Start ’Em, Sit ’Em Wide Receivers Fantasy Football Divisional Round: Mike Evans Airs It Out

Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football. This column will not cover the elite players in the NFL like Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey or Justin Jefferson. Instead, I'll look at the players you have questions about who could exceed or fail to meet expectations at each position. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out my weekly player rankings which will be updated daily throughout the 2023 NFL season.

Divisional Round Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | KICKERS & TEAM DEFENSES

Divisional Round Start ’Em: Wide Receivers

Start of the Week

Mike Evans at Detroit Lions (3 p.m. ET, NBC): Evans has struggled in his last three games, scoring a combined 23 points including just 7.8 in last week’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles. I’d keep the faith, however, as he next faces a Lions defense that ranked ninth in points allowed to opposing road wideouts and has also struggled to defend the perimeter. In what should be a shootout, stick with Evans.

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Start ’Em

Rashee Rice at Buffalo Bills (6:30 p.m. ET, CBS): Rice has been one of the best wideouts in fantasy land, scoring 17-plus points in four of his last five games with a 27-point performance last week to boot. He’s also seeing elite volume, as Rice has been targeted at least nine times in six of his last seven games. So, while a contest in Buffalo isn’t great on paper, I’m staying with the talented rookie wideout.

More Starts

Brandon Aiyuk vs. Packers (Sat. 8:15 p.m. ET, Fox)
Chris Godwin at Lions (3p.m. ET, NBC)

DFS Bargains (DraftKings)

Rashee Rice at Bills ($6,800)
Zay Flowers vs. Houston Texans ($6,000)

Divisional Round Sit ’Em: Wide Receivers

Sit of the Week

Stefon Diggs vs. Kansas City Chiefs (6:30 p.m. ET, CBS): Diggs has been a bit better in the stat sheets lately, scoring a combined 27.9 fantasy points in his last two games. He had been held to single digits in his previous four games and six of his last seven, however, including a home game against the Chiefs where he put up a measly 6.4 points. This is a tough matchup, so temper your expectations.

Sit ’Em

Jayden Reed at San Francisco 49ers (Sat. 8:15 p.m. ET, Fox): Reed was held without a point last week, which begs the question, “Is he healthy?” He got banged up at the end of the regular season, and his snaps, routes and targets went down against the Cowboys. That makes him a risk against the 49ers, who allowed a league-low 75.3 yards per game to wideouts in the last four weeks of 2023.

More Sits

Nico Collins at Baltimore Ravens (Sat. 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Houston Texans (Sat. 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

DFS Fades (DraftKings)

Nico Collins at Ravens ($7,100)
Stefon Diggs at Chiefs ($7,000)

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