Week 13 Fantasy Football WR preview: DFS targets, matchups, more

At every other position this week, the lack of byes gives us a depth that is almost uncomfortable. We are forced to rank starters as backups. At wide receiver, it’s more like relief that things aren’t quite as bad as they were last week. But I still wouldn’t say they are good. 

This week, in the early projections, you will see Wan’Dale Robinson, Troy Franklin, Justin Jefferson, Courtland Sutton, Zay Flowers, and Khalil Shakir all projected as top 24 wide receivers. All five of those guys feel much better as WR3s than WR2s, but this is where we’re at. It is partially the fault of Rome Odunze, Stefon Diggs, and Jameson Williams for falling outside of the top 24. But mostly it is just the result of injuries.

One of the most interesting guys in this mix of borderline WR2s is Michael Pittman. For the season, he ranks as WR11, averaging 14.88 PPR points per game. That doesn’t sound like a guy we might consider sitting. But he has been extremely touchdown-dependent. He only has 46 receiving yards in his last two games combined, and he has been below 50 receiving yards in more than half of his games. This week, he faces a Texans defense that has given up just 25 PPR FPPG to opposing receivers, the second-best mark in the league. They have only allowed four receivers to score a touchdown in their last nine games. Khalil Shakir, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Puka Nacua are the only wide receivers to top 100 yards against them.

In a three-receiver league, you may have to start Pittman, but I would be looking for ways to sit him.

Here is the rest of the Week 13 WR Preview:

Week 13 WR Preview

• 2,029 — Jaxon Smith-Njigba is on pace for 2,029 receiving yards this season. That would be a record.
• 21.9 — Since CeeDee Lamb’s return, George Pickens is the WR4 in Fantasy, averaging 20 FPPG. Lamb is WR14.
• 8.3 — Rome Odunze has only scored more than 8.3 PPR Fantasy points twice since the Bears’ Week 5 bye.
• 25 — Chris Godwin only played 25 offensive snaps in his first game back from injury. Expect him to ramp up over the next couple of weeks.
• 0 — For the second time in five games, Jameson Williams scored zero Fantasy points. In the three games in between, he averaged 20 FPPG. He’s the ultimate boom/bust WR3.
• 30%-Since Malik Nabers’ injury, Wan’Dale Robinson has a 30% target share, which ranks fifth at wide receiver.
• 18 — Davante Adams has 18 targets inside the 10-yard line this year. No other player has more than 12.
• 19.8% — In three games with Brock Purdy, Jauan Jennings, and Ricky Pearsall active, Jennings has a 19.8% target share, and Ricky Pearsall has a 14.3% target share.

My full set of Week 13 Fantasy football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine. You’ll find them here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don’t live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 13. Projected stats for all starting wide receivers are available, so be sure to check out the full set of projections at SportsLine.