Honorable mention Start: Tee Higgins (CIN), Khalil Shakir (BUF), Jakobi Meyers (LV)
Honorable mention Sit: Jayden Reed (GB), Tyreek Hill (MIA), DeAndre Hopkins (KC)
Start: Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans
This offense is not great, let’s acknowledge that. Will Levis just doesn’t get it done for fantasy purposes, and we know this affects everyone around him. This isn’t calculus; we understand the formula. Subsequently, Calvin Ridley has been uneven for us, to say the least. But folks, the opportunity is there, and a check under the hood reveals we may want to stick with him – the targets remain, and Ridley is second in air yards (1,398), tenth in team target share (25%), and has elite route participation (94%). Also, if you are a regular reader of this column (thank you, btw), you may remember my bit on patterns – specifically the every-other-week producers. Friends, that’s what Calvin has been over the past seven games – bad, then good, then bad, then good. Last week was bad (WR61), so this week has to be good, right? RIGHT?
Start: CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
I was having a conversation the other day about first-rounders, not first-rounding. McCaffrey, Tyreek, and CeeDee specifically came up, as these guys were generally 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 in no particular order. I own a couple of shares, and as a result, I’m fighting for my playoff life in these leagues. Suffice it to say (and no surprise to anyone) that CeeDee goes as Dak goes, but Dak hasn’t been going. Since Dak went down, Lamb hasn’t finished about WR18, but friends, this is the week. The Bengals defense is uber generous to the WR position and just gave up 36 points via 180 yards and two touchdowns to the Steelers, and over 57 points to the Ravens two weeks ago. The matchup couldn’t be any better, and for his part, Cooper Rush hasn’t been terrible of late. Lamb is 4th in YAC yards this season, and I’m betting that he plays in this matchup. I don’t know that top 5 finishes are in the cards for CeeDee ROS, but I love the opportunity this week.
Sit: DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
DK returned from injury in Week 11 and just hasn’t seemed to be the same guy he was before the knee injury. Wide receivers need their legs and seem to take awhile to fully reboot when they make it back to the field. He went right back to DK-level snap share (90%), but that has dipped to 78% and 75% in the last two. I don’t read into that, necessarily, because the route participation and opportunity are still there. But the production hasn’t been what we’ve expected/needed. His finishes since coming back – WR32, WR37, WR40 – and maybe that’s where we are at with him? Sturdy floor, but we need more for our playoff push. Arizona‘s ranks season-long and this past month aren’t as good as they look, so the matchup isn’t a factor for me here. I just need to see more from Metcalf and the Seahawks before I buy back in. In my leagues, where I’m pushing for the playoffs, he’ll be on my bench this week.
Sit: Deebo Samuel Sr., San Francisco 49ers
Deebo started off really well this season, but with all the injuries and instability the San Francisco offense has endured, his production has been sporadic at best and downright abysmal at worst. The past six games have been putrid – WR140, WR37, WR25, WR61, WR72, and WR94, per FantasyPros. Folks, we can’t trust that during this critical time. There is an opportunity for rushing attempts, as this backfield has been decimated by injury, but I’m still not that excited about it. Samuel Sr. draws the Bears this week, and while their defense as a whole has been misfiring, they still hold up well against opposing WRs (Justin Jefferson just went 2-27-0 against them two weeks ago). If he does score well this week, it’ll be on the ground, but I don’t expect it.