Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Week 12: Tyrone Tracy Jr., Darius Slayton | Sporting News

The New York Giants (2-8) are coming off their bye week and will be hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6).

Both franchises will be looking to snap losing streaks. New York has lost their last five games and Tampa has lost their last four. The difference between both organizations is that the Bucs need this win to keep their playoff hopes alive while this is already a lost season for New York. 

For fantasy purposes, you can still lean on Tyrone Tracy Jr. and there is a sneaky receiver outside of Malik Nabers you could slide into your lineups this weekend. 

Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Tyrone Tracy Jr.  

This season, the rookie running back has been a pleasant surprise for the struggling Giants offense. He has 17+ touches in five of the last of his six games. Per NFL Pro, Tracy Jr. leads all rookies with 54.5 rushing YPG heading into Week 12. 

He will be facing a Tampa defense that has allowed the 10th-most PPG to running backs this season per Pro Football Reference. The Bucs have struggled against top backs on opposing offenses heading into their bye week. 

They allowed four running backs to finish with at least 106 total yards in their last four games. They also gave up five touchdowns to running backs in those contests. 

With the expectation that Tracy Jr. will continue to see the volume of touches and face a defense that has struggled against running backs, he is a high-end RB2. 

Verdict: Start ‘Em

Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Darius Slayton

Slayton has been up and down this season, which can be blamed on the inconsistent play of quarterback. Earlier this week, Brian Daboll announced that the team benched Daniel Jones in favor of last year’s fan-favorite Tommy DeVito. 

Could this move benefit the Giants’ receivers? Per Next Gen Stats, DeVito averaged 7.2 yards per attempt throwing outside the numbers in 2023, completing six of his eight touchdowns to these areas of the field while not throwing a single interception on 94 such attempts.

Jones has averaged just 4.9 yards per attempt on throws outside the numbers this season (third-fewest in the NFL), recording three touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also only completed four of his 24 deep pass attempts toward the boundaries this year, while DeVito was 6-of-11 for 192 yards and two touchdowns on such passes last season.

As far as this matchup for Slayton, he is facing a Bucs defense that has allowed the seventh-most PPG to receivers this season per Pro Football Reference. In their last four games, they allowed four receivers to finish with at least 85 receiving yards and gave up five touchdowns to the position. 

In a week with six teams on a bye, if you are searching for a spot starter, Slayton is a high-risk, high-reward play in Week 12. 

Verdict: Start ‘Em

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