Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate weekly look at NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Fantasy superstars such as Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey will not be featured in this column. All player matchups are based on a PPR scoring system. For your final starting lineup decisions, check my weekly fantasy football lineup rankings.
Byes:Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
Robinson was last week's sit of the week, but that had much to do with his matchup against Rams CB Jalen Ramsey. He has a much better opponent ahead, though, as Robinson faces a Giants defense that's allowed 131.9 yards and nine touchdown catches to receivers lined out wide. Look for a Robinson rebound at home versus Big Blue.
Ridley busted out for a huge stat line in last week's win in Carolina, and he's set up for another big game against the Buccaneers. Their defense has allowed 12 touchdown catches and the third-most fantasy points to receivers lined out wide, which is where Ridley has run 85.6 percent of his routes so far this season. He's a virtual must start.
Crowder continues to light up the competition, scoring 18-plus fantasy points in three straight games. That's no surprise, as Sam Darnold has thrown to the slot on nearly 30 percent of his throws. Keep Crowder in your lineups versus the Raiders, who have allowed nine scores and the seventh-most fantasy points to the slot this year.
Landry has been quite reliable in recent weeks, scoring 11-plus points in each of his last four games. He should make it five straight in what is a "revenge" game against the Dolphins, who have allowed eight touchdowns and a league-high 14.9 yards per catch to the slot. Consider Landry an attractive flex option in this AFC contest.
Williams hasn't scored a touchdown in three straight games, but he has a good shot to break that streak against the Jets. Receivers lined out wide have found the end zone 10 times against them this season, and the position has averaged the sixth-most fantasy points overall. Williams has run 73.5 percent of his routes out wide this season.
Start 'Em:D.J. Moore at New Orleans Saints, DeVante Parker at Cleveland Browns
Sleepers:D.K. Metcalf at Philadelphia Eagles, James Washington at Cincinnati Bengals
Sit 'Em
McLaurin continues to produce below average totals with Dwayne Haskins under center, averaging just 8.6 fantasy points compared to 15.9 points when Case Keenum was under center. What's more, this week's matchup against Lions CB Darius Slay makes it pretty tough to trust the rookie. He's a hard fade for me in this NFC contest.
Woods missed last week's game against the Bears, so his status for Week 12 is a question mark. If he is active, though, Woods will face a Ravens defense that has allowed three touchdowns and fewer than 21 fantasy points per game to receivers lined out wide. The Rams are also leaning on the run more with Jared Goff struggling.
Boyd has disappeared in the stat sheets since the Bengals went to Ryan Finley, as he's averaged just 7.1 points without Andy Dalton. Next up is a date with the Steelers, who held Boyd to 33 yards and 6.3 fantasy points in their first meeting of the season. With the Bengals also running the ball more often, Boyd is a hard fade.
Brown had a great matchup last week against the Texans, but he couldn't exploit it due to a bum ankle. Next up is a date with the Rams on Monday night, which means the rookie wideout could be shadowed by shutdown CB Jalen Ramsey. Being that he's playing at less than 100 percent, Brown is almost impossible to start this week.
Cobb has put up a combined 221 yards, two touchdowns and 44.1 fantasy points over his last two games, but this week's matchup against the Patriots will be a tough one for the veteran. Their defense has surrendered just one touchdown catch and the fifth-fewest fantasy points to the slot, so Cobb should be sidelined in fantasy leagues.
Sit 'Em:Mohamed Sanu vs. Dallas Cowboys, Darius Slayton at Chicago Bears
Busts:John Brown vs. Denver Broncos, Emmanuel Sanders at Green Bay Packers
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. You can follow Michael on **Twitter**, **Facebook**, **YouTube** and **Instagram** for all of the latest fantasy football news, notes and in-depth analysis!
