Fantasy WR Rankings Week 13: Who to start, sit at wide receiver in fantasy football

Jackson Sparks

Fantasy WR Rankings Week 13: Who to start, sit at wide receiver in fantasy football image

Our Week 13 fantasy WR rankings feature several top-tier studs with favorable matchups, but there are also plenty of potential sleepers with sneaky upside in the middle of the rankings. Whether you're in need of a streamer wide receiver or you're just prone to overthinking every start 'em, sit 'em decision, we can help. 

Green Bay, Tennessee, Cleveland, and Carolina are on bye, so the biggest -- and, really, only -- losses here are Davante Adams and D.J. Moore (with A.J. Brown heading to IR). For a four-team bye, you're not going to find an easier week on wideouts than this one.

WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

It's worth noting Ja'Marr Chase (vs. Chargers), Stefon Diggs (vs. Patriots) Terry McLaurin (@ Raiders), and Keenan Allen (@ Bengals) are all in tough matchups this week, but you already know they are must-starts. Teammates Tee Higgins (vs. Chargers), Emmanuel Sanders (vs. Patriots), and Mike Williams (@ Raiders) are tougher calls, but all have shown enough TD upside this season to still be in most lineups.

WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

On the "start" side of the start-or-sit bubble, Kadarius Toney and Sterling Shepard (@ Dolphins) have high ceilings if they play against the second-worst defense against fantasy WRs. The same goes for Michael Gallup (@ Saints) against the worst defense against fantasy WRs. Seattle is a middle-of-the-pack defense against wideouts, but Brandon Aiyuk (@ Seahawks) has done enough in recent weeks to be trusted, so he's one of the better options after the "no-brainer" guys. Christian Kirk (@ Bears) should be in for a nice fantasy day even if DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) is back, and Rashod Bateman (@ Steelers) is a good option, too, as the Steelers' pass defense has quietly been a bottom-10 unit against the position.

WEEK 13 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo

Tre'Quan Smith (vs. Cowboys), Russell Gage (vs. Buccaneers), Van Jefferson (vs. Jaguars), A.J. Green (@ Bears), Nico Collins (vs. Colts), and Josh Reynolds (@ Vikings) are riskier options, but they each have juicy matchups against defenses in the bottom half of the league against fantasy WRs. If DeVante Parker (vs. Giants) and/or Will Fuller (vs. Giants) are finally back in the lineup after dealing with hamstring and finger injuries, they can be considered, as the Giants are the 12th-worst defense against fantasy WRs. You could also try T.Y. Hilton (vs. Texans) if you're in a tough spot, but he's obviously far from a sure thing. DeSean Jackson (vs. Washington) is a boom-or-bust option who can be seriously considered after a nice performance on Thanksgiving.

WEEK 13 DFS: Best values | Best stacks | Lineup Builder

Corey Davis (vs. Eagles), Tyler Boyd (vs. Chargers), Cole Beasley (vs. Patriots), and Jakobi Meyers (@ Bills) have tough paths to success against top-10 WR-stopping units, and we know the latter three are rarely great options in standard leagues. Ultimately, all the Jets' and Patriots' WRs should be viewed as having limited ceilings, but Kendrick Bourne has established a high-enough floor to be in most lineups. We should also expect another bust week out of Marvin Jones and Laviska Shenault (@ Rams) and Allen Robinson (vs. Cardinals), though Darnell Mooney (vs. Cardinals) remains in play.

WEEK 13 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em

We laid out a ton of worthwhile options here, plenty of which are readily available on waivers. This is the second-to-last week of byes, so we're eventually going to have all options at our disposal. Still, we'll have to continue to weigh our options and make sure we're playing the best lineups possible as we inch closer to the fantasy playoffs.

Note: We'll be updating these WR rankings as needed throughout the week, so check back for the latest changes and analysis.

​Fantasy WR Rankings Week 13: Who to start at wide receiver

Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring

Rank Player
1 Cooper Kupp, LAR vs. JAX
2 Tyreek Hill, KC vs. DEN
3 Mike Evans, TB @ ATL
4 CeeDee Lamb, DAL @ NO
5 Justin Jefferson, MIN @ DET
6 DeAndre Hopkins, ARI @ CHI
7 Chris Godwin, TB @ ATL
8 Stefon Diggs, BUF vs. NE
9 Marquise Brown, BAL @ PIT
10 Amari Cooper, DAL @ NO
11 Brandin Cooks, HOU vs. IND
12 Michael Pittman Jr., IND @ HOU
13 Adam Thielen, MIN @ DET
14 Jaylen Waddle, MIA vs. NYG. There's no other way to put this other than Waddle has been fantastic over the last month of the season. In his past four games, he's drawn 35 targets, has put up a minimum of 61 yards with a high of 137 yards. In PPR leagues, he's extra attractive, but his production makes him a mid-tier WR in all formats. The Giants are the 12th-worst defense against fantasy WRs, so this spot feels appropriate. If DeVante Parker (hamstring) plays in this one, he has serious flex value, too.
15 Diontae Johnson, PIT vs. BAL. Johnson has drawn 10 or more targets in eight games this season, so he obviously has one of the safest PPR floors among WRs. His upside is limited a bit in standard leagues, but he's still in this range of guys against a defense in the bottom half of the league in limiting fantasy WRs. Chase Claypool is beginning to draw a ton of targets, too, but his fantasy prospects are built primarily on big plays. He's a fine flex option, but he's far from safe.
16 Ja'Marr Chase, CIN vs. LAC. Chase has caught just six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown over the last two weeks, but even in a tough matchup with the Chargers, his upside keeps him inside the top-24 ranked WRs. He and Higgins rarely produce at the same time, but we've seen Chase's ceiling is much higher. Ultimately, they both draw starting consideration regardless of matchup, but Higgins could be reasonably benched if you have a ton of solid depth at wideout. If not, he'll probably be in your flex spot.
17 Keenan Allen, LAC @ CIN. Against Denver, Allen extended his double-digit target streak to five games, so even though the Bengals are a top-10 unit against fantasy WRs, his floor and ceiling remain high. He's a better PPR play, but there's not a single matchup that would make us want to bench him. Mike Williams is back to his boom-or-bust ways, but the boom side of the equation makes it hard to bench him, too.
18 Terry McLaurin, WAS @ LV. Las Vegas was a top-10 unit against fantasy WRs heading into Week 12, but McLaurin is another guy who dominates targets in his offense and he'll be among the best WRs the Raiders have faced. We'll see how Curtis Samuel's and Logan Thomas' returns affect the target share, but for now, McLaurin continues to be a must-start.
19 Hunter Renfrow, LV vs. WAS. Renfrow was once just a high-ceiling PPR guy, but he's starting to put up touchdowns or big yards on a somewhat regular basis. Washington is the worst team in the league against fantasy WRs, so this will be the highest ranking for Renfrow all season. In classic DeSean Jackson fashion, Jackson will be a boom-or-bust play in such a favorable matchup.
20 DeVonta Smith, PHI @ NYJ. Jalen Hurts just had the worst game of his career, so naturally, DeVonta Smith did absolutely nothing. However, the Jets are the 13th-worst defense against fantasy WRs, so we're not fading him after the rough performance. Smith is a boom-or-bust guy given the inconsistency from his quarterback, but we've got to trust the matchup here.
21 DK Metcalf, SEA vs. SF. See Tyler Lockett.
22 Brandon Aiyuk, SF @ SEA. Deebo Samuel (groin) is going to miss at least this week, so Aiyuk will have the chance to be the team's No. 1 WR. Last year, Aiyuk broke out in the absence of Samuel, eclipsing 70 receiving yards in five of his last six games of the season. He's out of the Shanahan dog house, so we won't be surprised if he's a WR1 for the rest of the season. That said, we're going to rank him conservatively against a Seattle defense who is strong against WRs, and awful against the run.
23 Tyler Lockett, SEA vs. SF. San Francisco is a top-eight unit against WRs, and Russell Wilson hasn't shown us enough with the progression of his finger injury to be ultra-high on Lockett. Of course, it's tough to ever think about benching Lockett or DK Metcalf, but you can move them down in rankings in tough matchups. As always, Lockett can sneak his way into the top-12 WRs with one or two deep bombs, though.
24 Mike Williams, LAC @ CIN. See Keenan Allen.
25 Darnell Mooney, CHI vs. ARI. In Mooney's last two games, he's averaging 12 targets, five catches, and 122 receiving yards. Regardless of what we think of a receiver or his quarterback, those numbers are tough to ignore. His prospects are probably better if Andy Dalton starts against Arizona, but either way, it's tough to put a red-hot WR on the bench. Arizona is a top-10 defense against fantasy WRs, though, so we aren't comfortable moving him higher than this spot.
26 Christian Kirk, ARI @ CHI. Chicago is a bottom-six unit against fantasy WRs, and they just allowed Josh Reynolds to go for 70 yards and a touchdown -- which didn't help their case. We DeAndre Hopkins is always a must-start, but Kirk and A.J. Green should be seriously considered in WR2 and flex spots this week. Kyler Murray has been on the shelf for a month, so expect the offense to get a boost when he's back in the lineup. If you're really in a tough spot, you could try Rondale Moore as a boom-or-bust flex option. You never know which Arizona WR will come up big, but the order is certainly Kirk, Green, then Moore in our rankings.
27 Jerry Jeudy, DEN @ KC. Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Tim Patrick were busts in Week 12 against the Chargers, but Denver never needed to pass to stay in the game. This game should call for more of a pass-happy game script, and Jeudy has the highest ceiling among the three Broncos' wideouts -- we think. Ultimately, it seems Jeudy and Patrick have the safest floors, while Sutton probably still has the highest upside. Kansas City quietly has a decent passing defense, though, so we're not super bullish on the group either way.
28 DeVante Parker, MIA vs. NYG. See Jaylen Waddle.
29 Michael Gallup, DAL @ NO. Even with CeeDee Lamb (concussion) and Amari Cooper (reserve/Covid-19) expected to be back, the Cowboys should attempt a ton of passes in a matchup with the Saints' great run defense and bad pass defense. Based on that, there will be plenty of work to go around, and Gallup should enjoy another successful campaign on Thursday night.
30 A.J. Green, ARI @ CHI. See Christian Kirk.
31 Elijah Moore, NYJ vs. PHI. Moore has a tough matchup this week, but he's the best WR on the Jets roster, and we don't foresee a game script where New York will be able to run all over Philadephia. Moore has been efficient, so if the volume picks up, he's a decent flex option. Corey Davis could outscore him, but we think it's clear Moore has the higher upside. 
32 Odell Beckham Jr., LAR vs. JAX. Beckham showed signs of life in a tough matchup against Green Bay, so perhaps he'll be a factor moving forward. He caught five-of-10 targets for 81 yards and a touchdown in just his second game with Matthew Stafford, and the matchup with Jacksonville could mean another stellar performance. We'd rank him higher, but we want to see another solid day before fully committing to him. Van Jefferson is also a nice option as a standard league boom-or-bust play.
33 Kenny Golladay, NYG @ MIA
34 Rashod Bateman, BAL @ PIT
35 Chase Claypool, PIT vs. BAL
36 Kendrick Bourne, NE @ BUF
37 Tee Higgins, CIN vs. LAC. See Ja'Marr Chase.
38 Van Jefferson, LAR vs. JAX. See Odell Beckham Jr.
39 Russell Gage, ATL vs. TB
40 DeSean Jackson, LV vs. WAS. See Hunter Renfrow.
41 Emmanuel Sanders, BUF vs. NE
42 T.Y. Hilton, IND @ HOU
43 Tre'Quan Smith, NO vs. DAL
44 Courtland Sutton, DEN @ KC. See Jerry Jeudy.
45 Corey Davis, NYJ vs. PHI. See Elijah Moore.
46 Jakobi Meyers, NE @ BUF
47 Cole Beasley, BUF vs. NE
48 Marvin Jones, JAX @ LAR
49 Laviska Shenault Jr., JAX @ LAR
50 Josh Reynolds, DET vs. MIN
51 Tim Patrick, DEN @ KC. See Jerry Jeudy.
52 Jauan Jennings, SF @ SEA
53 Curtis Samuel, WAS @ LV
54 Darius Slayton, NYG @ MIA
55 Mecole Hardman, KC vs. DEN
56 Nico Collins, HOU vs. IND
57 Jamison Crowder, NYJ vs. PHI
58 Marquez Callaway, NO vs. DAL
59 DeAndre Carter, WAS @ LV
60 Tyler Johnson, TB @ ATL
61 Damiere Byrd, CHI vs. ARI
62 Gabriel Davis, BUF vs. NE
63 Bryan Edwards, LV vs. WAS
64 Rondale Moore, ARI @ CHI. See Christian Kirk.
65 Kalif Raymond, DET vs. MIN
66 Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET vs. MIN
67 Deonte Harris, NO vs. DAL
68 John Ross, NYG @ MIA
69 Tyler Boyd, CIN vs. LAC
70 Chris Conley, HOU vs. IND
71 Zay Jones, LV vs. WAS
72 Nelson Agholor, NE @ BUF
73 Sammy Watkins, BAL @ PIT
74 Laquon Treadwell, JAX @ LAR
75 Olamide Zaccheaus, ATL vs. TB
76 Demarcus Robinson, KC vs. DEN
77 Zach Pascal, IND @ HOU
78 Quez Watkins, PHI @ NYJ
79 Tajae Sharpe, ATL vs. TB
80 K.J. Osborn, MIN @ DET
81 Jalen Guyton, LAC @ CIN
82 Byron Pringle, KC vs. DEN
83 Josh Gordon, KC vs. DEN
84 Adam Humphries, WAS @ LV
85 Freddie Swain, SEA vs. SF

Jackson Sparks