Getty Darnell Mooney #11 of the Chicago Bears.
Welcome to Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Wide Receivers for Week 16 of the NFL season.
* Reminder: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is intended to present you with the non-obvious choices for your fantasy lineup. We dig deep into player matchups, scoring trends, and other factors to best help you with your fantasy decisions. Superstars such as Tyreek Hill will not be found in this column. If you’re looking for players of their caliber check out our weekly fantasy football wide receiver rankings.
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WR: Start ‘Em
Marvin Jones vs. TB
Jones has topped 100 yards receiving and 25.0 points in two of his last three games. He’s also received exactly 12 targets in three of his last four games and 10-plus targets in four of his last six. The Bucs have allowed four 100-yard receivers over their last four games, a span in which they’ve surrendered the most fantasy points in the NFL to WRs.
Antonio Brown at DET
Brown hauled in eight receptions for 93 yards and a TD last week, his first TD since Week 16 of the 2018 season. Since Week 10, A.B. has either led or checked in second amongst Bucs receivers in targets in all but one game. He’s also outpaced Chris Godwin in said category in four of the last five games. The Lions secondary has been abysmal of late, allowing the second-most fantasy points (48.30 ppg), second-most yards (860) and (tied) second-most receiving TDs (6) to the WR position over the past month of play.
Darnell Mooney at JAC
Mooney outsnapped Anthony Miller 53-16 this past weekend, further expanding the gap between the two Bears pass catchers. Scoring TDs in back-to-back weeks, Mooney has averaged 13.6 ppg since Week 14. He’s also averaged 6.8 targets per game over 10 of his last 12 contests. The Jaguars rank within the top-nine in both points and yards surrendered to WRs this year. Their 16 TDs allowed to the position checks in as fourth-most in the NFL.
Sleeper: Greg Ward at DAL
Ward is rostered in just 3% of Yahoo leagues, meaning the likelihood you pull the trigger on him this week is slim-to-none. Still, fresh off a two-TD performance, the Eagles’ leader in targets, receptions and TDs gets a welcoming matchup against the Cowboys. Dallas has allowed 31 passing TDs this season, tied for second-most in the NFL.
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WR: Sit ‘Em
D.J. Chark vs. CHI
Aside from keeper/dynasty league owners holding onto faith that the Jaguars land Trevor Lawrence in this year’s draft, there’s not much to be excited about when it comes to Chark’s fantasy prospects. He’s been held out of the endzone in eight of his last nine games and hasn’t caught more than four passes in each of his last five games. The Bears allow the sixth-fewest receptions and fifth-fewest TDs to WRs this season.
JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. IND
Antics aside, JuJu has simply been too rocky of late to trust heading into the championship round. He’s scored sub-double-digits in three of his last five games. Not only has Diontae Johnson clearly surpassed Smith-Schuster as the team’s top target in the passing game, but a serious debate could also be had whether JuJu or Chase Claypool is Big Ben’s preferred second option. Numbers actually side with JuJu this week as the Colts have allowed nearly 200 ypg to the position over the last four weeks (fourth-most in NFL). However, considering he’s averaged less than 31 ypg over his last five contests, it’s hard to get excited about the aforementioned statistic.
Robby Anderson at WAS
This is essentially a warning to all Panthers receivers, as Washington’s defense has been a horrendous matchup for WRs this season. Anderson, fresh off a season-low 21 yards, has scored just two receiving TDs in 2020. The WFT has allowed just nine receiving TDs to WRs this year, second-fewest in the NFL.
Buyers Beware: Corey Davis at GB
Davis is primed to cash in on a massive payday this summer. He’s been brilliant of late, scoring double digits in eight of his last 10 games. With that said, the Packers allow the eighth-fewest points to WRs this season. Since Week 12, no team’s second-leading receiver has eclipsed 48 receiving yards against the Packers.
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