Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for Week 12 (2022)

Welcome back RotoBallers to our Week 12 matchups analysis and Start Em, Sit Em column for fantasy football. Happy Thanksgiving! Last week featured a lot of variation, including superstars exploding for week-winning performances, and some of the more talented players busting. There are no teams on bye this week, meaning we will have every single healthy player available for the first time since Week 5, which is great news.

For those who are unfamiliar, each week we’ll be analyzing every game from the Sunday slate, helping you optimize your fantasy lineups and take down your opponent. Check back regularly for any updates on player injuries or other pertinent information. I also wanted to express my gratitude for some of the great resources that help me write this article each week such as Fantasy Outsiders, Pro Football Focus, Rotovitz, Pro Football Reference, Draftkings Sportsbook, and Fantasy Points. Furthermore, a thank you is deserved by all of you for reading this article.

I will cover the entire Sunday slate of games plus the Monday Night Football game. There is also a separate article for the Thursday Night Football game each week, so be sure to read that as well. Hopefully, your studs did their job and you had a few additional options come through, resulting in a victory, which will be the goal again here. If you have any additional lineup questions, follow me on Twitter @JoshCon, and feel free to ask away. Let’s dive into the matchups.

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Matchups Analysis – 1:00 ET Games

Denver Broncos at Carolina Panthers

Spread: Broncos -1.5
Implied Total: Broncos (18.75) vs. Panthers (17.25)
Pace: Broncos (16th) vs. Panthers (13th)
Broncos Off. DVOA: -3.1% Pass (25th), -17.0% Rush (29th)
Panthers Off. DVOA: -30.7% Pass (32nd), -3.6% Rush (16th)
Broncos Def. DVOA: -18.2% Pass (4th), -2.6% Rush (19th)
Panthers Def. DVOA: 12.0% Pass (21st), -1.6% Rush (23rd)

Matchups We Love:

Latavius Murray (RB, DEN)

In a matter of five weeks, Murray has gone from being signed to the practice squad to now being the last back remaining after the team placed Chase Edmonds on IR and waived Melvin Gordon III. Despite their offensive struggles, Denver ranks 12th in rushing attempts per game and 25th in rushing yards per game, creating an opportunity for Murray, who also has the ability to catch passes. The matchup is great, and as the favorites, they should be able to run a lot, making Murray a top-24 back.

Matchups We Hate:

D’Onta Foreman (RB, CAR)

The pattern has been clear; when Foreman faces an easier opponent with a beatable defense the team can compete with he is great, but when they face a difficult one, they are forced to abandon the run, which limits his upside because he rarely catches passes. The Broncos are not a great team, however, their defense is elite, dropping Foreman outside the top 24 again this week.

DJ Moore (WR, CAR)

The team has made another change at quarterback, thanks to Sam Darnold being healthy enough to start. It’s wild when you consider that Darnold, who was the starter last year and someone everyone wanted to be replaced, is now being viewed as the savior for Moore, but here we are. The matchup is brutal, particularly with Patrick Surtain II likely to cover him, so expectations need to be held in check. Moore is a risky flex play against the Broncos.

Other Matchups:

Greg Dulcich (TE, DEN)

It was a disappointing day from the entire passing attack against the Raiders. They were the first team to fail to throw at least one passing touchdown against them all year. Dulcich was tied for second in targets, plus it’s another good matchup, so he remains a streaming option.

Courtland Sutton (WR, DEN)

It wasn’t pretty last week, but the final line was okay. Sutton can’t be trusted to deliver a big game because the offense cannot sustain drives long enough to score. With Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler both trending toward missing again, he’s a top-36 receiver.

UPDATE: As expected, Jeudy and Hamler have been ruled out.

Injuries:

Chase Edmonds (ankle)

Jerry Jeudy (ankle)

KJ Hamler (hamstring)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cleveland Browns

Spread: Buccaneers -3.5
Implied Total: Buccaneers (22.75) vs. Browns (19.25)
Pace: Buccaneers (1st) vs. Browns (14th)
Buccaneers Off. DVOA: 22.5% Pass (9th), -19.3% Rush (30th)
Browns Off. DVOA: 27.9% Pass (6th), 8.7% Rush (4th)
Buccaneers Def. DVOA: -10.0% Pass (6th), -10.2% Rush (11th)
Browns Def. DVOA: 15.8% Pass (27th), 11.5% Rush (32nd)

Matchups We Love:

Buccaneers RBs

Rachaad White opened the game in Germany as the starter but was trailing Leonard Fournette in touches heading into the second half. Fournette then exited the game with a hip injury, paving the way for a 100-yard game from White. Fournette has been limited in practice…