is embracing the usage of his young players and we might start to see more contributions from Vele beginning this week.

Quarterback And Tight End – Fantasy Football Week 12

Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

When he returned to the starting lineup last week, Richardson provided the type of production that has tantalized fantasy leaguers since he was drafted by the Colts. He rushed for two TDs and passed for a career-high 272 yards and another TD.

This week’s matchup against the mighty Lions (still seems strange writing that) elicits natural concerns about whether Richardson can sustain the momentum of the impressive outing against the Jets. Detroit ranks sixth in FFPG allowed to QBs.

The Colts QB can unfurl his potential in any matchup because of his Cam Newton-like rushing abilities. He is not ranked in my top 12 QBs, but if Indianapolis shows up to stay competitive, Richardson will be a productive play overall. Facing the NFL’s best team can motivate a team or player to boost his production, so Richardson does crack the top 15.

Luke Schoonmaker, Dallas Cowboys

When you need a TE plug-in or streamer, aiming for a possible volume play should be the goal over being concerned about a matchup. So many players at the position lack a true statistical floor.

Washington ranks eighth in receiving yards to TEs, but Schoonmaker was targeted 10 times and caught six passes in Week 11, becoming more of an offensive presence after Jake Ferguson left the game. Ferguson is out this week and the TE is a frequent option in the Dallas passing game.

Jake Ferguson Out For Week 12

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson (concussion) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Commanders. That leaves Luke Schoonmaker as Dallas’ likely lead TE. He tallied 6 catches for 43 yards when Ferguson missed Week 2 and caught 6 of 10 targets last week... pic.twitter.com/lqx2aAfLo0

— Draft Sharks (@DraftSharks) November 22, 2024

Cooper Rush was more productive as a passer last week and should provide enough completions to make Schoonmaker a worthy lineup filler. I rank him as a top-15 fantasy TE for Week 12.

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