Week 12 Fantasy Football Sneaky Starts

Welcome to the Week 12 Sneaky Starts. There are only three games left in the Fantasy regular season, and if you’re reading this, your team is probably banged up and on the bubble. If that rings true, it’s time to buckle down and lock in these players who can help you secure your spot.

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Week 11 Recap

It was a weird week in fantasy, where players seemingly went bananas or barely showed up, with a few in between. We had similar luck with our Week 11 Sneaky Starts, having one end at the top of his position, and the other three barely making a mark in the box scores.

Jauan Jennings was our first bust. He had four catches for 54 yards, so he finished just shy of our 10-point threshold for a decent game. While he likely didn’t sink your team in a low-scoring week, he still missed the mark.

Woody Marks feels like he should be a win, getting 18 rushing opportunities and a reception to boot. Unfortunately, he turned all that opportunity into a measly 51 yards from scrimmage.

Greg Dulcich was a long shot call to begin with, but we were reminded of what his floor is. He got plenty of playing time, but two catches for 18 yards didn’t help anyone.

That leaves Michael Wilson as our lone good call, and what a good call it was! In Marvin Harrison Jr.’s absence, he hauled in 15 catches for 185 yards. Not only does that make him the top receiver of the week, but it’s the highest receiving yardage total of any player this season. Even when MHJ returns, I expect Wilson to have earned more looks in this offense.

Sneaky Starts Season Total: 20-22

Let’s see if we can shake off last week and get back to our winning ways in Week 12!

Week 12 Sneaky Starts

Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers WR vs. Minnesota Vikings

Could the Packers actually have a WR1? Last season, Josh Jacobs stated that the team needed a proven receiver to lead their receiver room, a statement that fantasy managers have been feeling all season. It might have been Jayden Reed, but he was injured in Week 1. Romeo Doubs is a fine possession receiver, but not a dominant force. Tucker Kraft really seemed like he could be the answer in the form of a tight end, but he, too, is done for the season.

Then there’s Christian Watson. Even though he was coming off a catastrophic knee injury, the team gave him a new contract in the offseason. He’s shown great speed and a nose for the endzone in the past, but questions remained on whether he could return to that level of play. His first few games back showed a glimmer of hope, but not enough to silence the doubt.

Watson might have finally put that to rest in Week 11. He found paydirt twice, once from Jordan Love and once from backup Malik Willis. The reception from Love was a spectacular catch over two defenders to clinch the game. The downside of all this is that he only had four total catches that day.

So, was this a one-off or is he poised to ascend to the alpha position? While the odds point to the former, there are plenty of reasons to think the latter could be true.

First, the previously mentioned injuries mean the team needs someone to step up. Of the healthy receivers, Watson is both the most physically gifted and has the trust of Jordan Love. It should also be noted that he is still rehabbing from his injury, so it should be expected that he starts performing better as the season progresses.

Watson is finally back to being a full-time player, averaging 80% of snaps in his past two games vs. 61% of snaps in his first two games back. He looks to be back to full health and is routinely getting separation downfield. While there will always be variability in this offense, targets are getting more consolidated, and we should expect the best player to emerge. I think that player is Watson.

Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers WR vs. Carolina Panthers

Speaking of receivers returning from injury, it sure was nice seeing Ricky Pearsall back out there. It may seem like forever ago, but don’t forget the sophomore was leading the league in receiving yards per game before he got hurt.

His return coincided with the return of Brock Purdy, who showed little rust out there. Pearsall only got three targets and caught only one for zero yards, but we shouldn’t have expected much volume in his first game back.

Like the Packers, the Niners are in need of a true alpha in the receiver room. The NFC West is the most competitive division in the league right now.  They have CMC and Kittle, who will both demand targets, but a third trusted option will be necessary for their success. Jauan Jennings is a fine role player, but he’s not a focal point.

Don’t forget that Pearsall was a first-round NFL draft pick, brought in specifically because of how he fits the scheme. He had some amazing games at the end of last season. It’s possible he could have been a stud from the get-go had he not been shot in his rookie preseason. Were it not for all his time missed, I think he would be a much hotter name at this point in his career.

San Francisco gets a good matchup against the Panthers in Week 11. To stay competitive in their division, they’ll need Pearsall to return to form, as every game is a must-win for them. It’s not easy recommending a player who just had a goose egg, but it wouldn’t be a sneaky start if I waited until after he had a blow-up game.

Kenneth Gainwell, Pittsburgh Steelers RB @ Chicago Bears

Gainwell by name, gain very well by reputation. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that one. But in all seriousness, this is a sneaky start even if Jaylen Warren suits up in Week 12. Of course, this will be a much stronger play if Warren is out, but regardless, Gainwell should be a strong start.

To start, Chicago is much better against the pass than they are against the run. They currently give up the eighth-most rushing yards per game. That’s not to say they are great against the pass, though, and they are susceptible to RB screens. Gainwell has an 86% catch rate this season on 42 targets. His current career high for targets came in 2021 during his rookie year, when he got 50.

He’s also getting the most run of his life, even at his current backup rate. His previous high for attempts was 84 in 2023. Gainwell currently has 61 attempts this season, and averages 6.1 per game, so he should blow that number out of the water if he stays healthy.

In his lone start this season, he got 19 attempts for 99 yards and two scores. He also caught six-of-six passes.

So, he has a good floor when Warren plays, and an extremely high ceiling if he sits. Even if Warren does play, he likely won’t be 100%, so more snaps should go Gainwell’s way regardless.

Check out all of our Week 12 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles TE @ Dallas Cowboys

Goedert is a true lottery ticket player: when you start him, you either hit the jackpot or end up ripping your ticket up in frustration. He’s had two weeks this season where he finished as the overall TE1, and another three weeks where he didn’t even finish inside the Top-20.

The Eagles offense as a whole has been tough to watch as of late. They are Bottom-5 in passing yards-per-game on the season, and Bottom-3 over their past three games.

So, when would you want to play Goedert? Well, when he goes against the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are also Bottom-3, specifically in passing yards allowed on the year. They are also the seventh-worst team in terms of opponent completion percentage.

Goedert doesn’t have much big-play potential, but he does have the trust of Jalen Hurts when the team needs a first down or a completion over the middle. The Eagles receivers (much to A.J. Brown’s dismay) are used to stretch the field and mostly play on the outside. They create pockets in the defense that allow Goedert to lap up easy targets when called upon.

The Cowboys are also much better against the rush, especially now that they traded for Quinnen Williams. They only gave up 27 rushing yards to the Raiders in Week 11. Despite having Saquon Barkley, the Eagles are already having trouble running the ball this year.

It’s hard to trust Goedert in any given week, even though you know the upside is there. The best thing you can do is pick your spots based on the matchup. Week 12 is a great matchup, so if you were ever going to roll the dice, might as well be this one.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!