Prepare for some high-volume fantasy football production from wide receivers in the Atlanta vs. New Orleans matchup in week 12.
The Falcons don’t play any defense and the Saints are so good on offense, Atlanta will be forced to throw often to keep up, which should mean there’s plenty of reason to start multiple receivers in that matchup. Not all the matchups have that kind of value, so here’s the week 12 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em list for wide receivers.
Start
Tre’Quan Smith vs. Atlanta Falcons
Find as many receivers as possible to start in this game. Michael Thomas and Julio Jones are the obvious choices, but there are others who should be considered as fantasy starters at the wide receiver position.
The reason why this is such a tasty matchup is that Atlanta is the fourth-worst defense against the pass in fantasy football and they also allow 7.5 yards per pass attempt, ranking 26th in the NFL. So Atlanta is bad, which is a major issue against New Orleans potent offense.
Smith had a monster effort in week 11 with 10 receptions on 13 targets and more than 100 yards receiving. That is the second time this season he has eclipsed the 100-yard mark.
His value fluctuates a bit with all the weapons in the Saints lineup, but there is plenty to go around against Atlanta. Don’t worry about his ups and downs and give him a start in week 12.
Jarvis Landry vs. Cincinnati Bengals
This has to be a new record for me. Landry is the third offensive player I’ve mentioned in the last three start/sit lists for position players from Cleveland.
The Bengals are terrible on the defensive side of the ball and the Browns should be able to capitalize at that inability on the defensive side of the ball.
The Bengals are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers in the last four weeks and they’re allowing 8.9 yards per pass attempt in the last three weeks, ranking fourth from the bottom in that category.
Landry has been in a bit of a slump in recent weeks, but I won’t that be my ultimate judgment. Previous to his single-digit targets in the last two weeks, he compiled six consecutive weeks of double-digit targets. He’ll get back to that spot once again against a porous Bengals secondary.
Sterling Shepard vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Shepard is another wide receiver who has struggled in recent weeks finding the ball. However, with such a plus-matchup on the horizon, it’s tough to ignore his potential.
When Shepard is playing well, he’s able to attract about eight targets per game. That number is dwindled in the last two weeks, but there’s no reason he can’t build up to his regular output. And if he’s attracting that near-10 mark, he should be a solid WR2 in week 12.
The Eagles have been terrible against the pass in recent weeks, and with the injuries piling up, it only appears that is likely to get worse. The Eagles are allowing the seventh-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers in the last four weeks and they’re a bottom-10 defense in yards per pass attempt allowed.
I don’t normally love wide receivers with Eli Manning, but this game should offer some possibilities for the embattled quarterback and receiver.
Sit
Tyler Lockett vs. Carolina Panthers
I know the Panthers aren’t great against the pass. In fantasy football, they’re allowing the 10th-most fantasy points to wide receivers.
They’re also middle-of-the-pack in yards per pass attempt allowed. So the Panthers aren’t dominating, but neither is Lockett.
He just doesn’t attract many targets to consistently be considered a WR2 option. Lockett has five or fewer targets in five of the last six games. What’s helping his numbers is that he has scored multiple times in that timeframe.
However, you can’t count on touchdowns. And with his usage so low, it’s not wise to keep playing Lockett.
Larry Fitzgerald vs. Los Angeles Chargers
It’s not that I don’t believe in Fitzgerald. I started him in week 11 and it didn’t turn out too bad, with two touchdown receptions.
However, despite the high total, he was still only targeted four times against an Oakland team that previously couldn’t stop any team. Fitzgerald isn’t as dominating as he once was, and he’s not on a team with the weapons capable of providing him with enough opportunities at catching the ball.
Josh Rosen has looked much worse than I previously believed he would be entering this season. He has a long ways to go, so I’m siding against Fitzgerald in this instance.
Devin Funchess vs. Seattle Seahawks
The targets aren’t horrible at times. There’s just no production with Funchess.
Funchess registered eight targets in week 11, but only caught two balls for less than 40 yards. He hasn’t gone over 50 yards receiving since week 7.
That’s a problem, especially with Cam Newton registering a season-high in passing yards in week 11 and Funchess not contributing much in the box score. At this point, I would almost side with Curtis Samuel as the better option, despite the less playing time.
The Seahawks haven’t been good against the pass this season, but that shouldn’t matter in this week 12 matchup.
