Should you start Steelers, Bengals players in Week 12? Start, sit decisions after Matt Canada firing and Joe Burrow injury

The Pittsburgh Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada earlier this week in a move that was both necessary and surprising. As the Steelers' offense had failed to record a 400-yard game in 58 attempts, a change was certainly required but until now, Pittsburgh had not made a midseason coaching change since 1941.

This certainly adds an interesting new wrinkle to the upcoming game between the Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, as two uncertain offenses go at it in an AFC North battle.

With Bengals QB Joe Burrow out for the season and a new, albeit likely temporary era in Pittsburgh under Eddie Faulkner, what does this hold in store for fantasy football?

Steelers vs. Bengals Start/Sit WRs

Start

• Ja'Marr Chase
• Diontae Johnson

Sit

• George Pickens
• Tyler Boyd

Using Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool, we analyzed the fantasy outlooks for the WRs in this matchup.

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati: Start/Sit WRs (PPR leagues)

While there is a case to be made that a new OC could usher in a new dawn of offensive prowess in Pittsburgh, that is unlikely to occur this season. It will take time to implement a new playbook and in reality, the Steelers will use the same book but might be less conservative with their play-calling.

As such, their WRs might see an uptick in production, while a drop in QB quality from Joe Burrow to Jake Browning could hamper the Bengals' passing game.

As such, you should start Ja'Marr Chase and Diontae Johnson, but sit George Pickens and Tyler Boyd. With Tee Higgins set to miss a third straight game, Boyd could see an uptick but with uncertain offenses, neither he nor Pickens should be started unless in the flex and then only in a situation of need.

Steelers vs. Bengals Start/Sit RBs

Start

• Joe Mixon
• Najee Harris
• Jaylen Warren

Sit

• Trayveon Williams

Using the same tool, we have the projections for running backs.

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati: Start/Sit RBs

Given the uncertainty of the Bengals' QB situation and the poor performance of the Steelers' passing game, this is a game to feel confident starting running backs.

Joe Mixon is a must-start in just about any game as a premier NFL back in a high-powered offense. The Bengals may lean on the ground game more here, so expect to see Mixon receiving a lot of volume. Trayveon Williams is a sit as Mixon dominates the running game and Williams is not expected to feature heavily in this game.

As the Steelers have found some success in the running game in recent weeks, expect more of the same from Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Warren gets the nod overall due to his third- and passing-down preference, but as lead back Harris should still be a safe start in what could be a low-scoring game.

If you have both Pittsburgh backs you cannot start both, as the odds of both of them scoring a TD are long.

Steelers vs. Bengals Start/Sit TEs

With both teams looking like unknown quantities this week, tight ends are hard to call and none from this matchup should be started in fantasy football. That said, their outlooks are displayed below:

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati: Start/Sit TEs (PPR leagues)

Pat Freiermuth gets the nod in Week 12. While he has been injured for much of the season, Freiermuth is back and is expected to play a larger role in Pittsburgh's offense than Tanner Hudson and Irv Smith are in Cincinnati.

Last week, Freiermuth had one catch for 7 yards, so realistically, there are better options to turn to at TE.

Steelers vs. Bengals Start/Sit QBs

With Jake Browning making his first career start and Kenny Pickett yet to prove himself in fantasy football, this is not a game where you should consider starting either QB.

Nevertheless, Pickett is projected to record 13.25 points and Browning 14.37. Realistically, this puts them in the lowest tier of starting QBs so they should not be starting for you in fantasy football.

Steelers vs. Bengals Start/Sit Defenses

Start

• Pittsburgh

Sit

• Cincinnati

Pittsburgh's defense has been a real strength this season and the driving force behind the team's 6-4 record. With 28 sacks, 11 interceptions, 8 fumble recoveries, 1 safety and 2 touchdowns, this is a defense that you have to start against almost any opposition.

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati: Start/Sit Defenses

Steelers vs. Bengals Start/Sit Kickers

Start

• Evan McPherson
• Chris Boswell

As for kickers, Chris Boswell has been almost automatic this season for Pittsburgh, missing only one field goal and hitting all of his PATs (14 PATs, 18 FGs). Meanwhile, Evan McPherson has made 16 of 20 field goal attempts and 100% of his 22 PATs.

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati: Start/Sit Kickers

Interestingly, the tool suggests starting McPherson over Boswell. This is due to the Bengals' offense being predicted to be more productive than their opponents, especially in terms of yards.

It predicts that McPherson will have more opportunities than Boswell, thus a higher probability of field goals. Both kickers, however, are safe starts in Week 12.