Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Sam Darnold

Sunday, November 23, 9:38 AM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco will get one more opportunity to start after Joe Burrow (toe) was ruled out for Sunday's Week 12 contest against the New England Patriots. While Burrow was trending in the right direction for this week, the Bengals have ultimately decided to keep him on injured reserve for at least a few more days. As a result, Flacco will remain installed as Cincinnati's starting quarterback for Week 12. He's coming off an uninspiring 199-yard clunker against the Steelers, and although he has five touchdowns over his last two games, he also has four turnovers during that span. To make matters worse, he'll be without Ja'Marr Chase (suspension), shifting Tee Higgins to the top receiver role. New England's defense has been strong this season, but it's best at stopping the run. The Patriots have allowed the ninth-most passing yards, seventh-most passing touchdowns, and 12th-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2025. This matchup and situation are best defined as "good, not great." That sentiment is reflected in RotoBaller's ranking of Burrow as the overall QB17 this week.

Tuesday, November 25, 11:21 AM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold avoided mistakes and delivered another efficient performance in a Week 12 win over the Tennessee Titans, completing 16 of 26 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. After turning it over seven times in the past two games, Darnold took advantage of a poor Titans defense and put up his best fantasy performance since eviscerating the Washington Commanders for 330 yards and four touchdowns in Week 9. The 28-year-old repeatedly looked for superstar wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba and delivered a few beautiful deep balls for explosive gains, including a 63-yard touchdown. Darnold likely shouldn't be viewed as an every-week starter for fantasy purposes due to the low pass volume and poor track record against top-flight defenses. But he gets a revenge spot in Week 13 against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings.