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2021 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers for Week 12

Deebo Samuel is getting more touches out of the backfield, making him even more dangerous for San Francisco.

By Skyler Carlin
San Francisco 49ers v Jacksonville Jaguars Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

Good news everyone, our precious Cooper Kupp is back after he apparently needed a week to rest for a strong finish to the season. What a nice guy. It should come as no surprise that he reclaims his spot as the No. 1 wide receiver in my rankings for Week 12.

There are quite a few injuries to monitor at the wide receiver position this week, so make sure you are keeping up with the latest updates on their statuses this week. Some of them play on Thanksgiving day, which could force some people to make difficult decisions in their lineups. But if you’re someone that is having trouble deciding between multiple wide receivers, then don’t hesitate to check out the rest of my rankings below.

WR Rankings Week 12

RANK NAME TEAM OPPONENT NOTES
RANK NAME TEAM OPPONENT NOTES
1 Cooper Kupp LAR @ GB Cooper Kupp comes back from a bye week and gets to face a GB defense that just got shredded by Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.
2 Davante Adams GB vs. LAR Adams will always be a WR1 with Aaron Rodgers and Jalen Ramsey hasn't been shadowing elite WRs this season for the LAR.
3 Deebo Samuel SF vs. MIN Samuel is seeing more work as a runner in recent weeks and continues to be SF's top WR. MIN has surrendered the most points to WRs in the past 4 weeks.
4 Stefon Diggs BUF @ NO Diggs is heating up with 5 TDs in his last 5 games and gets a NO defense that is surprisingly giving up the 9th most points to WRs this season.
5 Justin Jefferson MIN @ SF Jefferson has gotten 21 targets in the past 2 weeks, turning that into a league-best 51.6 points in that span of time.
6 Chris Godwin TB @ IND As long as AB remains out for TB, Godwin is the No. 1 option for Tom Brady with 37 targets, 29 receptions, 373 yards, and 3 TDs in his past four games.
7 Ja'Marr Chase CIN vs. PIT Chase is 3rd in the NFL with 8 TDs so far and gets a PIT defense that could be down Joe Haden and Minkah Fitzpatrick in the secondary.
8 Mike Evans TB @ IND Evans is tied with Kupp for the league lead in TDs with 10 and IND's defense is allowing the 5th most points to WRs this season.
9 Terry McLaurin WAS vs. SEA McLaurin owns a massive 44.4% air yards share for WAS (highest among WRs) and gets a below-average defense in SEA in Week 12.
10 D.J. Moore CAR @ MIA With Cam at quarterback, Moore is showing signs of life again with 13.5 points in Week 12. Moore gets a MIA defense that is bleeding the 2nd most points to WRs this season.
11 Michael Pittman Jr. IND vs. TB TB has a pass-funneling defense, giving MPJ a chance to bounce back after a quiet game in Week 12 versus BUF.
12 Keenan Allen LAC @ DEN Allen remains a PPR machine with 5+ receptions in all but 1 of his 10 games this season. Could be even busier if Surtain is matched up with Williams.
13 Adam Thielen MIN @ SF Thielen will never stop scoring TDs as he now has 8 on the season. SF hasn't allowed a TD to a WR in the last 4 weeks, but that should change with Jefferson/Thielen coming to town.
14 Tyler Lockett SEA @ WAS SEA's offense has looked putrid in Wilson's first 2 games back but Lockett has 138 yards in those 2 games. WAS's defense is a perfect get-right spot for Lockett as they surrender the 4th most points to WRs this season.
15 Michael Gallup DAL vs. LV Gallup is going to be thrust into a No. 1 role with Lamb/Cooper likely sidelined for DAL. DAL's offense will want to put their performance from KC behind them and LV doesn't have a daunting defense.
16 Diontae Johnson PIT @ CIN When Roethlisberger is under center, Johnson is going to be force-fed targets. Has seen 13+ targets in 4 of his last 5 games but gets a CIN defense that has performed well against WRs.
17 Marquise Brown BAL vs. CLE Brown was out with a thigh injury in Week 11 but could return for SNF against CLE in Week 12. If he misses another week, Bateman moves up the rankings while Watkins cracks the top 50.
18 D.K. Metcalf SEA @ WAS Metcalf looks to be out of sorts with the rest of SEA's offense. Could get back on track against a WR friendly defense in WAS on MNF.
19 DeVonta Smith PHI @ NYG PHI isn't throwing the ball often but Smith is getting peppered with more targets in recent weeks. NYG's defense has given up the 7th most points to WRs in the past 4 weeks.
20 Brandin Cooks HOU vs. NYJ This feels like the week where Cooks officially finishes as a WR1 again versus a NYJ's defense that is allowing the 3rd most points to WRs in the past 4 weeks.
21 Jaylen Waddle MIA vs. CAR With Fuller and Parker out, Waddle is the main contributor in MIA's offense. Even though he isn't catching deep passes, Waddle has garnered 6+ targets in all but 2 games this season.
22 Mike Williams LAC @ DEN Williams may be inching toward the form he was in earlier in the season with a long TD reception in Week 11. He's still 15th among WRs in points per game with 13.8.
23 Tee Higgins CIN vs. PIT Higgins had one of his worst weeks in Week 11 with a rare 3 targets. Should be able to bounce back against PIT's hobbled secondary in Week 12.
24 Elijah Moore NYJ @ HOU It's hard to trust WRs on the NYJ with Wilson returning at QB but Moore has been WR2 in the past 4 weeks. Also gets a favorable matchup versus HOU.
25 A.J. Brown TEN @ NE TEN has been vague about Brown's status and signed Golden Tate to their practice squad. Make sure Brown is in before inserting him into your lineups. Even then, he has a tough matchup with NE's defense on the road in Week 12.
26 Jerry Jeudy DEN vs. LAC Jeudy remains the top PPR option to have in DEN's offense. Has 17 targets in past 2 weeks and should find the end zone soon.
27 Darnell Mooney CHI @ DET Robinson could be out for CHI again on Thanksgiving, allowing Mooney to be the No. 1 guy again. Mooney logged a whopping 16 targets in Week 11 with Robinson out and gets a weak DET defense.
28 Chase Claypool PIT @ CIN Claypool is going to be boom-or-bust most weeks with Roethlisberger being inconsistent throwing down the field. Does have a clear role in the offense as the No. 2 WR alongside Johnson so targets shouldn't be much of an issue.
29 Rashod Bateman BAL vs. CLE Bateman has become a reliable option for BAL and he would move up my rankings if Brown is out again. Hasn't seen fewer than 6 targets in his first 5 games for BAL this season.
30 Brandon Aiyuk SF vs. MIN Aiyuk has finally been freed from Shanahan's doghouse and is WR11 in the last 3 weeks. MIN has given up most points to WRs in last month so plenty of points to go around to Samuel and Aiyuk.
31 Courtland Sutton DEN vs. LAC Sutton is always a threat for a deep play or two every game but he's clearly the No. 2 option (at best) in DEN's offense behind Jeudy. Still, Sutton could have a productive game against a LAC defense that just gave up 44.4 points to PIT's WRs.
32 Hunter Renfrow LV @ DAL Renfrow is going to be a safe PPR play with Carr as he and Waller are the only reliable options in the offense. Doesn't have much of a ceiling but targets should be enough to make him a top 35 WR in Week 12.
33 Emmanuel Sanders BUF @ NO Sanders has fallen to the wayside in recent weeks as Diggs has returned to being a WR1 again. But with the possibility of Lattimore shadowing Diggs, Sanders could see more looks on Thanksgiving night.
34 Marvin Jones Jr. JAC vs. ATL Agnew is on IR for JAC, setting Jones and Shenault up for bigger roles. ATL's defense has given up the 2nd most TDs (14) to WRs this season.
35 Odell Beckham Jr. LAR @ GB I believe the LAR attempt to get OBJ more involved in the offense out of the bye week. Don't see a massive week from him but enough where he's viable in deeper leagues.
36 Sterling Shepard NYG vs. PHI Shepard was nearly able to return in Week 11 but missed his 3rd straight game. If he returns in Week 12, he becomes the most trustworthy WR in a NYG's offense that just fired Garrett as their OC.
37 Corey Davis NYJ @ HOU Once again, it's tough to be confident with NYJ WRs with Wilson throwing the ball but Davis was one of his favorite targets earlier in the year.
38 Cordarrelle Patterson ATL @ JAC ATL's offense is a mess and it's hard to feel comfortable playing anyone, even Patterson. It remains to be seen if Patterson returns in Week 12 following a 1 game absence in Week 11.
39 Jakobi Meyers NE vs. TEN Meyers is Jones' favorite target in the passing game and gets an opportunity to face the worst defense to WRs this season in TEN.
40 Van Jefferson LAR @ GB The LAR now have a condensed offense with Kupp, Beckham, Jefferson, and Higbee getting most of the targets from Stafford. Jefferson is going to see the field a ton with the LAR running out of 11 personnel the most out of anyone in the NFL.
41 Jarvis Landry CLE @ BAL Landry always seems to dominate against BAL but comes into this game banged up. If Landry can't go, then DPJ or Higgins would possibly sneak into my top 50.
42 Cedrick Wilson DAL vs. LV Wilson has made plays when his number is called this season and with Lamb/Cooper potentially out, he'll see more opportunities alongside Gallup.
43 Cole Beasley BUF @ NO Could be busy if NO sticks Lattimore on Diggs as Allen loves to target Beasley out of the slot. Beasley is dealing with a ribs injury so keep close tabs on his status for Thursday.
44 Kendrick Bourne NE vs. TEN Bourne has emerged as a solid option in recent weeks as he's WR15 in the past 3 weeks. Draws a terrible pass defense in TEN in Week 12.
45 Robby Anderson CAR @ MIA Anderson is getting more looks with Cam at QB for CAR but I'd like to see more consistency before moving Anderson higher in my rankings. Does have a favorable matchup with MIA though.
46 Tyler Boyd CIN vs. PIT Boyd was the 2nd best WR for CIN in Week 11 but that likely won't be the case against PIT with Chase/Higgins having more upside.
47 Tim Patrick DEN vs. LAC Patrick continues to be a solid No. 3 WR for DEN and gets a average defense in the LAC in Week 12.
48 Laviska Shenault JAC vs. ATL Shenault should see more usage with Agnew out in a fantastic matchup against a dismal ATL defense. If he can't produce now, then Shenault isn't going to have a noteworthy performance this season.
49 Tre'Quan Smith NO vs. BUF Smith has quietly been WR21 in the last 3 weeks and seems to be trusted by Siemian. NO could be playing from behind on Thanksgiving.
50 Marquez Valdes-Scantling GB vs. LAR

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