Roundtable Week 12: WR Roulette

Photo: Bill Streicher, USA Today Sports

Welcome to Week 12 of the 2023 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.

This week's roundtable features these four topics:

• WR Prospects: A Look at the 2024 NFL Draft Class
• WR Roulette: Whose Recent Emergence Is Sustainable (see below)
• RB Perception Game: Who Is Better/Worse Than Their Perceived Value
• Bust? Or, Not So Fast...

Let's roll.

WR Roulette: Whose Recent Emergence Is Sustainable?

Matt Waldman: These receivers have been fantasy starters in three-receiver leagues in recent weeks. Pick one who is likely to sustain or build on that production and one who is likely to disappear.

• Khalil Shakir
• Dontayvion Wicks
• Elijah Moore
• Darius Slayton

Let's begin with Whom You Believe is Sustainable...

Matt Montgomery: Dontayvion Wicks was a pleasant surprise for Packers fans this past week. There are a myriad of reasons why I trust him over the other names, but the most important ones are his age at 22 years old and the fact that we may be seeing quarterback Jordan Love taking a step in the right direction.

Now, this breakout performance did come at the hands of the abysmal Chargers defense, which is second worst vs. wide receivers in the entire league, but among the others listed here, and the fact that the Packers don’t really have that established elite receiver, Wicks could string together enough good favor to become a week-to-week starter for managers down the stretch. He’s young enough that the team could allow him more leeway while learning the game than some of the others listed.

Jeff Haseley: Elijah Moore is a 10-yard per catch, 6-7 target per game type of wide receiver. It's not bad, but it's also not going to light the scoreboard on fire. He has one touchdown this season, which may just be what he is. I don't see him dropping off with the quarterback change in Cleveland. He has shown that he can be a trusted receiver for Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but we should conclude that he may just be a consistently average receiver, catching 4-6 passes a game for 50-60 yards with some splash plays here and there.

Daniel Harms: The Buffalo Bills offense gets the post-offensive-coordinator-boost with Joe Brady taking over, and with Gabe Davis continuing to drop passes as he transforms into Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Khalil Shakir is primed to continue his breakout. Their offense has needed a more consistent and reliable option after Stefon Diggs and Shakir stepped up for them. Being tied to Josh Allen also helps Shakir’s trajectory, as he’s been playing like an MVP this season.