Getty Christian Kirk of the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk went off last Sunday to the tune of 37.8 fantasy football points. That output was good enough to make him not only the highest-scoring player at his position, but overall, across all positions for Week 10.
While Kirk owners are flying high at the moment, could a matchup in Week 11 with the ever difficult San Francisco 49ers defense put an end to Kirk’s fantasy dominance? Let’s discuss.
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Christian Kirk’s Fantasy Outlook vs. San Francisco 49ers
Wideout Christian Kirk returned to the Arizona Cardinals starting lineup in Week 8 after missing three games with an injury. The wideout has since averaged seven receptions and 138.5 receiving yards in two of his past three games. Most notably was Kirk’s performance from a week ago, where he hauled in six receptions for 138 yards, and not one, not two, but three receiving touchdowns on the day.
With those types of numbers, Kirk must be a shoo-in fantasy lock for Week 11, right? Well, not so fast. Notice how we stated that Kirk’s lofty numbers above were averaged over just two of his most recent three games? That’s because sandwiched between two stellar performances was a Week 9 dud where the receiver caught a mere two receptions for a putrid eight receiving yards.
That type of statline would cause concern for any fantasy player moving forward. However, this situation is all the more pressing due to the fact that the team that shut him down that week also happens to be the team he will be facing this Sunday.
As many of you would have likely guessed, the San Francisco 49ers are extremely stout on the back end of their defense. The team currently ranks as the fifth-best fantasy defense in points allowed to wide receivers this season. Opponents’ leading receivers have averaged just 54.5 receiving yards while facing off against the ‘9ers since their Week 4 bye. They’ve also surrendered just two passing touchdowns to the receiver position over that span, holding opponents’ wideouts scoreless in five of six games.
Fittingly enough, one of the players to find the endzone over that time span is Kirk’s teammate, Andy Isabella. Isabella hauled in an 88-yard catch and scamper against the 49ers back in Week 9. If you eliminate that play from the history books, you’ll realize that Arizona’s passing offense has been very shaky of late, to say the least, averaging just 190.7 passing yards in six of their past eight games.
With that said, it is worth noting that Kirk has unseated Larry Fitzgerald without question as the team’s number one receiving option in the passing game. The former Texas A&M Aggie has averaged 11 targets per game in five of his seven contests this season.
Should You Start or Sit Christian Kirk in Week 11?
If you expect Kirk to continue to produce at the WR1 level he flashed a week ago, you’re highly mistaken. However, I also believe that to expect a straight-up dud performance like the one he put up against the 49ers just two weeks ago, is also likely out of the discussion.
Kirk falls in line as WR3 this Sunday, based on his high-usage, yet difficult matchup.
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