Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 12: Wide receivers

Welcome to Week 12 of the fantasy football season. The playoffs are just around the corner and the bye weeks are almost over. Owners should be sticking with their top stars the rest of the way, but there are still a few tough decisions to make about which players should be starting.

This week’s biggest injury news came at wide receiver with A.J. Green suffering a torn hamstring. The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t ruled him out for the season, but that could change once the 3-6-1 team is eliminated from playoff contention. In the meantime, fantasy owners will have to fill a huge hole in their starting lineups. Let’s take a look at some recommended starting options at WR this week, along with players you should be avoiding.

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (@ Atlanta Falcons)
Fitz is becoming an ageless wonder. The 33-year-old is still Carson Palmer’s most trusted target with Michael Floyd and John Brown disappointing this season. Although he hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 5, Fitzgerald has been a steady source of catches and yards for fantasy owners. One of the most stable WR3 options in football, Fitz has a great matchup with the Falcons’ 32nd-ranked pass defense.

DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins (vs. San Francisco 49ers)

Parker has been frustrating this season as Miami transitioned to a run-heavy offense led by Jay Ajayi. However, he’s showing signs of life recently, putting up 13 catches for 182 yards and a touchdown in the past two games. Parker also has a juicy matchup with the 49ers’ inept defense this week. His targets might still be limited with Ajayi chewing up yards on the ground, but Parker has some WR3 upside.

Rishard Matthews, Tennessee Titans (@ Chicago Bears)

Matthews doesn’t see a lot of targets, but he makes the most of them, scoring four touchdowns in his last five games. He exploded for nine catches and 122 yards against the Indianapolis Colts and figures to have another productive game against the Bears, whose season is crashing down around them. With Marcus Mariota playing the best football of his career, Matthews should be on the WR3 radar the rest of the season.

Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

Finally activated from injured reserve, Watkins is set to make his first appearance since Week 2. Fantasy owners are rightfully excited to have him back in their lineups, and if he stays healthy he could end up winning leagues. On the other hand, Watkins could easily be on a snap count this week and possibly even play a decoy role against an underrated Jaguards defense, so we should pump the brakes for at least one week. He’ll have a much better matchup with the Oakland Raiders in Week 13.

Kenny Britt, Los Angeles Rams (@ New Orleans Saints)

Britt has been a quietly productive player this season, but his fantasy value tanked with the insertion of Jared Goff into the lineup. Goff went into a shell in his NFL debut, checking down all day and going 0-for-5 on passes thrown longer than 10 yards. Britt still pulled in five catches for 43 yards, but his big-play upside has vanished with Goff playing so risk-averse. We can’t recommend starting him even in a good matchup with the Saints’ defense in the Superdome.

All Bears receivers (vs. Titans)

Cameron Meredith had some good moments earlier this year, and Eddie Royal is a steady veteran who has strong fantasy days here and there. Most weeks, you could make a decent argument for starting them. Week 12 is not one of those weeks -- not with Matt Barkley filling in for Jay Cutler. Run away, run far away from this offense.