With only two weeks left in the fantasy football regular season after Week 12, the time has come to make tough choices in order to reach the postseason. With no byes on tap for Week 13 with the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, managers will have their full complement of players available, leaving no excuses not to sit stars who are trending the wrong way in crunch time.
While Sam Darnold did bounce back after being featured in this space last week, the matchups on tap for some of this week's dishonorable nominees aren't favorable in Week 13. Let's take a look at some fantasy stars who should hit your benches after Week 12, beginning with a pair of Chicago Bears.
Fantasy football stars who should be benched after Week 12
WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears
Despite seeing a thrilling 31-28 win help Chicago's postseason hopes, fantasy managers have to be concerned about the production they are getting from Odunze. Caleb Williams looked Odunze's win nine times in Week 12, but the pair connected for only three receptions netting 53 yards, marking the third time in four games that the second-year pass catcher has underwhelmed compared to his target volume.
A Week 9 donut in a shootout with Cincinnati was a lowlight for Odunze, but the modest production has become an unfortunate trend. Since Chicago's bye in Week 5, Odunze has had two blow-up games (a 7-114 line in Week 8 and a 6-86-1 spot in Week 10) and a bunch of flex-worthy games, which is not the star we were promised after he racked up five spikes in the Bears' first four games.
A Black Friday showdown with the Eagles' elite defense won't do much to help Odunze, who will have to deal with Williams' inconsistencies navigating Vic Fangio's complex coverage looks. The target volume Odunze receives offers hope of a flex floor, but this does not look like a spot where he will add his third blow-up game post bye.
RB D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
While Williams' struggles in Chicago should be good in theory for Swift and the Bears' running game, the veteran back had a big boo-boo on Sunday against the Steelers. While Pittsburgh's run defense stuffed Swift, who had eight carries for 15 yards, he didn't help his cause by fumbling the football in the second quarter.
Head coach Ben Johnson has been big on cutting down mistakes, so it came as no surprise that 1B Kyle Monangai out-touched Swift on the day, racking up 12 carries compared to Swift's eight. Monangai also found pay dirt, racking up 48 yards on the afternoon, and looked far more effective as a runner than Swift did against the tough Steelers' front seven.
This kind of effort could lead Johnson to turn his backfield into a true platoon against the Eagles on Friday, which is not a good thing for his fantasy prospects since Monangai is getting more red zone work. Philadelphia's defense has been better against the run than the pass this season, which could spell a negative game script for Swift in a nationally televised game.
Minnesota Vikings' pass catchers
We offered a warning about the Vikings' receivers in this space recently due to poor quarterback play, and that trend continued in Week 12. J.J. McCarthy was unable to solve the Packers' defense, completing 12-of-19 passes for just 87 yards with two interceptions, averaging only 4.6 yards per attempt.
While Green Bay is an elite defensive front when playing to their potential, McCarthy needs to show some signs of progress in order to make his playmakers usable fantasy assets. T.J. Hockenson caught four passes for just 19 yards while Jordan Addison got blanked, leaving Justin Jefferson as the top pass catcher with a flex-worthy 4/48 line on six targets.
The Vikings are going nowhere this season but need McCarthy to keep getting reps to improve, which he has shown flashes of at times, so they will let McCarthy start (barring injury) the rest of the way. McCarthy's growing pains are sinking his pass catchers, so it's tough to rely on any of them (even Jefferson, whose ceiling is a flex at this point) with your fantasy life on the line.
RB Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars' offense has generated two fantasy-worthy running backs as rookie Bhaysal Tuten has joined Travis Etienne, offering value to managers this season. That trend changed abruptly in Week 12 as Tuten laid an egg against Arizona, turning 7 carries into 17 yards, while Etienne essentially doubled him up in terms of touches.
Etienne received 15 carries and ran for 86 yards, while adding three catches for 30 yards and a score for good measure. It looked as if Tuten was carving out a role for himself after getting 15 carries last week in a blowout win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but Week 12 clearly showed that he is the clear backup to Etienne if the game is close.
While Tuten does have value as a handcuff back for Etienne owners, or a lottery ticket for those who don't, his value as a standalone fantasy starter is extremely limited. The hope for those turning to Tuten in Week 13 is that Jacksonville blows out Tennessee, which would lead to some garbage time work for him, and that is far from guaranteed since the Titans have been a difficult out in Nashville.