Wasn’t a bad last week, but Adam Thielen and Mike Evans really let us down. However, it’s a new week and after sitting in the laboratory crunching the numbers, there are some matchups we definitely need to exploit, in both seasonal and DFS. Continue reading for all the key information you need to know about these important matchups.
Oh yeah, follow me on Twitter (@colbyrconway) as well!
(UPDATED 12/10 @ 12:15 EST)
Offense | Left WR | Defense | Right CB | Analysis |
| ARI | John Brown | TEN | LeShaun Sims | Tennessee's struggles in pass coverage are well-documented on the season, but we can't ignore the fact that Blaine Gabbert has a QB rating of just 48.6 over the last four weeks when targeting Brown.* Yikes. Also, just five receptions on 13 targets. I love Larry Fitzgerald in this matchup, not so much Brown. |
| ATL | Julio Jones | NO | Marshon Lattimore | After a monster game two weeks ago, Jones came crashing back to Earth. Of course, he wasn't going to replicate that performance, especially dealing with Xavier Rhodes. |
| BAL | Mike Wallace | PIT | Artie Burns | Don't look now, but Wallace has 19 targets over the last two weeks, including a quality 116-yard performance last week against the Detroit Lions. However, this matchup is tough, going up against Pittsburgh's top cover corner. With that in mind, I'm not saying that Burns is a shut down, avoid at all costs corner, because he has been vulnerable over the last four weeks. Baltimore is going to need to score, so you can surely play him in a GPP lineup, but I would be wary in seasonal formats. |
| BUF | Zay Jones | IND | Pierre Desir | Per Football Outsiders, the Colts rank 29th against the pass in DVOA. Additionally, the Colts rank 24th on passes to the left side of the field, which is where Jones primarily lines up. The injury to Tyrod Taylor isn't exactly reassuring for Jones in Week 14, but a plus matchup can't be denied. He's a flex option that will slide up the rankings, should Taylor play. |
| CAR | Devin Funchess | MIN | Xavier Rhodes | This isn't going to be an ideal matchup for Funchess and the entire Carolina offense is going to sputter in this matchup. Funchess had a really nice catch that went for a touchdown last week, but likely playing with a shoulder injury in Week 14 against Rhodes isn't an ideal play. He's a high-end WR3 this week, as I don't have much trust in Cam Newton this Sunday. |
| CHI | Dontrelle Inman | CIN | William Jackson | Inman is Mitchell Trubisky's top option in the passing attack and the daily sites haven't bumped his price up yet! Sure, he's not setting the world on fire, but he's reaching value each and every week. In seasonal formats, unless you're in a very deep PPR format, you likely won't need to play Inman, but he does offer excellent salary relief in daily. |
| CIN | A.J. Green | CHI | Prince Amukamara | If the refs didn't make a horrendous call on Monday Night Football, Green would have topped 100 yards and scored THREE touchdowns. Andy Dalton was targeting Green early and often, and until he got away from him, the Cincinnati offense was moving the ball very well. Expect much of the same in this matchup, meaning you can expect WR1 numbers from Green against the Bears in Week 14. |
| CLE | Josh Gordon | GB | Davon House | In his return to football, Gordon's 2.93 yards per route run was the seventh-highest mark in the league last week.* Also, the Green Bay secondary as a whole is below-average in defending deep passes. Cleveland has clearly stressed a desire to force feed Gordon, meaning double-digit targets isn't out of the question again in Week 14. |
| DAL | Dez Bryant | NYG | Ross Cockrell | Bryant has seen at least seven targets in four of his last five games, but just one touchdown during that span. The Dallas offensive line is molding together and that is key for Dak Prescott. With Prescott looking more like himself last week, one must love Bryant's outlook against a Giants defense that has struggled in coverage in recent weeks. He's underpriced on DraftKings and is a reliable WR2 in seasonal. |
| DEN | Demaryius Thomas | NYJ | Darryl Roberts | I wrote about Thomas in the WR Coach, because Trevor Siemian loves to get him the rock and his best games have come at home this season. He's volatile to say the least, but as a flex option or GPP play in DFS, you could do worst than Thomas. The Jets are below-average in defending passes to the left side of the field. |
| DET | Kenny Golladay | TB | Robert McClain | Detroit is going to score at least three touchdowns this week and the rookie out of Northern Illinois is going to get one of them. He hasn't scored since the beginning of the season, but that changes this week. Start him as your flex and don't look back. |
| GB | Davante Adams | CLE | Jason McCourty | At the beginning of the year, McCourty would have covered Nelson. However, with the changing of the guard under center, I expect McCourty to matchup with Adams more often than not. That is a slight downgrade to Adams, but seeing as he's scored double-digit points in a PPR format in four of the last five weeks, he's a low-end WR2 at the least. |
| HOU | DeAndre Hopkins | SF | Dontae Johnson | Hopkins' floor is incredibly high and everyone and their mother know where Tom Savage wants to go with the football. As if he wasn't already seeing enough targets, Braxton Miller, Will Fuller, C.J. Fiedorowicz and Bruce Ellington are all dealing with injuries. Consider 10 targets and 75 receiving yards his floor in this matchup. He's worth the price in daily. |
| IND | Donte Moncrief | BUF | E.J. Gaines | Moncrief caught five passes last week, but he caught a combined five passes in the four games prior to that. His usage is fickle and he's scored just two times all season. The 24-year-old is a usable fantasy asset when Andrew Luck is under center, but not as much with Jacoby Brissett. |
| JAX | Keelan Cole | SEA | Shaquill Griffin | Cole scored last week and caught all three of his targets, but I'm going to continue sticking with my guns that he's not a usable asset. More often than not, his stat line is underwhelming and I highly doubt anyone ever looks at their fantasy team on a Sunday evening and goes, "Damn, I wish I started Keelan Cole." He's likely unowned in your league and should remain that way. |
| KC | Demarcus Robinson | OAK | Dexter McDonald | Robinson posted a season high 69 receiving yards in the last matchup against the Raiders, so that's a vote of confidence for him this week. However, since that game, he's tallied just 71 receiving yards (five games). Oakland's problems in the secondary are well-documented, but you likely have better options in your seasonal leagues. However, in DFS, I do believe there is some GPP appeal here. |
| LAC | Travis Benjamin | WAS | Bashaud Breeland | Breeland has actually allowed a QB rating of 87.4 when targeted this season, which is 20 points lower than teammate Josh Norman. Benjamin has topped 50 yards just four times all season, but I don't expect this week to be the fifth time. I'd sit him. |
| LAR | Sammy Watkins | PHI | Ronald Darby | If it weren't for an ankle injury that caused him to miss multiple weeks, Darby would be getting talked up with some of the other elite corners in the league. He's allowed a QB rating of just 49.2 when targeted, and a catch rate of just above 50 percent.* Believe it or not, I'd rather have Josh Reynolds in DFS. |
| MIA | DeVante Parker | NE | Stephon Gilmore | Nope. No thank you. DeVante Parker has burned me on more than one occasion and the last time these two faced off, Parker caught just one pass on three targets in Gilmore's coverage.* Bench Parker in all formats. |
| MIN | Laquon Treadwell | CAR | James Bradberry | Treadwell has 15 receptions for 161 yards on the season, despite being a weekly starter out wide for the Vikings. He's buried behind other pass catchers in the passing attack, and unless someone goes down with an injury, Treadwell will remain unowned in the majority of fantasy formats. |
| NE | Brandin Cooks | MIA | Xavien Howard | I really hope this isn't one of those "too good to be true" situations. Howard grades out as one of the worst corners in the league, Rob Gronkowski (and likely Chris Hogan) is out of action, and Miami ranks in the bottom 10 in defending both short and deep passes. See what I'm saying? Cooks has all the makings to be the highest scoring WR on the entire Week 14 slate. |
| NO | Michael Thomas | ATL | Robert Alford | Thomas is the No. 7 graded wide receiver and Alford grades out down at No. 64. Thomas' floor is very high and while he hasn't had that huge, monster game yet, fantasy owners can't get mad at the fact that the second-year pro continues to churn out double-digit fantasy point outings. Sure, upside may be sexier, but a 12 point outing looks a hell of a lot better than a three pointer, despite what happened the week before. Thomas is a must-start in all formats. |
| NYG | Tavarres King | DAL | Jourdan Lewis | Lewis is allowing a touchdown on every seven receptions this season, which obviously isn't great.* Roger Lewis has the more appealing matchup between New York's outside receivers, but King could be an option in DFS this week in a GPP lineup. However, I'd prefer Lewis to King if you're fading Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard from the Giants. |
| NYJ | Chad Hansen | DEN | Bradley Roby | Hansen doesn't grade out well over at Pro Football Focus, and he doesn't get a ton of usage in the offense. The New York Jets passing attack is funneled through a select two or three players, and Hansen isn't one of those guys. The rookie out of California just isn't usable at this juncture. |
| OAK | Michael Crabtree | KC | Darrelle Revis | The Chiefs struggle on passes to the left side of the field, and if the Raiders are smart, unlike some teams in the league -- Yeah, looking at you Andy Reid and former coach Ben McAdoo-- they will line Crabtree up on the left side of the field often. He's an excellent play in all formats and there isn't much more to say about that. |
| PHI | Alshon Jeffery | LAR | Trumaine Johnson | Johnson has shadowed in recent weeks, and likely could this week, but that doesn't mean I would stray away from Jeffery by any means. He could see increased targets with the injury to Zach Ertz and there is going to be some points put up in this matchup. Johnson has shadowed Dez Bryant, Marqise Lee, DeAndre Hopkins and Michael Thomas on the year, and each of them has topped 50 receiving yards.* You can start Jeffery with confidence in Week 14. |
| PIT | Antonio Brown | BAL | Marlon Humphrey | Brown had a down week in the first matchup against the Ravens, but don't expect that to happen this time out. For his career, his better games against Baltimore have come at home and don't forget that Baltimore is without Jimmy Smith, arguably its top cover corner. Brown is an elite, WR1 in Week 14. |
| SEA | Paul Richardson | JAX | A.J. Bouye | In short, throwing on Bouye hasn't resulted in much production this season. Jimmy Graham and Doug Baldwin are solid plays from Seattle, but among the other guys in the offense, Richardson slots behind Tyler Lockett for me. There's not much else to it. |
| SF | Marquise Goodwin | HOU | Kevin Johnson | I like what Johnson can become at the NFL level, but he's taking some lumps this season. Goodwin had an excellent inaugural game with Jimmy Garoppolo and the Houston defense has had problems slowing down opposing wide receivers. Goodwin's price in DFS is criminally low and he's a high-end flex option in seasonal. |
| TB | Mike Evans | DET | Darius Slay | Raise your hand if Mike Evans screwed you last week! Join the club. Evans was disappointing last week in a good matchup, and it only gets tougher this week against Darius Slay. Believe it or not, Evans drops to the low-end WR1/high-end WR2 this week for me. |
| TEN | Corey Davis | ARI | Tramon Williams | Davis may not line up against Patrick Peterson on every play, but he doesn't completely escape Peterson in this matchup. Tennessee wants to run the football, so best case scenario is that the Cardinals put up some points, forcing Marcus Mariota to throw the football. Davis is a flex option in this contest. |
| WAS | Josh Doctson | LAC | Casey Hayward | Doctson is emerging in this offense and is the top dog out wide for this Washington squad. He's scored in each of the last two weeks, which has made up for his lack of receptions in recent weeks. Despite not catch more than four passes in any game this season, Doctson's upside keeps him as a WR3 on most weeks, although he falls to the low end of that realm with this tough matchup against one of the league's best. |
Offense | Right WR | Defense | Left CB | Analysis |
| ARI | Jaron Brown | TEN | Adoree' Jackson | Jackson has allowed four touchdowns on the season and a 91.4 QB rating when targeted.* Jackson has shadowed some of the tougher corners in the league in recent weeks, and Brown just isn't the same caliber as some of those other guys. He's no more than a flex option in the deepest of formats. |
| ATL | Taylor Gabriel | NO | Ken Crawley | Of the three main receivers in Atlanta, Matt Ryan has had the least success, in terms of QB rating, when targeting Gabriel. Ken Crawley has developed into a good cornerback and Gabriel isn't worth starting in any format this week. Mohamed Sanu is the receiver I want from this team. |
| BAL | Chris Moore | PIT | Coty Sensabaugh | Throwing to the right side of the field is the way to attack this Pittsburgh defense. Joe Haden's injury has made the LCB a weak spot for this team, but Moore isn't a guy that we can trust unfortunately. His largest fantasy output of the year was near the end of October against the Vikings, when he caught two passes for 36 yards and his lone touchdown of the season. He's not usable. |
| BUF | Deonte Thompson | IND | Kenny Moore | I wasn't huge on Thompson in this matchup to begin with, but with the notion that Nate Peterman might be under center, it puts me off even more. He did see eight targets last week, as well as eight targets in the disastrous Peterman outing two weeks ago. He won't be starting in any of my lineups, especially if Taylor isn't starting. |
| CAR | Kaelin Clay | MIN | Trae Waynes | Waynes is beatable on the outside, but Kaelin Clay just doesn't get enough volume to justify a spot in your starting lineup. Over the last three weeks, he's seen just five targets, and even worse, he's caught just two of them! Do not start him in any format. |
| CHI | Joshua Bellamy | CIN | Keivarae Russell | This matchup is much more appealing for Bellamy, but he still doesn't get enough usage to warrant a roster spot. Playing him in any lineup won't make you the smartest guy in the room. |
| CIN | Josh Malone | CHI | Kyle Fuller | Malone doesn't attract enough volume from Andy Dalton to warrant a roster spot in most formats. Sure, in deep dynasty formats he could be rosterable, given that he is a rookie, but in redraft leagues, he has no business being on your team. |
| CLE | Corey Coleman | GB | Damarious Randall | Well, we learned that Coleman is a non-factor with Josh Gordon's return to the team. He's no better than a flex option in a deeper league, but he isn't as appealing as he was just a week or two ago. Gordon is hogging all the targets, leaving maybe five or six at most for Coleman. |
| DAL | Terrance Williams | NYG | Eli Apple | Apple has allowed six touchdowns on the year in coverage, not to mention 1.13 yards per coverage snap.* I expect Dez Bryant to hog the targets, and seeing as Williams hasn't caught more than four passes in five games, I'm not super high on him in this matchup. In the first game of the year, he caught six passes for 68 yards against the Giants, but both teams are at very different spots than they were back in September. |
| DEN | Emmanuel Sanders | NYJ | Morris Claiborne | I liked Demaryius Thomas more to begin with in this matchup, but seeing as Sanders will see a fair amount of Claiborne, I'd feel more comfortable starting Thomas. In seasonal, you're likely starting Sanders, due to the battle of attrition, but in DFS, be wise with your money and fade Sanders. |
| DET | Marvin Jones | TB | Brent Grimes | So long as Matthew Stafford plays, this is a tasty matchup for Marvin Jones. Golden Tate will get his share of targets on screens and intermediate passes, but Jones is the one that can get behind the Tampa Bay defense, and if you know anything about the Bucs defense this season, that can certainly happen. Jones is a high-end WR2 for me this week, with Tate shortly behind him. |
| GB | Jordy Nelson | CLE | Jamar Taylor | Call me crazy, but I think it's a Jordy week for this Green Bay offense. He's seen at least five targets in each of the past three games and sure, the production hasn't been there, but he won't have to deal with Jason McCourty, meaning most of his afternoon will be spent against the No. 70 ranked corner.* |
| HOU | Will Fuller | SF | Ahkello Witherspoon | Bill O'Brien is hopeful that Fuller can play, but even if he can, I wouldn't be too optimistic about him this week. Returning from cracked ribs can be fickle, because it does come down to pain management. Fuller is the team's deep threat and San Francisco is just average against the deep ball, so while there is some value, we've seen what Fuller is with anyone but Deshaun Watson under center. |
| IND | T.Y. Hilton | BUF | Tre'Davious White | Hilton caught just three passes last week, but a 40-yard touchdown made him relevant against a stout Jacksonville defense. The matchup this week isn't great by any means, but a hell of a lot better than Jalen Ramsey. White is allowing a catch rate of just above 50 percent, but Hilton is a big play threat and only needs one reception to make value. He's a mid-tier WR2 this week. |
| JAX | Marqise Lee | SEA | Jeremy Lane | If you remove the Patrick Peterson game two weeks ago, Lee is averaging a touch over six receptions per game over his last four games, scoring a touchdown in three of them and topping 50 yards in three as well. Given the rash of injuries, we don't need to fear the Seattle defense as much as before, so you can safely trust Lee in all formats, especially PPR. |
| KC | Tyreek Hill | OAK | Sean Smith | Hill torched this Oakland defense for 100+ yards and a touchdown a few weeks ago, and the Kansas City passing attack found stride last week against the Jets. The Raiders have allowed five touchdowns to opposing receivers over the last four weeks, and don't forget that Hill is always a threat to take a hand off or punt return to the house. |
| LAC | Tyrell Williams | WAS | Josh Norman | It's an unfavorable matchup for Williams to begin with, but considering that he needs the touchdown to be useful in fantasy, I'm not on him this week. The offense is funneling through Keenan Allen, and Williams is good for about four targets per game. The matchup is also a downgrade, which doesn't help the cause. |
| LAR | Josh Reynolds | PHI | Jalen Mills | Mills is slightly better than his numbers may indicate, but Reynolds is still a dart throw in GPP contests. In seasonal, you won't be starting him, but in DFS, he could easily be the team's second-best receiver in this one. Ronald Darby is a bad man on the outside, and Sammy Watkins is going to have his hands full there. Mills gets targeted a ton, meaning Reynolds should extend his streak to three games of at least six targets. |
| MIA | Kenny Stills | NE | Malcolm Butler | This is going to be a huge Jarvis Landry game, and believe it or not, Kenyan Drake will likely catch more passes than Kenny Stills in this matchup. Stills caught just one pass on four targets for seven yards the last time he faced the Patriots, dealing with Butler on nearly 60 percent of his snaps.* |
| MIN | Stefon Diggs | CAR | James Bradberry | Shadow coverage from Bradberry isn't exactly the worst thing in the world. He's been burned by Mike Evans and Julio Jones for 60+ receiving yards this season and he comes in as the 94th-best cornerback per Pro Football Focus.* After a down week last time out, expect Diggs to bounce back and produce quality WR2 numbers. In fact, Carolina is much worse in defending passes to the right side of the field, which is where Diggs lines up a decent amount. |
| NE | Phillip Dorsett | MIA | Cordrea Tankersley | Tankersley has promise to be a decent NFL cornerback, but he's struggled at times this season. He's allowing a QB rating of 119.8 when targeted, to go along with 1.27 yards per coverage snap.* The Rob Gronkowski suspension opens up a few targets in the offense, but not enough to make Dorsett relevant in any format. |
| NO | Ted Ginn | ATL | Desmond Trufant | Trufant is a damn good cornerback and he's playing like one this year. Sure, he's allowed four touchdowns on the year, but 15.3 coverage snaps per receptions is a solid mark.* Atlanta defends the deep ball better than the short pass, so unless Ginn scores, he's not going to be a valuable piece for you in Week 14. I'd look elsewhere, but if you feel compelled to play Ginn, do it in a Thursday to Monday multi-entry tournament. Even then, it's a risky move. |
| NYG | Roger Lewis | DAL | Anthony Brown | Brown has allowed 36 receptions on the season, and SEVEN of them have resulted in a touchdown.* YES, SEVEN! If you want a GPP play, Lewis is your guy. Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard will get the majority of the volume, but I'm a believer in the matchup, and Lewis is an intriguing play. |
| NYJ | Robby Anderson | DEN | Aqib Talib | Anderson is playing some really good football of late, but he will be tested against Talib. In his last three games, Talib has allowed just five receptions, albeit on seven targets.* On the other hand, Anderson has scored six touchdowns in as many weeks, including topping 80 receiving yards in four of those contests. You're starting Anderson in seasonal, but you may find yourself going elsewhere in daily. |
| OAK | Amari Cooper | KC | Terrance Mitchell | Over the last few weeks, Mitchell has allowed a QB rating of 39.6 when targeted.* However, for the season, that mark is up to 93.5.* Despite being active, Cooper is going to be on a pitch count and is a very risky start in fantasy. A chance of re-injury is rather high. |
| PHI | Torrey Smith | LAR | Kayvon Webster | Despite Trumaine Johnson being the shadow corner in recent weeks, Webster has actually been the better corner. Over the last four weeks, on the same amount of targets, Webster has allowed fewer receptions and receiving yards, as well as a lower QB rating when targeted, and yards per coverage snap.* Smith's role isn't sizable enough and he doesn't command any attention in even the deepest of the formats. |
| PIT | Martavis Bryant | BAL | Brandon Carr | Carr has been a solid cornerback this season, recording more interceptions in coverage than touchdowns, which is always good.* Bryant is averaging a hair over five targets per game over the last four weeks, but he's yet to top 45 yards in any of those contests. However, to his credit, he did score against the Packers two weeks ago. Bryant will likely never be a cash game play in DFS, but he's bound to explode one of these weeks. Is this the week? I don't think so. |
| SEA | Tyler Lockett | JAX | Jalen Ramsey | With Lockett being covered by Jalen Ramsey and Paul Richardson dealing with A.J. Bouye, it's going to be a ton of targets for Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham. However, Ramsey did square off with Larry Fitzgerald a week or two ago, so if Ramsey did travel into the slot on occasion, things would greatly open up for Lockett. If you want a piece of the Seattle passing attack, but not the chalk plays, Lockett is your dart throw. |
| SF | Kendrick Bourne | HOU | Johnathan Joseph | Bourne didn't do much last week, but he caught at least two passes for 20 yards in the three games prior. Houston has plenty of problems in coverage this season, but not enough to make the rookie out of Eastern Washington a thing this week. Marquise Goodwin is an excellent play, but not Bourne. |
| TB | DeSean Jackson | DET | Nevin Lawson | Pro Football Focus has 101 corners graded better than Lawson, but a foot issue and Jameis Winston's desire to spread the football have me questioning Jackson's appeal in Week 14. Mike Evans will likely see a few less targets with Darius Slay shadowing him, but a five or six target day isn't going to translate to massive numbers for Jackson. The Bucs want to run the football, and they will have plenty of success against a weak Detroit front, meaning Winston may not have to do much. |
| TEN | Rishard Matthews | ARI | Patrick Peterson | Matthews won't be shadowed by Peterson, but even knowing that a good chunk of routes will come in his coverage is less than inspiring. Also, he'll be returning from a hamstring injury, so trusting a guy who hasn't played in nearly a month against Patrick Peterson seems like a disaster to me. |
| WAS | Ryan Grant | LAC | Trevor Williams | Despite being a rather unappealing play to me in recent weeks, he's scored in two of his last three games, including season highs in receptions, targets and yards last week. The fourth-year pro is no more than a low-end flex option in even the deepest of leagues. |
Now, here are my 10 favorite matchups in the slot this weekend.
Offense | Slot WR | Defense | Slot CB | Analysis |
| MIA | Jarvis Landry | NE | Jonathan Jones | Landry is a must-start against the Patriots defense. He's caught at least six passes for 70 yards in each of the last six meetings against the New England defense. History tends to repeat itself and it will again, even with smokin' Jay Cutler. |
| LAC | Keenan Allen | WAS | Kendall Fuller | Allen is playing his ass off in recent weeks, so here's to yet another week of elite scoring! He's getting plenty of targets and the key to beating this Washington defense is in the middle of the field. Allen is a WR1, as if you expected anything else. |
| MIN | Adam Thielen | CAR | Captain Munnerlyn | Another week, another Adam Thielen sighting in the top 10. Can you blame me though? He had a down week last time out, and still nearly recorded double-digit fantasy points in a PPR format (9.1 points). It was also the first game that he didn't haul in at least five passes. Munnerlyn isn't exactly a push over out of the slot, but by no means is a guy that we want to avoid. ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK! He's allowed a catch rate of just below 90 percent over the last four weeks, including a 113.5 QB rating when targeted. ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK!!! |
| ARI | Larry Fitzgerald | TEN | Logan Ryan | Tennessee has plenty of problems in the secondary and Fitzgerald is the only reliable receiver in the crew out in Arizona. Logan Ryan may not play (concussion), which would only make the matchup more tantalizing. Tennessee has allowed the third-most receiving touchdowns to wideouts this season. Expect Fitz to add to that. |
| DET | Golden Tate | TB | Vernon Hargreaves | I like Marvin Jones more in this outing, but Tate is in a prime position as well out of the slot. Of course, this is all assuming that Matthew Stafford is playing at full health. Monitor this and check this article regularly leading up to kickoff. In PPR formats, Tate is a must-start, since his floor is regularly pretty high. |
| LAR | Cooper Kupp | PHI | Patrick Robinson | Robinson is Pro Football Focus' No. 4 graded corner, so it may come as a surprise to find Kupp so high on this list. No Robert Woods means there are extra targets to go around. I envision Sammy Watkins seeing fewer targets with Ronald Darby on him, so Kupp will get some looks in this matchup. Plus, there are points to be had in this matchup and I want a piece of the pie, as do you. |
| SEA | Doug Baldwin | JAX | Aaron Colvin | Over the last four weeks, Colvin has allowed a catch rate of 66.7 percent, but just a measly 0.35 yards per coverage snap. However, in the Russell Wilson-led improvisation show of an offense that Seattle runs, covering Baldwin on the scramble drill isn't something for which can easily be prepared. Baldwin has the fifth-most receptions out of the slot this season and he's the top dog in the Seattle passing attack. He's perfect for a GPP lineup, because many will see Jacksonville and automatically shy away from Baldwin. |
| ATL | Mohamed Sanu | NO | Sterling Moore | Julio Jones will have his hands full with Marshon Lattimore, and Taylor Gabriel will be a nonfactor against Ken Crawley. Sanu just might have the most favorable matchup of the receivers on the Atlanta side of the football. Moore doesn't grade out very well over at Pro Football Focus, which further confirms my thought of Sanu being a quality flex option this week. He should see around seven or eight targets in this meeting, translating to flex-worthy numbers. |
| JAX | Dede Westbrook | SEA | Byron Maxwell | On just one slot target, Maxwell has allowed a touchdown catch and a perfect 158.3 QB rating when targeted.* No Allen Hurns means Westbrook's target share will continue, which is excellent. Marqise Lee is still the top dog, but Westbrook remains a viable option in all formats. |
| SF | Trent Taylor | HOU | Kareem Jackson | Taylor had an excellent game last week with Jimmy Garoppolo, hauling in all six of his targets for a season-high 92 yards. I like Goodwin the most of the San Fran receivers, but Taylor has an excellent matchup against Jackson, seeing as he's allowed the most receiving yards out of the slot this season.* |
Elite
Brandin Cooks vs. Xavien Howard
I, as well as the entire world, thought Mike Evans was a slam dunk last week, and it didn’t pay off. However, despite being a near slam dunk this week, I’m going all in on Brandin Cooks. Sure, Chris Hogan may be back on the field, but he hasn’t played in weeks. Also, Rob Gronkowski is suspended, so that opens up anywhere from six to 10 targets in the New England passing attack. Furthermore, Xavien Howard, his Week 14 counterpart, ranks nearly dead last over at Pro Football Focus, and when you combine that with the fact that Miami ranks in the bottom-10 of defending the deep ball, you can see why Cooks has an excellent opportunity to be the top scorer on the slate.
Jarvis Landry vs. Jonathan Jones
Jones grades out as the No. 36 cornerback over at Pro Football Focus, and has allowed a mere 72.9 QB rating when targeted over the last four weeks.* Clearly, he’s playing some good football, but I value Landry’s role in the offense and past performance against New England over Jones’ recent play. Listen, it’s nearly as simple as this: He’s posted at least six receptions and 70 yards in each of his last six contests against the Patriots. A floor of 13 points in a PPR format is excellent and something that we should all appreciate it. Start him anywhere you can.
Affordable
First off, Bryant’s pricing in DFS is near criminal for this good of a matchup. When you consider the fact that the Giants have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers this season and that Bryant is averaging over 10 targets per game over his last five contests, there is no way that 23 wide receivers should be more expensive than him on DraftKings this weekend! Of 115 qualified cornerbacks, Cockrell comes in at No. 81.* He’s allowed a whopping 180 yards after the catch this season and we all know how hard Bryant is to bring down to the ground. Bryant should be a popular play in DFS.
Bargain Bin
Trent Taylor vs. Kareem Jackson
It’s hard not to target Jackson and coming from New England, Jimmy Garoppolo understands the importance of utilizing your slot receiver. In his first game with his new quarterback, the rookie out of Louisiana Tech caught all six of his targets for 92 yards. In the new look offense, Taylor is going to be the secondary target, behind speedy receiver Marquise Goodwin, who is also in a good spot against a decimated Houston defense. Jackson has allowed the most receiving yards and highest QB rating when targeted out of the slot this season, so it shouldn’t be too hard for Taylor to make value in this contest.
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus.