Fantasy Football 2018: Start or sit for Week 13

Start

Kenny Golladay vs. LA Rams- If you revert to the quarterback section, you’ll see the case for sitting Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and how volume won’t matter for Stafford. For Lions receiver Kenny Golladay, the draw for this match-up rests within the potential targets/volume. For starters, the Rams are heavily favored in this game, so the expectation is for Stafford to toss the ball a heavy amount of times. The greater appeal lies within the depth of Detroit’s receiving corps, or lack thereof.

With Golden Tate shipped to Philadelphia and Marvin Jones out the rest of the way, Golladay is in line to receive a heavy amount of targets on a weekly basis. Golladay has amassed 35 targets the last three weeks, more than any receiver in the league. As far as Golladay’s fantasy floor resides, he has failed to dip below the 14-point mark since Tate was traded. The potential matchup with Aqib Talib isn’t something to go bananas over. However, with Golladay practically being Stafford’s sole go-to receiver, the volume alone is enticing enough to keep Golladay in the starting slot.

Christian Kirk at Green Bay- There hasn’t been much to like about the Cardinals offense in 2018, yet when Christian Kirk has been targeted, good things have happened for Arizona. Despite Kirk still being out-targeted by Larry Fitzgerald by 11 targets, Kirk is favored to do more damage in Sunday’s match-up in Green Bay thanks to the expected return of Packers cornerback Kevin King. According to ESPN, the Packers secondary is among the friendliest to opposing receivers, allowing the third-most fantasy points to receivers since Week 8.

Despite Green Bay’s disappointing season, the Packers are still solid favorites over the Cardinals. Should Rosen need to sling the ball early and often, Fitzgerald is expected to be locked into coverage, freeing up Kirk to have himself a solid outing in the fantasy football realm. Kirk has yet to show he’s consistent in his fantasy scoring, yet Sunday’s matchup in Green Bay is the friendliest secondary Kirk and company will see the rest of the way.

Sit

Allen Robinson at NY Giants- Allen Robinson’s 2018 campaign can certainly categorized as disappointing, or at the very minimum, consistently frustrating. Holding the title as the number one receiver in a fairly dangerous Bears offense, Robinson’s production has taken a hit since leaving Jacksonville for the windy city. After a six point outing in Minnesota, Robinson followed that up with a five point day on Thanksgiving. Quarterback Chase Daniel will be starting again after debuting last Thursday, further limiting Robinson in what has been a surprisingly quiet season.

Robinson and the Bears travel to New York to take on a middle of the road Giants secondary. Although not having Trubisky knocks Robinson down a few notches, his production has been so off/on that it might not even matter who is throwing the football. With Matt Nagy relying heavily on other receiving options and his two running backs, the upside is average at best for Robinson in Week 13.

Calvin Ridley vs. Baltimore- Since his hot start to the 2018 season, Calvin Ridley has returned back to our planet and has yet to really capture lightning in a bottle again despite solid outings vs the Redskins and Saints. With Julio Jones garnering most of the targets and Mohamed Sanu finding himself on the field a lot, Ridley’s opportunities have shrunk over the course of the season, scoring 9 or fewer points in five of his last seven games.

Week 13 presents a trip to Baltimore, home to one of the league’s top defensive backfields. With Ridley drawing the likes of Jimmy Smith or Marlon Humphrey, is a double-digit outing too tall of a task to ask out of the rookie? With the Ravens allowing a mere 10.7 yards a reception, Ridley’s impact may be downgraded when taking Julio’s expected target share. Temper expectations for Ridley (if they still remained high), who will be touchdown dependent in this tough matchup.