I had a good feeling about last week’s elite, affordable and bargain bin matchups and they paid off big time! This week, I’m feeling lucky again! With two guys out of the slot and two out wide, we certainly can’t go wrong!
I wish each and every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, and as always, best of luck in Week 12!
Oh yeah, follow me on Twitter (@colbyrconway) as well!
Offense | Left WR | Defense | Right CB | Analysis |
| ARI | Jaron Brown | JAX | A.J. Bouye | Bouye is the No. 7 ranked corner over at Pro Football Focus and has been stingy to the opposition all season long. I'm continuing to fade any receiver that has to go up against this airtight Jacksonville secondary. |
| ATL | Julio Jones | TB | Robert McClain | He's yet to have a monster game, but if there's any week for it to happen, it's this one right here. Tampa Bay has been handing out fantasy points to opposing receivers like candy on Halloween and Jones has absolutely torched this team in recent matchups. In fact, he's scored five touchdowns in the last six meetings, going for 100+ yards in four of the six as well. WR1 in Week 12. |
| BAL | Chris Moore | HOU | Kevin Johnson | This just isn't a matchup I'm targeting. Sure, Houston has had their struggles in coverage this season but the Baltimore passing attack struggles to keep one or two guys afloat. Look elsewhere. |
| BUF | Zay Jones | KC | Phillip Gaines | Jones won't see too much of Marcus Peters, if at all, and he's coming off another solid game. He's caught 10 passes on 14 targets for 121 yards and a score over his last two games and this is a good matchup for the rookie out of East Carolina. I like him as a DFS play and flex option in deeper seasonal leagues. |
| CAR | Brenton Bersin | NYJ | Juston Burris | Bersin saw a few more snaps last week and will likely draw the start opposite Devin Funchess. He was targeted twice on 11 snaps last week, so he's not exactly a guy I'm running out to start. I'd rather roll with Russell Shepard out of the slot. |
| CHI | Dontrelle Inman | PHI | Jalen Mills | Inman is one of Mitchell Trubisky's favorite weapons and I like him this week in DFS. You can likely do better in seasonal formats, but for a cheap play in DFS, I like Inman as a receiver. Chicago will struggle to run the football against the Eagles, while Philly will put up some points, meaning we'll get a good look at the rookie's right arm. Inman will catch at least six passes in this contest. |
| CIN | A.J. Green | CLE | Jason McCourty | Just because it's the Browns doesn't mean that it’s a good matchup for Green. In fact, he actually receives a downgrade going up against McCourty's shadow coverage. McCourty is the No. 3 graded corner over at Pro Football Focus and has allowed a measly 51.1 QB rating when targeted this season.* Green slips to a WR2 in seasonal formats, but yes, you are still starting him. |
| CLE | Corey Coleman | CIN | Darqueze Dennard | Coleman's 2.16 yards per route run in Week 11 was the 18th-highest among qualified receivers.* Cincinnati ranks 20th in the league in passes to the left side of the field, and that's where Coleman spends the majority of his afternoon. Coleman is the only Cleveland receiver I want a piece of this week. |
| DAL | Dez Bryant | LAC | Casey Hayward | Bryant continues to get targets, but the production has faltered since the suspension of Ezekiel Elliott and injury to left tackle Tyron Smith. This is not a good matchup, and Bryant slips to a fringe-WR2 in this matchup. |
| DEN | Demaryius Thomas | OAK | Dexter McDonald | Despite Oakland's coverage struggles, it's hard to really know what we have with Demaryius Thomas when Paxton Lynch is under center. In seasonal formats, you're likely starting him due to survival of the fittest, but I'm likely fading as well in DFS. He will be low-owned, for sure, but I'm not sure there's enough upside to view him as a tournament winner. |
| DET | Kenny Golladay | MIN | Trae Waynes | I like Golladay in this matchup as a tournament play and flex option. Despite seeing a similar workload as T.J. Jones, Golladay has proven to be the more dynamic option on the outside, while Jones largely underwhelms. I wrote it in the DFS coach, and I'll write it here: Golladay scores on Thanksgiving Day. |
| GB | Davante Adams | PIT | Artie Burns | The injury to Aaron Rodgers has hurt Adams' fantasy value, but it hasn't derailed it by any means. Brett Hundley has kept Adams fantasy relevant, as seen by his 126-yard outburst last week. With the game being in Pittsburgh, Hundley will have to air it out to keep up, opening the door for garbage time production for Adams. He's a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 in this matchup. |
| HOU | DeAndre Hopkins | BAL | Jimmy Smith | It's a tough matchup for Hopkins, but he posted a respectable line last week against Patrick Peterson, so there's no more doubting the Deshaun Watson-less DeAndre Hopkins. Tom Savage continues to feed him the rock and he will do so yet again on Monday Night Football. His volume alone keeps him at a WR2 at worst, but recent production keeps him as a WR1. |
| IND | Donte Moncrief | TEN | LeShaun Sims | Moncrief saw just one target in his last game and two the game before that. His usage isn't there and it seems to be that Chester Rogers has supplanted him as the No. 2 wide receiver option in Indy. He can be dropped in all leagues. |
| JAX | Keelan Cole | ARI | Tramon Williams | Cole continues to get plenty of snaps for this offense, but a low-octane passing attack doesn't bode well for him. He's yet to catch more than three passes in a game this season and has just three targets in the red zone. Getting Dede Westbrook back in the mix hurts Cole's already low fantasy value, so even in this matchup, I'm not looking to play him against Williams, a good corner in his own right. |
| KC | Demarcus Robinson | BUF | E.J. Gaines | Nothing personal, but Robinson just isn't an attractive fantasy option. He's caught just four passes over his past three games and Alex Smith crashing to reality surely isn't helping. At best, he's an option in a super-deep league. |
| LAC | Travis Benjamin | DAL | Jourdan Lewis | Benjamin needs to break loose to make fantasy value and while it's a plus matchup against this Dallas secondary, I'm not exactly high on him. He saw nine targets in Week 9, but has seen just four over the last two weeks. He's not for me this week. |
| LAR | Sammy Watkins | NO | P.J. Williams | This matchup just got a lot nicer for Watkins and the entire Rams passing attack with the news that both Marshon Lattimore and Ken Crawley would miss this game. He grades out as an average cornerback, so Watkins recevies a huge upgrade for his fantasy value in Week 12. |
| MIA | DeVante Parker | NE | Stephon Gilmore | In the last three weeks, Gilmore is allowing under 10 yards per catch and 1.47 yards per coverage snap.* He's playing better of late and Parker hasn't had the breakout performance yet. He's seen at least eight targets in each of his last three games, but he's failed to find the end zone or total more than 80 yards in any of them. He's a flex option at best this week. |
| MIN | Laquon Treadwell | DET | Nevin Lawson | While it's an extremely good matchup for Treadwell, he doesn't get enough usage in the offense. Despite Lawson being graded as the No. 109 corner (out of 118) in the NFL, Treadwell barely sees three targets per game. He's not usable in any format. |
| NE | Brandin Cooks | MIA | Xavien Howard | Miami's pass defense struggles on deep passes and passes to the left side of the field, both of which play well for Cooks in this matchup. |
| NO | Michael Thomas | LAR | Trumaine Johnson | Thomas has such a high fantasy floor that even in tough matchups, you can feel comfortable playing him. Johnson has been balling out lately, but so has Thomas. He continues to put up double-digit fantasy performances and he's a trustworthy starter in all formats. Thomas currently grades out as the No. 8 wide receiver per Pro Football Focus.* |
| NYG | Tavarres King | WAS | Bashaud Breeland | Over the last four weeks, Breeland has been much, much better than teammate Josh Norman. He has allowed a touchdown and 10 receptions on 16 targets, but he's been stingy. I'm fading King in all formats. |
| NYJ | Chad Hansen | CAR | James Bradberry | Hansen caught three passes, including a 17-yarder, for 33 yards last week against the Bucs, and now he'll likely get the nod out wide for the Jets in Week 12. Bradberry has struggled in coverage over the last four weeks, allowing a catch rate north of 72 percent and a notable mark of 2.02 yards per coverage snap. Hansen will be a low-owned punt play at the wide receiver position this weekend. |
| OAK | Michael Crabtree | DEN | Bradley Roby | Opposing teams like to target Roby and I can't blame them, considering the other options are Chris Harris and Aqib Talib. Roby has allowed four touchdowns in coverage this season, not to mention a 97.8 QB rating when targeted.* Crabtree is Derek Carr's favorite option and at this point, given the instability of the Oakland offense, he's a better option in PPR formats. |
| PHI | Alshon Jeffery | CHI | Prince Amukamara | Jeffery continues to get enough work in the Philadelphia passing attack and remains a viable WR2 in fantasy. However, interestingly enough, he's catching less than half of his targets and has yet to top 100 receiving yards in a game this season. Amukamara hasn't allowed a ton of fantasy production to the opposition, but by no means is he someone I'm going to avoid. Jeffery remains a WR2. |
| PIT | Antonio Brown | GB | Josh Hawkins | I mean, what is there to say? Brown is a stud and goes up against a Green Bay defense that has allowed the sixth-most receiving yards to opposing receivers this season. As if you expected anything else, Brown is a WR1 this week. |
| SEA | Paul Richardson | SF | Dontae Johnson | Richardson saw eight targets last week (more than Doug Baldwin) for 56 yards. He needs a touchdown to make value in any fantasy format, because he doesn't produce enough otherwise. He hasn't scored yet in November, but I believe that it changes right here. |
| SF | Marquise Goodwin | SEA | Byron Maxwell | Maxwell didn't see much action last week, but he played pretty well. However, that will change this week, as he'll see San Francisco's top burner in Marquise Goodwin. The speedy wide out got behind Janoris Jenkins the other week, and it certainly could happen again against Maxwell. All he needs is one play to make value and reward fantasy owners. |
| TB | Mike Evans | ATL | Robert Alford | Alford is the most targeted member of the Atlanta secondary and Evans continues to see ample targets in this offseason. He's dropped a couple passes, which certainly doesn't help. However, Evans racked up 249 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 16 receptions in two games against Atlanta last season. He's a WR1 this week. |
| TEN | Corey Davis | IND | Pierre Desir | Despite not producing like I thought he might against the Steelers in Week 11, there's still plenty of optimism with the rookie wideout. He led the receivers in targets for the second straight week and Marcus Mariota will continue to look his way. He's a big receiver who is also good after the catch and given the holes in the Indy secondary, he has an opportunity to be a fantasy darling in Week 12. Tennessee will still run the football a ton, but when they throw, Davis should have no problem getting open. |
| WAS | Josh Doctson | NYG | Janoris Jenkins | Over the last two weeks, Jenkins has allowed eight receptions on nine targets for 176 yards and a touchdown.* Yeah, he's playing terrible lately and the poster boy for late-season fantasy upside comes strolling in for a Thanksgiving Day matchup. I'm extremely confident in Doctson this week and he may be a staple in all of my Thursday DFS lineups. |
Offense | Right WR | Defense | Left CB | Analysis |
| ARI | J.J. Nelson | JAX | Jalen Ramsey | After saying he wouldn't play, Ramsey is going to suit up for this contest. That drops Nelson's fantasy value significantly. Nelson is no longer usable. |
| ATL | Taylor Gabriel | TB | Brent Grimes | Gabriel hasn't seen more than four targets in a game since Week 6 and the Atlanta passing attack is having a hard time consistently maintaining numerous valuable fantasy assets. Gabriel has taken a backseat and shouldn't be owned in any format. He's [been] out of the circle of trust. |
| BAL | Mike Wallace | HOU | Johnathan Joseph | Wallace may have lost a step or two from his prime, but he can still get behind a vulnerable defense if the matchup is right. Joseph is the team's top corner, but even he has been beat on occasion this year. Joseph has allowed 17.5 yards per reception this season, to go along with four touchdowns.* |
| BUF | Deonte Thompson | KC | Marcus Peters | Thompson saw a team-high eight targets and paces the team with 22 over the last three weeks. Aside from a 10-7-81-1 line against the Jets a few weeks back, Thompson has been inefficient this season. This is a tough matchup for the former Florida Gator, but I like his outlook better with Tyrod Taylor under center. |
| CAR | Devin Funchess | NYJ | Morris Claiborne | Claiborne has been on lock down of late, and he's often shadowed the opposition's top receiver. Ricardo Louis and Brandin Cooks have beat Claiborne for 70+ yards, but Amari Cooper, DeVante Parker and Julio Jones have tallied under 25 receiving yards in Claiborne's coverage.* Funchess is a surefire fade in cash game lineups this week. |
| CHI | Josh Bellamy | PHI | Ronald Darby | If Darby had enough snaps to qualify, he would grade out as a top-20 corner by Pro Football Focus' standards.* I like Dontrelle Inman much more than Bellamy this week. |
| CIN | Brandon LaFell | CLE | Jamar Taylor | LaFell was limited earlier in the week with a knee injury, but he's suiting up against Taylor and the rest of the Cleveland defense. If you're going to throw against the Browns, targeting Taylor has been the recipe for success. Since the start of Week 8, he's allowed 159 receiving yards and 1.49 yards per coverage snap.* LaFell isn't the flashy play, but he gets plenty of targets and actually leads the team in red zone targets. He's a flex option in Week 12. |
| CLE | Ricardo Louis | CIN | Dre Kirkpatrick | While teammate Corey Coleman received 11 targets, Louis saw just four, hauling in one of them. Despite Cleveland likely throwing a bunch in this game, you're not going to be playing Louis in any format. Coleman is the only Cleveland receiver you can comfortably start in any format. |
| DAL | Terrance Williams | LAC | Trevor Williams | Despite being stingy to receivers, the Chargers have allowed 10 touchdowns to the position this year. However, Williams hasn't scored all season and has been unusable in fantasy aside from one outburst against the Chiefs. He's a GPP option at best, but I wouldn't feel good about playing him. |
| DEN | Emmanuel Sanders | OAK | Sean Smith | Smith has been like a blanket over the last four weeks. He's allowed just five receptions and a whopping 0.37 yards per coverage snap during that span.* Paxton Lynch is under center, so it's hard to envision what we have with Emmanuel Sanders this week. You're likely starting him in seasonal formats, but in DFS, it's wise to go elsewhere. |
| DET | Marvin Jones | MIN | Xavier Rhodes | Rhodes logged some practice time before Thursday's game, so I'm confident that he will suit up and shadow Detroit's top outside weapon. Not many have had success against Rhodes, so I expect much of the same for Jones. I'd rather play Kenny Golladay in DFS. |
| GB | Jordy Nelson | PIT | Coty Sensabaugh | Nelson hasn't caught a touchdown pass since Aaron Rodgers went down and he's been the most impacted by that injury. Despite a plus-matchup against Sensabaugh, Nelson, and his five receptions over the last two weeks, is no more than a low-end flex option. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. |
| HOU | Bruce Ellington | BAL | Brandon Carr | Ellington was a chalky punt play last week and he paid off by reaching value. He'll certainly be less owned this week against a more stout pass defense, but Tom Savage will continue to look to him as the team's No. 2 wide receiver. He's received at least seven targets in each of the past three games and he's good after the catch. |
| IND | T.Y. Hilton | TEN | Adoree' Jackson | Opposing quarterbacks have targeted Jackson 33 times over the last four weeks, resulting in 20 receptions for 135 yards and one touchdown.* For the most part, he's met the test, but a double-move from T.Y. Hilton is enough to put your head on a swivel. Monitor Jacoby Brissett's status, because if he doesn't play, Hilton is not a usable asset. |
| JAX | Marqise Lee | ARI | Patrick Peterson | Just because DeAndre Hopkins had a respectable game against Peterson, doesn't mean that we can all of a sudden go at one of the elite corners in the game. Lee caught five of nine targets last week and has at least five receptions in his last three games, but If you have the luxury of sitting Lee, this is the week to do it. |
| KC | Tyreek Hill | BUF | Tre'Davious White | Through the first six weeks of the season, White allowed a catch rate of under 50 percent and a QB rating of 77 when targeted.* However, since then, White has allowed a catch of just over 50 percent and a QB rating of 106.6 when targeted.* He might be hitting that rookie wall and Hill makes for a reliable WR2 in this matchup, despite Alex Smith's recent struggles. |
| LAC | Tyrell Williams | DAL | Anthony Brown | Williams actually outsnapped the other Los Angeles receivers, but he caught just one pass, while Keenan Allen hauled in 12 passes. Williams isn't an attractive starting option and I'd much rather have Allen and Mike Williams in the Thursday DFS slate than Williams. |
| LAR | Mike Thomas | NO | Sterling Moore | This is a matchup upgrade compared to facing Ken Crawley, but Thomas still isn't a guy that I'm chomping at the bit to acquire. He does make for a sneaky GPP tournament play, but there is massive volatility here. |
| MIA | Kenny Stills | NE | Malcolm Butler | Stills has been putting up some notable performances of late, but that stops right here against Butler and the New England defense. The unit is coming together quite nice and Butler has allowed less than half of his targets to be caught in his coverage over the last four weeks. Believe it or not, if you have better options, I'd sit Stills in this matchup. |
| MIN | Stefon Diggs | DET | Darius Slay | In tough matchups, I've faded away from Diggs and every now and then, he burns me. I expect Slay to shadow Diggs, but keep in mind that Diggs will get some snaps away from Slay's coverage. It is worth noting that Slay has held receivers like Michael Thomas, Odell Beckham, Antonio Brown and Jordy Nelson to under 35 receiving yards.* However, Diggs remains a solid WR2 for me this week. |
| NE | Phillip Dorsett | MIA | Cordrea Tankersley | In seasonal formats, I'd avoid Dorsett, as you likely have all year. In DFS, you can throw him in a GPP lineup, but the production just hasn't been there yet, so I don't see him being a lineup game changer. He has just two receptions over the last two weeks and he's clearly buried on Tom Brady's pecking order. You can do better elsewhere. |
| NO | Ted Ginn | LAR | Kayvon Webster | With Trumaine Johnson shadowing Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn will see a lot of Webster on Sunday. Since the start of Week 8, Webster has allowed nine receptions for 109 yards and a team-high (among qualified CBs) 1.18 yards per coverage snap.* I like Ginn to get behind this Rams defense on Sunday. |
| NYG | Roger Lewis | WAS | Josh Norman | Sterling Shepard is likely out of action, meaning Lewis will serve as a more prominent receiver in this passing attack. He saw four targets last week and could be in line for a few more against Josh Norman this week. Norman carries big-name value, but he's allowed a perfect 158.3 QB rating when targeted over his last four games.* Lewis is a sneaky GPP play in Week 12. |
| NYJ | Robby Anderson | CAR | Kevon Seymour | Seymour hasn't been targeted much in recent weeks, but that will change this week when he covers Anderson. Over his last four games, he's seen at least five targets per game and he's found the end zone in each of them. He's a reliable WR3 in this matchup. |
| OAK | Amari Cooper | DEN | Aqib Talib | Cooper would be having an even worse season if he didn't torch the Chiefs for 210 yards and two scores a few weeks ago. Over the last three weeks, he's failed to tally more than 60 receiving yards, but he did find the end zone against the Patriots last week. This is a tough matchup and if you have the luxury of being able to bench Cooper, you can do it in this matchup against Talib and the Broncos defense. I'm out on Cooper. |
| PHI | Torrey Smith | CHI | Kyle Fuller | Smith gets the job done out wide for the Eagles, but he's no longer the home run hitting fantasy threat we used to love and roster. He hasn't caught more than passes in a game since Week 3 and he's nothing more than a flex option in deeper formats. |
| PIT | Martavis Bryant | GB | Davon House | Pittsburgh continues to give Bryant chances and he couldn't make it happen against the Titans defense last week, and they have been gifting points left and right! If it doesn't happen this week against a generous Packers defense, there's no reason to hold him any longer. It's now or never for this guy. Well, it actually has been, and he's yet to come through. |
| SEA | Tyler Lockett | SF | Ahkello Witherspoon | Predicting the next receiver after Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham is a crapshoot, as Lockett and Paul Richardson tend to flip flop each week in usage. Witherspoon has played well since becoming the team's starting corner and he grades out at Pro Football Focus much better than teammate Dontae Johnson. Lockett is too risky for cash games, relegating him to GPP appeal only. |
| SF | Aldrick Robinson | SEA | Jeremy Lane | Over the last two weeks, Lane has allowed 131 yards on eight receptions and 1.98 yards per coverage snap.* The Seattle secondary has caught the injury bug and they are vulnerable. Robinson is a sneaky GPP option because he will serve as the team's possession receiver. Keep in mind he saw eight targets back in Week 9. |
| TB | DeSean Jackson | ATL | Desmond Trufant | After seeing 10 targets in Mike Evans' absence, Jackson saw just three targets last week. As a boom-or-bust guy, he's not going to get a ton of volume, and Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't exactly eager to sit in the pocket and let Jackson get down field. Furthermore, Trufant grades out as the No. 11 corner in the National Football League, meaning Jackson is on the wrong end of the stick this week. |
| TEN | Harry Douglas | IND | Rashaan Melvin | This would have been a good spot for Rishard Matthews but a hamstring injury late in the week derailed his Week 12 plans. Chris Davis receives a significant bump, while Douglas is merely a super deep option. |
| WAS | Ryan Grant | NYG | Ross Cockrell | While Grant will continue to get his work during his time in the office, he's an uninspiring option that offers limited upside. In deep, deep, deep PPR formats, you can take a chance on Grant, but you won't feel good about it. |
Now, here are my 10 favorite matchups in the slot this weekend.
Offense | Slot WR | Defense | Slot CB | Analysis |
| MIA | Jarvis Landry | NE | Eric Rowe | Landry always posts quality outings against the Patriots. In fact, in his last five games against New England, he's tallied at least six receptions and 70 yards in each of those games. He's only found the end zone once, but this reliable floor and 2017 production makes him as reliable a WR2 as they come. |
| LAR | Cooper Kupp | NO | De'Vante Harris | Kupp isn't flashy and has been a bit underwhelming in his rookie season, however, the injury to Robert Woods gives his fantasy value a huge boost this week. Harris has been roasted out of the slot this season. He's allowed an 80 percent catch rate, a 152.1 QB rating when targeted and 3.75 yards per coverage snap.* Kupp is just a half-step behind Landry this week for top dog out of the slot. |
| MIN | Adam Thielen | DET | Quandre Diggs | Of qualified receivers, Thielen's 2.17 yards per route run out of the slot is the highest mark and he showed off some wheels last week on a long touchdown scamper.* Thielen is an excellent play on a weekly basis and he draws another advantageous matchup this week against Diggs. Thielen is a WR1, people. BELIEVE IT. |
| SEA | Doug Baldwin | SF | K'Waun Williams | Williams has allowed the third-most receptions in slot coverage this season and Baldwin has the fifth-most receptions out of the slot in 2017.* See what I'm getting at? Williams gets targeted a bunch and we all know where Russell Wilson wants to go with the football. Roll with Baldwin in all formats and don't look back. |
| DET | Golden Tate | MIN | Terence Newman | Tate has the second-most receiving yards out of the slot this season and Matthew Stafford always brings the goods on Thanksgiving day. Tate will be the team's top receiving option in this contest and he'll find the end zone in the first quarter. HOT TAKE. |
| WAS | Jamison Crowder | NYG | Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | Over the past two weeks, Crowder is one of just five receptions to receive at least 10 targets out of the slot.* He's racked up a heavy share of targets over the past three weeks and Kirk Cousins will continue to go to him. The injury to Chris Thompson will give Crowder and others a few extra looks. I love him as a wide receiver on the Thursday only slate. |
| LAC | Keenan Allen | DAL | Orlando Scandrick | While he won't produce like he did last week, we cannot ignore what he did, because that was damn impressive. Scandrick has been playing well in slot coverage this season, but Allen is just a different animal in the slot. He has a safe workload (seven or more targets in all but one game this season) and he dominates the red zone targets in this offense. |
| BAL | Jeremy Maclin | HOU | Kareem Jackson | Jackson is allowing a 77 percent catch rate out of the slot this season and his 461 yards allowed are the most in slot coverage on the season.* He's really struggled this season and the opposition is honing in on that. Maclin makes for a nice PPR play this week, as Baltimore will need to throw the football, because running on the Houston defense can be tricky at times. |
| ARI | Larry Fitzgerald | JAX | Aaron Colvin | Not exactly the best matchup for Fitz, but the injury to Jalen Ramsey could cause some ripple effects in the Jacksonville secondary. Ramsey wouldn't have covered Fitzgerald anyway, but perhaps the psyche could be thrown off a bit. Volume will be key for Fitz in this one. |
| CAR | Russell Shepard | NYJ | Buster Skrine | Skrine has allowed three touchdowns in slot coverage on the season and with Devin Funchess being shut down by Morris Claiborne, Shepard will be the tertiary option in the passing attack. Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffery should be the only guys that see more volume than Shepard in this game. I love him as a sneaky play this week. |
Elite
Landry has at least five receptions in every game this season and while the yardage remains low, he’s scored in six of his last seven games! The old adage is that history tends to repeat itself. Well, if that’s the case, Landry’s floor for this week is very high. In his last five games against the New England Patriots, he’s caught at least six passes for 70 yards in each of those outings. Landry has been finding the end zone with regularity this season, so if you add a touchdown to what we’ll consider his “baseline” for this weekend, you got yourself one big fantasy output! He’s a WR2 and Rowe has his hands full in this matchup. Even with Jay Cutler, this guy has produced, and that’s really saying something.
Julio Jones vs. Robert McClain
Jones has yet to have that monster game that we’re all waiting for, but trust the process, because it’s coming, perhaps as early this week. The Bucs are handing out fantasy points to receivers left and right and Jones is an elite receiver who can manhandle this secondary. Out of 118 qualified corners, McClain is ranked 112.* Yeah, that’s pretty damn bad. Much like Landry, Jones has an excellent track record against the Buccaneers. In his last six games, he’s scored five touchdowns and eclipsed 100 yards in four of those contests. The Atlanta offense isn’t what it was last year, but Jones continues to see his fair share of targets (still not enough) and he’s being used in the red zone often. Listen, 11 red zone and just one touchdown for Jones will even itself out eventually. PREDICTION: Jones hauls in seven passes on 11 targets for 119 yards with a touchdown.
Affordable
Cooper Kupp vs. De’Vante Harris
Harris is nearly equivalent to bread that has been left in the toaster too long…. BURNT! He's allowed an 80 percent catch rate, a 152.1 QB rating when targeted and 3.75 yards per coverage snap out of the slot this season.* In PPR formats, Kupp is one hell of a play, in both DFS and seasonal formats. With Robert Woods on the field, he’s posted double-digit PPR points in three of his last four games. With Woods out of the mix, Kupp will see a few extra targets and will be Jared Goff’s rock in this matchup against the white-hot New Orleans Saints.
Bargain Bin
Dontrelle Inman vs. Jalen Mills
There was some hype behind Inman last week and he managed just three receptions on five targets for 43 yards. In Week 12 against the Eagles, I think he betters each of those marks. Philadelphia boasts a ferocious run defense and they will bottle up Jordan Howard from the opening whistle. Ronald Darby is the team’s best cornerback, and Inman won’t have to deal with him too often on Sunday. Jalen Mills is the most targeted cornerback in the National Football League and while he’s stepped up to the plate for the most part, he is the vulnerable player in the Philadelphia secondary. Inman will lead the Bears in targets, receptions and yards this week.
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus.