Last-Minute Week 12 Start/Sit Decisions | Should You Start Justin Fields, Khalil Herbert, Ty Chandler, Jordan Addison and Others?
Determining the best starting options from the Monday night game between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.
Week 12 of the NFL season wraps up with an NFC North clash between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.
While it’s not the best contest for a primetime game, there’s plenty of starting worthy fantasy players on each team, which has FantasySP’s start/sit tool full of trending decisions. Like we have the past couple weeks, we will address the game as a whole instead of writing individual stories for each position.
Explore the best in-season tool to manage lineup/start decisions including predictive waiver analytics to help prioritize waiver pickups, projections, auction values, trade suggestions, trade value charts, rest of season rankings, power rankings, and tons more with Fantasy Assistant. Use our fantasy football trade analyzer to break down trade scenarios.
Quarterback Breakdown
One of the start/sit trending decisions is between quarterbacks Joshua Dobbs and Justin Fields.
Dobbs has looked good in his first three games with the Vikings, leading them to a 2-1 record. He’s thrown for over 200 yards and a touchdown in each of his two starts. Dobbs has four touchdowns to just one interception since joining the Vikings.
Dobbs has rushed for a touchdown in each of his games in Minnesota, and he’s scored on the ground in five games straight overall. He’s topped 20 rushing yards and attempted at least seven rushes in his three games with Minnesota.
This is a favorable matchup on paper for Dobbs, as the Bears’ defense allows 19 fantasy points per week. He should have all his offensive weapons that he’s played with so far around him on Monday.
Fields returned to the field in week 11 for the Bears after missing a couple weeks with an injury. He threw for 169 yards and a touchdown, while not throwing an interception. Fields looked like his old self on the ground, rushing for 104 yards on 18 attempts.
It was his best rushing game of the season. That contest was just his second in which he didn’t throw an interception.
This is an average matchup on paper for Fields, as Minnesota’s defense allows 16 fantasy points per week. The Vikings do a good job of limiting QBs on the ground.
Verdict: This is a pretty intriguing QB fantasy matchup. If both guys take care of the ball, I think both will produce healthy fantasy outings. I’d roll with Dobbs if choosing between the two, simply because he’s been the more consistent quarterback this season. The favorable matchup for Dobbs also helps a bit.
Running Back Breakdown
The two teams have a few fantasy options at the running back position. Minnesota has Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler, while Chicago has Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson.
Mattison and Chandler have shared the backfield workload over the past two games. Mattison had five more touches last week, but Chandler was the better fantasy player because of his work as a pass catcher.
Mattison played 48 snaps last week, while Chandler was at 23. This is a favorable matchup for the Minnesota backs, as Chicago allows 25 fantasy points per week to opposing backs.
Herbert and Johnson will share the backfield this week, with D’Onta Foreman out with an injury.
Last game, Herbert got 18 touches across 32 offensive snaps played. It was his first game back from an injury.
Johnson played 25 snaps after the injury to Foreman. Johnson finished with six touches.
It’s a tougher matchup for the Chicago backs, as Minnesota’s defense allows only 18 fantasy points to RBs per week.
Verdict: While two running backs can’t always produce, the matchup makes Mattison and Chandler pretty solid fantasy options for Monday. The injury to Foreman should mean Herbert gets a majority of the touches for Chicago, so even though he’s facing a better defense, he’s still a decent fantasy option. I like Mattison the best in this contest because he’ll get the most snaps against the worst defense. I would also lean toward starting Chandler over Herbert as well, and then only start Johnson in a pinch.
Wide Receiver Breakdown
We won’t get to see the return of Justin Jefferson, even though he was questionable on the final injury report.
That leaves Jordan Addison, Brandon Powell and K.J. Osborn as the Vikings’ best wide receivers for Monday’s game.
Addison has been the most consistent pass catcher, with at least six targets in each of the past four games. He’s scored seven times this season.
Osborn has been a better fantasy option than Powell, but Powell has more targets of late. Osborn has just four targets since a 10-target contest four weeks ago. Powell has 15 targets over the past four games, with between 3-5 each contest.
This is an average matchup for wide receivers, as the Chicago defense allows WRs to score 34 points per week.
Chicago is led by D.J. Moore, who has nearly 900 receiving yards and six touchdowns this season.
Darnell Mooney has been the team’s second-best fantasy wideout, but had just one target last week. Tyler Scott has five targets over the past three weeks. Equanimeous St. Brown played the third-most snaps at the position last week.
It’s a more favorable matchup for the Bears’ receivers, as the Vikings’ defense allows 38 fantasy points to the position per week.
Verdict: With Jefferson out, this Monday night matchup lacks a ton of top-end talent at wide receiver. Addison and Moore are the only guys I’d be confident enough in starting, with Moore being the top fantasy option. After those two, I’d go in this order: Mooney, Powell, Osborn, St. Brown and Scott.
Tight End Breakdown
What the game lacks at wide receiver it makes up for at the tight end position.
T.J. Hockenson is one of the top players at the position and is a must start for me each week. He had a bit of a down week in week 11, and still had four receptions for 55 yards.
Josh Oliver had a surprise 47-yard, one-touchdown performance for Minnesota on four catches and targets last week.
This is a pretty solid matchup for the tight ends, as Chicago’s defense allows 13 fantasy points to the position.
Cole Kmet is one of three Bears’ tight ends that play, but is the only one that’s relevant for fantasy purposes. He’s caught five touchdowns this season.
It’s a bit of a tougher matchup for Kmet, as the Vikings allow just 11 fantasy points per week.
Verdict: Hockenson is a must start for me, and this week is no different. I think he could be the top pass catcher in the game. I’d take Kmet over Oliver, of course.
Final Thoughts and Preferred Flex Players
I like the Vikings to prevail at home, and to cover the spread. I don’t think either team will score many points. My final score prediction would be Minnesota 24-17.
The only must-start player for me is Hockenson. Everyone else I’m at least a bit skeptical about.
If you have flex spots to fill, here is how I’d rank all the players in this game: Hockenson, Moore, Addison, Kmet, Mattison, Chandler, Herbert, Mooney, Powell, Osborn, Oliver, Johnson, St. Brown, Scott.
When talking about an offensive position (OP) spot, I’d move Dobbs and Fields above all the other flex options.
Best of luck with your last-minute start decisions!
