Welcome back to fantasy football Amari Cooper.

Cooper isn’t the first highly touted wide receiver to escape Oakland and resurrect his career (i.e. Randy Moss), so it has been a nice surprise to see Cooper get back on track with Dallas. He’s made that offense click and now the Cowboys are battling for a playoff spot. Cooper looks more comfortable in the Dallas offense and he enjoyed his best game of his season in week 12 with 180 yards and two touchdowns.

He’s on the cusp of the WR1/2 list for the week 13 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em list for wide receivers, like several others.

Amari Cooper is doing better now that he’s in a Dallas Cowboys uniform. Flickr/Keith Allison

Start

Amari Cooper vs. New Orleans Saints

I’m going with the hot-hand in this one.

Cooper has been the best receiver for Dallas in his four games so far, generating three touchdowns and more than 70 yards receiving twice. More importantly, he’s seeing a higher number of targets than he saw in Oakland, with at least eight targets in three of four games.

The Saints have improved drastically in recent weeks on the defensive side of the ball, but they still rank 11th from the bottom in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. On the season, New Orleans allows the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.

This is an advantageous matchup, with the Dallas likely having to score plenty of points to keep up with the Saints. I like this matchup on multiple fronts, so feel at ease with Cooper as a starting wide receiver.

Sammy Watkins vs. Oakland Raiders

Oakland is trash on the defensive side of the ball. And while Watkins hasn’t been so great as a wide receiver option, he should at least get some looks against the Raiders.

And when wide receivers get targets against the Raiders, they generally score…a lot.

Watkins has been hampered by an injury in recent weeks, but with the bye week rest from week 12, he should be good to go against a Raiders defense that allows 8.6 yards per pass attempt this season, the worst number in the NFL.

The Chiefs have shown the desire to get Watkins included in the gameplan when he’s healthy, so this should be a prime spot for Watkins and the Chiefs to put up some major points against a hapless Raiders defense.

D.J. Moore vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Whatever is wrong with Carolina shouldn’t rest on Moore’s shoulders.

While the Panthers have been in decline, Moore has shown some solid fantasy production. He has at least 90 yards receiving in three of the last five games, with one touchdowns. In the last three weeks, he has 22 combined targets, only four fewer than he had combined for the entire season before this stretch.

He’s becoming the No. 1 target for Cam Newton, in a game where the Panthers will have to throw the ball to move the chains. The Buccaneers allow the second-most yards per pass attempt in the NFL at 8.2, and allow the fifth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.

Moore should be trusted to continue his solid output, as the Panthers air out the ball against Tampa Bay.

Sit

Calvin Ridley vs. Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore’s defense has taken a few steps back, but they should still be feared enough to consider sitting some of your borderline wide receivers.

It pains me to sit Ridley, especially after attracting 13 targets, and catching eight of those balls for one touchdown in week 12, but this is the best play. The Ravens are a top-five defense against the pass and the Falcons will be limited to one wide receiver as being productive in this contest.

And that receiver won’t be Ridley, who has been inconsistent all year. He’s been a nice surprise, but he’s also tuned in some dud performances.

I can’t trust him in this spot against a defense that wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

Allen Robinson vs. New York Giants

With uncertainty at the quarterback position, I’m fading Robinson this week.

The Giants are a top-half defense in limiting fantasy points to wide receivers and with the possibility of Chase Daniel returning at the helm, I can’t trust Robinson to get enough targets to be worth a start in week 13.

Daniel was mostly a dink and dunk expert in week 12 against a bad Detroit defense, so I’m not expecting much again in week 13. Robinson has been limited after exploding in week 10 with 133 yards receiving, so there’s no reason to believe he’ll snap out of that funk with all the question marks surrounding the quarterback position.

Chris Godwin vs. Carolina Panthers

Even in a plus matchup, I’m still going to sit Godwin.

The Panthers have been atrocious in recent weeks against the pass, giving up the second-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. That should allow the Buccaneers to move the ball consistently in week 13, but Godwin won’t be consistent enough to earn a start.

While he’s been productive at times, he just doesn’t garner enough targets to make him a reliable wide receiver option. He has four or fewer targets in three of his last four games, with 50 or fewer receiving yards in four of the last five games.

The Panthers are getting worse against the pass, but it’s not enough to start Godwin.

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