Fanduel
Log In
The Duel

Week 12 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Cardinals vs Patriots

By Max Staley

Cam Newton fantasy outlook makes him a strong start in Week 12.
Cam Newton fantasy outlook makes him a strong start in Week 12. / Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
facebooktwitterreddit

The Arizona Cardinals take on the New England Patriots in a matchup of two of the leagues' most exciting dual-threat quarterbacks. Kyler Murray's Cardinals are currently 1.5-point favorites over Cam Newton's Patriots, per FanDuel Sportsbook's Week 12 odds.

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

Kenyan Drake Fantasy

Start Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals: The Patriots' defense is not good. It may be hard to process that given Bill Belichick's defense was historically good just a year ago. But that group has fallen off in a major way. After ranking No. 1 in Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA metrics last year, New England now sits dead last at No. 32. Pretty much any fantasy-relevant Cardinal should be in your lineup this week. But we'll go with Kenyan Drake, who is averaging 84.5 yards from scrimmage per outing since returning in Week 10. In a game that the oddsmakers expect Arizona to be playing from ahead, Drake should see plenty of carries against a defense that ranks No. 28 in rush defense DVOA.

Cam Newton Fantasy

Start Cam Newton, QB, New England Patriots: Cam Newton is quietly starting to turn the corner. He's gone over at least 270 yards in two of his last three starts after failing to do so from Week 3-8. The lone game he didn't reach 270 passing yards in that stretch came in Week 10, which was played in a monsoon. If this game plays out like the oddsmakers expect it to, Newton should have plenty of opportunities in this one. And he's done a much better job of turning that into real production lately.

Chase Edmonds Fantasy

Sit Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona Cardinals: Chase Edmonds' fantasy value is entirely rooted in his pass-catching ability. Since Drake made his way back into the lineup, Edmonds is only averaging 5.0 carries over that two-game stretch. He'll need serious does of targets to return any fantasy value in this one, and he may not get that in a game the Cardinals are projected to win.

Jakobi Meyers Fantasy

Sit Jakobi Meyers, WR, New England Patriots: Jakobi Meyers looked like a legitimate breakout candidate from Week 7-10, turning 9.3 targets into 6.8 catches for 86.5 receiving yards per outing. He was fantasy's WR10 in that time. However, N'Keal Harry's return has thrown a wrench into that. Harry led all Patriots' WRs and TEs in Week 11 targets with 8, putting him well ahead of Meyers who only had 3. Even with Newton turning it around a bit, this passing game probably isn't good enough to support two fantasy-relevant WRs. It's probably best to take a wait-and-see approach with Meyers in Week 11.

SIGN UP AND GET AN INSTANT DEPOSIT BONUS UP TO 500! We'll match 20% of your first deposit on FanDuel Fantasy Sports. Max bonus $500

Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. 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.