| WR CB Matchup Report |
| | | | | | |
| Left WR vs Right CB |
| Wide Receiver | Team | DK / FD $ | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
| Rashod Bateman | BAL | $4900 / $6300 | Joey Porter | PIT | Downgrade |
| Rashod Bateman continues to be hit or miss this season but did a good job to take advantage of a lackluster Giants secondary last week, posting 3 catches for 80 yards and 2 scores in Week 15. He’ll have a much tougher out this week as he is set to face Joey Porter Jr of the Steelers. Porter is in the midst of another fine season and held Bateman catchless while covering 64.7% of his routes in Week 11. The deep threat is always in play with Bateman but this one projects as more bust than boom thanks to Joey Porter |
| Nico Collins | HOU | $8100 / $9000 | Joshua Williams | KC | Upgrade |
| Even in games that are limited offensively, like the Texans’ Week 15 matchup against the Dolphins, Nico Collins is able to deliver strong fantasy performances. This week against the Chiefs projects to post a much higher total score and Collins faces a plus matchup against Joshua Williams. Williams doesn’t have many starts under his belt and has allowed a 90% catch rate over his last 2. He’s played better than could be expected from a platoon corner but he simply doesn’t have the skillset to slow a player of Collins’ caliber. |
| DeAndre Hopkins | KC | $5300 / $6500 | Kamari Lassiter | HOU | Neutral |
| The Chiefs receiving rotation is in a bit of flux with the presumed return of Hollywood Brown. While he might not draw the start, I do think we’ll see a more stabilized snap count among their best players and allow DeAndre Hopkins to solidify his position on the left side of the formation. There he’ll find himself in the coverage of Kamari Lassiter, a rookie corner who has been playing well down the stretch. He’s held his assignment to 25 yards or less in 4 of his last 6 games and has done a nice job of keeping yards after catch to a minimum over that stretch. |
| Mike Williams | PIT | $3700 / $5100 | Brandon Stephens | BAL | Upgrade |
| The Steelers have already ruled out George Pickens for this game, leaving them a revolving door of so-so options at receiver. Last week it was Mike Williams who lined up to the left and this week that gives him a favorable matchup against Brandon Stephens. Stephens spent much of the year getting torched on the perimeter but has actually gotten things back on track of late, holding opponents under 20 yards in 3 straight games. We’ll still list him as an “Upgrade” based on his body of work but he’s showing signs of a major turnaround. |
| | | | | | |
| Right WR vs Left CB |
| Wide Receiver | Team | DraftKings/FanDuel | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
| Zay Flowers | BAL | $5900 / $7200 | Donte Jackson | PIT | Neutral |
| This season has been very solid for Zay Flowers, who has scored double-digit fantasy points in all but 4 games and has flashed upside nearing 30 points. This week he’ll face Donte Jackson of the Steelers who is having a nice season in his own right. Jackson is holding opponents to a 57.1% catch rate and quarterbacks have a passer rating of just 59.8 when targeting him. We got a preview of this matchup a few weeks ago where Jackson held Flowers to just 2 catches but one of them went to the end zone. Jackson is above-average on the whole, putting him in the “Neutral” category for this exercise. |
| Tank Dell | HOU | $5100 / $6000 | Trent McDuffie | KC | Downgrade |
| The lost season continued last week for Tank Dell, seeing just 2 targets for 26 yards against the Dolphins. Things won’t get much easier for him in Week 16, where he’ll face coverage from Trent McDuffie. McDuffie put on a clinic last week, allowing just 8 receiving yards on 5 catches; his 3rd time keeping opponents to single-digit yards and his 8th holding them to 25 or less. It’s hard to pinpoint the root of the issue with Dell but for this week McDuffie stands as another limiting factor. |
| Xavier Worthy | KC | $5000 / $6400 | Derek Stingley | HOU | Downgrade |
| Much like the case with Hopkins, I’m expecting the return of Hollywood Brown to shorten the rotation and find Xavier Worthy playing more snaps on the right than we have in recent weeks. Unfortunately that places him in the crosshairs of one the league’s best cover corners, Derek Stingley. Stingley has worked his catch rate down to a stingy 44.9%, is holding opponents to just 10.3 yards per reception, and has tallied 4 interceptions in his last 3 games alone. He is on a different plane of existence right now. |
| Joshua Palmer mans the other perimeter spot for the Chargers when they’re at full strength and this week that places him in the coverage of Kris Abrams-Draine. The rookie 5th rounder was the next man up last week and actually played pretty well, allowing 1 catch on 6 targets for just 11 yards. It is hard to see that sustaining for an unheralded rookie but it's certainly better than anyone would have expected. I’ll give the kid his flowers and list him as “Neutral” while we have the opportunity. |
| Calvin Austin | PIT | #N/A | Nate Wiggins | BAL | Neutral |
| Calvin Austin has really been the only receiver to step up in the absence of George Pickens and saying that might be giving him more credit than he’s due. This week he’ll run in the coverage of Nate Wiggins, who has been very solid for the Ravens. Wiggins has yet to surrender a receiving touchdown this year and is holding his assignments to just 28 yards per game. Austin should continue to see an uptick in volume but its hard to imagine him doing enough to warrant fantasy consideration. |
