NFL Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 10: Wide receivers

DeAndre Hopkins has had 24-plus fantasy points in two of his last four games. But he’s had less than 10 points in two of his last three. Meanwhile Kirk has been the model of consistency during that time. Kirk has five receiving touchdowns during those games. And his 22.2 fantasy points per game makes him the WR5 since Week 6. And I’m sure one of you kids on IG is going to be all, “But Rank, I have both.” Here’s the scoop; start both of them. The Bills are tough on receivers this season, having allowed the seventh-fewest to the position. I’m doing this as a vote of confidence for Kyler Murray.

Williams has always been pretty good. But he hasn’t been that consistent over the years. And we need consistency. Like when you roll into In-n-Out Burger. Always consistent. Always great. Seriously, I’ve never walked away from an In-n-Out and thought that they had missed the mark. It never happens. If Williams can reach that kind of consistency, look out. He’s had at least 13 fantasy points in three of his last four games. And if he had held on to that touchdown, we’re talking a monster game. As it stands, he leads the team with seven end zone targets.

We talked about this last week, but the Jeudy breakout game was going to happen against the Falcons. And it did. Jeudy had 14 targets for seven receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown. He’s had at least 10 targets now in back-to-back games. He’s also getting down the field, with 177.5 air years per game since Week 8. That’s the most in the NFL. He’s got a good matchup against the Raiders this week.

The Steelers were extended a little bit against the Cowboys this week. It’s like playing pickup against your friend’s little brother. And at some point you realize how serious he is taking it so you have to step up your game. But the Steelers got it right and we finally got to see the Steelers throw the ball some. And Johnson is must-start adjacent right now. He’s had at least 10 targets in four of five full games this season. He’s had at least 14 fantasy points in two of his last three games. And in a game I expect a lot of points, this should be a chance to start a lot of your Steelers receivers, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool and Johnson.

I just know this is going to be an instance where once we put our faith in Samuel, he’s going to let us down. You know how that goes, right? And if you don’t play him, then he’s going to put up 90 points and you’re going to go eat your feelings. Seriously, why do we keep playing this game? But Samuel has increased his points in four consecutive games. He’s also had eight touches per game since Week 4, which is the second-most among wide receivers. The Bucs defense was good up until Sunday night. But I like Samuel because they keep finding ways to get him the football.

The only thing more polarizing than the Bears offense in Chicago is the act of putting ketchup on a hot dog (don’t do that). But really, this is getting depressing as a Bears fan. We haven’t offered Robinson an extension, which isn’t a great sign. Especially when he’s out there balling. But we love the matchup this week. The Vikings have allowed a lot of production to receivers this year. We will closely monitor the play-calling issue. Regardless, Robinson should be in your lineup. 

Congratulations to those of you who are planning to start Lockett regardless of what I say. Because by putting him in this “sit” ledger, I’m basically guaranteeing him a 50-burger. But man, when you take away that magical game against the Cardinals, he’s had single-digits in three of his last four games. And last year against the Rams. he had 10 targets for eight receptions and less than 100 yards total. He did get into the end zone in one of those games. He’s got so much talent and it’s hard to put him on the bench. The good news is Jalen Ramsey is likely to be lined up against DK Metcalf, as he did 74% of the time last year against the Rams in Week 15.

All right, this could be the game where Hollywood Brown turns it around. The Patriots gave up a ton of production to the Jets(!) on Monday night. But this is the same attitude I had when I went to see Suicide Squad. Because I thought that was the movie that was going to turn around DC’s movie skid. Brown has seen his fantasy points decrease in three consecutive games. He’s had fewer than 10 points in those games. He’s been a top-25 receiver once in eight weeks. And it’s going to happen at some point. It could be this week. But you’re taking a risk if you play him.

Cole’s role in the Bills offense is kind of like that buddy who you kind of like, but you call him only when you need a fourth for poker or golf or whatnot. Because we haven’t seen much of him since John Brown returned from his knee injury. He had 6.9 fantasy points against the Seahawks on Sunday. And if you’re not going to feast on the Seahawks, it might not be happening for you. He’s had fewer than seven fantasy point in back-to-back games. Five targets in the last two weeks combined. And he’s rostered in 80% of NFL.com leagues.

This one is personal. Because I want Moore to be so good. I had him as one of my breakout candidates last year, so I’m going to have a bit of a vested interest in them. Kind of like when you see a band before they get popular, you’re hooked. Like I used to go to Sublime shows all the time, so it was personal for me when they finally broke through. I searched for reasons to justify Moore against the Chiefs. But he was held to 3.8 fantasy points. The one thing that you can cling to, in case you have to go with Moore this week, he scored 20 fantasy points against the Bucs in Week 2.