Fantasy Football Week 13 Start 'Em And Sit' Em: DK Metcalf Vs. Courtland Sutton

Steelers WR DK Metcalf and Broncos WR Courtland Sutton are both solid starts this week, but which one should fantasy football owners go with? Dig into the stats and matchups behind this Start 'Em and Sit 'Em decision for Week 13.

Nov 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (4) runs with the ball after a catch against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Welcome to a new wide receiver Start ‘Em and Sit’ Em decision for Week 13! 

In this article, we’ll be taking a look at whether fantasy football owners should be starting DK Metcalf against the Buffalo Bills or Courtland Sutton against the Washington Commanders. Both players have been a bit underwhelming this year, which makes this decision even tougher.

We have a bunch of great Week 13 rankings content to help with this decision (and others!), but let’s go through the decision and see if we can come up with our own thoughts on DK Metcalf vs. Courtland Sutton this week.

WR DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers

Nov 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright (26) intercepts a pass against Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (4) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Ranked as our WR30 this week, DK Metcalf is now WR28 on the season. Metcalf's usage is about as consistent as it comes with somewhere between 6-8 targets per week coming his way. However, his fantasy football output his been consistently subpar as of late.

After a strong start to the season, Metcalf has just two games in his last six with double-digit fantasy points. He's scored just one receiving touchdown during that span and hasn't put up more than 55 receiving yards since Week 6. Some of that can be chalked up to Aaron Rodgers' recent injury, but Metcalf's struggles unfortunately go a bit deeper than that -- espeically since one of Metcalf's good recent games came with Mason Rudolph under center.

Metcalf has an average-to-below-average fantasy matchup this week as he'll take on a Buffalo Bills team that has allowed the 11th-least fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. That's not exactly an insurmountable matchup for Metcalf, but it's also not a factor that is working in his favor this week.

WR Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos

Oct 26, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Courtland Sutton is currently WR16 on the season, but comes in ranked as WR28 in Matt Brandon's wide receiver rankings this week. While Sutton had a strong start to the season operating as Bo Nix's WR1, he's seemingly fallen behind Troy Franklin in the Broncos' pecking order and his fantasy output has suffered.

After starting the year with three touchdowns in four games, Sutton has scored just one touchdown since Week 4. He's also only had more than 70 receiving yards once since Week 5, while seeing more than six targets just twice in that span. Sutton's usage hasn't completely dried up, but he has only had eight catches over his last three games.

Sutton has a nice matchup against the Washington Commanders this week as they've allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to opposing receivers. That doesn't automatically mean Sutton will produce, but it's most definitely a factor he has in his favor for the sake of this comparison.

The Verdict

Part of me wants to pick neither option here as both have their obvious warts, but we're here to make a decision, so I'm not going to pull a cop out. Both players have usage concerns, but Metcalf has become even riskier in terms of usage.

I can't say I love it, but I’m locking in Courtland Sutton over DK Metcalf for Week 13.