Honorable mention Start: Calvin Ridley (TEN), Courtland Sutton (DEN), Terry McLaurin (WAS)
Honorable mention Sit: Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET), Tyreek Hill (MIA), Quentin Johnston (LAC)
Start: Nico Collins, Houston Texans
I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with C.J. Stroud this season, but it isn’t what we expected. Nico Collins, on the other hand, mannnnnnnnn. Buddy is stupidly good. After a five-week stint on IR, he’s picked up right where he left off. He’s got a bye in Week 14, but other than that, it’s cruise control for your lineup. He’s got a realistic shot to not only be WR1 the rest of the way but finish in the top five overall, which is bonkers considering he missed five weeks. Jacksonville is as good as it gets matchup-wise, so lock Collins in this week.
Start: Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
I’m not going to spend a bunch of time telling you how good Ja’Marr Chase is. WR1. There. That’s all I’ve got. What I am here to do is tell you not to be scared off by the matchup with the Steelers, who are hella good against WRs (and, frankly, every other position). The Colts, Cowboys, Jets, Giants, and Commanders WRs have all dropped 25+ points on the Steelers, and none of them boast the overall wideout talent the Bengals have. Chase and Tee Higgins are a cheat code – they put up Madden numbers routinely, and the Pittsburgh secondary is going to have their hands full. If the Cincy offensive line can keep Joey B upright, I expect one or both of these guys to put up good numbers.
Sit: Davante Adams, New York Jets
Davante Adams reunited with Aaron Rodgers! Adams and Rodgers owners rejoiced! Then they played Pittsburg on Thursday night. Blah. Just one game, right? Nope. Adams’ finishes as a Jet: WR52, WR50, WR8, WR44, WR34. He was on a bye last week, and we didn’t even notice. Friends, this duo is way past their prime. And while I like the playoff matchups (JAX, LAR, BUF), I’m not sure I can even trust him when we need him the most. This entire Jets team is an enigma and not the good kind. Until he strings together a few games, he best served cheering on your other guys from the bench.
Sit: Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
I think it’s safe to say that Mac Jones and BTJ aren’t vibing. And I wish it was that easy, but there were signs even before Trevor went on injured vacation. We were all really excited with the return on investment we were getting through five weeks, but he’s only turned in one game over 15 points since then (and one finish above WR25). So this isn’t a recent thing. Maybe the league has figured him out, maybe he’s run out of gas (the NFL season is considerably more rigorous than the college season), and certainly Mac Jones is a factor (we still don’t know if he is starting this weekend). A quick look under the hood reveals ample route participation, but he doesn’t have the target share or air yards to go along with it. Translation: until he’s vibing again, we’re not using him.
