Fantasy Football Quarterback Start/Sit Week 12: Should You Start Justin Fields, Brock Purdy, or Kyler Murray?

Welcome to Week 12. C.J. Stroud and Brock Purdy are top-7 fantasy quarterbacks on a points per game basis. Trevor Lawrence is closer to Mac Jones on a points per game basis than he is to Patrick Mahomes. And Sam Howell has been a better fantasy quarterback than Lawrence, Justin Fields, Jared Goff, and Russell Wilson on a points per game basis. Exactly how we all drew it up!

All that to say, we've got our work cut out for us as we try to figure out what to do with our start/sit decisions moving forward. 

You're obviously not benching any of those guys (more on that below), but there are plenty of other borderline fantasy starters we need to sift through. 

I'm going to use the list below to cover every quarterback start/sit situation for Week 12. The list is broken into tiers (which as pretty self-explanatory based on the names of them), and you can simply look at the list and make start/sit decisions -- because it's in order of preference! Think of it as my weekly quarterback rankings.

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No-Brainer Start 'Em

You drafted these guys as your starter. There's no reason to waffle on them based on matchups or anything like that. We don't even need to talk things through on any of these guys -- let's stop over-thinking things. Here's the order in which I'd start them this week: 

• Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

  • The current MVP favorite has a great matchup against the Bills this week. 

• Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

  • Allen looked good in the Bills "new" offense and should be able to put up fantasy points against the Eagles. 

• Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

  • My only worry against the Raiders is a blowout -- but Mahomes would theoretically put up points in a blowout. 

• Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

  • Lamar has been so up and down this year, but he has a great matchup against the Chargers this week. 

• Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

  • Dak has been on fire lately, and the Commanders are bad. He should put up big Thanksgiving Day points. 

• C.J. Stroud

  • Stroud finally struggled a bit, but he should be able to do damage against the Jaguars. 

• Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

  • Goff should be able to put up a big game against the Packers on Thanksgiving. 

• Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

  • Murray looks like the Murray of old and has a nice matchup against the Rams this week. 

• Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

  • The only thing I don't like is the road matchup in Seattle, but Purdy keeps defying odds so I'm rolling with him. 

• Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

  • Fields looks to be back to health and gets to face a Vikings defense that has given up fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year. 

Still Start 'Em

These guys are a little more of a borderline decision, but they're worth starting this week. Here's the order in which I'd start them this week:  

• Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

  • I don't love the Jets matchup, but they also just got gashed by the Bills so I'm not as scared of them as I used to be. 

• Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

  • Herbert is in a similar spot to Tua, but I don't think you can bench him unless you have an elite option. 

• Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Lawrence finally had a good game! I'm not going to get TOO excited, but he has another nice matchup against the Texans and is a strong start. 

• Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings

  • It doesn't look like Dobbs will get Justin Jeferson back this week, but the Bears are awful and he should be able to put up some decent numbers. 

• Sam Howell, Washington Commanders

  • Somehow, Howell leads the league in passing yards. I don't love the matchup this week, but he's startable due to the lack of other options out there.  

• Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Baker has been surprisingly good this season and has a decent matchup against the Colts this week. 

• Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

  • Love should have to throw a bunch against the Lions, so I don't mind starting him coming off a nice game against the Chargers last week. 

Deep League Starts

These guys are basically "sits" in a 12-team league. But they're likely someone you should start in a superflex league or a 16-team league. Here's the order in which I'd start them this week:

• Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints

  • Carr has been good this year for fantasy purposes. His status this week is up in the air, but I'd feel fine playing him against the Falcons if he's able to suit up. 

• Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts

  • While Minshew doesn't have a ton of upside, he has a high enough floor against the Bucs that I don't mind starting him in deeper leagues. 

• Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos

  • Russ has been cooking, but I'd sit him against the Browns if you can afford to. 

• Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks

  • What I just said about Russ -- except with Geno against the 49ers.  

• Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

  • Stafford has been as average as tthey come this year. I like the matchup against the Cardinals, but he'll probably be missing Cooper Kupp so I'd avoid him if possible. 

Sit 'Em

These guys are "sits" in pretty much any league except a superflex. Here's the order in which I'd start them this week if you absolutely have to:

• Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Cleveland Browns

  • DTR threw a lot last week, but he didn't do much with his attempts. While I like his matchup, I don't think he's a safe start. 

• Tommy DeVito, New York Giants

  • DeVito looked halfway decent last week and gets a Patriots defense that just isn't that good. That said, he's nothing more than a desperation play. 

• Will Levis, Tennessee Titans

  • Levis hasn't been all that great for fantasy purposes since his first game, and the Panthers defense is better than you'd think. 

• Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons

  • Ridder has some upside, but the Saints defense is really good. Avoid. 

• Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

  • Young just doesn't have enough upside or weapons to be a fantasy starter at this poin

• Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Pickett has thrown six touchdown passes all year. He shouldn't be anywhere near your lineup.  

• Mac Jones, New England Patriots 

  • This might end up being Bailey Zappe or Will Grier. Whoever it is, stay far far away. 

• Aidan O'Connell, Las Vegas Raiders 

  • O'Connell isn't doing anything more than being a game manager and shouldn't be used for fantasy purposes. 

• Jake Browning,Cincinnati Bengals

  • I don't think it needs to be said that we shouldn't be starting a 27-year-old making his first NFL start. 

• Tim Boyle, New York Jets

  • Boyle just isn't a good quarterback. Stay away. 

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