Welcome to the 9th 2022 edition of Fantasy Football: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Ems. Many students here at BHS are involved in fantasy football leagues. Many also fail to receive guidance on the important weekly decisions that may change the outcome of their matchups. I, along with guest analysts, will break down a handful of players at each position weekly and give you advice. Any readers with specific players they would like covered are encouraged to email to myself (at the end of this article) or other analysts. 

Here’s last week’s results: 

My Previous Starts:

QB: Justin Fields, QB10 (25 Points). Although Fields had a down game for himself where he battled a shoulder injury which hampered his running confidence, he still mustered his way to a calm 25 points and a small win for me.

RB: Isiah Pacheco, T-RB21 (10 Points) and Brian Robinson Jr., T-RB36 (5 Points). Pacheco had a terrific Sunday Night game that didn’t totally translate into a great fantasy week. His 7+ yards per carry led him to a 100 yard performance, but no receiving or goalline work limited him to 10 points. He should be a must start from here on out, but today, he only gets a small win. Robinson Jr, on the other hand, struggled as he has generally this year. L

WR: Tee Higgins, T-WR4 (23 Points). Higgins exploded as Burrow’s top target last week, and finished among the upper echelon of wideouts this week. Big win. 

TE: Cole Kmet, T-TE16 (6 points). Kmet struggled to reach the endzone, therefore capping his points at 6. Loss for me

My Previous Sits: 

QB: Derek Carr, T-QB11 (24 Points). Carr performed well and found his usual egregious Adams bomb TD, capping their OT win and a loss for me.

RB: Michael Carter, T-RB49 (2 Points). Carter predictably stunk it up big time this week, but handed me a win of a pick. 

WR: Parris Campbell, T-WR31 (11 Points). Campbell had a solid performance, but nothing eye-popping. Win for me. 

TE: Tyler Higbee, T-TE9 (8 points). Higbee, like Campbell, was not bad but not extraordinary either. Win for me. 

I’m a harsh critic of myself, but I’d say I was a nice 6/9 (66.6%) for last week, and 35/62 (56.5%) on the year. 

So now, heading into Week 12, here’s my advice:

Start ‘Ems (Who you should START this week)

QB: Geno Smith (Seattle)

Smith, in the midst of a career year, will go up against a bottom-feeder defense in Seattle when the Seahawks face the Raiders. In his last three games, he has between 22 and 25 points each time. This week, he will either match or exceed that margin. 

RB: Jeff Wilson Jr. (Miami) and Rachaad White (Tampa Bay)

Wilson has had his two best weeks in the last two, and with Raheem Mostert out, Wilson seems too good to be true against the worst run defense in the league. I will be purely bewildered if he flops this week. Another guy, Rachaad White of the Bucs, should explode. White is a three-down back this week with Leonard Fournette most likely out, and looked great last week in his extended playing time. He also looks primed for a big game against a lowly Browns defense. 

WR: Michael Pittman Jr. (Indianapolis)

The week after I told you to sit his teammate, Parris Campbell, I’m telling you to start Pittman. It’s funny how the world works sometimes. The Steelers secondary will have trouble containing Pittman, who is itching to explode for 100+ yards and a pair of touchdowns. He is so due for a monster performance, and there’s no better time than a big Monday Night game. 

TE: Hayden Hurst (Cincinnati)

Tight ends have been so annoyingly unpredictable this year, but I’m still gonna give it my best shot. Hurst has consistently had a sizable role all year, and with teammate Ja’Marr Chase’s status still up in the year, Hurst may be called upon to step up a bit. I’m not predicting a monster Travis-Kelce like performance, but I think he will have a cool double-digit performance against a solid Titans defense in Nashville. 

Sit ‘Ems (Who you should SIT this week)

QB: Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay)

Rodgers is coming off his best two weeks of the year, but is coming into a very hard matchup against a stellar Eagles defense. Temper your expectations for Rodgers, because he will regress out of the 20 point range this week. 

RB: Cordarrelle Patterson (Atlanta)

Patterson is a great player, but this almighty Commanders defensive line will grind the run game to a halt. Patterson won’t have a total dud, but in some smaller leagues, try and look for other options for your RB2/FLEX spot. 

WR: Darnell Mooney (Chicago) and Terrace Marshall Jr. (Carolina)

Mooney has been a super solid player after many dropped him after a slow start. The uber-talented WR will have either an injured Justin Fields or a healthy but really bad Trevor Siemian as his QB this week. Tack onto that Sauce Gardner on him in coverage, and he is lined up for a big fat dud. Marshall is a bit sneakier of a pick as he has only started to play well recently as a former-2nd round pick from LSU. Marshall has a tough matchup against a Broncos secondary full of ballers. Don’t get smart and try to start Marshall. 

TE: Trey McBride (Arizona)

The 2022 second round pick for the Cardinals is in line for a start in the absence of Zach Ertz. Just don’t start him, he hasn’t put up outstanding numbers. I know there are plenty of managers desperate for a tight end after a spree of recent TE injuries/poor play, but he cannot be the solution. 

Thank you for tuning in. If you have requests for next edition, email me at [email protected]. Good luck this week to all!