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.

Sunday, November 23, 8:00 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold completed 16 of his 26 pass attempts for 244 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 12 win over the Tennessee Titans. Darnold had seven turnovers over his last two games coming into this week, so it was refreshing to see him play clean, turnover-free football, albeit in a softer matchup against a subpar Titans defense. The veteran quarterback had his best fantasy performance since Week 9 and will remain in the mix as a high-end QB2 for Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings in an exciting revenge game scenario. With that being said, Seattle could opt to go run-heavy against the Vikings, taking the ball out of Darnold's hands from time to time. Minnesota surrendered 146 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to the Packers in Week 12, whereas Jordan Love only threw for 139 yards and no scores.