2017 NFL WR/CB Match-ups: Divisional Round

Published: Jan 12, 2018

Alright, FA Nation, let’s get back at it with some WR/CB Matchups! After a one week hiatus, we are back and I’m here to give you the ins and outs of each matchup you could possibly play this weekend. On a short slate, you want the highest scoring players, obviously, but you want to find some guys that are low owned, or even underpriced on certain slates. Take a look at the chart below for all the notable matchups, as well as the bottom of the piece where I give you the matchups to target, and those to avoid.

Offense	Left WR	Defense	Right CB	Analysis
ATL	Julio Jones	PHI	Ronald Darby	Give me all the Julio this weekend. He caught nine balls and found the end zone last week, and you have to attack Philadelphia via the passing game. He will lead all wideouts in fantasy points this weekend.
JAX	Dede Westbrook	PIT	Artie Burns	Blake Bortles, but the absence of Artie Burns could create a positive mismatch for Westbrook this weekend. Westbrook can rack up the targets in any given game, so stay apprised of the Pittsburgh cornerback situation, since Burns hurt his knee in practice yesterday.
MIN	Laquon Treadwell	NO	Ken Crawley	Treadwell gets minimal work in the passing attack and using him isn't contrarian, it's just moronic. There is no upside and he's almost more likely to get under one point than he is to go over five.
NE	Brandin Cooks	TEN	Adoree' Jackson	The Titans ranked 24th against the pass in the regular season, and only 11 teams allowed more fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Cooks is the burner in this passing game, and Jackson will get burned on a double move at some point in this contest, which will ultimately be a New England blowout.
NO	Michael Thomas	MIN	Xavier Rhodes	This is going to be one of the best matchups to watch over the weekend. Thomas' rapport with Drew Brees is excellent, while Rhodes has shut down ability out wide. Rhodes was Pro Football Focus' No. 28 cornerback, while Thomas graded out as the No. 2 wide receiver. Even in a tough matchup, Thomas is worth every dollar this week.
PHI	Alshon Jeffery	ATL	Robert Alford	I wasn't particularly on this matchup early in the week, but as the week goes on, the more it grows on me. The Falcons have struggled with top wide outs this season, and when Philadelphia does throw the ball, Nick Foles would be foolish to not target his No. 1 guy.
PIT	Antonio Brown	JAX	A.J. Bouye	Brown put up 157 yards the last time he faced Jacksonville, and that even included a five-interception performance by the soon-to-be-retired Ben Roethlisberger. It's a tough matchup and Brown hasn't played in a few weeks, but he's healthy and ready to ball out. He's expensive, but perhaps that will push owners off him.
TEN	Corey Davis	NE	Stephon Gilmore	New England allowed the fifth-most receptions to wideouts during this season, which also was the most of any team remaining in the playoffs. Davis saw seven targets last week, and in a game where Tennessee will need to try to keep up, he should be involved from the first offensive snap. He'll find his way in a good number of my lineups.
Offense	Slot WR	Defense	Slot CB	Analysis
ATL	Mohamed Sanu	PHI	Patrick Robinson	Robinson has played very well out of the slot this season, allowing a mere 65.2 QB rating when targeted, while recording more interceptions than touchdowns allowed. However, Sanu will move around the field, getting him away from Robinson's coverage. I like Sanu at his price point this week.
JAX	Allen Hurns	PIT	Mike Hilton	I was off Hurns last week, and am not particularly high on him, but Pittsburgh is vulnerable against slot receivers. He's likely to be low owned, which is good in terms of separating yourself from the pack on a short slate.
MIN	Adam Thielen	NO	P.J. Williams	Thielen will be involved early and often in this outing. While Stefon Diggs deals with Marshon Lattimore for most of the afternoon, Thielen gets a more positive matchup against Williams out of the slot. Williams has allowed 1.28 yards per coverage snap out of the slot and a 98.6 QB rating when targeted.
NE	Danny Amendola	TEN	Logan Ryan	If I knew for a fact that Tennessee would keep this game somewhat close, I would be firing up Amendola in every lineup on DraftKings. However, that isn't the case, making Amendola a riskier play. Sure, he'll get his five to six targets, which should be enough to exceed value on the aforementioned site, but on FanDuel, he's going to need to a touchdown to exceed value. However, Tennessee has allowed 27 passing touchdowns on the season, which makes Amendola a rather intriguing play on PPR sites.
NO	Brandon Coleman	MIN	Terrance Newman	Coleman came up with a big catch or two last week, but not enough to warrant placing in one of my DFS lineups. Sure, he's cheap, and his large frame makes him a red zone threat, but I'm not buying it against Newman and the rest of the Vikings pass defense..
PHI	Nelson Agholor	ATL	Brian Poole	Poole has allowed the second-most receptions out of the slot this season, trailing only Buffalo's Leonard Johnson. Agholor doesn't command a huge role in the offense, and the injury to Carson Wentz was a real downer to Agholor's fantasy value. While I do like Alshon Jeffery, Agholor will come at a much lower ownership.
PIT	JuJu Smith-Schuster	JAX	Aaron Colvin	If I were a quarterback, I would try to avoid Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, so why not target JuJu in the slot against Aaron Colvin? He's a good player in his own right, and part of a fearless Jacksonville secondary, but he's no Ramsey or Bouye. Smith-Schuster will finish the game with the second-most targets on the team and name value of Jacksonville's defense will drop his ownership. Cha-ching!
TEN	Eric Decker	NE	Eric Rowe	In a matchup of the Erics, I'd rather have New England's. Decker scored last week, but he also had a really bad drop and you never really feel good about placing him in your lineup. Game flow favors him, but I'd rather have Corey Davis or Rishard Matthews, even at a higher price.
Offense	Right WR	Defense	Left CB	Analysis
ATL	Taylor Gabriel	PHI	Jalen Mills	If there were ever a game to Gabriel to post a fantasy relevant stat line, this is it. He saw just one target last week, but Philadelphia's Jalen Mills is one of the most targeted cornerbacks in the National Football League. In a multi-entry tournament, minimal exposure to Gabriel wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
JAX	Marqise Lee	PIT	Joe Haden	With a likely added focus to slow down Leonard Fournette, Lee has an opportunity to do some damage against Haden out wide. Blake Bortles may think he's a scrambler now, and tuck and run at the first sign of danger, but he'll need to throw the football around a bit if Jacksonville if he wants to win the game. If that's the case, quick-hitters to Westbrook and Marqise Lee are the keys to victory here.
MIN	Stefon Diggs	NO	Marshon Lattimore	Along with the Michael Thomas-Xavier Rhodes matchup, this Diggs-Lattimore showdown is going to be a good one to watch as well. Lattimore has shut down some of the premiere players in the game and is developing into a top notch corner. Lattimore grades out as Pro Football Focus' No. 4 cornerback, but we all know that Diggs can erupt for big games at any point, especially when healthy. I'd rather have Thielen, but Diggs' ownership should be lower than Thielen's.
NE	Chris Hogan	TEN	Tye Smith	I can't really fault you for playing any New England pass catcher, as the Titans have allowed 27 passing touchdowns on the season. Hogan hasn't played in a few weeks, but we've seen the chemistry with Tom Brady and I wouldn't count either out in the postseason. I expect the majority of the ownership to go to Rob Gronkowski and Brandin Cooks, opening the door to some value for Hogan in Divisional DFS.
NO	Ted Ginn Jr.	MIN	Trae Waynes	I love Ginn this week, and it's only validated by the fact that Waynes has allowed the fourth-most yards in coverage this season.* Ginn is a solid play in the divisional round.
PHI	Torrey Smith	ATL	Desmond Trufant	Since notching a 100-yard game against the Rams in Week 14, Smith has been a non-factor, which will likely continue against Trufant and the rest of the Atlanta secondary this weekend. Trufant has been solid all season and on a short slate, placing your trust in Nick Foles' tertiary option seems like a recipe for disaster.
PIT	Martavis Bryant	JAX	Jalen Ramsey	I'm all over Antonio Brown and can get behind JuJu in the slot, but you're going to have a hard time convincing me of playing Bryant against Ramsey, arguably the most feared corner in the league. Even when Bryant gets away from Ramsey, he'll have to deal with A.J. Bouye, which is just as difficult. Bryant will need a touchdown to pay off, and I just don't see it happening against this Jacksonville defense.
TEN	Rishard Matthews	NE	Malcolm Butler	Game script should be positive in this one, and the Patriots have proven to be vulnerable against receivers this season. Hey, never forget that garbage time touchdowns count the same as go-ahead grabs in clutch time! New England has still allowed 24 passing touchdowns this season, no matter how you cut it. I still like Corey Davis more, but Matthews is an option as well.