The playoffs are just around the corner! In the last week before the Turkey Day games, we need to dig deep to find good starts while we deal with bye-pocalypse. Let’s talk Week 12 IDP Start or Sit!
WHY ARE BYE WEEKS STILL HAPPENING? We have 6 teams out this week, while we make pushes for the playoffs. Not only are there 6 teams, but you could make a legitimate championship-contending O+IDP roster out of just these 6 teams. Absolutely brutal. Well, that is part of the point of this article, to help find worthwhile starts through the muck. I had to dig deep in some spots this week, but after a stronger showing in Week 11 than Week 10, I am confident we can find some great hits! That is assuming we don’t get another random Jack Gibbens-like drop to timeshare/injury… Let’s dive in and get you one step closer to fantasy glory!
Disclaimers! In this series, we will not name the stars like Myles Garrett and Fred Warner (unless something causes one to be a sit). I will also do my best to avoid an absurdly deep-cut former prospect that I love (if you follow the RoD PoD, you know I can tend to do this!) In this series I will be basing picks off of a balanced scoring system (like the IDP+ Invitational, which also boosts DTs and CBs to even their production out), to cover as many bases as possible! Please also note that mentions of previous finishes/points allowed come from the IDP+ data suite. If you have a more complex league scoring system, these suggestions may serve as a baseline. For a more degenerate breakdown, jump into the Discord and chat with our stellar team! Now that the intro is done, let’s introduce the week 12 start-sit options!
Start: DT Gervon Dexter Sr, Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings
Dexter had an incredible first 5 weeks but has been up-and-down in the last 5 weeks. Despite fantasy inconsistency, Dexter has shown vast improvement against the run (his best 4 games have been the last 4 per PFF). His pass rush metrics are middling but consistent. He has also taken the DT1 role over, with snap count percentage points 30+ higher than any other DT over the past month. The Vikings have been the best DT matchup over the past 3 weeks, giving Dexter a good chance to break back out. He has 15 tackles in the last 4 games, which should maintain (with sack upside) in the great matchup. Jeffery Simmons finished as DT10 last week, so we will ride the hot streak here!
Last week: Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee Titans vs Minnesota Vikings. Finished with 19 points (IDPI scoring). 4 solo tackles along with a fumble forced and recovered.
Thank you all for taking the time and trust to read my start-sit article! I am honored and excited to go through this exercise each week and hope that I am able to help y’all win some matchups. I will not be perfect, but promise to give this my best each week and give well-thought and backed information. Feel free to reach out to chat with me about this (or anything else!) in discord or on X, where you can find me @JoeLow63. Please also check out my podcast, Ride or Dynasty (@RideorDynasty on X) with myself, Jameson Hutchison (@Jamesonrulez) and host JJ Wenner (@JJWenner) LIVE on X each Thursday at 6EST/4MT and in your podcast feeds Friday mornings! Check out more articles here!
