Fantasy Football Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: Week 18 Wide Receivers
Here are the wide receiver decisions to go with in Week 18.
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1 min read
It's championship week in those Fantasy leagues that go the distance, so misses hurt even more in Week 18. We have options for teams that need them.
Jamey Eisenberg has his Start and Sit calls for WR below. His Waiver Wire column also can direct you to the best options who may be available in your leagues. And don't forget to check out Heath Cummings' wide receiver preview for more help with matchup notes, Week 18 numbers to know and more.
START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Wide Receiver
Start 'Em
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St. Brown has helped many Fantasy managers over the past five games, and we'll keep riding the hot hand into Week 18. He has at least 15 PPR points in five games in a row, and he has at least 11 targets, eight catches and 73 yards in each outing. He also scored four touchdowns over that span. I liked him a lot coming out of USC because of his opportunity with the Lions, and he's well exceeded my expectations. He should have another quality outing against the Packers, who might be resting several starters on defense because Green Bay has locked up the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Packers also have allowed nine receivers to score at least 12 PPR points in their past six games, including 10 touchdowns over that span.
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McLaurin has struggled down the stretch heading into Week 18. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 11, and he scored more than nine PPR points just once in his past six outings. That happened in Week 17 against Philadelphia when he had seven catches for 61 yards on eight targets, and hopefully Taylor Heinicke continues to lean on McLaurin again this week. That was the case in Week 2 against the Giants when McLaurin had 11 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets, and McLaurin has scored at least 14 PPR points in four games in a row against New York. Six receivers have also scored at least 12 PPR points against the Giants in their past five games.
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Beckham is back to being a reliable Fantasy receiver again with his move to the Rams. He has scored at least 13 PPR points in three of his past four games and in four of his past six outings. He has at least seven targets in three of his past four games, and he scored a touchdown in five of his past six games. He struggled at San Francisco in Week 10 with two catches for 18 yards on three targets, but that was his first game with the Rams after leaving the Browns. I expect him to excel in the rematch, and the 49ers have allowed nine receivers to score at least 12 PPR points in their past six games, including nine touchdowns over that span.
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Osborn scored in Week 17 at Green Bay with three catches for 50 yards on five targets, and he caught the touchdown from Sean Mannion. Kirk Cousins is off the reserve/COVID-19 list and back in Week 18 against Chicago, and Osborn should benefit in a big way with Adam Thielen (ankle) on injured reserve. Osborn has at least 14 PPR points in four of his past five games, with the lone exception in Week 15 at Chicago when he had just three catches for 21 yards on three targets on Monday night. I expect a much better performance in the rematch since it's during the day, which we know is better for Cousins, and the Bears have allowed eight touchdowns to receivers in their past six games.
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Sleepers
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Andy Dalton will start for the Bears, and he has been great for Mooney lately. In Dalton's past four appearances, Mooney has scored at least 17 PPR points three times. He has at least seven targets and five catches in all four outings, and in three of them he has at least 69 yards, with two touchdowns. Mooney had 11 PPR points against Minnesota in Week 15 with Justin Fields under center, and this is a great matchup. In their past five games, the Vikings have allowed 85 catches for 977 yards and five touchdowns to opposing receivers, and 10 receivers have scored at least 11 PPR points.
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Davis had a down game in Week 17 against Atlanta in his return from a one-game absence on the reserve/COVID-19 list, finishing with just three catches for 40 yards on three targets. Prior to going on the reserve/COVID-19 list, he scored at least 15 PPR points in consecutive games, and he should get back on track against the Jets. He had three catches for 105 yards on three targets against the Jets in Week 10.
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Grayson has stepped up the past two weeks with injuries to Chris Godwin (ACL) and Mike Evans (hamstring), as well as Antonio Brown leaving the Buccaneers in the middle of the game against the Jets in Week 17. Godwin and Brown aren't coming back in Week 18 against Carolina, and Grayson should be a top target for Tom Brady once again. He had three catches for 81 yards on three targets in Week 17 at Carolina when Godwin and Evans were out. And in Week 18, with Evans back but Brown leaving the field, Grayson finished with six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. He will likely be third at best in targets behind Evans and Rob Gronkowski, but Grayson should be considered a borderline starter in all leagues with Godwin and Brown not playing. Tyler Johnson is also worth using as a sleeper in deeper leagues after he had four catches for 50 yards on six targets against the Jets last week.
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Callaway has actually been great with Taysom Hill, and hopefully that continues in Week 18 against the Falcons. In the past two games with Hill, Callaway has at least nine targets, six catches and 97 yards, and he has scored at least 15 PPR points in each outing. It's nice to see Callaway finally playing well, and he could be a borderline starter in all leagues in Week 18. Callaway had three catches for 25 yards and a touchdown on six targets against Atlanta in Week 9, and a receiver has either scored or gone over 100 yards in eight of the Falcons' last nine games.
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Sit 'Em
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Brown had another disappointing game in Week 17 against the Rams, finishing with three catches for 28 yards on eight targets. He now has nine PPR points or less in three of his past four games, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 7. In Week 13 against the Steelers, Brown had five catches for 55 yards on seven targets. That type of stat line has become too familiar for Brown in the second half of the season, and he should have another down game with Tyler Huntlery likely under center in place of Lamar Jackson (ankle). In his past five meetings with the Steelers, Brown has scored more than 11 PPR points just once, despite scoring three touchdowns in three different games over that span.
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Gage has cooled off lately, scoring 10 PPR points or less in three of his past four games. In his past two outings against Detroit and Buffalo, Gage had just 10 targets for seven catches, 89 yards and no touchdowns. He did fare well against the Saints in Week 9 with seven catches for 64 yards on eight targets. But New Orleans has been great against opposing receivers of late, holding guys like Amari Cooper (six PPR points), Chris Godwin (10 PPR points), DeVante Parker (0 PPR points) and D.J. Moore (five PPR points) to minimal production in its past five games. Only Jaylen Waddle in Week 16 had a big outing against the Saints (26 PPR points) over that span, and I would only consider using Gage as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in most leagues this week.
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Like Mac Jones, Meyers has struggled on the road this year. His best game was 10 PPR points in Week 15 at the Colts, and he's averaging just 6.1 PPR points per game in seven road outings. In Week 1 against Miami in New England, Meyers had six catches for 44 yards on nine targets. The Dolphins haven't allowed a receiver to score a touchdown in their past five games, and D.J. Moore in Week 12 is the last receiver with more than 10 PPR points against Miami.
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Bust Alert
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Aiyuk comes into Week 18 having scored at least 13 PPR points in three of his past four games. He has two touchdowns over that span, and he turned his season around after a disappointing start. But I would only use him as a starter in three-receiver leagues this week. The Rams have only allowed one touchdown to a receiver in their past five games, and they held Aiyuk to three catches for 26 yards on four targets in Week 10. In two career meetings with the Rams, Aiyuk has five catches for 38 yards and a touchdown, and he's averaging 7.0 PPR points per game in that small sample size. Aiyuk did have four catches for 94 yards on six targets last week from Trey Lance, but he's been at six targets or less and four catches or less in three games in a row. Aiyuk will likely struggle this week if he doesn't find the end zone.
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