It’s always a good fantasy football idea to spend plenty of time getting the right blend at wide receiver. And this week, the same goes for running back. But here is the place for start ‘em, sit ‘em advice for defenses and special teams in Week 12 of the 2025 NFL season.
The playoffs are getting close for fantasy football managers. Teams can’t afford missteps. So this is the week to play it safe. And one of the safest plays is a very good defense taking on a very poor offense.
Start ‘em: Seattle Seahawks at Titans
Don’t miss this one. This has the earmarks of a defensive bonanza. It’s nearly impossible to predict a defensive score, but the Seahawks have a great chance for a pick-six, fumble return, or a safety. At a minimum, look for the Seahawks to force at least two turnovers and get four-plus sacks.
One thing that helps the Seahawks is that they are coming off a tough loss in their biggest game of the year. They want to respond with authority. The effort will be there because they barely missed making the plays they needed to beat the Rams, according to Seahawks.com.
“For the most part, I thought our guys played extremely hard in the back end and were assignment sound,” head coach Mike Macdonald said. “[We] played with the right leverages and did a good job to get [Matthew Stafford] off rhythm.”
It’s not about the stats in the NFL. It’s the bottom line.
“Sometimes you look at the metrics and what we look at on defense of how much we affected the quarterback, and we didn't meet our mark yesterday,” Macdonald said. “So there's room to grow as well, but the guys rushed hard. I thought they rushed together. We were making team decisions, which is great.
“And I thought we made smart decisions when we did get to the quarterback and hitting him legally. And also making him know that we were there as well. So, it's good, but it's also, ‘Hey, we didn't hit our mark.' And I think when you're not affecting the quarterback consistently, that's one of the metrics that really drives winning football.”
Start ‘em: Cleveland Browns at Raiders
Let’s face it, the Raiders’ offensive line is not very good. It will struggle to hold up against Myles Garrett, who leads the NFL with 15 sacks.
The Browns are coming off a good game in a tough loss to the Ravens, according to cleveland.com.
“Yeah, I thought there was some outstanding moments out there from our defense,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Obviously, Myles got to the quarterback a bunch of times. I thought he and the defensive line provided pressure throughout the game. Obviously, there’s plays that we want back, but I thought to stand up and hold them to field goals in the red zone was a big deal in that football game.”
Geno Smith had almost no time to throw against the Cowboys, who don’t have a player like Garrett. How much worse will it be for Smith and the Raiders’ offensive line this week?
Start ‘em: Baltimore Ravens vs. Jets
With Tyrod Taylor taking over at quarterback for the Jets, the Ravens will have to deal with a veteran presence. But make no bones about it, this Ravens’ defense is looking better.
Harbaugh said he liked what he saw against the Browns last week, according to baltimoreravens.com.
“I thought [the defense] played the same the whole game,” Harbaugh said. “Yes, they hit a couple of runs on us early. We had to clean up a gap control and some tackling, and once we got that cleaned up, it seemed like they were rolling.
“The pressure of the pass rush was incredible, especially in the second half. How many sacks, many quarterback hits – [they] really didn't give Shedeur Sanders a chance to breathe really at all. I thought the coverage was really good, man coverage. Just tight coverage and batting balls out and getting PBUs, [and] of course, the sacks. I'm just couldn't be more proud of those guys.”
Sit ‘em: Green Bay Packers vs. Vikings
It’s a sad thing. But from a fantasy perspective, the Packers’ defense is a wasted roster spot. And this comes from a fantasy manager who hung on to them all season. No more.
The Vikings’ offense doesn’t strike fear into anybody. And J.J. McCarthy has unlimited inaccuracy. However, the Packers simply don’t make plays. Yes, they limit big plays and hold the scores down. But those things don’t count in the world of fantasy football.
Edge rusher Micah Parsons simply hasn’t made the big-play impact the Packers expected him to do.
