The Dallas Cowboys’ defense has been stout, to say the least, this season. A unit shutting down opposing offenses left and right makes start or sit decisions even more difficult than usual. Are you going with the Seattle Seahawks WRs DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, or Jaxon Smith-Njigba in fantasy football this week?
Should You Start DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, or Jaxon Smith-Njigba for Fantasy Football in Week 13?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say managers should start Metcalf. He is projected to have 12.8 fantasy points on five receptions and 58.2 receiving yards.
Lockett is projected for 10.7 fantasy points on 3.7 receptions and 46.2 receiving yards. Finally, Smith-Njigba is projected to have 9.5 fantasy points on 3.9 receptions and 41 yards.
I agree with the Optimizer and am starting Metcalf.
Fantasy Outlook for Metcalf This Week
Metcalf has not been the fantasy WR you drafted him to be this year, as he currently sits as the WR34 with almost 700 yards receiving and only three TDs. He is still playing 81% of the snaps and averaging eight targets, so the opportunities are there; he just isn’t capitalizing on them.
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Positive TD regression should be coming; Metcalf has had 15 red-zone targets and has only come away with three TDs. Continue to play the odds with this one, and he is your best bet for fantasy production out of the Seahawks WRs this week. He is WR20 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings.
Fantasy Outlook for Lockett This Week
Lockett also went to the school of disappointing fantasy managers, as he sits at the WR32 on the season, much lower in the ranks than we anticipated seeing him at this point in the season. Lockett’s consistency has been a glaring issue — some weeks, you get a WR6, whereas some weeks you get the WR75. It is a scary game to play when you don’t know which WR you are getting.
Lockett has also been battling a hamstring issue for the last few weeks, which seems to be affecting him on the field. His targets have decreased over the last three weeks — he had 10 targets in Week 10 and only had five in Week 12. He is the WR31 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings this week.
Fantasy Outlook for Smith-Njigba This Week
The final Seattle WR to consider in this sit/start dilemma is the rookie Smith-Njigba, who was perhaps the best WR coming out of this draft class based on talent. Unfortunately, we have not seen him have his big breakout, and I do not think we will see it this week against Dallas.
Smith-Njigba is currently WR52 and has had three decent games this year, but they were either without Metcalf or at the expense of a poor game by Lockett. The three Seahawks WRs have yet to put together a game where all three are fantasy-viable assets. Smith-Njigba is WR42 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings this week.
Full disclosure: I would like to avoid starting any Seattle WR against the Cowboys this week in Dallas. The Cowboys allow the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs, so if you have a better option, I would suggest it. If you do not, I am going with Metcalf out of the three.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!