RADIO
There are a lot of driving forces behind wide receiver production in the NFL, and those moving parts can change from week to week, making it difficult to stay ahead of which wideouts to start. The challenge becomes more difficult when dealing with players who you may not know whether to bench or start each week.
Players in the WR3/flex range hover between scoring respectable amounts of points to not being worth putting in lineups at all. For fantasy teams with injured players, lots of starters on bye, or serious roster holes, these can lead to tough decisions.
So, who are five players in this realm of fantasy assets, and should you start them in Week 12?
Should I Start Wan'Dale Robinson for Fantasy Football?
New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson has mainly served as a "PPR-scam" type player in fantasy football this year. Those are players who get a lot of targets and catches but not many yards. He's failed to gain more than 51 receiving yards in all but one of his contests this season.
Most Condensed Passing Trees
+ Top-2 WRs by Target Share (in full games together)1. Malik Nabers + Wan'Dale Robinson (56.3%)
2. Puka Nacua + Cooper Kupp (53.3%)
3. Tee Higgins + Ja'Marr Chase (53.2%)
4. Davante Adams + Garrett Wilson (51.0%)
5. AJ Brown + DeVonta Smith (50.9%)— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) November 19, 2024
In addition, the Giants benched their starting quarterback, Daniel Jones, for third-string signal-caller Tommy Devito, who will make his first start in Week 12. In five full games with DeVito as the starter, Robinson scored 2.6, 6.7, 6.6, 17.50, and 6.5 PPR fantasy points.
Not great, Bob. It's probably a good idea to leave him on the bench for now. DeVito would be smart to force plenty of passes to No. 1 wideout Malik Nabers anyway -- that will give him his best chance of looking like a competent QB.
Should I Start DeMario Douglas for Fantasy Football?
After what seemed like a breakout Week 6 game for New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas, he cooled off significantly. Since then, he hasn't scored another touchdown. He's logged double-digit PPR fantasy points just once in that stretch.
Friendly reminder that Demario Douglas is a stud pic.twitter.com/6R5DAuTJ2f
— Boston Diehards (@Boston_Diehards) October 25, 2023
His lack of production has been strange when you look at the tape, but the lack of good offensive line play for the Patriots could be partially to blame. Maybe the return of offensive guard Cole Strange (knee) will help, but it's uncertain if he'll play in Week 12. New England will face the Miami Dolphins, who have played well against slot receivers this year.
It's probably fine to leave Douglas on the bench outside of deep PPR leagues. His upside hasn't been very good, and he's not getting enough targets to justify PPR-scam start-worthiness.
Should I Start Rashod Bateman for Fantasy Football?
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman has been pretty good ... in the games he has scored a touchdown. But his boom-or-bust nature makes it difficult to know when to start him. There's no way to predict in what games a WR will score a touchdown in advance, though.
Rashod Bateman takes an absolute CRUNCH from 6. Those are the tough grabs I have been wanting over the middle, great catch. pic.twitter.com/8CUWXtkz1f
— Yuri (@Yuri_Ravens) November 19, 2024
Despite his inconsistency and the team's acquisition of WR Diontae Johnson, he's maintained his role as the clear WR2. Baltimore spreads the ball around too much for him to be a consistent fantasy asset, though. He's not worth starting. He'll face a tough Los Angeles Chargers pass defense in Week 12 and should remain on benches.
He does have boom games, but through 11 games, he averages just under five targets per game. Without consistent high efficiency and plenty of big plays, it's hard to make that turn into plenty of fantasy points.
Should I Start Xavier Legette for Fantasy Football?
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette has been an overall disappointment in fantasy football this year and probably shouldn't be started in any leagues. There are a variety of things holding him back -- he's suffered through a few notable injuries, the quarterback play hasn't been great, and WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) is set to return in Week 12.
#Panthers have moved Xavier Legette to the X, where he says he’ll have to play more aggressive against “handsy” Trent McDuffie.#Panthers pic.twitter.com/C3m9su35zm
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) November 21, 2024
He's an interesting player to have stashed on the bench, and he's moved to the "X" WR position, which should afford him plenty of playing time. But he may square off against elite Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie early and often in Week 12, making him a risky start. It's odd to see so many teams' passing situations in flux this late in the season, yet here we are.
Xavier Legette can play. Understands how to win leverage. Physically strong and the speed translated. Will continue to be increasingly useful. https://t.co/p90VW2EISi pic.twitter.com/O8hsym9OkD
— JetPack Galileo (@JetPackGalileo) October 3, 2024
The talent is there, but he should only be started in leagues with 14 or more teams. He'll need a better quarterback situation to find consistent success. He may not get that until 2025.
Should I Start Adam Thielen for Fantasy Football?
He's another player you may not want in your starting lineups. Thielen is set to play in his first game back after injuring his hamstring in Week 2 and being placed on injured reserve. He's 34 years old, and he could be slowed down by some residual weakness due to his time out of action and his age.
#Panthers WR Adam Thielen has been cleared to play. He’s excited to be back in team drills for the first time in eight weeks. pic.twitter.com/uCaDIg1L44
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) November 20, 2024
The team seems likely to be cautious with his return and limit his snaps, meaning he may have fewer opportunities than he needs to be a good fantasy contributor. He's another player you can consider for very deep leagues, but you should probably leave him on the bench in your leagues with 12 or fewer members.
More Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks
Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 12? Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, Jordan Love, Drake Maye, C.J. Stroud
Quarterbacks are generally the highest-scoring position in fantasy football, and a dud game from your QB can sink your week and lose you your matchup. For that reason, it's vitally important that you make good start/sit decisions for this position, perhaps more so than others. The floor QBs possess is always nice, but nightmare games, […]
Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 12? Christian Watson, Chuba Hubbard, Brock Purdy
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson, Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard, and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (shoulder) are popular fantasy options heading into Week 12, so it's important to know which ones you can trust as starters and which ones may need to see the bench. Of course, it will depend […]
Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 12? Tucker Kraft, Cade Otton, Dallas Goedert, Dalton Schultz, Zach Ertz
The tight-end position is perhaps the most difficult to predict in fantasy football. Even for the best players in this position, usage in the passing game can vary wildly on a week-by-week basis, creating frustrating situations for fantasy managers, who obviously want to start the highest-scoring guys. To make matters worse, some of them seem […]
Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 12? Jaylen Warren, Jerome Ford, Pat Freiermuth
Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren, and Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth are three players that aren't the most exciting starting options heading into Week 12. However, injuries and deeper leagues exist, so they're very much in play for starting roles on some fantasy football rosters. They'll play tonight […]
Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 12? Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Rhamondre Stevenson, Rico Dowdle, Javonte Williams
It's a great feeling to have players who are sure-fire starters every week and rack up huge point totals regularly. However, most teams aren't loaded with premier top-10 players at their positions. Most teams' RB2 and RB3/FLEX players have plenty of variability in their weekly scoring. There are also changes that shake up many backfields […]
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
