With the fantasy playoffs fast approaching, there’s a lot on the line this week. Whether you’re jockeying for seeding or sitting on the postseason bubble, your squad’s week 12 performance can go a long way towards setting the table for a run to fake football glory.

Of course, the NFL rarely goes according to script so there’s bound to be plenty of unlikely heroes and busts. With this in mind, we asked our Featured Experts to tell us who will surprise as quality starts this week along with the players that are poised to disappoint. If you don’t see anyone on your team listed below, be sure to check out our Who Should I Start? tool and import your league into My Playbook for recommendations specific to your squad.

Q1: Name a player that may not typically be a starting option that you are HIGH on this week? Give us an example of a player or two you like him better than as a starter.

KENNY STILLS (NO vs. BAL)

“With the Saints’ Brandin Cooks landing on the shelf, Stills should find his way into many fake football lineups in week 12. Quarterback Drew Brees looked for Stills at least four times in each game since week seven and the the two have connected at least three times in each of those contests. While Stills has only eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark once and landed in the end zone just twice, he should get more attention this week against a Baltimore defense who is among the top five most generous to opposing fantasy wide receivers. I’m starting Stills at the FLEX over other pass catchers like Julian Edelman, Cecil Shorts and Rueben Randle.”

– Alan Harrison (The Fantasy Fix)

LATAVIUS MURRAY (OAK vs. KC)

“My Week 12 sleeper is Murray, who saw a season-high four carries in Week 11. In a lot of ways, this is a pick against the Raiders other options, Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew, who are both in the bottom five of backs with less than 1.85 yards after contact per attempt. Both backs could be gone in 2016, and the winless Raiders will likely want to look at Murray to plan for next season. I have Murray ranked as the 45th back in Week 12, which is more of a deep-league start, but if he sees double-digit carries this week, he will likely jump inside my top 25 for the fantasy playoffs.”

– Scott Spratt (Pro Football Focus)

ANQUAN BOLDIN (SF vs. WAS)

“He isn’t the Boldin of old, but it’s worth looking at his numbers recently. In most formats he’s considered a low end WR2 or WR3, but he may be a better option this week than many are predicting. Over the last three games Boldin has been targeted 28 times. That’s more than teammate Michael Crabtree who is the only other real competitor for catches in the offense right now. In fact, he has been the tenth most targeted receiver in the league over that span. Boldin has the highest catch percentage on the team at 56%, so production potential should continue as long as the heavy targets keep up. The matchup is great against a questionable Washington defense in Week 12. Look for Boldin to have a big week especially in PPR formats.”

– Kelly Smelser (Punch Drunk Wonderland)

TRENT RICHARDSON (IND vs. JAC)

“Although he is averaging a paltry 3.4 YPC this season, with Ahmad Bradshaw out TRich should now see the vast majority of snaps at the RB position, including goal line snaps in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars that figures to see the Colts ahead by plenty, with ample opportunity to run the ball. I’d start Richardson ahead of guys like Lamar Miller (at DEN) and Joique Bell (at NE).”

– KJ (Fantasy Team Advice)

JOSH MCCOWN (TB at CHI)

“The Buccaneers quarterback has been pretty mediocre overall this year, but in week 12 he gets a bad Bears defense that hasn’t had much success on their own field (or at all). While McCown hasn’t blown the lid off yet, he has turned in four games with multiple scores and he’s shown well enough since returning as the starter the past two weeks. He’s a borderline QB1 this week and I like him better than guys like Matthew Stafford, Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton.”

Kevin Roberts (Breaking Football)

BRIAN HOYER (CLE at ATL)

“I know, I know. His performance lately has left a lot to be desired & the whispers for “Johnny Football” are getting louder. He has a few things working in his favor this week, though. First, Josh Gordon returns to the starting lineup and that cannot be overstated. Hoyer threw 5 TDs last year in his 2 full games he played with Gordon and averaged 295 yards passing as well. Second, he goes against a defense that’s given up the most passing yards in the NFL in Atlanta (who will be missing CB Robert Alford). I’d play him over guys such as Matt Stafford, Russell Wilson, and Colin Kaepernick.”

– Tom Poisal (Top Tier Football)

Q2: On the flip side, who is one player who will disappoint fantasy owners and represents a BENCH candidate as a result.

JONAS GRAY (NE vs. DET)

“Gray’s Week 11 performance against the Indianapolis Colts was enormous, but you’re setting yourself up for disappointment if you snatched him up off the waiver wire expecting production like that down the stretch. While Gray certainly has upside, you have to remember that running back production in New England’s offense is 100% gameplan determined. A single back seeing 38 carries for the Pats is more than anomalous. Gray and the Patriots aren’t going to be able to work the same plan against a tough Lions defense in Week 12 and pounding the ball on the ground likely won’t play out well. Gray doesn’t get involved very much as a receiver out of the backfield, so his lack of versatility limits his role in the offense. Fellow running back, Shane Vereen, is the player in the New England backfield with more upside this week. Don’t count on a Gray to get anywhere against Detroit, and don’t be fooled. If owners are expecting strong numbers out of him this week, they’ll be regretting it later.”

– Kelly Smelser (Punch Drunk Wonderland)

ANDRE JOHNSON (HOU vs. CIN)

“Although Johnson is typically a plug-and-play type of fake receiver, owners may want to look to their bench or the waiver wire for potential replacements in week 12. The Texans square up with the Bengals who are among the top five least generous defenses to opposing fantasy wide receivers, and, they are also among the top five most generous to opposing ball carriers. On paper, it appears as if the Texans’ running game could get the bulk of the work on Sunday, so I’ll consider benching Andre Johnson with game flow on my mind.”

– Alan Harrison (The Fantasy Fix)

ALFRED MORRIS (WAS at SF)

“Morris takes on the San Francisco 49ers this week, a team that ranks 6th against the run in 2014 giving up just 88.6 yards per game on the ground. I have Morris as a low end flex play, putting up somewhere between 40-60 yards total. If owners have a better option on their bench, this would be the week to sit AlMo.”

– KJ (Fantasy Team Advice)

FRANK GORE (SF vs. WAS)

“Gore has put up two solid games in a row and his role is fairly reliable, but this week he goes about up against a Redskins run defense that ranks #3 on the year. They’ve slipped a bit over the past few weeks but they’re still a stiff defense to face and Gore isn’t as spry as he used to be. In other words, he’s a touchdown dependent Flex play and you can probably do better.”

Kevin Roberts (Breaking Football)

PHILIP RIVERS (SD vs. STL)

“For week 12, I would bench Rivers in shallower formats. Rivers threw at least two touchdowns for seven weeks in a row, but he has just one touchdown against three interceptions in his last two games. His recent performance suggests he has not gotten over his rib injury, and St. Louis is a bad team to face hurt. Robert Quinn has reasserted himself as a dominant pass rusher over the last month, most recently with three quarterback hits, three quarterback hurries, and two batted passes in the Rams’ upset win over the Broncos last week.”

– Scott Spratt (Pro Football Focus)

MARK SANCHEZ (PHI vs. TEN)

“Sanchez is a popular pick this week (ECR QB #9) but I’m a bit leery of him. He faces a Tennessee defense that has really picked things up over the past 3 games having given up 193, 161 and 180 passing yards, respectively. Their pass rush has also improved as evidenced by 20 sacks over the past 5 games. For the season, the Titans have given up the 4th least points to QBs. Meanwhile, Sanchez has put up solid passing numbers but also has turned the ball over 6 times in 3 games. While Chip Kelly’s offense has made Sanchez fantasy-relevant, I’m still not convinced we won’t see more classic Sanchez moments in the near future.”

– Tom Poisal (Top Tier Football)

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As always, thanks to the Experts for sharing their suggestions. To get more advice, please visit their sites (click their names below) and follow them on Twitter.

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