With six teams on bye, here are a few starts and sits at wide receiver for fantasy football. This is coming off a wacky Thursday Night snow game, with the Browns defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cleveland. The weather this time of year plays a factor in fantasy but at the same time, is something to not completely overreact to depending on the conditions and your options. Generally, you start your studs and the players that got you there. Let’s get into the wide receiver position for Week 12.
Wide Receiver Must Starts Week 12
Here are a few of the players that we are leaning on heavily in this game. These players are in a good spot to put together a solid performance and have a favorable matchup.
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans is questionable with a hamstring but if he is active, he is a must-start against the New York Giants this week. While the Bucs could find efficiency on the ground, their offense led by Baker Mayfield is still a pass-heavy unit. Tight end Cade Otton has found paydirt with Evans gone but both are in advantageous matchups against a Giants secondary that can be taken advantage of. Historically, Evans has always done well on the perimeter against the Giants, as he is set to return to Metlife. Evans being ranked 16th in PPR according to Fantasy Pros seems too low for me this week.
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions back indoors this week against Indianapolis could go off again like last week, as Jameson Williams torched the Jacksonville Jaguars at home in Week 11. In Week 12, it might be more competitive with Anthony Richardson on the other side with the Colts. That sounds like a perfect recipe for a high-scoring scoring back-and-forth game between two good offenses. Williams finishing somewhere around 5 targets for a few big plays and potentially a touchdown or two are in his range of outcomes like last week.
Wide Receiver Must Sits Week 12
On the flip side of things, here are a few of the players we are sitting in this one.
Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders
Although his game against the Denver Broncos wasn’t too bad, going 6 catches for 72 yards, this matchup is still tough for Jakobi Meyers. Gardner Minshew is starting again but is a candidate to get benched mid-game against a tough defense. I would stay away from an offense that will likely funnel targets to rookie sensation Brock Bowers at tight end. A one-sided game from the Broncos, even in Las Vegas as the away team, is in play with both running backs for the Raiders doubtful for this game.
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Coming off just a 2 catch, 23-yard performance, Jayden Reed saved his day with a touchdown against the Chicago Bears. However, it was a Christian Watson week, as Romeo Doubs and Tucker Kraft weren’t that involved last week. Against the San Francisco 49ers, I could see Josh Jacobs and other pass-catchers involved over Reed against a defense that is tough against slot receivers.
Lock Wide Receiver for Week 12
A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
With no DeVonta Smith due to a hamstring, A.J. Brown is set to smash on Sunday Night against the Los Angeles Rams. While Saquon Barkley has been the star of the show with Jalen Hurts on the ground, Brown is due for an explosion-type game coming off his injury. With the Rams’ weapons healthy with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, it could lead to a high-scoring affair even with Philly’s defense playing out of their mind recently.
Fade Wide Receiver for Week 12
Malik Nabers, New York Giants
Now questionable with a groin injury, star rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers is still slated to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with new starter Tommy DeVito under center. While DeVito has shown games where he is more aggressive as a passer, he also has taken a decent amount of sacks and can turn the ball over at a high rate. The number of targets Nabers sees is about 11 per game but with a new quarterback, the rapport between both of them is unseen. If you have him, you likely have to start but there might be some better upside options compared to Nabers this week.
Sleeper Wide Receiver for Week 12
Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears
With offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, we saw more usage for Rome Odunze, slowly taking over some of D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen’s targets. The rookie had his second double-digit target game with 10 against the Packers. While the Minnesota Viking’s defense is a top unit going against a rookie quarterback with Caleb Williams, their secondary has been exploitable recently.
Conclusion
Week 12 has some weather implications, so games like the 49ers at Packers and Cardinals at Seahawks but right now it looks fine. However, with high implications for both games in the NFC, I wouldn’t be surprised if both games feature their star running backs instead of the wide receivers in potential high-scoring back-and-forth matchups. There are plenty of big underdogs, so especially indoors, that might lead to shootout potential with potent offenses facing off.
