There is nothing easy about making lineup decisions in fantasy football. It is a necessary part of the game. Getting these decisions correct is key to your success as a fantasy manager. Here to help you make those decisions are our positional start ’em and sit ’em picks.
Fantasy decisions are more important than ever with playoff spots and playoff positioning on the line, so let’s look at our Week 11 start/sit plays for the WR position.
Which WRs Should You Start in Fantasy This Week?
DJ Moore, Chicago Bears (at DET)
While the Lions are suffocating against the run, they’ve been reasonably beatable through the air. Dare I say … a pass funnel? Of course, their explosive offense often forces teams to throw more than they want to. The other teams may not love that, but when we have their WRs in fantasy, we don’t mind.
MORE: Week 11 Start/Sit Options — TE | RB | QB
The Lions allow the 11th-most PPG to WRs. And DJ Moore is long overdue for a big game. He hasn’t topped 13.4 fantasy points since his 49-point explosion in Week 5. His last few games have been a series of middling performances.
The Bears are likely to get Justin Fields back this week. On the season, Moore is averaging 20.4 PPG with Fields against 10.3 ppg without. Yes, the 20.4 PPG is skewed heavily by the 49-point outing, but the 10.3 PPG is not. Moore is better with Fields. And the combination of Fields’ return, the favorable matchup, and the likely negative game script should all lead to a nice game from the Bears WR1.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. PHI)
When we last saw the Chiefs, Rashee Rice was coming off a season-high 68% snap share. The Chiefs are still rotating their receivers at a frustrating rate, but there’s no denying Rice has been the most productive one on the team.
The theory behind starting Rice this week is twofold. First, the Chiefs are coming off a bye. This is a great time to adjust the offense to get the rookie more involved, especially given the struggles and lack of talent of every other WR on the team.
Second, the Eagles are the biggest pass funnel in the NFL. No team is allowing more PPG to WRs. Specifically, they allow the most PPG to the slot, where Rice runs 50% of his routes. A whopping 72% of the Eagles’ total receiving yards allowed have gone to wide receivers.
This is a great spot for Rice in a potential shootout. He is a solid WR3 this week.
Which WRs Should You Sit in Fantasy This Week?
Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings (at DEN)
This is not the first time the very talented rookie has appeared in the sit column. It may not be his last.
For as well as Joshua Dobbs has played, he isn’t Kirk Cousins. I don’t believe Dobbs can support two fantasy-relevant WRs. But even if Justin Jefferson remains out another week, it’s not as if Jordan Addison has been doing much since Cousins went down.
Addison was averaging 15.8 PPG with Cousins. In his two games without him, just 10.5 PPG.
This week, the Vikings get a Broncos run-funnel defense. We just witnessed them shut down Josh Allen while giving up several long runs to the Bills’ running backs.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
The Broncos allow the 16th-fewest PPG to WRs, which is pretty impressive considering what Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins did to them back in Week 3. They are much improved.
Addison is not going to completely flop. If a 5-50 line is good enough for you, then keep Addison in lineups. Unfortunately, the 20-point ceiling we saw earlier in the season just doesn’t exist anymore, and especially not in a matchup like this one.
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers (at CLE)
Here are George Pickens’ stat lines from his last three games: 1-22-1, 2 for -1, 3-45. He hasn’t seen more than five targets in any of these games.
Diontae Johnson may not be lighting the world on fire either, but he’s the clear WR1, and it’s a problem for Pickens’ volume — as is the Steelers’ run-heavy game plan.
This week, things won’t get easier against a Browns defense allowing the third-fewest PPG to WRs. The 52% catch rate they allow to the position is the lowest in the league.
The Steelers will do what they always do — look to shorten the game with running and ball control, liming what Kenny Pickett must do through the air. When they do throw, Johnson remains the primary option. There just won’t be a ton of volume for Pickens.
As we saw in Week 8, even a touchdown may not be enough to salvage his day. He is a sit this week.
Trending Searches for WR Start/Sit
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 on!
Should You Start Rashee Rice or Calvin Ridley?
One of these receivers is an every-down player. One of these receivers has a 20.6% target share. The other receiver only plays about 60% of the snaps and sees a 12.6% target share. Yet, the Start/Sit Optimizer has the latter receiver projected for 11.2 points against 11.0 from the former. Make it make sense.
While volume remains king in fantasy football, talent matters as well. Rice has only run a route on 46.2% of Patrick Mahomes’ dropbacks, but he’s commanding targets at a 26.1% rate, 20th in the league. Of course, it’s a problem that Rice isn’t on the field enough, but his talent commands targets when he is.
Calvin Ridley has run a route on 100% of Trevor Lawrence’s dropbacks. Unfortunately, much of the high-end talent Ridley had back in 2019 and 2020 is gone. His 19.6% targets per route run rate is 54th in the league. Why? He can’t get open.
Of course, the problem isn’t just Ridley. No one can compare to Mahomes, but it’s really not fair to compare Rice playing with the most talented QB in NFL history to Ridley playing with a guy who is below average when compared to 2023 QBs alone.
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
Ridley is an inferior player with an inferior QB in an inferior situation. On the season, he’s averaging just 0.2 PPG more than Rice. And remember, Rice’s role only started to really increase over the past month or so.
The Optimizer says Rice. The talent says Rice. My personal rankings say Rice. Start Rice in Week 11 lineups.
Should You Start Jahan Dotson or George Pickens?
Remember when Jahan Dotson had two WR1 weeks? I do. In fact, from Weeks 7-9, Dotson saw a whopping 26 targets. He resembled the guy many thought would break out this season.
Last week, the real Dotson returned — the one who has just a single double-digit effort in his other eight games. He saw just two targets, neither of which he caught. It was the second goose egg for Dotson and the second time he saw two targets or fewer. It is impossible to trust a guy like that in lineups.
Unfortunately, things haven’t been much better for Pickens. Deshaun Watson being out for the Browns only makes things worse, as the Steelers are unlikely to find themselves needing to throw the ball much. When they do throw, the ball tends to go to Diontae Johnson’s anyway.
This is a tough spot for both of these players. The Start/Sit Optimizer gives the slight edge to Dotson, projecting him for 9.6 points against 9.3 for Pickens. I have it slightly reversed, with Pickens two spots ahead of Dotson in my Week 11 rankings.
Ultimately, this one is a toss-up. Pickens is the more talented player. Dotson has the better matchup. Neither is his team’s WR1. This is a pure “go with your gut” situation.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
