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: Mike Evans
- Matchup: Ravens
- Out Wide Matchup Rank: 2
This season has been the perfect encapsulation of the Mike Evans experience. He has over 23 PPR points in three games and under 8 PPR points in three games. That is the definition of boom-bust. There are no guarantees in Mike Evans-land but I feel great about starting him against the leaky Ravens.
- Player: Jameson Williams
- Matchup: Vikings
- Out Wide Matchup Rank: 3
The Vikings remain a fantastic out-wide matchup and face a Lions passing offense that is absolutely popping off. In what should be a shootout, Jameson Williams has a good chance of scoring or at least making some big plays. He’s a strong, upside start.
- Â Player: Tank Dell
- Matchup: Packers
- Out Wide Matchup Rank: 8
Tank Dell emerged as the clear WR2 for the Texans-sans-Nico Collins. Dell turned his 9 targets into 7 receptions, 57 yards and a touchdown. He’s a strong play in a possible shootout against the Packers.
-  Player: Wan’Dale Robinson
- Matchup: Eagles
- Slot Matchup Rank: 3
Malik Nabers’s concussion has certainly made Wan’Dale Robinson’s emergence more obvious, but the slot receiver was finding success even before Nabers went down. Remarkably, Wan’Dale has the second most targets in the league this season and in Week 7, he faces one of the league’s best slot matchups. Regardless of what happens with his rookie teammate, Robinson is a sneaky-good start.
Desperation WR Starts
Noah Brown vs CAR: While Terry McLaurin has been the main beneficiary of Jayden Daniels’s OROY application, Noah Brown is quickly emerging as the WR2. A groin injury briefly slowed his progress but he had an 8-target, 58-yard game in his return last week. He’s one of the better desperation starts and a solid stash.
Xavier Legette @ WAS: He’s very hard to trust but in a top-5 matchup with an 80%+ route percentage, Xavier Legette is one of the better streamers available. He’s scored in two of the last three weeks and you’d have to expect plenty of garbage time against the rampant Commanders.
Top WR Sits
- Â Player: Amari Cooper
- Matchup: Titans
- Out Wide Matchup Rank: 32
Newly acquired players can go one of two ways. They can either be force-fed the ball or they can be eased into the offense. Against a super-tough Titans secondary, I’d expect the Bills to take the latter approach with their new stud receiver. If possible, I’m sitting him until he gets a proper snap count.
- Â Player: George Pickens
- Matchup: Jets
- Out Wide Matchup Rank: 31
George Pickens already carries plenty of risk given his low snap count and the Steelers’ run-heavy tendencies. This week he also gets a very tough WR matchup and has to contend with Russell Wilson. This could be a total mess. I’m avoiding Pickens if I can.
- Â Player: Brandon Aiyuk
- Matchup: Chiefs
- Out Wide Matchup Rank: 30
Unsurprisingly, it’s been unusual for all four 49ers weapons to succeed in a given week. The odd man out for much of this season has been Brandon Aiyuk and I expect that to continue this week in a tough Chiefs matchup. He’s a very risky start.
- Â Player: Michael Pittman Jr
- Matchup: Dolphins
- Out Wide Matchup Rank: 28
Michael Pittman Jr clearly isn’t healthy and his lack of receiving output has been hidden behind a pair of touchdowns over the last fortnight. In a tough out-wide matchup against the Dolphins, with Josh Downs going off and Anthony Richardson returning, Pittman is better left on your bench for now.
WR Exceptions
Patriots Out-Wide Receivers vs JAX: Although the Jaguars are the best out-wide match-up, it’s impossible to trust any Patriots wide receivers outside Demario Douglas. The return of Kendrick Bourne has left the depth chart in flux with Bourne, Ja’Lynn Polk and Kayshon Boutte all getting 50-70% of snaps. That makes them all unusable for fantasy for now.
Ladd McConkey @ ARI: I’m just plain not buying the Ladd McConkey hype. He’s surpassed five receptions or 45 yards once and is purely TD-or-bust in this run-heavy offense. Despite the positive matchup, I’d rather not use him if I can help it.
Good luck in Week 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | 47.4 | 17.0 | 30.4 | 36% | 64% | KC | |
| MIN | 42.4 | 16.2 | 26.3 | 38% | 62% | DET | |
| DAL | 41.6 | 16.5 | 25.1 | 40% | 60% | WAS | |
| BUF | 40.9 | 16.1 | 24.7 | 39% | 61% | NE | |
| DET | 39.6 | 14.9 | 24.7 | 38% | 62% | MIN | |
| PIT | 39.0 | 11.2 | 27.8 | 29% | 71% | CIN | |
| NYJ | 38.9 | 18.8 | 20.1 | 48% | 52% | MIA | |
| PHI | 36.5 | 14.3 | 22.2 | 39% | 61% | NYG | |
| NYG | 36.2 | 9.9 | 26.3 | 27% | 73% | PHI | |
| CAR | 35.8 | 9.7 | 26.1 | 27% | 73% | ATL | |
| TB | 35.5 | 15.3 | 20.2 | 43% | 57% | NO | |
| CLV | 35.4 | 12.8 | 22.5 | 36% | 64% | BLT | |
| ATL | 35.3 | 9.3 | 26.1 | 26% | 74% | CAR | |
| LAC | 34.7 | 12.4 | 22.3 | 36% | 64% | LV | |
| TEN | 34.5 | 12.7 | 21.8 | 37% | 63% | HST | |
| LV | 34.3 | 10.7 | 23.7 | 31% | 69% | LAC | |
| NFL Average | 34.2 | 12.8 | 21.4 | 38% | 62% | ||
| CHI | 34.1 | 14.5 | 19.6 | 42% | 58% | GB | |
| IND | 34.1 | 9.7 | 24.5 | 28% | 72% | JAX | |
| NO | 33.5 | 12.8 | 20.7 | 38% | 62% | TB | |
| MIA | 32.6 | 9.5 | 23.1 | 29% | 71% | NYJ | |
| KC | 32.1 | 16.4 | 15.7 | 51% | 49% | DEN | |
| GB | 30.9 | 12.2 | 18.7 | 40% | 60% | CHI | |
| SEA | 30.6 | 11.6 | 19.1 | 38% | 62% | LA | |
| LA | 30.0 | 9.3 | 20.7 | 31% | 69% | SEA | |
| HST | 29.8 | 12.6 | 17.1 | 42% | 58% | TEN | |
| ARZ | 29.6 | 13.1 | 16.5 | 44% | 56% | SF | |
| NE | 29.6 | 12.5 | 17.1 | 42% | 58% | BUF | |
| CIN | 29.5 | 16.9 | 12.6 | 57% | 43% | PIT | |
| WAS | 29.4 | 10.5 | 18.9 | 36% | 64% | DAL | |
| JAX | 27.6 | 9.1 | 18.5 | 33% | 67% | IND | |
| SF | 27.3 | 10.1 | 17.3 | 37% | 63% | ARZ | |
| BLT | 25.5 | 11.3 | 14.2 | 44% | 56% | CLV |
