Fantasy Football Week 12: Start or Sit Marques Valdez-Scantling, Christian Kirk, or Corey Davis?
Week twelve is upon us, which means that some of us are just two games away from worrying about our fantasy football playoffs. If you’re still reading this, congratulations, the marginally-long slog of the fantasy football season hasn’t broken you yet. Every week, we at Football Absurdity like to highlight players with marginal matchups that you might get a wild hair about. We hope to provide you with some basic facts to help you inform your start or sit decisions. The wide receivers below have had inconsistent years, and face difficult matchups this week.
Start or Sit Marquez Valdez-Scantling at Minnesota
First of all, fellow MVS owners, DO NOT PANIC DROP MVS. Valdes-Scantling has a difficult matchup this week, and he underperformed last week. However, down the stretch he gets Arizona, Atlanta, Chicago, and the Jets. While Arizona is a difficult matchup, Atlanta, Chicago, and the Jets currently rank as the #5, #10 and #7 matchup for opposing wide receivers. Ride out the decreased production, as this is the calm before the storm for MVS down the stretch. This week, he will remain calm for those deciding whether to start or sit Marquez Valdez-Scantling against Minnesota. Despite getting an average of six targets over his prior three games, MVS had just two targets last week. It was the Aaron Jones and Davante Adams show, so that was to be expected. His targets should bounce back this week, but not his production. The Vikings allow the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs, and outside of the Rams game (an automatic mulligan for any and all pass defenses), they have allowed just five double-digit fantasy days in half-PPR this season. MVS should remain a sit for now, but he is an instant strong start or sit candidate down the stretch with those matchups. Don’t start him this week, but definitely hang on… things will get better, but they may get worse before then.
Start or Sit Corey Davis at Houston
There are a ton of swirling factors at play this week when deciding whether you should start or sit Corey Davis. Let’s start with the QB situation. Marcus Mariota left last week’s game with a stinger, and perennial fortieth-best QB in the NFL, Blaine Gabbert, was less than inspiring in his stead. It’s truly a question whether Mariota will make it for Monday Night Football, and starting Davis with Gabbert is less-than-ideal. That leads directly to the second issue… the (unfortunate for us) Monday Night Football game with Mariota’s injury hanging over the whole situation. If it’s Gabbert, you’re stuck with a poor option in Corey Davis. You could pivot to Cole Beasley or Michael Gallup, but those are some rough options. Those options are even rougher with the third layer of a dark pall hanging over Davis’s head: the matchup. The Texans have been on a tear, winning seven-straight games. In their last six games, they have allowed just four double-digit fantasy days to opposing wide receivers. How do they pull that off? No wideout has scored a touchdown against them since week six. Corey Davis was set to graduate from the start or sit ranks, with two-straight ten-target games. Then Blaine Gabbert came in, and the Titans faced a tough matchup, and all hell broke loose. Sit him this week, there’s too much swirling against him. Just be happy to be wrong if he inexplicably blows up on Monday Night Football.
Start or Sit Christian Kirk at Los Angeles Chargers
Kirk averaged over six targets per game in the six games prior to Mike McCoy being fired, and he responded by posting at least ten fantasy points in four of those six games. It’s now been two games with Byron Leftwich at the helm, and things haven’t gone great for Kirk. Sure, last week he popped off for 77 and a score, but he has an unreliable 2.5 catches per game on just five targets a contest without Mike McCoy. The issue is real; Leftwich focuses Josh Rosen on David Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, both of whom have seen a bounce back under Leftwich. There’s a serious question surrounding Kirk’s target volume, and it’s a question that I don’t feel good enough answering to lean into starting him this week. That’s doubly true as he takes on the seventh-worst possible matchup he could have, as the Chargers have clamped up opposing wide receivers. Fitzgerald is going to get his this week (Leftwich will be sure of it), and outside of the Rams game (see the Mulligan Clause above), LAC hasn’t allowed more than one double-digit fantasy performer at wide receiver in a single week. I would sit him if I am in a position to decide if I should start or sit Kirk this week. It only takes one catch for him to pop off, but even that one catch is in doubt this weekend.
These wide receivers could all make me look silly with one long bomb, but I am going to stay you should decide to start or sit them in this order:
- Corey Davis
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling
- Christian Kirk
If you need more start or sit advice, check out the remainder of our start and sit articles for week twelve!
Start or Sit Baker Mayfield, Nick Mullens, or Eli Manning?
Start or Sit Dak Prescott, Andy Dalton, or Kirk Cousins?
Start or Sit Mohamed Sanu, Keke Coutee, or Sterling Shepard?
Start or Sit Marlon Mack, Gus Edwards, or Josh Adams?
Start or Sit Adrian Peterson, Chris Carson, or LeSean McCoy?
Start or Sit Cam Brate, Vance McDonald, or Jordan Reed?
Start or Sit Evan Engram, Kyle Rudolph, or Jared Cook?
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