Week 12 Fantasy Football Quarterback Start/Sit: Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Anthony Richardson and More

The weekly start/sit articles aren’t much help when they include guys like Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts. Those players (and others) finish in the top 10 at their position on a near-weekly basis and should never be on the bench.

The guys below are those who are worthy of being in fantasy lineups some weeks but not others. Matchups mean more than quarterbacks at that point, so you’ll see the Panthers and Ravens listed in the Start section much more often than any individual QB.

Let’s look at three quarterbacks to start and three to sit in Week 12 of the fantasy football season. I used defensive stats from NFL.com and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings to help determine the best and worst matchups. I will reference those numbers often.

Start

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Baltimore Ravens

Herbert had a good matchup last week against the Bengals and turned it into almost 300 yards and two touchdowns. His 65 rushing yards pushed him into the top 10 among fantasy quarterbacks.

Another great matchup awaits Herbert this week when the Ravens come to town Monday night. Baltimore has allowed the fifth-most yards per pass attempt and fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The Ravens’ offense vs. the Chargers’ defense is going to be a fun matchup, but Herbert is set up to do damage on the other side.

Herbert’s talent is evident, and his young receivers are doing enough to help the cause. With the matchup in his favor, Herbert has a good chance to finish in the top 10 again this week.

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs @ Carolina Panthers

The Chiefs suffered their first loss in Week 11, falling 30-21 to the Buffalo Bills. Mahomes threw for 196 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions; it was his third-best fantasy score of the season, but it was only good for a QB17 finish. Mahomes was on the Sit list last week, but the situation looks much different here.

Carolina has allowed the eighth-most yards per pass attempt and seventh-most fantasy points per game to QBs. The Panthers are bad, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Chiefs come out and try to make a statement after suffering their first loss. KC has a shot of getting back on track against maybe the worst team in the league.

Mahomes hasn’t been a fantasy starter most weeks, but this is about as good a matchup as he’s going to get. The Chiefs and their star have a good chance to excel in Week 12.

Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns

Wilson had his worst game of the year last week against the easiest matchup he’s had: Baltimore. Thursday night is another weak defense in the Browns, who have allowed the fourth-most yards per pass attempt and sixth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

Cleveland has a few defensive stars, particularly Myles Garrett, but they have regularly been beaten up by opposing teams. The Browns have given up at least 20 points in all but one game, and they’ve allowed at least 24 in each of their past three games.

Even after Wilson had a rough game with a good matchup against the Ravens, he’s set up to do well in this one. He won’t be a fantasy star, but he is able to fill in as a streamer this week if you’re missing Josh Allen or Joe Burrow on bye.

Sit

Drake Maye, New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins pose one of the toughest matchups for quarterbacks, allowing the fifth-least yards per pass attempt and third-least fantasy points per game to QBs. Only one quarterback has hit 7.0 yards per attempt (near league average) since Week 3, and multiple passers were below 6.0.

Maye has played well at times, but he’s also struggled against tougher defenses like the Jets and Titans. While the rookie is obviously talented, he experiences growing pains at times, and the matchup often dictates his fantasy value.

Maye is likely to struggle to produce in Week 12. The matchup couldn’t be much worse, and Maye is still surrounded by subpar receivers and offensive linemen.

Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts vs. Detroit Lions

Richardson was here last week also, and it turned out to be a horrible prediction: He threw for 272 yards and a touchdown while running for two more scores. It was a big first game back after being benched for a few weeks, but things will be even tougher this week.

The Lions might be the best team in football; they are Super Bowl favorites right now. Their offense is dynamic, but Detroit’s defense might be the unit that determines how far they can go. They rank 10th in least pass yards per attempt allowed and have given up the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

There’s always a chance Richardson goes off on the ground, as we saw last week, but he’s facing a tough group who is making a Super Bowl push. Richardson is a middling play this week.

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia has allowed the least yards per pass attempt by 0.3 yards. That might not seem like a lot, but it’s the same difference between second-place Houston and ninth-place Buffalo. The Eagles have also given up the fifth-least fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

Stafford has two of the best weapons in the league in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. With those two running around, no defense is safe. Stafford is averaging more than 250 passing yards per game, though his 13 touchdowns to seven interceptions aren’t good enough. He’s a fine fantasy option on the right weeks.

Philadelphia is a bad matchup for every quarterback; Stafford is likely to struggle in Week 12. He’s a player to skip.