Fantasy Football Week 12: Start or Sit Baker Mayfield, Nick Mullens, or Eli Manning?
Week twelve is upon us, which means that some of us are just two games away from worrying about our fantasy football playoffs. If you’re still reading this, congratulations, the marginally-long slog of the fantasy football season hasn’t broken you yet. Every week, we at Football Absurdity like to highlight players with marginal matchups that you might get a wild hair about. We hope to provide you with some basic facts to help you inform your start or sit decisions. This week, we highlight three quarterbacks on the periphery of startability who have great matchups this week.
Start or Sit Baker Mayfield at Cincinnati
If you think that the Browns don’t want to stick it to their former head coach, Hue Jackson, after he spent the first half of the season staving off termination by throwing the entire squad under the bus, you are sorely mistaken. It’s not like interim head coach Gregg Williams is one of the most insane dudes in the NFL orbit, or anything. This week, Baker Mayfield, he of the four-straight-games-with-multiple-touchdowns streak, gets a revenge game on Hue Jackson. Mayfield posted his best fantasy football game as a pro last week, throwing for 216 yards and three scores while chipping in 20 yards on the ground. It was his first game with three touchdowns, and just his second full game without an interception. This week he gets a Bengals squad that let Lamar Jackson run all over them last week, and who has given up at least 16.5 fantasy points to quarterbacks in all but one game this year. With Mahomes and Goff on a bye, and Mayfield having low ownership as of writing this (42% pre-waivers), the question to start or sit Mayfield is valid. I would roll with Baker Mayfield this week and start him. Divisional rival who allows the most fantasy points to QBs this year? Sign me up.
Start or Sit Nick Mullens at Tampa Bay
It’s been an inconsistent two games for Mullens, who styled all over the Raiders on an island game on Thursday Night Football before vomiting all over himself on an island game against the Giants. He posted just one touchdown and two interceptions against the G-Men, but neither pick was his fault. Both interceptions clanged off 49ers pass catchers into the waiting hands of the Giants defenders. Personally, Mullens gets a pass for those. Performing poorly against the Giants isn’t a sin, either (they’re sixteenth in fantasy points allowed to opposing QBs). This week, he gets a Tampa Bay team in shambles; a TB team that has allowed at least 17 fantasy points to every quarterback they have played who is still active (RIP Nick Foles and Alex Smith). Mullens might vomit all over himself, or he might throw three touchdowns again. There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to start him. Well, I mean you could make the prudent start and sit Mullens call and wait for a third data point to see a trend, but where’s the fun in that?
Start or Sit Eli Manning at Philadelphia
Don’t look now, but the left-for-dead Manning the Lesser has five touchdowns and no interceptions in his last two games. While the yardage totals were low, Manningface was noticeably absent from his fantasy owners’ faces. He hasn’t been a massive, blow-the-roof-off player, but he’s provided a solid floor. This week, Manning gets a Philly team that could not have an active CB who was on the roster a month ago. With Odell Beckham and Sterling Shephard, I’ll take the side that doesn’t have the street free agents playing. Only the Rams (who gave up 478 yards and six touchdowns on MNF) and Bengals (see above) have allowed more fantasy points to QBs over the last five weeks, and are second in the league in touchdown-to-interception differential in those games. Fantasy points rain from the sky for opposing quarterbacks, and for once, the wetness on Eli’s face will be those fantasy points (and not his own tears). If you have to think hard about whether or not to start or sit Eli Manning in this matchup, there’s likely not a matchup remaining this year where you will start him. Make sure you get this one in under the wire if that’s the case.
These three quarterbacks this week are all likely to be good options for you, but if you’re trying to decide who to start or sit, I would go with:
- Baker Mayfield
- Eli Manning
- Nick Mullens
If you need more start or sit advice, check out the remainder of our start and sit articles for week twelve!
Start or Sit Dak Prescott, Andy Dalton, or Kirk Cousins?
Start or Sit Mohamed Sanu, Keke Coutee, or Sterling Shepard?
Start or Sit Marques Valdez-Scantling, Christian Kirk, or Corey Davis?
Start or Sit Marlon Mack, Gus Edwards, or Josh Adams?
Start or Sit Adrian Peterson, Chris Carson, or LeSean McCoy?
Start or Sit Cam Brate, Vance McDonald, or Jordan Reed?
Start or Sit Evan Engram, Kyle Rudolph, or Jared Cook?
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