Fantasy Football WR Rankings Week 12: Who to start, best sleepers, injuries, waiver wire picks at wide receiver

The Lions put on an absolute clinic against a reeling Jacksonville Jaguars squad in Week 11. Despite the running backs also performing at a high level, both Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams went for 100+ yards. St. Brown racked up 11 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns, and Williams was able to register 124 yards on just four catches for a touchdown of his own as well. Another great receiving option in tight end Sam LaPorta was out with a shoulder injury. It just goes to show you how dominant these receivers can be in the right matchups. The Colts should provide another juicy matchup this week as well. 

The Rams' tandem of receivers was almost just as impressive. A week after being ejected for throwing a punch, Puka Nacua caught seven balls for 123 yards and a touchdown, but Cooper Kupp was even more dominant, tallying six catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles will provide a much tougher test for Matthew Stafford's favorite targets this week. 

Some of the other big stories in this position group included Marquez Valdes-Scantling finding paydirt yet again, Jauan Jennings doing his best Brandon Aiyuk impersonation, Christian Watson putting some distance between himself and Dontayvion Wicks in the GB WR pecking order, and Tyreek Hill finally making some strides. 

What will be some of the biggest stories of Week 12? Let's do a deep dive on the WR matchups this week. 

WEEK 12 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
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Fantasy WR Rankings Week 12: Who to start, sit at wide receiver

Rankings based on PPR scoring. These rankings will be updated throughout the week, so check back often. 

Who are the best fantasy WRs Week 12?

A.J. Brown is coming off a relatively quiet performance against a huge win over the Commanders in Week 11 in which he hauled in five catches for 65 yards. Jalen Hurts missed him on a couple off-target throws and just didn't see him on some others, so look for the two to re-new their connection this week against the Rams. 

Amon-Ra St. Brown erupted for 11 catches, 161 yards, and two touchdowns in a blowout win over the hapless Jaguars. The Lions get the Colts and their middle-of-the-road pass defense next, and I just don't think they have an answer for St. Brown. The dynamic wide receiver is really heating up as he's hit paydirt at least once in each of his last eight games. And he also has six or more catches in five of his last six games as well. 

Nico Collins is finally making his return from a hamstring injury Monday night against the Cowboys. With Dallas in shambles at the moment, the Texans may be able to ease Collins back into action, relying on the running game. Assuming he comes out of MNF healthy, this should be a nice spot for the returning star. 

Who are the WRs on byes in Week 12? 

Atlanta Falcons: Drake London is the biggest name to make sure you don't have in starting lineups this week, but Darnell Mooney has become a fantasy asset as well. Mooney did suffer a hamstring injury late in their loss to the Broncos, so the bye week could come at a good time for him. Ray-Ray McCloud has also had some moments, but they'll be back in Week 13 as the Falcons host the Chargers. 

Buffalo Bills: The Buffalo wide receiver corp is pretty banged up right now, so the bye comes at a good time for this unit. Keon Coleman has missed two straight games with a wrist injury. Amari Cooper was able to suit up in Week 11 against the Chiefs, but he's also dealing with a wrist injury. Buffalo will host the 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 13. 

Cincinnati Bengals: Tee Higgins managers are already used to finding backup plans for Higgins as he's been dealing with injuries most of the season, so the bye week shouldn't be much different. Ja'Marr Chase managers, however, are in a much bigger pickle. Chase has been dominating, and it will be hard to replace that production. The Bengals will host the Steelers coming out of their bye. 

New Orleans Saints: This is another position group in shambles. Rashid Shaheed is out for the year after an explosive start to the season. Chris Olave continues to deal with concussion issues. And Marquez Valdes-Scantling, of all people, appear to be one of the Saints' most dangerous weapons right now. They'll host the Rams in Week 13. 

New York Jets: Despite the Jets not being able to find the win column lately, Garrett Wilson continues to put up solid production. It was initially feared that the arrival of Davante Adams would torpedo his value, but the opposite has happened. With defenses having another star wide receiver to worry about, things have opened up a bit for Wilson. They'll host the Seahawks coming out of the bye week. 

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags were completely embarrassed by the Lions, losing 52-6 in Week 11. Christian Kirk is out for the year, but Brian Thomas Jr. has been one of the few bright spots in this offense. The rookie wide receiver went over 100 yards against Detroit,  

Who are the best fantasy WR waiver pickups Week 12?

With DeAndre Hopkins traded to the Chiefs, Calvin Ridley has bounced back into fantasy relevance with a vengeance. But he's not the only. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is on the rise as well. He only had two catches in the loss to the Vikings, but one of the went for 98 yards as he totaled 117 yards and a TD. He now has four or more targets in four of his last five games, and he's scored a TD in five of his last six games as well. 

Elijah Moore is still only rostered in 8 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and that has to change. He caught six-of-eight targets for 66 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort to the Saints. In fact, he's averaging nearly 9 targets per game over the last four contests. With the Steelers up next, and with Jameis Winston unafraid to sling it around the yard, look for Moore to continue to see enough targets to get him home for some solid fantasy performances. 

MORE WEEK 12 WAIVER WIRE RECOMMENDATIONS

Who are the best fantasy WR sleepers Week 12?

Quentin Johnston relies heavily on touchdowns, but lucky for him and his fantasy managers, the Chargers will likely have to pass the ball quite a bit against Baltimore in what should be a heck of a matchup. Ever since their early bye week, Justin Herbert and the Chargers have really ramped up things in the passing game, and that should continue against Baltimore this week. Johnston should see enough looks to have a nice day against the Ravens. 

Caleb Williams looked better in his first game without fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and he looked better, avoiding any turnovers. Rome Odunze also emerged as the team's leading receiver in a tough loss to the Packers. He didn't put up massive numbers, but he caught six balls for 65 yards. Keenan Allen and DJ Moore continue to be more name value than actual statistical substance, so there is a chance where Odunze can evolve into Williams' top target. 

What are the biggest WR injuries Week 12?

Keon Coleman had to miss a second straight game with a wrist injury. With the Bills on bye in Week 12 there's a chance we can see him return in Week 13. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the bye week. 

Mike Evans has missed the last three games and then had the bye week in Week 11 to rest his injured hamstring. While it's not confirmed he'll be back this week, that's the assumption right now, so he's been added back into the rankings. But this is far from set in stone, so check back for updates throughout the week.