Lineups can swing on just one tough fantasy football start-sit call at wide receiver when every target and big play matters. Weekly matchups, coverage schemes, and shifting roles often matter more than name value at this position. Volume, red-zone usage, and game script can quickly separate a safe floor from a risky upside play. This guide helps managers weigh those factors so they can make confident decisions.
Start ‘Em: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers (at TB)
If Tetairoa McMillan burned you in the fantasy championship, I promise I feel your pain. One catch for five yards. Yikes. It was a really bad time for the worst game of his young career. Things should be better this week, though.
The Panthers get a Bucs team that, despite still playing for the NFC South crown, has completely quit. McMillan just posted a 6-73-1 line on this defense two weeks ago.
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The Bucs are an average matchup for wide receivers, but they are better against the run than the pass. Even though the Panthers have a serious aversion to calling pass plays, McMillan is highly unlikely to be silenced once again.
Carolina was completely noncompetitive against the Seahawks, unable to get their best offensive player involved. That cannot happen again. It won’t happen again. Fire up McMillan this week.
Sit ‘Em: Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (at DEN)
What a disaster Ladd McConkey has been this season. One of my main strategies in fantasy football is targeting sophomore wide receivers coming off good rookie seasons. McConkey fit the bill perfectly. But it did not work out. Not even close.
Heading into Week 18, the Chargers’ de facto WR1 cannot be trusted. Regardless of the difficult matchup, McConkey just isn’t being targeted. He’s seen six or fewer targets in eight consecutive games.
Since Week 11, McConkey has had four games with 4.3 points or fewer. In the two games in which he managed to reach WR2 numbers, his production was mostly the same. He just happened to score. There is no world in which McConkey can be trusted against a Broncos defense allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers.
Conclusion
Trusting the process is key for the final week of the season. McMillan offers a strong bounce-back opportunity against a demoralized Bucs team he has already beaten for solid numbers. The Panthers must prioritize their top weapon, giving him a safe floor despite the recent dud.
Conversely, managers should keep McConkey on the bench. His lack of consistent targets makes him too volatile for a championship lineup. The Broncos present a nightmare matchup that will likely cap his production even further. Chase the volume and favorable defensive spot with McMillan instead of hoping for a miracle with McConkey.
