Tyler Lockett has historically been billed as a boom-or-bust option for fantasy football, but in 2022, he was a consistent option that delivered weekly for fantasy managers. Unfortunately, in 2023, that’s no longer the case, and Lockett has failed to live up to expectations.
Is he worth starting here in Week 13 against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, or should fantasy managers be looking elsewhere?
Should You Start Tyler Lockett in Week 13?
Analysis by Kyle Soppe | Remember way back in Week 2 when Lockett scored a pair of touchdowns in the Seahawks’ win over the Lions? He has found paydirt just twice since, and last week was his fifth game this season with under 40 receiving yards.
The occasional flashes of upside are almost more detrimental than they are helpful. They provide hope. Since Seattle’s bye, Lockett has three top-25 finishes and three finishes of WR50 or worse.
He’s likely to decide your matchup in one direction or the other and that’s a terrifying proposition when the QB isn’t playing at a high level.
If we scrap last week with the understanding that the 49ers are a rare level of elite, Lockett’s average positional finish is WR32 over his past seven games. That is right where he lands for me this week. We rank for mean outcomes, even if the most likely outcome this week (and any week) is for him to finish 15+ spots away from this rank.
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He’s a true matchup play. Not his matchup; your matchup. If you can take on the risk that Lockett comes with, go for it. If you’re in a battle that you expect to be close and you want to lock in safe production, I’d look elsewhere.
Trending Start/Sit Searches for Lockett
Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network?! It’s completely free to use, and it allows you to enter up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup!
It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches, and we’ve jotted some of them down here to help provide some clarity!
Should You Start Lockett or Jayden Reed?
The PFN Start/Sit Optimizer views this as an incredibly close decision, with Lockett being projected for 8.9 half-PPR points while Jayden Reed is projected for 8.7! It’s essentially a coin flip in the Optimizer’s view, and they’re very close in my rankings, too.
Reed is starting to see his usage trend upward in this Green Bay Packers offense, as he’s seen 14 targets over the past two weeks, and he’s found the end zone in three straight games. If you need to swing for the fences a bit, I understand going with Reed. Otherwise, Lockett seems to be the safer play at the moment.
Should You Start Lockett or Diontae Johnson?
Lockett and Diontae Johnson are in very similar situations from a fantasy standpoint right now. They’re both seeing enough volume to be considered for starting lineups, but it’s not equating to much from a statistical perspective.
MORE: Yates’ Week 13 Waiver Wire Rankings
The PFN Start/Sit Optimizer gives the edge to Johnson, though, as he’s projected for 9.4 half-PPR fantasy points, and Lockett is projected for 8.9. I agree with the Optimizer here, and Johnson is higher in my initial Week 13 rankings.
Kyle Yates’ Week 13 WR Rankings
1) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at WAS)
2) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (vs. SEA)
3) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (at NO)
4) Keenan Allen | LAC (at NE)
5) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. SF)
6) Mike Evans | TB (vs. CAR)
7) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at TEN)
8) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at WAS)
9) Brandon Aiyuk | SF (at PHI)
10) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. SF)
11) Tank Dell | HOU (vs. DEN)
12) Deebo Samuel | SF (at PHI)
13) Ja’Marr Chase | CIN (at JAX)
14) Calvin Ridley | JAX (vs. CIN)
15) Nico Collins | HOU (vs. DEN)
16) Puka Nacua | LAR (vs. CLE)
17) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. MIA)
18) DeAndre Hopkins | TEN (vs. IND)
19) Christian Kirk | JAX (vs. CIN)
20) Adam Thielen | CAR (at TB)
21) Cooper Kupp | LAR (vs. CLE)
22) Courtland Sutton | DEN (at HOU)
23) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (vs. ATL)
24) DK Metcalf | SEA (at DAL)
25) Diontae Johnson | PIT (vs. ARI)
26) Rashee Rice | KC (at GB)
27) Josh Downs | IND (at TEN)
28) Marquise Brown | ARI (at PIT)
29) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at DAL)
30) George Pickens | PIT (vs. ARI)
31) Jayden Reed | GB (vs. KC)
32) Chris Godwin | TB (vs. CAR)
33) Brandin Cooks | DAL (vs. SEA)
34) Drake London | ATL (at NYJ)
35) Christian Watson | GB (vs. KC)
36) Amari Cooper | CLE (at LAR)
37) Demario Douglas | NE (vs. LAC)
38) Curtis Samuel | WAS (vs. MIA)
39) Jahan Dotson | WAS (vs. MIA)
40) Romeo Doubs | GB (vs. KC)
41) Jerry Jeudy | DEN (at HOU)
42) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at DAL)
43) Tyler Boyd | CIN (at JAX)
44) A.T. Perry | NO (vs. DET)
45) Elijah Moore | CLE (at LAR)
46) Justin Watson | KC (at GB)
47) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. CLE)
48) Rondale Moore | ARI (at PIT)
49) Jonathan Mingo | CAR (at TB)
50) Zay Jones | JAX (vs. CIN)
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