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Joseph Hutchins | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


The Shot Caller's Report - Wide Receivers
Your Guide To Fantasy Lineups: Week 14
12/6/18
QBs | RBs | WRs

Bye Weeks: N/A

Curtis Samuel has seen 8-9-8 targets the last three weeks along with three rushing attempts.


Grab a Helmet

Curtis Samuel @ CLE: Like Packer fans before them (Aaron Jones), the Carolina faithful have been openly wondering all season why Ron Rivera et al. seemed so uninterested in using one of their most dynamic offensive weapons. It took the former Buckeye a full seven games to accumulate 24 touches and yet he managed to convert these limited looks into an astonishing six touchdowns. I was an English major, but even I can do that math and any coach worth his salt should be able to find a place for someone who scores every fourth time he touches the pigskin. Riverboat Ron figured it out last week (11 total targets and a rushing attempt), although maybe not soon enough to save his job. Mike McCarthy learned the hard way that underutilizing stars is hazardous to one’s coaching health, so let’s hope it’s not too late for Rivera. Start Samuel Sunday.

Eric Ebron @ HOU: Indy’s Week 13 disappearing act was one of the most mystifying and disappointing of the season. How does a squad riding a five-game hot streak and averaging nearly 30 PPG get skunked by a team on an epic skid (seven straight losses) starting a backup QB who’s never won a single NFL game in eight career tries? It’s part of what makes the NFL such a fascinating product, I guess. The only saving grace for us is that guys like Ebron weren’t sucked into the undertow. The former Lion TE managed to post a healthy 81 yards and 10 grabs and led all TEs with 16 targets in the losing effort. Down Jack Doyle and without a serviceable foil for T.Y. Hilton, you can expect Ebron to continue being heavily involved in the Colts’ offense. I’d start him over everyone not named Travis Kelce or Zach Ertz.

Tyler Lockett v. MIN (Mon): To the surprise of precisely no one, Antonio Brown, Davante Adams, and Tyreek Hill are leading the league in receiving touchdowns through 13 weeks of the season. To the surprise of just about everyone, the sparsely-targeted Lockett is tied for fourth with Adam Thielen, the luminary he’ll oppose on Monday night. This is especially noteworthy since Lockett plays in the league’s most run-dominant offense and has commanded EIGHTY fewer targets than Thielen (and Brown) and even 44 fewer than fellow speed demon Hill. Talk about efficiency! I’m all about targets this time of year, but it’s hard to look past Lockett’s insane efficiency. He’s only failed to catch 11 Russ Wilson targets all year and failed to tally a six-pointer in just 3 of his 12 outings. It’s possible to do more with less, it appears, so keep riding the Hawks’ diminutive home run hitter.

Grab Some Wood

DeVante Parker v. NE: As he wants to occasionally, Parker looked like one of the Dolphins’ best offensive weapons against Buffalo last Sunday, turning seven targets into four catches, 43 yards, and a score in a narrow victory. And by all accounts, he SHOULD be one of Miami’s best offensive weapons. He was a high draft pick, has great size, and can win 1-on-1 battles receivers have to win. Unfortunately, he never seems to be healthy and rarely strings together multiple good games in a row. He won’t do that this week, either, against a Pats defense that rarely allows its opponents’ best players to dominate. With the exception of Tyreek Hill in Week 6 and Corey Davis in Week 10, opposing WR1s haven’t fared very well against New England. That would probably have included Parker himself in Week 4 but, alas, he didn’t play. You get the idea here.

Calvin Ridley @ GB: This one has tremendous backfire potential now that the plug has officially been pulled on the Pack’s playoff hopes and the team has moved on from its long-time head man. There’s just no telling how a locker room will respond to a sudden mid-season firing. I’m already on record as saying the offense will be fine, mostly because interim coach Joe Philbin was most recently the team’s offensive coordinator. I’m not as convinced Mike Pettine’s defense, which hasn’t been great all year and has suffered several recent injuries, will hold up the rest of the way. All of that aside, can we really trust Ridley when the games matter most? He’s been the ultimate boom-or-bust rook, scoring more than 12 FPts/G in five contests and fewer than 5 in his other seven starts. His wintry nickname notwithstanding, Matty Ryan hasn’t been great outside. Sit Ridley down.

Mike Williams v. CIN: Two weeks ago, I recommended readers sit Williams, the Chargers’ explosive but rarely targeted sophomore wideout. Talk about a tremendous backfire! All the Clemson product did was catch two touchdown passes in a Week 12 beatdown of the Cardinals. You know what, though? I didn’t regret sitting him down (yes, I practiced what I preached) and I only played him last week because he had a marginally better matchup than my other options. Thankfully, his three-reception, 52-yard effort didn’t sink me. Williams was out-targeted 19 to 3 in that scintillating Week 13 win at Heinz Field by Keenan Allen. 19 to 3! It appears Phil Rivers only has eyes for his WR1 most weeks, so back to the bench goes Williams in Week 14. I suggest you follow suit unless you think Los Angeles somehow needs a big effort out of him to beat lowly Cincinnati.

Good luck in the playoffs, folks!



Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers