Wide Receiver Start/Sit Advice | Week 12 of The SLANT PATTERN

Win Your Week 12

• Week 12 Positional CheatChart to Spot the Best Fantasy Producers
• Quarterback START/SIT Advice: Week 12 of THE AUDIBLE
• Running Back START/SIT Advice: Week 12 of THE CUTBACK
• Wide Receiver Start/Sit Advice | Week 12 of The SLANT PATTERN
• Tight End START/SIT Advice: Week 12 of THE 12 FORMATION
• IDP Fantasy START/SIT Advice: Week 12 of THE BLINDSIDE
• The Week 12 IDP Waiver Wire | Best Free Agent Targets
• Week 12 Sunday Preview | Fantasy Points Data Suite | THE FULL SLATE

Nerds! The Dynasty Nerds writers are here to provide you with weekly start/sit advice all season long. We will be making our recommendations based on weekly consensus PPR rankings. Here is your Week 12 Wide Receiver Start/Sit advice from senior writer Tristan Cook.

Win Your Week 12 | QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP | CheatChart | Full Slate

One thing to keep in mind when making your Week 12 wide receiver start/sit decisions; it will ALWAYS depend on who your other options are. Don’t take the players below out of (or put them into) your lineup unless the alternatives are worth it.

Week 12 Wide Receiver Rankings by Tristan Cook

NOTE: Rankings are sourced from FantasyPros expert consensus expert rankings (ECR) and our terminology is for a 12-team PPR league. So, saying WR2 means top 24, or WR1 means top 12, etc.

WEEK 11 WIDE RECEIVER START/SIT RESULTS

START | Week 12 Wide Receiver Start/Sit

Jordan Addison | Minnesota Vikings | WR 29

Week 11 Stats | WR 24 | FPts 15.1 | Tgts 8 | Rec 3 | Yds 61 | TDs 1 | Confidence 85%

As always, the main thing I am looking for in my Week 12 wide receiver start/sit recommendations is players with opportunities for production. The best indicator for upcoming production is targets. You can’t catch the ball unless it’s thrown to you and last week, Addison saw eight targets. Despite only hauling in 3 of those targets, Addison managed to finish in the top-24 receivers. I have Addison ranked just inside my top-30 this week against Chicago, which is 13 spots above his ECF ranking.The matchup with the Bears shouldn’t be a deterrent, get Addison in your lineup this week.

START | Week 12 Wide Receiver Start/Sit

DeAndre Hopkins | Kansas City Chiefs | WR 17

Week 11 Stats | WR 59 | FPts 5.9 | Tgts 4 | Rec 3 | Yds 29 | Confidence 80%

The next player on my list, DeAndre Hopkins, may initially seem counterintuitive to have so highly ranked. He was only targeted four times last week in the loss at Buffalo. However, I am undeterred. Patrick Mahomes was held to under 200 yards passing for the first time since Week 7. His 33 passing attempts and 23 completions were his third-fewest since Week 2.

This week, the Chiefs face a bottom-10 pass defense in Carolina, and I expect Hopkins to feast. I have him ranked 10 spots above his ECF ranking and you should feel confident in starting him in a pivotal week for your dynasty teams. 

Flex START | Week 12 Wide Receiver Start/Sit

Darius Slayton | New York Giants | WR 43

Week 11 Stats | Bye Week | Confidence 65%

My last two starts are great for teams that are hurting due to six teams on bye and/or injuries. After a brief stint as an injury fill-in for his own team, Darius Slayton fell back to fantasy obscurity. However, Slayton was more involved in New York’s last two games. But then, the Giants benched Daniel Jones in favor of Tommy DeVito this week. 

We don’t exactly know what to expect from DeVito as the signal caller. But, we know that the Tampa Bay pass defense is one of the worst in the NFL. The 264.1 passing yards per game allowed is 3rd-worst. There’s definitely some risk with starting Slayton, but we’ve seen him be successful in the past and you could do a lot worse than Slayton this week.

Flex START | Week 12 Wide Receiver Start/Sit

Kayshon Boutte | New England Patriots | WR 41

Week 11 Stats | WR 53 | Tgts 6 | Rec 4 | Yds 33  | Confidence 70%

Kayshon Boutte is quietly garnering a strong target share over the last month. His 24 targets over the last 4 games is good for nearly 20% of the New England pass attempts. Unfortunately, Boutte has yet to convert that target share into consistent fantasy success.

However, in a week where you are without the likes of Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Davante Adams, Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, Brian Thomas Jr., Amari Cooper, and others, a player with a good opportunity to catch passes is all you can ask for. If you’re in a tough spot, Boutte could save your bacon.

SIT | Week 12 Wide Receiver Start/Sit

Calvin Ridley | Tennessee Titans | WR 37

Week 11 Stats | WR 41 | FPts 9.8 | Tgts 6 | Rec 4 | Yds 58 | Confidence 15%

My first sit, Calvin Ridley, is largely due to his matchup. The Titans face off against the Houston Texans and their sixth-best pass defense in Week 12. The Tennessee Titans also have the fourth-worst pass offense in the NFL.

This matchup has all the makings of a game to avoid for anyone rostering Titans players. Ridley is ranked at WR24 in the ECF rankings, but I have him outside of my top-36. If you can avoid playing Calvin Ridley, you should.

SIT | Week 12 Wide Receiver Start/Sit

Jauan Jennings | San Francisco 49ers | WR 32

Week 11 Stats | WR 7 | FPts 25.1 | Tgts 11 | Rec 10 | Yds 91 | TDs 1 | Confidence 5%

My last “sit” could really be the entire San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiving corp. With the news that Brock Purdy is OUT for Week 12, the entire passing attack is deserving of a second look in your lineups. For me, Jauan Jennings has the biggest gap between his ECF ranking and my personal ranking.

The 49ers travel to Lambeau field this week to take on the very mediocre Green Bay defense. I expect Brandon Allen to heavily lean on his best skill players, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel. 

Win Your Week 12 | QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP | CheatChart | Full Slate

If you enjoyed reading the Week 12 Wide Receiver Start/Sit, I encourage you to check out our other start/sit positional articles in the series using the navigation tool above or in the series navigation at the top of the page.

In case you missed it, our Senior NFL Prospects Nerd Mike Johrendt released his 2025 Rookie Big Board with his first two rounds of a dynasty rookie draft, plus his sleeper for the 2025 NFL Draft class:

Week 12 Wide Receiver Rankings PPR Top 50

NOTE: Rankings made prior to final injury designations. Players may be ranked higher or lower based on the perceived likelihood of them playing and/or their effectiveness if they do play. Additionally, we have removed the players in the Thursday Night Football game. All rankings are based on PPR scoring.

Interested in joining the #NerdHerd? Use the code “tcook” for 15% off any membership. Sign up here and get an edge on all of your league mates today! You can get access to the DynastyGM tool (including our Trade Calculator and new Trade Finder), the Prospect Film Room, an extra weekly podcast, full rankings, and much, much more!