Thanksgiving is upon us, bringing with it three NFL games on Thursday. With that in mind, let's break down who from these matchups we want to start and sit as we look toward the entire Week 12 slate.
Setting your fantasy football lineups can be hard with early games, even with just two teams on bye.
Before your Thanksgiving food coma sets in, make sure to swap out any Chiefs or Cardinals players, replace players such as Aaron Jones (knee) and Amari Cooper (COVID-19) and monitor the statuses of Jared Goff (oblique), Allen Robinson II (hamstring), CeeDee Lamb (concussion), Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle), Alvin Kamara (knee), Elijah Mitchell (finger) and Ezekiel Elliott (knee).
Below are some players at each position you should start for Week 12 of the NFL season, as well as some players you should consider sitting based on matchups, injuries and trends.
NFL Thanksgiving Start 'Em
David Montgomery, RB, Bears
12:30 p.m. ET at Lions
Montgomery hasn't been stellar for fantasy purposes since returning from injury and has finished as RB35 and RB27 over the past two weeks. His workload has been encouraging, however, as he logged 14 carries to Khalil Herbert's one in Week 11 and saw 13 carries to Herbert's four in Week 10. He has RB1 value in this Thanksgiving showdown against the Lions, who are allowing the third-most fantasy points to running backs this year.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Bears
12:30 p.m. ET at Lions
Mooney has vaulted his way into fantasy relevance in spite of the Bears’ offensive struggles this year. He has strung together two solid games for fantasy in a row, one in which he scored twice and last week where he saw a whopping 16 targets for 121 yards and a touchdown. He should feast on this Lions defense — even if it’s Andy Dalton throwing the ball — and should be considered a WR2 this week with Allen Robinson II doubtful to play.
Michael Gallup, WR, Cowboys
4:30 p.m. ET vs. Raiders
Gallup has been unimpressive for fantasy purposes since returning from injured reserve, but he did see a season-high 10 targets in Week 11 against the Chiefs. With Amari Cooper already ruled out of this game due to COVID-19 protocols and CeeDee Lamb still in the concussion protocol on the short week, Gallup could be the team’s top target. He is a strong WR2 option if both Lamb and Cooper are out, and a WR3/flex play if Lamb suits up.
Dawson Knox, TE, Bills
8:20 p.m. ET at Saints
Prior to Knox's injury, he was TE4 on a per-game basis through the first six weeks of the season. He was quiet in his return to action in Week 10 and was a lone bright spot in the Bills implosion against the Colts in Week 11. He reeled in six of 10 targets for 80 yards and should offer top-12 value this week, even in a more difficult matchup against New Orleans.
Bears D/ST
12:30 p.m. ET at Lions
The Bears D/ST performed well last week — albeit against a Tyler Huntley-led Ravens team. They allowed 16 points and recorded an interception, good enough for nine fantasy points. It was their second straight finish as a top-10 defense for the week. They should be considered a top play this week against the Lions, who will either be starting Tim Boyle or Jared Goff.
NFL Thanksgiving Sit 'Em
Derek Carr, QB, Raiders
4:30 p.m. ET at Cowboys
Carr started the season off blazing hot, but has cooled off significantly, which is understandable given the many off-field distractions for the team. He had his second-worst game of the season last week and has as many touchdowns as he has interceptions over the last three games. Dallas has been permeable to the pass, but I just don’t trust this Raiders offense.
Bryan Edwards, WR, Raiders
4:30 p.m. ET at Cowboys
In good Edwards form, the Year 2 receiver bageled in Week 11 on the heels of a huge game in Week 10. It's Edwards' second goose egg in three weeks, making him nothing more than a boom-or-bust option this week against the Cowboys this week.
Zack Moss, RB, Bills
8:20 p.m. ET at Saints
Moss had his worst game of the year last week — which granted, wasn’t a great game script for the run — but he was out-touched by Matt Breida and Devin Singletary and may not be 100%. He belongs back on the waiver wire — not your Thanksgiving lineups.
T.J. Hockenson, Lions
12:30 p.m. ET vs. Bears
Hockenson mustered an okay performance with Tim Boyle under center and finished with eight fantasy points in half PPR. Jared Goff is trending toward playing, though I’m not sure how much of an upgrade that’ll be for this Lions offense. He bageled in Week 10 with Goff under center and has little appeal in a game with the lowest point total of the week and against the Bears, who have been tough against the position. You probably can’t sit him this week, but we wish you could.
