There is no argument that Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson and Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown are two of the very best fantasy options out there. While Jefferson missed extended time this year and didn’t have the type of season fantasy football managers envisioned him when they took him as high as No.1 in their drafts, he’s been productive when healthy.
Meanwhile, St. Brown has been outstanding all year while helping the Lions to an NFC North title. These two teams match up on Sunday, so are there any concerns for either of these WRs in fantasy championships?
Should You Start Justin Jefferson in Fantasy This Week?
He has played in only four games since coming back from injury, but he has started to resemble the Jefferson of old in the last three outings. He has been targeted 10 times in each of the three matchups, parlaying those opportunities into catch totals of seven, six, and five.
In the game against the Lions on Christmas Eve, he had six catches for 141 yards and one touchdown. Jefferson also made one of the best plays of his career on a 3rd-and-27 conversion, where he caught the ball one-handed. In the Vikings’ final matchup in 2022, Jefferson had 11 catches for 223 yards against Detroit.
The quarterback situation is obviously all over the place in Minnesota, but Jefferson has shown that it doesn’t matter who is throwing him the ball.
The Lions haven’t been good at stopping the pass this year, as they are 25th in passing yards per game allowed (240.4). As long as Jefferson is on the field, then he absolutely needs to be in your lineup.
Should You Start Amon-Ra St. Brown in Fantasy This Week?
St. Brown has been as consistent and as good of a receiver as there has been in the league this year. He is currently tied for second in catches (112) and for fifth in touchdowns (nine) while also checking in fifth in yards (1,371).
He has been the unquestioned No. 1 target on a Detroit offense that is as good as there is in the NFL. The fewest targets St. Brown has had all season in a game is six. He has more 100-yard games (eight), as he does games under 100 yards (seven)!
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In fantasy, you obviously want touchdowns, but you want guys who are going to be on top of their game every single week.
St. Brown is an insanely reliable receiver who, far more often than not, is going to have a big performance. In the first matchup against the Vikings, he had 12 catches for 106 yards and one touchdown.
Like Jefferson, if you have St. Brown, he should be in your lineup. It doesn’t matter what defense he is going up against; he has shown all year he is going to put up numbers.
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Jefferson is the player to start. His projected 18.5 points include a projection of seven receptions and 93 yards. That is a big game for Jefferson, but St. Brown is also projected for a productive afternoon with 17.9 points.
Make no mistake about it; these are two of the very best receivers in the league. I am actually going to go against the Optimizer, as I think St. Brown will have the bigger outing. The Lions still could get the No. 2 seed in the NFC and have more to play for in Week 18.
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