Week 12 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Bears vs Lions (Thanksgiving Day Game)

The Detroit Lions will aim to earn their first victory of the season when they host the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day in Week 12 of the NFL season. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Bears slated as 3.5-point road favorites in a game that could end up going down to the wire.

Thanksgiving Fantasy Picks

If you need some help with your fantasy lineups, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice for this Week 12 NFC North clash.

David Montgomery Fantasy

Start David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears: Running back David Montgomery has looked great in his two games played since returning from a knee injury in Week 9. The third-year pro has rushed for 121 yards on 27 carries during that span (4.5 average) and hauled in all three of his targets for 26 yards. Montgomery has proven to be the goal-line back on this offense and now gets to face a Lions' team that has allowed 10 rushing touchdown to opposing RBs this season. That mark only trails that of the Los Angeles chargers (13) and New York Jets (17). Overall, Detroit has posted the fourth-worst rush defense DVOA rating. Start Montgomery with confidence on Thursday.

TJ Hockenson Fantasy

Start TJ Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions: This is a great matchup for Detroit wide receivers, but that group showed last week that it cannot be trusted. Meanwhile, tight end TJ Hockenson led the team with 8 targets and ended the game with 51 receiving yards on 6 receptions. It was a perfect bounce-back performance from the dud he posted in Week 10. While the Bears have been solid against TEs, Hockenson did haul in 4 of his 8 targets for 42 yards back in Week 4 against this defense. Assuming Tim Boyle starts at quarterback, Hockenson joins running back D'Andre Swift as the only two players worth starting on this team.

Cole Kmet Fantasy

Sit Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears: Tight end Cole Kmet had been on a hot streak before his disappointing effort in Week 11. The former Notre Dame standout was shut down by a Baltimore Ravens' defense that has struggled to defend TEs all season (1 reception, 12 yards). Kmet may have trouble getting open on Thanksgiving as the Lions have been sneaky good against opposing TEs. Detroit is giving up the 11th-fewest PPR fantasy points to the position, which includes just 2 touchdowns. It would be best to keep Kmet on the bench until he shows a bit more consistency.

Jamaal Williams Fantasy

Sit Jamaal Williams, RB, Detroit Lions: Fantasy managers questioned what role running back Jamaal Williams would take on in his return to the field last week. Well, it was clear that he is merely a handcuff to Swift right now. Williams played in a season-low 27% of the offensive snaps and failed to see a single target in the passing attack for the second consecutive game. Swift finished the game with 136 rushing yards on 14 carries, further proving his dominance. To make matters worse, the Bears have been stellar at shutting down pass-catching RBs this season. This is not the time to move Williams into a FLEX spot.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.