Sal Vetri offers some of his favorite Week 12 fantasy football starts to survive the bye-pocalypse!
Survive (and crush) the bye-pocalypse with these Week 12 matchups to target in your fantasy football lineups.
McConkey had a rollercoaster of a performance in Week 11. He originally left his matchup against the Bengals with a shoulder injury. The injury appeared to be serious as he quickly went from the medical tent to the locker room. However, McConkey was able to return to the game and put up the best performance of his rookie season, finishing Week 11 with six catches for 123 yards on nine targets. All of these were season-highs, and he was relied on twice on the game-winning drive for gains of 28 yards and 27 yards. McConkey leads the team with a 24% target share, and he ranks 21st in yards per route run this season — strong numbers for a rookie.
This week, McConkey will face the Ravens. Baltimore has been a fantasy wonderland for wide receivers all season, allowing the most receiving yards and fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts. McConkey is a must start this week and likely every week moving forward.
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Robinson Jr. returned from a hamstring injury in Week 11 against the Eagles. Despite dealing with a knee and hamstring injuries over the past month, Robinson went back to operating as the Commanders clear RB1. He commanded 76% of the RB carries in this game which was his highest market on the season. Robinson turned this usage into 72 total yards and a touchdown on 17 touches — a solid performance, especially when you consider he was facing the Eagles’ No. 1 ranked defense according to PFF.
But this week Robinson gets a much better matchup against the Cowboys. Dallas ranks 30th in run defense this season, and only the Panthers allow more rushing yards per game. In Week 11, Joe Mixon totaled 153 yards and three touchdowns against this Cowboys defense. Make sure Robinson is in your lineups this week.
Flowers had a down game in Week 11 against the Steelers. He had just one catch for 23 yards until the Ravens final offensive play of the game where he caught a 16-yard touchdown. This saved his day as he finished with two catches for 39 yards and a score. Flowers also had two drops in this contest. It was an ugly day for him in a tough matchup against the Steelers No. 3 ranked defense according to PFF.
But despite the poor yardage total, Flowers still led the Ravens with a 22% target share in Week 11. He now leads the team in targets in nine of his 11 games this season. This week Flowers will get a matchup against the Chargers No. 4 ranked secondary.
On paper, this looks like another tough spot for Flowers, but it might not be. The Chargers have allowed 104 yards per game to opposing No. 1 receivers over the past month of the season. Last week they gave up 148 yards and a score to Tee Higgins and 75 yards and two touchdowns to Ja’Marr Chase. This is a sneaky good spot for Flowers, who is a top-15 receiver this week. Keep him in your lineups.
Williams and the Lions are coming off an offensive explosion in Week 11 against the Jaguars. The Lions put up 52 points and scored on all eight of their drives until kneeling the ball out on their final drive. Williams contributed to this big day on offense with a season-high 124 yards and a touchdown on six targets. This was the most usage Williams has seen since Week 2, and it was his best fantasy day since Week 1 against the Rams.
Week 11 was a perfect matchup for Williams against a weak Jaguars secondary, but Week 12 may be even better. Williams will face the Colts this week who allow the seventh most receiving yards per game and the fourth most yards to opposing outside receivers this season. The Vegas total for this game is 51 points — the highest on the week. Expect plenty of points for the Lions and Williams once again. Start Williams this week.
White returns from his bye week and gets one of the best RB matchups you can find, taking on the Giants who allow the most rushing yards per play this season according to NFL Pro. But it gets even better because the Bucs are 5-point favorites this week against the Tommy DeVito-led Giants. There’s an increased chance Tampa plays with a lead which may fuel more rush attempts for Rachaad White and Bucky Irving.
Before the bye week, White was operating as the lead back in all key situations for Tampa. White handled 100% of the goal-line snaps and 100% of the two-minute offense snaps in Week 10. Since returning from injury in Week 7, White is averaging 16.6 fantasy points per game and has scored a touchdown in every contest during this time. Expect the good times to continue against the Giants this week; White is a must-start in Week 12 with six teams on bye.
