Welcome to the weekly wide receiver/cornerback breakdown! We will review each of the outside matchups, as well as all matchups in the slot in order of how I like them. Then, below the charts in this article, I break down my four absolute favorite matchups. The Divisional Round is here and we will be seeing who will be going to the conference championships! I know you are going to be playing some NFL DFS this weekend and this article is critical for daily players, as this will help you gain a competitive advantage when setting your lineups. Follow me on Twitter (@fightingchance) as well!
| Left WR | Right CB | Analysis |
| Marquise Brown BAL | Adoree Jackson TEN | The first round pick had an incredibly frustrating year as he got off to such a good start, and then just inconsistent for the rest of the season. He did have pretty good games against bad defenses. He had four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals, four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown against the Jets, and two big games to start the year against the Dolphins and Cardinals. The Titans are far from a great defense, and the chance is there for Brown to possibly shine on the national stage this weekend. Adoree Jackson is back this week, but he really wasn't having a very good season anyway. He is crazy fast and can take the top off the defense, and the Titans allowed 25 passing touchdowns this season. He always comes with risk because the Ravens don't always throw a lot, but they also should score a bunch of points so there is a good chance that Brown pops off on Saturday. |
| Davante Adams GB | Tre Flowers SEA | He is just an absolute beast, and you just can't beat the volume. Adams was targeted ten times or more in eight of the last nine games he played in, and is far and away the best receiver that the Packers have. He also had 90 or more yards in his last three games. The Seahawks secondary isn't great at all, and they have no one who can contain Adams. He will be one of the best receiver plays of the week and is nearly a lock for 100 yards and a touchdown. |
| DeAndre Hopkins HOU | Bashaud Breeland KC | It has been a hair of a disappointing season, but Hopkins was still one of the best in the business. He was targeted seven or more times in every game this season, and hit double digits in seven games. Hopkins had six catches for 90 yards in the Wild Card game against an impossibly tough Bills defense. He isn't quite matchup proof, but he is really close. Bashuad Breeland improved as the season went on, but Hopkins did have nine catches for 55 yards back in Week 6. He should certainly top that yardage mark, and seven catches is the minimum that he will have. Hopkins might not be the top receiving play for the Division Round games, but he will certainly be worth his salary if you want to put him into your lineup. |
| Tyreek Hill KC | Gareon Conley HOU | He has been banged up all season with the broken collarbone and then the hamstring injury, but he still had a pretty good year. Seven touchdowns in 12 games is pretty solid, considering he barely played a quarter in one of them. Hill finished the season with two straight weeks with just five targets, but you can guarantee that number will be doubled or very close to it. He has been over 60 yards in four straight, but those were all pretty solid secondaries. This week will be a bit of a cupcake matchup against the horrible Texans secondary. Hill must be licking his chops for this one as he had five catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns back in Week 6. Hill will absolutely be a smash play this weekend and easily should be in a lot of your DFS lineups. |
| Stefon Diggs MIN | Akhello Witherspoon SF | Diggs is sick this week, but you can guarantee that he will be on the field this weekend. The problem with Diggs in fantasy, is that there are still weeks where the Vikings forget that he is on the team. Last week he touched the ball just four times which totalled 27 yards. It is shocking considering that he is a top 20 receiver in the league. He is sure to get more targets this week, but he gets a really tough matchup as the Niners secondary is going to be the healthiest it has been in a while. Diggs has just two touchdowns since Week 7, and has had fewer than five catches in six of the last eight weeks. He is a very strong receiver, but is priced pretty conservatively based on last week's performance. Based on that price you could use him this week, but he is far from a sure thing. |
| Deebo Samuel SF | Xavier Rhodes MIN | The Niners have really have been featuring George Kittle in the past few weeks, but their top wide receiver has been Deebo Samuel. Not only have they been targeting him five or more times in three of the last four weeks, but he also has been getting rushing attempts in the last five games. He actually has scored a rushing touchdown in each of the past two games. The Vikings secondary hasn't played up to their potential this season, and the Niners are sure to put up a good number of points against them. Samuel is really dangerous with the ball in his hands in space, and it almost always feels like he can take almost any catch for a touchdown. He is far from a lock, but if you are going to pick a 49ers wide receiver, he is definitely the guy over Emmanuel Sanders . |
| D.K. Metcalf SEA | Kevin King GB | Metcalf broke the record for most receiving yards in a playoff game by a rookie with his 160 against the Eagles. That was against a terrible defense, but still he has taken over as the most targeted receiver on the team over Tyler Lockett of late. He has scored in three of the last four weeks, and his length makes him tough to guard in the red zone. Kevin King is only an inch shorter than Metcalf so he can hang with him, but overall Metcalf is more talented. He has become a huge threat down the field, and Metcalf is a beast of a receiver. He could easily have another 100 yard game in this one, and even with his salary going up some, he is still a great choice for your DFS lineups. |
| A.J. Brown TEN | Jimmy Smith BAL | Brown is an incredibly impressive rookie, and has become one of the most exciting receivers in all of football, not just rookies. However, he has struggled some later in the season against the better corners in the league.Brown had just one catch against Chiefs, one against the Saints, and one last week against the Patriots. The Titans are also sure to keep the ball on the ground a lot, as Derrick Henry has become the offense. I really love Brown and he is fully capable of getting deep and making a big play, the chances are just more rare against this awesome Ravens defense. He is priced reasonably so if you like him you can take a chance on him as well, he is just a bigger risk than he was towards the end of the year when he played the Raiders and Texans. |
| Right WR | Left CB | Analysis |
| Seth Roberts BAL | Tye Smith TEN | Roberts is so far from a guy that you can trust consistently it isn't even funny. The Ravens don't throw much to begin with, and the main focus is on the tight end. However, every once in a while he does catch Lamar Jackson 's attention and has a game with five or six fantasy points, and twice since Week 11 he has found the end zone. He is a severe long shot, but he does play on a team that is expected to score a bunch of points this weekend and is going against a really subpar secondary. He wouldn't quite be considered a lottery ticket based on the odds of him actually paying off on you, maybe more of a needing to find a four leaf clover wrapped around a rabbit's foot. Not impossible, but pretty improbable. |
| Allen Lazard GB | Shaquill Griffin SEA | From when he was thrust into playing time in Week 6, Lazard was an interesting fantasy play. He had a few hot weeks before going almost unused for a month. He has gotten Aaron Rodgers attention again the last two weeks with 17 targets over that span, and a touchdown in the season finale against the Lions. He tends to thrive against poor defenses, which makes sense, and the Seahawks secondary is far from top notch. He is nearly a lock to be the second most targeted player on the team, and that expected usage alone makes him appealing. He is priced with players that have less of a pathway to success, and could be a nice bargain play for you in the Division Round games. |
| Will Fuller HOU | Charvarius Ward KC | He "expects to play" this week, but we've heard that before and Fuller ends up not playing. There are also times he plays but doesn't finish the game. In case you couldn't tell, I am a little down on Will Fuller . First, the guy is a total wild card. He will either top 125 yards and score twice, or he will have three catches for 30 yards, It is rare that he has a game in the middle. He gets a tough assignment against the Chiefs who improved as the season went on. He did have one of those rare middle of the road games back in Week 6 against Kansas City with five catches for 44 yards, but the Chiefs secondary wasn't playing well back then. He isn't an expensive option and if you want to shoot for the moon be my guest, I just won't be joining you in that play. |
| Demarcus Robinson KC | Johnathan Joseph HOU | He had a quick moment in the sun back in Week 2 with 172 yards and a touchdown, and then only had two more scores the rest of the season and only topped 50 receiving yards one other time. Robinson hasn't been targeted more than three times since Week 10, and despite the Chiefs offense being pretty potent, none of the wide receivers outside of Tyreek Hill are truly fantasy relevant. Robinson could be considered a shot in the dark for the Divisional Round considering they are playing the weak Texans secondary, but you should be warned that he had no catches on four targets back when they played in Week 6. That is also a game where Patrick Mahomes threw three touchdowns. He is a great bargain, but he is priced as such for a reason. His usage is shockingly low, and he really should be avoided. |
| Adam Thielen MIN | Richard Sherman SF | For the first time in nearly three months, Thielen looked like the top receiver we knew him to be when we drafted back in August. Thielen caught both short passes and long passes, including the deep bomb that set up the game winner that Kirk Cousins dropped right in his basket. It was incredibly encouraging to see him performing that way again. The good feeling takes quite a halt when the Vikings play perhaps the best pass defense in the league, and he is going to have to deal with Richard Sherman a lot. Thielen is still a guy you can use in lineups this week, but you really have to keep expectations in check. You have to hope that he is Cousins most targeted receiver, and that his catch rate is top notch. He is a risky play, but the potential reward is pretty great. |
| Emmanuel Sanders SF | Trae Waynes MIN | Sanders has been very sporadic this season, with a few huge games mixed in with a lot of stinkers. San Francisco remains a run-first team, but still is very creative with their passing plays. Sanders has the talent, and the team certainly scores points, but the offense has really been focused on Deebo Samuel and George Kittle of late. Sanders is due for another big game before the season ends, but guessing if this is going to be it is kind of a crap shoot. He has now been priced below Deebo Samuel, but is still a little rich considering his recent production. |
| David Moore SEA | Jaire Alexander GB | He had more than two catches once all season, and his 57 yards against the Eagles were his second most in all of 2019. The competition gets much tougher this week against the Packers. Seattle is still a team that likes to run, even with the injuries to their running backs. Moore is at best fifth on the target tree after Metcalf, Lockett, Hollister, and Homer, and should largely be avoided in the Divisional Round. Seattle only mustered 17 points against a below average Eagles defense, they aren't likely to light up the scoreboard in this one. |
| Corey Davis TEN | Marcus Peters BAL | If he wasn't a former top ten overall pick, Davis might be looked at a little differently by the fantasy community. However, the fact is he has been mostly a bust since coming into the NFL. I have long blamed Marcus Mariota for his shortcomings, but he didn't do much better with Ryan Tannehill this season. Davis is consistent, just not consistently good. He is generally going to get you six to eight fantasy points, but when you are dealing with a short slate of games, you are looking for more than that. He has a terrible matchup against a secondary that has two All-Pro selections on it, and if Davis broke 50 receiving yards or had a touchdown in this game we should throw him a parade. He isn't someone you should have great hope for in the Divisional Round. |
Now, here are the slot matchups for the Divisional Round.
| Slot WR | Slot CB | Analysis |
| Tyler Lockett SEA | Tramon Williams GB | By far the best slot receiver on the slate, Lockett is a consistent force on his team. He has been targeted six or more times in five straight games, although he has taken a back seat to rookie D.K. Metcalf of late. Lockett still is a favorite of Russell Wilson , and with Jacob Hollister 's usage dwindling, that leaves Lockett and Metcalf as the main targets. The Packers secondary is strong, although not spectacular, and this has a feel of a good game for Lockett. He is far from a sure thing, but he is a safe bet at his price tag. |
| Sammy Watkins KC | Vernon Hargreaves HOU | Watkins scored three touchdowns in the first week of the season and then never found the end zone again. That is completely inexcusable for a vetern receiver on a quality offense with a top flight quarterback. He broke 50 yards just twice after Week 4, and is just one of the several average receivers that the team has. He gets a nice matchup against the Texans soft pass defense, so if he was ever to have another decent game or find the end zone, this might be it. I am not a fan at all, but if you still believe in him, he is very affordably priced. I could see an argument for taking him at a discounted rate against a dud of a defense. |
| Kenny Stills HOU | Kendall Fuller KC | Even without Will Fuller , Stills was quite average again. He caught four of his five targets for 46 yards against the Bills. That isn't horrible considering the opponent, but it still doesn't get anyone excited from a fantasy perspective. Fuller is supposed to be back this week, but it really doesn't impact Stills fantasy value. Unless he finds the end zone, Stills doesn't tend to get a ton of action, and was targeted five or fewer times in all but three games this season. The Chiefs defense is solid but beatable, but Stills shouldn't be someone that you should be cramming into all of your lineups. He is more of a play-and-hope kind of guy, with an emphasis on hope. |
| Kendrick Bourne SF | Andrew Sendejo MIN | With so many different options to go around on the offense, Bourne isn't often a heavily targeted receiver. He fared pretty well when the Niners were banged up, but since Emmanuel Sanders came back he hasn't been targeted more than four times in a game. However, he does have solid chemistry with Jimmy Garoppolo , and has proven to be a valuable asset in the red zone that seems to be able to get away from defenders. The Vikings are hurt in the secondary, and Sendejo is their fourth or fifth corner. Bourne is extremely touchdown dependent, so unless he finds paydirt, you are likely to return fewer than six fantasy points. |
| Willie Snead BAL | Tramaine Brock TEN | Every once in a while, Snead has a pretty good game. It doesn't happen often, and even calling them good games might be pushing it. He topped 40 receiving yards just four times all season, and he hasn't done it since Week 5. However, he does get some red zone looks at times, and usually cashes in on them. The Titans secondary is pretty bad, and the Ravens are likely to put up a bunch of points in this one. Snead's targets are sporadic and unpredictable, so using him would be a complete dart throw. However, he is on a team with a good offense going against a subpar defense, so you could have worse shots in the dark than him. |
| Tajae Sharpe TEN | Marlon Humphrey BAL | No one thought the Titans would throw as infrequently as they did, but you still shouldn't have expected much from Sharpe last week anyway. He was only targeted more than four times once all season, and it was his explosive game against the Saints. The Ravens pass defense is elite, and that again should leave the team trying to run the ball a lot. Sharpe is way down the list of guys that Ryan Tannehill will be targeting this week, and doesn't deserve fantasy consideration for the Divisional Round. |
| Geronimo Allison GB | Ugo Amadi SEA | His three catches in the regular season finale were tied for his most since Week 7. Coming into the season we thought that Alliosn could be a major part of the offense, but he never had more than four catches or 52 yards in a game and only scored twice. Even against a less than stellar Seahawks defense, the chance of Allison doing anything fantasy worthy is extremely slim. If you were to take a chance on Allison or Valdes-Scantling, you should go with MVS ten times out of ten. Neither are a good choice, but that's how little I think of Allison this week. |
| OlaBisi Johnson MIN | K'Waun Williams SF | He does geta little bit of work, but Johnson hasn't been targeted more than four times since Week 11. The team is based on the run, and he is the fourth or maybe fifth option to throw to in the game plan. He has a chance to get better in the future, but in 2019 against a stellar Niners defense, he shouldn't even be considered. |
Elite
This came down to a choice between Adams and Tyreek Hill . You can’t go wrong with either. Hill gets the better matchup against a leaky Texans pass defense, but Adams got the nod because the Aaron Rodgers just throws to him constantly. I referenced earlier in the article just how much volume he gets, and while both teams have bad run defenses, there will be passing here. Ever since he came back from his injury, it seems that Adams can’t be stopped. The Seahawks pass defense gives up a lot of yards, but most of the time their opponents score on the ground against them. That might be the case once or twice this week, but Adams is a near lock to have a touchdown in this one. You can’t argue that in fantasy football that volume equals opportunity which often equals points, and with Adams it has been leading to a lot of points lately. You should do great with either of the top two receivers this week, but the nod goes slightly to Adams.
Affordable
Deebo Samuel vs. Xavier Rhodes
Rhodes could easily be on Emmanuel Sanders plenty in this one too, but the choice doesn’t come down to which corner is covering the receiver. George Kittle has obviously been the focus of the Niners offense of late, but when Kyle Shanahan is drawing up some of his best plays they often involve getting Deebo Samuel the ball. Whether it be a misdirection in the passing game, an end around, or a wide receiver screen, San Francisco is trying to get this rookie the ball more. He is priced right with Emmanuel Sanders on both sites, despite the fact that he has vastly outperformed his teammate of late. Despite the Vikings holding the Saints in check last week, the Niners are going to score points this week, and every pass can’t go to Kittle. He might not get ten targets a game, but with the rushing attempts lately as well, it is obvious that he is a big part of the game plan. He won’t cost you an arm and a leg and he can bring you a strong return.
Adam Thielen vs. Richard Sherman
You have to watch the injury report with this one, as Thielen appeared to injure his ankle in practice on Wednesday, and we don’t have word of the severity of it yet. If he just missed some of practice as a precaution, this pick stands. If he misses more practice time this week, you might have to pivot considering how much time he missed with the hamstring injury. Thielen was lost at the end of the season, seemingly still not healthy, but he sure did look like the guy we saw in the first few weeks of the season last week. And if that deep bomb to set up the touchdown was any indication, Thielen appeared to be back. The 49ers pass defense was one of the top two in football all season, and Sherman had his best season in quite a while. However, Thielen will be peppered with targets, and will be a huge part of the offensive game plan. Like Deebo Samuel above, the Vikings find creative ways to get him the ball in space, and he is very shifty and elusive once he has it. And if he gets any time with Ahkello Witherspoon on him, look out as Witherspoon has been getting burned badly lately. This isn’t the highest confidence pick that I have ever made, but I feel like Thielen is going to be the guy to focus on.
Bargain Bin
Marquise Brown vs. Tramaine Brock
I also like Allen Lazard here, but Brown is the bargain pick. He is incredibly explosive, he just doesn’t get a ton of targets. He tends to make the most of them, and when he faces bad defenses, he tends to succeed. The Titans are far from a good defense, and Brown can certainly get behind them. The Ravens are definitely going to rack up some points this week against Tennessee, and while Brown is very boom or bust this looks like a great week to use him. He is priced behind every starting receiver on every other team on both sites, and on FanDuel he is the same price as Mecole Hardman who has had games where he hasn’t even bet targeted lately. Lamar Jackson throws to Mark Andrews the most, but I feel really confident about Brown this week to make a big play or two against a swiss cheese defense.
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus.