Fantasy football: Week 12 start/sit advice for Team Outsports Equality

Happy Thanksgiving! On behalf of everyone here at Outsports, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving filled with food and football. Whichever family you are spending the holiday with, we hope that you are surrounded by people who love and care about you.

With no openly gay players in the league, we formed a fantasy team from players who have shown their support for LGBT issues in interviews with Outsports and other media.

Here are our starts and sits for Week 12:

Quarterback

Start: Andrew Luck vs. Dolphins

Luck has not thrown for fewer than three touchdowns since Week 3 and he has the Colts riding a four-game winning streak. He’s taking the reins as the top QB in our arsenal and with a matchup against the Dolphins on Sunday, I expect his reign to continue.

Sit: Aaron Rodgers @ Vikings (SNF), Cam Newton vs. Seahawks, Derek Carr @ Ravens, Russell Wilson @ Panthers

All of these are harsh matchups for each quarterback, and with Luck moving ahead of the pack, this foursome will sit on the sidelines for the team this week.

Running back

Start: Jordan Howard @ Lions (Thurs.), Frank Gore @ Colts

Howard gets the start despite a really short week against the Lions. The forecast is not bright for the Bears, but if the team can find a way to win this one, watch out for them to make a run in January. Gore is coming off the bye against his former team and will look to make a splash.

Sit: Giovani Bernard vs. Browns, Kyle Juszczyk @ Buccaneers

Bernard was nearly the starter but ultimately lost out to Gore. He can be a sneaky under-the-radar flex play, but he’s less likely to break out than Gore.

Wide receiver/flex

Start: Davante Adams @ Vikings (SNF), DeAndre Hopkins vs. Titans (MNF), Adam Thielen vs. Packers (SNF)

All of these receivers will look to make late splashes in our hypothetical matchup.

Adams looked strong with two TD’s last week against the Seahawks on TNF. Extra rest and a depleting receiver corps will help Adams this week.

Hopkins has eight touchdowns this season and at least one in the last five games. One of his TD’s came against the Titans in a Week 2 matchup, his opponent for MNF in Week 12.

Thielen has not hit the century mark in yards in the last two games, but will look to get back on track on SNF against the Packers. Thielen had 12 catches for 131 yards in Week 2 against Green Bay.

Sit: Marquise Goodwin @ Bucs, Kenny Stills @ Colts, T.Y. Hilton vs. Dolphins, Robert Woods vs. Chiefs (BYE)

Hilton nearly grabbed a starting spot this week with his 9-155-2 stat line last week against the Titans, but narrowly missed out to Adams.

Tight end

Start: Rob Gronkowski @ Jets

He’s BAAAACCCCKKKKK! And what a fantastic matchup to come back to.

Sit: Travis Kelce (BYE)

Enjoy the bye. Rest up so you can come back strong.

Defense

Start: Los Angeles Chargers vs. Cardinals

For the third straight week, the Chargers appear as a good pick for the defense this week. Joey Bosa’s back, Casey Heyward remains strong in the secondary and they’re going to feast on Josh Rosen like he’s a Thanksgiving turkey.

Kicker

Start: Matt Prater vs. Bears

Prater has a good Thanksgiving track record, and so do the Lions. Detroit has won four of their past five Thanksgiving games.

Sit: Brandon McManus vs. Steelers

McManus redeemed himself on Sunday, sinking a game-winner as time expired while missing the game-winning FG in the previous game. He narrowly misses out on a starting spot to Prater, mostly because the Steelers’ defense has kept kickers off the field lately.

LGBT Focus

Rob Gronkowski

Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Read more on these players’ LGBT views:

• These eight players would support a gay teammate (from 2018)
• These New England Patriots linemen would support a gay teammate (from 2018)
• 14 NFL Pro Bowlers say they would welcome a gay teammate (from 2017)
• NFL players react to Michael Sam coming out (from 2014)
• 62 active NFL players who have made statements in support of gays (from 2013)
• Carson Palmer, 12 Indianapolis Colts would embrace openly gay teammate (from 2013)

Jeremy Brener is a student at the University of Central Florida who writes for Outsports. He can be reached via email (jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com) and followed on Twitter.