This season, I’ll be taking you through my favorite wide receiver start/sits using the brilliant Slot vs Wide tool on the Razzball website. This tool is revolutionary in analyzing not just the difficulty of a wide receiver’s matchup but also the success of their opponent against a specific style of player. I recommend using it to help you with those tough start-sit decisions though you’re welcome to add your questions in the comments too. Please also check out my rankings at ffdfantasyfootball.com and you can find my long-form videos on the Fantasy First Down YouTube channel and my Slot/Wide analysis on the Razzball Fantasy YouTube channel.
Be sure to check out the latest tools on Razzball.com: Slot vs. Wide PPG Allowed | WR Slot vs. Wide| DEF Targets Allowed | Home vs. Away | Wins vs. Losses | TD Tool
Top WR Starts
- Player: Brian Thomas Jr
- Matchup: Vikings
- Out Wide Matchup Rank: 4
Brian Thomas was unsurprisingly disappointing in a tough matchup against the Eagles. Whether the greater issue was his chest injury or Trevor Lawrence being limited to 169 yards passing is unknown but regardless, he was ineffective was fantasy. This week though, he gets an outstanding matchup against the Vikings and should bounce back and then some.
- Player: Devonta Smith
- Matchup: Cowboys
- Slot Matchup Rank: 8
Devonta Smith has shifted to the slot this season and he gets a strong slot matchup against the Cowboys. Smith has been alarmingly consistent this season with six 60+ yard games and four touchdowns but he’s admittedly had some great matchups. Thankfully the great matchups are continuing for now with Dallas on tap but he won’t necessarily be an every-week starter moving forward.
- Player: Zay Flowers
- Matchup: Bengals
- Out Wide Matchup Rank: 12
I’m not gonna lie, I’m struggling to find interesting starts this week. All the best matchups are either obvious starts, risky plays, or average matchups. So, I’m mentioning Zay Flowers here as a reminder that you should still start him despite the trade for target hog Diontae Johnson. Flowers has gone over 100 yards in four of his last five games so he’s a strong start in a good matchup this week. Though it might be worth trading him away before the trade deadline.
Desperation WR Starts
Jauan Jennings (SF @ TB): The Buccaneers are an excellent out-wide matchup and a tough slot matchup. Jauan Jennings has spent time in both spots this season so it’s hard to know if this is a good matchup for the (hopefully) returning receiver or not. But even if he plays, it’s hard to expect 100% performance from Jennings in his first week back. While there’s upside here, the risk has him as a desperation start for me.
Noah Brown (WAS vs PIT): Noah Brown has been the clear WR2 for the Commanders when healthy, turning 12 targets into 133 yards and a (very fluky) touchdown in the last fortnight. He gets a solid out-wide matchup against the Steelers and could be in for another busy game.
Jordan Addison (MIN @ JAC): Jordan Addison has been very hard to trust this season. Last week’s game was his first with over three receptions and yet he still only turned in 42 yards with a touchdown saving his day. This week’s matchup against the league’s weakest out-wide defense should suit him perfectly but with TJ Hockenson returning to the lineup it’s very hard to trust him at all. But hey, if you’re not using him now, when are you going to use him?
Gabe Davis and Parker Washington (JAC vs MIN): The Vikings are the best wide receiver matchup in football, struggling to contain both out wide and slot receivers. This brings Gabe Davis and Parker Washington into play if you’re desperate for a Week 10 streamer.
Top WR Sits
- Player: Courtland Sutton
- Matchup: Chiefs
- Out Wide Matchup Rank: 32
Courtland Sutton has been outstanding in back-to-back games, with 222 yards on 21 targets and, oddly, a passing touchdown over the last two weeks. It’s tempting to think that will continue but this explosion was always on the cards. In fact, he was in this exact article as a start over the last two weeks despite coming off a donut in Week 7. He now gets the worst matchup for outside receivers in football; the Chiefs. I would be very wary of using Sutton this week.
- Player: Marvin Harrison Jr
- Matchup: Jets
- Out Wide Matchup Rank: 28
Marvin Harrison Jr has battled through six consecutive low-end out-wide matchups and has had mixed results. He took the Dolphins for over 100 yards and a touchdown but has less yards and no scores in the other five games combined. It’s unlikely things will change against the Jets but I admit the Cards rookie is still a better option than many receivers available to you on a bye-heavy week.
- Player: Michael Pittman Jr
- Matchup: Titans
- Out Wide Matchup Rank: 27
Michael Pittman Jr has been a massive disappointment this season and things are unlikely to turn around in a tough Titans matchup. He’s clearly being hampered by his back injury and while he scored last month against Tennessee, I wouldn’t expect a repeat performance.
- Player: Keenan Allen
- Matchup: Patriots
- Slot Matchup Rank: 32
Keenan Allen has averaged exactly seven targets per game but he’s yet to top 41 yards. He can’t be trusted most weeks but particularly in the league’s worst slot matchup, he’s even more of a sit in Week 10.
WR Exceptions
DJ Moore (CHI vs NE): DJ Moore has been one of the busts of the season. He has 80 yards and no touchdowns over the last three weeks combined and though he faces a solid matchup on paper, you best believe I’m not trusting him until he proves he deserves to be in my lineup.
George Pickens (PIT @ WAS): The Commanders have improbably gone from one of the league’s worst secondaries to one of the best this season. But I’m still starting George Pickens as the Steelers’ only real receiving weapon in what could easily be a shootout.
Andrei Iosivas (CIN vs BAL): Andrei Iosivas is, at least on paper, the Bengals’ WR2 with Tee Higgins out. And yet, he has turned his eight targets into just one 10-yard touchdown over the last three weeks. Despite the excellent matchup, he’s totally impossible to trust against the Ravens. Mike Gesicki is the Bengals second receiver to turn to this week.
All Saints Receivers (NO vs ATL): Although the Falcons are a great out-wide matchup, it’s impossible to trust any Saints wide receiver not named Chris Olave. It appears Mason Tipton will be the WR1 with Olave out but Cedrick Wilson will be involved too. Sadly, I wouldn’t be surprised if at most one Saints receiver surpasses 30 yards this week. Good luck guessing which one.
Good luck in Week 10 and remember, every player will be a sit in some leagues and a start in others so if you have any start-sit questions, drop them in the comments below or hit me up on Instagram @TheFantasyFirstDown
| Download Table as CSV | |||
| Note: Filters and sorting in the table below apply to the output | |||
| # | Defense | Total PPG Allowed | Slot PPG Allowed | Wide PPG Allowed | Slot% | Wide% | Next Opp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NO | 39.9 | 16.2 | 23.7 | 41% | 59% | NYG | |
| HST | 38.9 | 19.5 | 19.4 | 50% | 50% | BYE | |
| DEN | 38.4 | 10.4 | 28.0 | 27% | 73% | BYE | |
| ATL | 38.3 | 10.6 | 27.7 | 28% | 72% | MIN | |
| LAC | 38.3 | 14.6 | 23.7 | 38% | 62% | KC | |
| CIN | 36.9 | 12.1 | 24.9 | 33% | 67% | DAL | |
| KC | 36.8 | 18.4 | 18.4 | 50% | 50% | LAC | |
| TB | 36.2 | 12.8 | 23.4 | 35% | 65% | LV | |
| CLV | 35.9 | 15.9 | 20.0 | 44% | 56% | PIT | |
| JAX | 35.5 | 9.7 | 25.8 | 27% | 73% | TEN | |
| BLT | 35.1 | 10.2 | 24.9 | 29% | 71% | BYE | |
| SEA | 35.0 | 13.3 | 21.7 | 38% | 62% | ARZ | |
| MIN | 34.7 | 11.9 | 22.8 | 34% | 66% | ATL | |
| LV | 34.3 | 13.8 | 20.5 | 40% | 60% | TB | |
| NE | 33.9 | 13.1 | 20.9 | 39% | 61% | BYE | |
| LA | 33.7 | 12.9 | 20.9 | 38% | 62% | BUF | |
| DET | 33.6 | 13.2 | 20.4 | 39% | 61% | GB | |
| NFL Average | 32.8 | 12.0 | 20.8 | 37% | 63% | ||
| IND | 32.5 | 10.1 | 22.4 | 31% | 69% | BYE | |
| PIT | 31.9 | 7.5 | 24.4 | 23% | 77% | CLV | |
| DAL | 31.6 | 13.0 | 18.7 | 41% | 59% | CIN | |
| NYG | 31.0 | 13.7 | 17.2 | 44% | 56% | NO | |
| MIA | 30.8 | 10.2 | 20.6 | 33% | 67% | NYJ | |
| TEN | 30.7 | 7.7 | 23.0 | 25% | 75% | JAX | |
| WAS | 28.4 | 9.7 | 18.7 | 34% | 66% | BYE | |
| SF | 28.2 | 8.3 | 19.9 | 29% | 71% | CHI | |
| CHI | 28.1 | 9.9 | 18.2 | 35% | 65% | SF | |
| ARZ | 27.9 | 13.5 | 14.4 | 48% | 52% | SEA | |
| CAR | 27.8 | 8.4 | 19.5 | 30% | 70% | PHI | |
| GB | 27.8 | 11.6 | 16.2 | 42% | 58% | DET | |
| BUF | 27.0 | 12.4 | 14.6 | 46% | 54% | LA | |
| NYJ | 26.6 | 10.7 | 15.9 | 40% | 60% | MIA | |
| PHI | 23.2 | 8.7 | 14.5 | 38% | 62% | CAR |
