Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em: Be cautious about starting this Pro Bowl quarterback in Week 12

With just three weeks remaining in the 2023 fantasy football regular season, every lineup decision has the potential to determine the outcome of your season. Here's what to do about a few players you may be on the fence about locking in to your lineup in Week 12 to maximize your chances of reaching the playoffs.

Quarterbacks

Start: Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

Packers at Lions / 12:30 p.m. ET Thursday

Love isn't the most exciting option at quarterback, but after enjoying the first 300-yard passing performance of his career last week, he's well-positioned for another productive outing. As Green Bay is a 7.5-point underdog, Love will likely throw the ball more frequently, and with a relatively high implied game total (47 points), this may turn into a Thanksgiving Day shootout. Additionally, the Lions have been vulnerable in the passing game at times and allow the sixth-most fantasy points above average to quarterbacks (+2.3), per Fantasy Points' Graham Barfield. 

Other starts: Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings; Sam Howell, Washington Commanders 

Sit: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Ravens at Chargers / 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday

Although you might not have the luxury of rostering another quarterback of Herbert's caliber, pivoting to a streaming option might be a better alternative than starting the Chargers signal-caller against Baltimore. As consistent as Herbert has been from a fantasy perspective, it's impossible to overlook his lackluster outings when facing formidable defenses, raising the possibility he could perform similarly to his games against the Chiefs and Jets. The Ravens are the second-worst matchup for opposing quarterbacks on a points-per-game basis (11.6) and have given up the fewest passing touchdowns among defenses (nine). 

Other sits: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins; Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks 

Running backs

Start: Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans 

Panthers at Titans / 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Those who haven't already traded away Henry are likely contemplating benching the two-time NFL rushing champ after scoring a combined 8.4 PPR points across his last two games. However, much of his ineffectiveness can be attributed to the Titans getting blown out, which shouldn't be a concern heading into a meeting with the lowly 1-9 Panthers. Carolina has allowed the most total touchdowns to running backs (17) and is surrendering 24.2 fantasy points per game to the position, the second-most. 

Other starts: Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers; Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams

Sit: Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens

Ravens at Chargers / 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday

After rushing for 172 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries across Weeks 9 and 10, many grabbed Mitchell off waivers and inserted him into their lineups against the Bengals in hopes that his productive streak would continue. That didn't come to fruition as Mitchell scored just 5.1 PPR points, and it became evident he would not have the goal-line opportunities he needed to succeed without an injury to Gus Edwards. Regardless of Los Angeles' shortcomings when it comes to stopping the run, Mitchell poses too many risks to serve as a FLEX option.

Other sits: AJ Dillon, Green Bay Packers; Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals 

Wide Receivers

Start: Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals 

Rams at Cardinals / 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday

QB Kyler Murray's return has yet to pay dividends for Brown, who hasn't been the same wideout since Joshua Dobbs left town, averaging 4.5 PPR points over his last three games. Despite catching two passes last week, Brown ranked 17th in the NFL in air yards (91) and 21st in average depth of target among players who were targeted five times (11.6), suggesting a bounce-back performance is on the way.

Other starts: Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens; Garrett Wilson, New York Jets

Sit: Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos

Browns at Broncos / 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday

The WR18 in PPR scoring formats, Sutton has proved to be a draft-day bargain based on his average draft position, but he's largely touchdown-dependent. Sutton has scored in all but two games this season and has found the end zone in each of his last five contests. Since he doesn't accumulate much yardage, consider leaving him on the bench against an elite Cleveland defense that allows the third-fewest fantasy points per game to wideouts (16.2) and has surrendered just six touchdowns to the position this season. 

Other sits: DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles; Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins 

Tight Ends

Start: Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons 

Saints at Falcons / 1 p.m. ET Sunday

While it's always uncomfortable to start a player in head coach Arthur Smith's offense, especially in Pitts' case given his underwhelming track record, if there was ever a time for him to deliver, it might be Sunday. Atlanta must win to stay in the NFC South race, which should hopefully incentivize Smith to get his best weapons involved, and New Orleans is an advantageous matchup for tight ends. The Saints concede 8.3 fantasy points per game to tight ends, the sixth-most among teams, and have allowed at least one touchdown to the position in four of their last five contests. 

Other starts: Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens; Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders

Sit: Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers at Bengals / 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Now that Matt Canada has been fired as Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator, QB Kenny Pickett and his pass-catchers should see an uptick in production. Nevertheless, Pickett still has plenty to prove as a passer. Until we see how Pickett's targets will be distributed under new play-caller Mike Sullivan, Freiermuth shouldn't be near any starting lineups, even though Cincinnati allows the third-most fantasy points per game to tight ends (8.6). 

Other sits: Hunter Henry, New England Patriots; Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers