Wide Receivers are honestly to me like a cash prize in fantasy football. There are so many good ones out there that sometimes you can’t go wrong taking some in the first couple of rounds. Wide Receivers are great because most leagues now are a PPR format, so catching the ball helps. Let’s see what receivers look good and which ones look bad for week one of the 2021 season.
Starts
Start of the Week;
Tee Higgins vs Minnesota Vikings
It isn’t every day I put a Bengal in the start of the week so pay attention. Higgins has the best chance of succeeding right now with the struggling drops of Ja’Marr Chase affecting the offense. The secondary in Minnesota is going to struggle so Tee Higgins should thrive given how well he did with Joe Burrow throwing him the ball. Start him with confidence.
Robby Anderson vs New York Jets
Revenge matchup please. Anderson gets a nice game against his former team in the New York Jets. Not only that, but his quarterback Sam Darnold was also on the Jets which means a double revenge matchup. The Jets secondary is not great so Anderson pick back up where he left off last season and that is putting up big numbers for fantasy owners.
Devonta Smith vs Atlanta Falcons
Unlike Ja’Marr Chase, Smith has been building a great bond with his quarterback; Jalen Hurts. Smith should be a solid option even if he is a rookie. He is going up against a terrible Atlanta secondary, and aside from Dallas Goedert and Miles Sanders, Smith is the best passing option the Eagles have. Start the rookie and let the points rain down you.
Deebo Samuel vs Detroit Lions
Samuel had a tough time last year as he was one of the many 49ers that went down with an injury. However, he is back and ready to do well for his team. It is true that they have Aiyuk and Kittle, but the way this game is going to play out there are plenty of points to go around. Assume Samuel will take that WR2 role and crank out a good amount of points against the Lions this week.
Brandin Cooks vs Jacksonville Jaguars
It is hard to trust anyone on the Texans right now, but Cooks is a good choice for this week. The jaguars didn’t get that better in the pass defense department, and with not a lot of options to pass to, Tyrod Taylor should make the most of his best receiver. I would start him as a low end WR2 and a very high flex play this week against a bad Jaguars defense.
Sleepers;
Courtland Sutton vs New York Giants
Antonio Brown vs Dallas Cowboys
Marvin Jones vs Houston Texans
Sits
Sit of the Week –
JuJu Smith-Schuster vs Buffalo Bills
JuJu and the rest of the Steelers receivers are going to have a tough time against this Buffalo defense. Johnson should see a ton of targets and Claypool should get open with his size, but that leaves JuJu as the third receiver and yet people are starting him as a WR2. I would just save yourselves the trouble and sit him until there is a better matchup for him to get.
Odell Beckham Jr. vs Kansas City Chiefs
Odell is going to be a work in progress getting back into the Cleveland offense. The time to start him is not up against the Super Bowl runner up Kansas City Chiefs. Their defense will be on Odell like a hawk, and I don’t see him putting up a lot of points. The running attack will be what the Browns lead with. Odell will be a factor to be used in later settings. This is not one I would put him in if you value your fantasy points.
Kenny Golladay vs Denver Broncos
Golladay will be tough to sit given he is the number one receiver for the Giants. However, he is still dealing with an injury he sustained, and given that injury he has not had much time to practice with the team. The Broncos secondary has also improved with the addition of Patrick Surtain II. He will most likely be on Golladay and I don’t like that matchup. It might just be better to put him on the shelf this week and wait for him to heal up to when is 100%.
Corey Davis vs Carolina Panthers
Davis is going to be a tough one to sit as well. However, his matchup is not a favorable one. The Carolina Panthers’ defense is young, fast, and versatile. They will be covering Corey Davis a lot knowing how much rookie quarterback Zach Wilson has targeted him in the preseason. Some people can’t afford to sit him so if you can’t he is a very risky flex at best.
DJ Chark vs Houston Texans
Hear me out. I know he faces the Texans, and their defense is terrible. However, Chark has been dealing with a wrist/finger issue, and doesn’t seem to be in the long term plans of coach Urban Meyer. I would trust Marvin Jones and Laviska Shenault a lot more this week than Chark who seems to be fading option in the Jaguars pass attack.
Busts;
Curtis Samuel vs Los Angeles Chargers
Kendrick Bourne vs Miami Dolphins
Tyrell Williams vs San Francisco 49ers
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