Fantasy Football Stars Who Will Struggle in Week 12: Jordan Love, J.K. Dobbins, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp and Mark Andrews

Last week’s attempt at choosing fantasy stars who would struggle to excel went pretty well, with just one player putting up a good fantasy score (and even that came with limited production):

• Jayden Daniels threw for 191 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Eagles. He only ran for 18 yards, as Philadelphia shut down the dynamic rookie.
• James Cook had just 20 rushing yards and seven receiving yards. Oh, and he scored two touchdowns to make for a good fantasy day. And he caught five passes, a nice PPR boost. The idea was right, but Cook ended up with a great week as his team beat Kansas City.
• Drake London had just three catches against the Denver Broncos, though he was able to turn them into 61 yards to salvage a rough week while Atlanta struggled mightily.
• T.J. Hockenson had two receptions for 13 yards against Tennessee; simple enough.

Let’s do it again and identify one weekly starter at each offensive fantasy position who will struggle to excel in Week 12. I used defensive stats from NFL.com and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings to help determine the toughest matchups. I will reference those numbers often.

Quarterback

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco seems like a team lost right now. Injuries have been part of the problem, with Christian McCaffrey making his debut just a few weeks ago and Brandon Aiyuk out for the year with a torn ACL. (Maybe Ricky Pearsall getting shot before the season was a bad omen…)

The defense has played well against the pass, as the 49ers have allowed the sixth-least yards per pass attempt and 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. San Fran is also top-10 against the run; this unit is still stout.

Love doesn’t struggle the same way usual quarterbacks do: He’s averaging 260 passing yards per game and has been below 220 just once in eight games. He’s averaging two touchdowns per game, though 11 interceptions don’t help, and Love doesn’t do much running.

Love will probably have an OK fantasy game, maybe falling between QB10 and QB20. That’s not a complete failure, but Love is set up for more modest numbers against a tough defense.

Running Back

J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers vs Baltimore Ravens

You can add Gus Edwards here as well, but Dobbins is the more explosive player and the one I prefer to call a “star” (a term I admittedly have to stretch at times). Dobbins is healthy for the first time since his rookie season; the 10 games he has played in 2024 are more than the past three years combined (nine).

Dobbins is RB12 in standard scoring and RB14 in PPR, and he’s already had his bye. Fantasy owners couldn’t have asked for much more. Dobbins has double-digit carries in every game and has been below 14 only twice. He is averaging about 15 carries and 72.6 rushing yards per game.

While the Ravens have one of the worst pass defenses, they might be the best run defense in the league. Baltimore has allowed the fewest yards per rush attempt and 10th-least fantasy points per game to running backs.

The place Baltimore has been most vulnerable against backs is in the passing game, and that doesn’t translate to big success for Dobbins. He is averaging 2.5 catches and 11.5 yards per game in 2024 after averaging close to one reception per game prior to this season.

This game might rely on Justin Herbert taking over for the Chargers, and that would leave Dobbins with a scarcity of chances to score fantasy points. It’s hard to tell how this one will play out; LA has one of the best defenses in the league, and in case you haven’t heard, Baltimore is pretty good on offense. One of those units could add a big line to their championship resume.

The numbers are against Dobbins (and Edwards) having a big Week 12. There might be plenty of chances to score if the offenses win the battle, but there’s also a scenario in which the team abandons the run game for the most part, leaving the running backs with modest fantasy scores.

Wide Receiver

Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles

It’s a two-fer! Kupp and Nacua at their best might be the most devastating duo in the league. Injuries have caused both to miss multiple games this season, but both players are healthy now, having played the last four games together:

• Week 8 vs Minnesota: Nacua 7 receptions for 106 yards; Kupp 5 receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown
• Week 9 @ Seattle: Kupp 11 receptions for 104 yards; Nacua 1 reception for 11 yards (he was ejected in the first quarter)
• Week 10 vs Miami: Nacua 9 receptions for 98 yards; Kupp 7 receptions for 80 yards
• Week 11 @ New England: Nacua 7 receptions for 123 yards and 1 touchdown; Kupp 6 receptions for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns

These guys have been able to thrive together, both in real life and in fantasy football. The matchup is the big issue, though, as the Eagles have one of the best pass defenses. Philly has allowed the least yards per pass attempt and sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers.

With less available yards, it might be that just one of these receivers is able to do well. Nacua is the player more likely to excel, but Kupp could easily lead the receiving corps if Philadelphia focuses on Nacua.

You’re probably not benching either of these guys but be aware of a slow week for at least one star Rams receiver.

Tight End

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens @ Los Angeles Chargers

I mentioned above how the Chargers are a top-end defense. They have allowed the seventh-least yards per pass attempt and 10th-least fantasy points per game to tight ends. Much like LA’s run game is vulnerable to being shut down, Baltimore’s tight ends (including Isaiah Likely) might find it hard to get any open space against a tough D.

Andrews has been OK by tight end standards, averaging close to three catches and 35 yards per game. That’s far below the level we expect from Andrews, though, forcing fantasy owners to play matchups with the Baltimore tight end.

His fantasy performance has been helped by five touchdowns, but it’s hard to count on a player getting into the end zone on any given week. With the matchup dictating a big portion of Andrews’ fantasy value, he’s at the whims of the schedule.

The schedule turns against him in this one, as the Chargers have an above-average defense. The threat of a touchdown is always enticing with Lamar Jackson at quarterback, but this is likely to be a slow game for both Andrews and his MVP teammate.