Fantasy Football Week 13 Wide Receiver Start/Sit: Chimere Dike, Keenan Allen, and More

Welcome to Week 13's fantasy football start/sit breakdown for the wide receiver position! I hope you all had an excellent Thanksgiving, both on and off the fantasy football field. 

As always, I'd like to start with a quick recap of my results from last week. I had two big hits and one big miss on the Start side, as Michael Wilson (16.8 half-PPR points) and D.J. Moore (20.9) both finished inside the top 10 receivers, but Alec Pierce (3.1) was outside the top 60. Results were even better (or worse, I guess) for my three Sits, who scored 5.1 half-PPR points … combined. 

With the variance that comes with picking these borderline fantasy receivers each week, those results are essentially as good as I can ask for, with only one dud to go with five ideal picks. Hopefully, I can keep some of that momentum rolling into this week, picking the right Sunday WRs to keep your team rolling after a hopefully productive Thursday. Let's get started. 

For more help with your toughest Week 13 start/sit decisions, check out FantasySP's start/sit tool!

Wide Receivers To Start Week 13

Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts

Pierce was my lone miss last week. A wiser person than me might take that as a sign, but I'm simply going to double down. 

I should note that Pierce's usage last week was uninspiring, as he saw just two targets in the Colts' overtime loss to the Chiefs. His matchup this week is also tough, as the Texans' defense allows the fourth-fewest points per game to opposing wideouts. 

Despite all that, I'm simply trusting the fundamentals here. Even after last week's dud, Pierce has an 18% target share and a 45% air yards share in the Colts' offense. His 67.9 receiving yards per game still rank 14th among all receivers, even if he only has one TD all season. He's not a must-start, but he's a decent high-upside flex option. 

Chimere Dike, Tennessee Titans

Speaking of tempting flex options, we have Chimere Dike. With Calvin Ridley (and Elic Ayomanor) out last week, the fourth-round rookie was the Titans' clear WR1 last week. He ran 86% of the available routes, saw seven targets (a 17% share), and had a 33% air yards share. This all turned into a solid 12.9 half-PPR-point outing. 

This was Dike's third time scoring at least that many points in the last five games — and one of the two misses came with Ridley active, so he's really three for his last four games in his current situation. Especially if Ayomanor (who has been practicing on a limited basis with a hamstring injury) is out again, Dike is a solid option against the Jaguars this week. 

Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

My first two picks were more of the “consider this guy as a flex option” persuasion, but Waddle is a genuine must-start. I would have thought this was obvious given that he has averaged 12.6 half-PPR points on a 24% target share and a massive 54% air yards share since Tyreek Hill went down in Week 4. 

But the former sixth-overall pick is being started in just 55% of leagues this week. Normally, I'd attribute this to the Dolphins coming off their bye, but I imagine most managers set their lineups before the three-game Thanksgiving slate. That means a solid chunk of managers are genuinely choosing to sit Waddle this week. If you're one of them, reconsider. 

Wide Receivers To Sit Week 13

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Admittedly, Waddle was a bit of a safe pick as a Start, so here's a bold take to make up for it: Justin Jefferson isn't a must-start this week. Yes, he's probably the most talented receiver in the league. But he averaged just 9.5 half-PPR points in six games with J.J. McCarthy under center, despite maintaining elite usage.

To be fair, McCarthy is probably out this week with a concussion. But there's every chance that his replacement, UDFA rookie Max Brosmer, will be just as bad, if not somehow worse. The Vikings also have a brutal matchup this week against an elite Seahawks defense, which allows the 11th-fewest points to opposing WRs. 

Jefferson could easily overcome all these issues through sheer talent, and he's not a must-bench. But if you have a loaded team or are in a particularly shallow league, it's worth at least checking if you have better options available (like if you're one of the 45% of managers with Waddle on your bench).

Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots

Diggs has appeared frequently in this section, as he has spent large portions of his debut season in New England being ranked far higher than his actual usage (especially in terms of routes) deserves. This issue actually went away for a few weeks while Kayshon Boutte was sidelined by a hamstring injury, but now it is back with a vengeance.

In Week 12, Diggs posted just a 51% route participation rate. And he didn't even earn targets at an above-average rate per route, finishing with just three looks for a 9% target share. New England does have an excellent matchup with a Giants defense that allows the seventh-most points and fifth-most yards to opposing WRs. But I'd still feel safer starting a more full-time player than Diggs in most scenarios.   

Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

In many ways, Allen's issues are the same as Diggs'. The only difference is that, aside from the first few weeks of the season, Keenan doesn't even match his veteran counterpart in terms of getting away with good production on mediocre underlying usage. 

For the season, the 33-year-old WR is averaging just a 68% route participation rate to go with a 21% target share and a 26% air yards share. Those numbers, especially the last two, are solid. But if we reduce our sample to just since Week 5, they fall to 62%, 20%, and 27%. 

Again, those metrics, especially his target and air yards shares, really aren't that bad — the latter actually increased of late. With this in mind, he's by no means a must-bench in deeper formats. But he is also averaging just one top 30 finish and two top 40 finishes over the last eight weeks. Even if the usage red flags are more like a subtle pink, Allen hasn't been producing, so I recommend leaving him out of your lineup if you have another option.