Welcome to the weekly wide receiver/cornerback breakdown! We will review each of the outside matchups, as well as my 10 favorite matchups in the slot. Then, below the charts in this article, I break down my four absolute favorite matchups. This article is critical for seasonal and daily players, as this will help you gain a competitive advantage when setting your lineups. We have entered bye week season, so you might have to dig a little deeper on that roster to find viable options
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| Left WR | Right CB | Analysis |
| Christian Kirk ARI | Isaiah Oliver ATL | After missing one game with an ankle injury, it looks like Kirk will be good to go for Week 6. It couldn't come at a better time for his fantasy owners as he goes against the Atlanta secondary. The last time we saw Atlanta play they gve up 426 yards and five touchdowns to Deshaun Watson . While Kyler Murray isn't there as an NFL quarterback just yet, Kirk should have plenty of opportunity to succeed and seven catches for 90 yards and a touchdown is well within his reach. |
| Julio Jones ATL | Byron Murphy ARI | The Cardinals defense even made Andy Dalton look pretty good last week, imagine what Matt Ryan will do to them. Jones has failed to make an impact in two straight weeks, and there have been rumblings of disappointment from his fantasy owners. However, you should be rewarded quite handsomely this week as the Cardinals are still without Patrick Peterson . No one else on this defense can hang with Jones and he should be a great target for DFS games as well as season long games. |
| Marquise Brown BAL | William Jackson III CIN | It was another poor game for Brown, although an ankle injury slowed him during the game. Head Coach John Harbaugh has said that it is no big deal and we should expect to see Brown on Sunday. It has been three straight bad games for him after explodign in the first two, and you have to wonder which one is the real guy. They haven't exactly been playing Murderer's Row of defenses either. The Bengals should allow the Ravens to go up and down the field on them pretty easily, and if they don't then we know the Ravens offense isn't what we thought it would be. You can use Brown in a flex and hope that there is a big improvement this Sunday. |
| D.J. Moore CAR | Vernon Hargreaves TB | Moore has been mostly hanging on to his fantasy value with big plays, but he certainly isn't the same threat without Cam Newton at quarterback. He had a 51 yard reception in Week 5, or else he would have finished with under 40 yards for the game. Tampa's pass defense has had it's moments, and Hargreaves has been ok, but Moore is still an attractive option in Week 6. Not supermodel attractive, but you know the cute girl from She's All That....before she takes off her glasses and changes out of the overalls. |
| Auden Tate CIN | Maurice Canady BAL | What started out as a nice story of a seventh round pick having some fantasy value has faded over the past couple of weeks. Tate went from six catches and 88 yards to three catches for 26 yards in just three weeks. Sure, he had a touchdown last week, but he was also playing Arizona which is a bad defense. Even though the Ravens have struggled, there is little reason to believe that Tate will have a good game and if you have been using him you should stop in Week 6. |
| Odell Beckham Jr CLE | Shaquill Griffin SEA | Man, I don't know what to think about Beckham anymore. The Browns are trying everything to get him involved including punt returns, running the ball, and even threw a pass last week. But nothing is working. Beckham had his second straight game under 30 receiving yards, but he is better than this. He might be pressing too hard, or maybe the offensive line has been so bad that Mayfield doesn't have time for a play for Beckham to develop. Whatever it is, you can't risk playing him in DFS leagues right now, but you would be really hard pressed to sit him in season long leagues. He will break out of this funk in a dynamic way I bet, but who knows when that might be. |
| Amari Cooper DAL | Trumaine Johnson NYJ | Cooper has had at least five catches or a touchdown in every game this season. The Redskins were really the only team to keep him in check with 48 yards and no scores. He did serious damage in garbage time last week, but this week he gets to face a garbage defense in the Jets. He won't rack up 226 yards again this week, but Cooper should be staring at 90 or more and his sixth touchdown of the year. |
| Courtland Sutton DEN | Malcolm Butler TEN | Sutton did most of his damage last week on one play against a tough Chargers secondary. It gets even tougher this week as he will be staring at one of the best in Malcolm Butler on the other side of the field. Unless Sutton is able to get loose for another big touchdown, he isn't looking at another big game. You probably don't want to sit him completely, but expectations should be lowered and he should be avoided in DFS. |
| Marvin Jones DET | Kevin King GB | Jones hasn't been getting a ton of receptions, but he is making the most of them with a solid yards-per-catch average in 2019. He will have to do that again this week, as he faces a dynamite Green Bay secondary who only gave up as much as they did last week because they took their foot off the gas when they were killing Dallas. This is going to be a very difficult game for Jones to succeed in, and if he gets more than 55 yards receiving we should be surprised. |
| Davante Adams GB | Rashaan Melvin DET | With the uncertainty of whether he will play or not, and coupled with the fact that they are the Monday Night game, there is almost no way to trust Adams this week. Unless you also have someone like Geronimo Allison who you could plug in if Adams doesn't go, you have to find someone else as hard as it is to sit your top receiver. Even if you have Allison, there is a chance that there is someone else on your roster that would be a better fill in and you don't even have to worry about this disaster of a situation. Bite the bullet, forget Adams, and think about using him next week. |
| DeAndre Hopkins HOU | Bashaud Breeland KC | It was a much better game for Hopkins as he had 88 receiving yards, but he still hasn't had a touchdown since Week 1. Will Fuller hogged all the fun against the lowly Falcons, which totally overshadowed Hopkins. He is still due for a big breakout game, and he fared quite well against the Chiefs when he played them last year. Fuller is not going to see that volume of targets again, and although Breeland has proved to be a solid corner, Hopkins should go over 100 receiving yards and a score this week. |
| D.J. Chark JAX | Marshon Lattimore NO | Chark did quite well when he faced the Titans solid secondary, but didn't produce as much against Denver's strong unit. How will he handle Marshon Lattimore and the Saints? That is the question of the week. There is no doubt any longer that Chark is a must start every week in redraft leagues, it is just a question of how much to expect from him. Lattimore has kept Amari Cooper and Mike Evans completely under wraps the last two weeks, so logically you have to assume that this isn't a week where Chark will go off. In fact, 50-60 yards is likely all you are going to get. |
| Tyreek Hill KC | Johnathan Joseph HOU | Hill is going to return this week from the broken clavicle, and the Chiefs wouldn't be playing him if he wasn't ready to go. With that being said, it is time to get him back in your fantasy lineups pronto! Could he have a week where he has some rust? That is possible, but he also did some practicing the week before, so he should be ready. he will get a reasonably tough matchup right off the bat with Johnathan Joseph , but Hill has crazy speed and can get behind any defense. He could be a little off this week, but I think he will get off to a great start. |
| Brandin Cooks LAR | Richard Sherman SF | It appears that the Rams offense isn't quite so good that all three receivers can go off in a single game, there is usually one who is the odd man out. This week you have to have your money that it will be Cooks considering that Denzel Ward is one of the best in the business. Cleveland is coming off a short week, but they are at home so it isn't as much of an issue. Cooks tends to be touchdown dependent anyway, so I wouldn't use him in a week with a tough matchup. |
| Mike Williams LAC | Joe Haden PIT | Williams almost didn't play last week for the Chargers, but ended up coming up with 74 yards on six catches. The Chargers need him right now as they are so banged up at receiver. The Steelers have been pretty good against the pass this season, but Williams is just very tough to deal with. He should be good for another six catches and 80 yards, however, with all of his nagging injuries he is always a risk to come out of the game too. |
| DeVante Parker MIA | Josh Norman WAS | The Dolphins finally are playing a team that could be as bad as they are, and Parker still draws a good corner in Norman. However, if you have been reading this column all season, you know that I am not a big believer in Parker anyway. He has had some decent games to start the season, but he has been incredibly inconsistent in his career, and the Dolphins offense struggles to score points. If you want to take a wild flier on Parker this week when they are finally playing a bad team, be my guest, but I would prefer to take that risk with their other receiver. |
| Stefon Diggs MIN | Rasul Douglas PHI | Apparently Diggs didn't complain as well as Adam Thielen did because he still didn't see a large uptick in targets. Diggs had just three catches on four targets and that was good for 44 yards. His fantasy value has seemed to go pop like many balloons at the fair. I mean, what's funnier than watching a kid cry because his/her balloon popped? I mean not if it is your kid, if it is your kid it's a nightmare, but back to football. He will get another chance this week against the lowly Eagles defense to get his season going and you almost have to put him in your lineups despite the fact he has burned you almost every week. |
| Josh Gordon NE | Janoris Jenkins NYG | Gordon has been seeing a good number of targets, with 26 in the last three weeks, but it just hasn't been translating to fantasy success lately. Gordon is going to have three or four big games per season and this one looks like the writing is on the wall. Sure, Jackrabbit Jenkins is still a solid corner, but he can't shut down everyone. Gordon should be ready to put up his first 100 yard game of the season and likely his second touchdown as well in a game where the Patriots should absolutely roll. |
| Michael Thomas NO | A.J. Bouye JAX | The loss of Drew Brees hasn't bothered Thomas very much, especially after his 182 yard and two touchdown game against Tampa. Thomas has nine or more catches in four of five games this season, and he has only been under 85 yards once, and in that game he had a touchdown catch. A.J. Bouye is a great corner, but hasn't been having a great season. As long as Jalen Ramsey doesn't decide to come back this week, fire Thomas up in all formats, even if he is a little pricey in DFS games. |
| Darius Slay ton NYG | Stephon Gilmore NE | Slayton hasn't looked bad the last three weeks, and the speedy receiver gets his chance on Thursday as the Giants will be without almost all of their weapons that you have heard of this week. Slayton caught his first touchdown of the season against the Vikings, so perhaps he can do it again in the game against the Patriots. It is a long shot, but there are four teams on bye. With only Golden Tate on the team as a reliable receiver, Slayton should be looking at more targets than usual. |
| Robby Anderson NYJ | Chidobe Awuzie DAL | The good news is that Anderson finally gets his quarterback under center again with Sam Darnold set to return from mono. The bad news is that they are facing a really good defense, and Anderson is likely still going to struggle. His fantasy value was decimated more than any other's with the loss of Darnold, and hopefully he can try to salvage the year. However, this is not looking like a great week to do anything more with Anderson than your flex spot, and even that might be pushing it. The Jets offense is likely to struggle in this one, but if you have little other options, you can go with Anderson. |
| Alshon Jeffery PHI | Xavier Rhodes MIN | Jeffery has long been a very touchdown dependent receiver. His line last week of six catches for 52 yards is a pretty good line for him without a touchdown. He is getting extra targets with the injuries that the Eagles have sustained. However, I have little confidence in him going against Xavier Rhodes . He is still one of the best in the league, and Jeffery will have a hard time getting a big play off on him. |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT | Casey Hayward LAC | This game looks like a recipe for disaster for Smith-Schuster. Not only is he now going to be catching passes from the third string quarterback, but he also is going to be squaring off against one of the best corners in the league in Hayward. This has a dud game written all over it for Juju. If you are a gambler you can keep him in your redraft lineups, but you have to know that there is a good chance that he might come away with three catches for 35 yards in this one. |
| Deebo Samuel SF | Aqib Talib LAR | The 49ers showed on Monday night that they are going to spread the ball around to everyone! And right now the offense revolves more around running than it does passing. So, if they are running more than passing and spreading the targets around it will be hard for Samuel to get enough volume to have a consistent fantasy role right now. The Rams defense has been getting shredded of late, but they are better than this. Samuel would be a tough guy to trust in Week 6. |
| Tyler Lockett SEA | Terrance Mitchell CLE | Lockett has exactly four catches on exactly four targets for exactly 51 yards in each of the last two games. The only difference is he caught a touchdown against the Rams in Week 5. He continues to be an intergral part of the passing game and needs to be in your lineups on a weekly basis. The Browns defense hasn't been very good lately, and Lockett could be a mid-range option in DFS games this week. |
| Mike Evans TB | James Bradberry CAR | Evans finished the game against the Saints with no catches on three targets. I know that Saints corner Marshon Lattimore is one of the best in football, but no catches? None? Evans has really let his fantasy owners down in three of five games, and is certainly taking the back seat to Chris Godwin this year. Bradberry and the Panthers defense is having an average year, and you can certainly count on Evans to have a good game in Week 6. |
| Corey Davis TEN | Chris Harris DEN | It would almost be comical to expect Corey Davis to have a fantasy relevant game in Week 6. The Broncos defense up front has started to get pressure on the quarterback, and Marcus Mariota doesn't tend to fare well when that happens. Not only that, but Harris is one of the best corners in the game and just kept Keenan Allen almost completely off the score sheet last week. Do not consider Davis in any fantasy format this Sunday. |
| Terry McLaurin WAS | Xavien Howard MIA | Case Keenum will be back under center for the Redskins, which I guess is good for McLaurin as the two seemed to have a chemistry. The Dolphins defense honestly stinks, but Xavien Howard is a strong corner. You have to figure that McLaurin will be good for five or six catches, and it shouldn't be surprised if he had about 75 yards receiving. The possibility for a touchdown is there as well. There likely won't be too many points in this one, so McLaurin's chances to score will likely be minimal. |
| Right WR | Left CB | Analysis |
| KeeSean Johnson ARI | Desmond Trufant ATL | It still feels like a breakout game is coming for Johnson, unfortunately he was set up for it last week and it didn't happen. The team was without Christian Kirk last week and was playing a bad Bengals team. He was targeted seven times, but he only caught three for 22 yards in a highly disapopointing outing. Kirk is back, but he is again playing a bad defense. Unfortunately, until we see it happen, all you can do is monitor Johnson and wait for a sign that he will breakout. |
| Calvin Ridley ATL | Kevin Peterson ARI | After two straight total duds, Ridley bounced back with a nice 88 yard effort with a touchdown. Those two bad games he did face strong defenses in Tennessee and Indianapolis, so it isn't like there is some red flag that Ridley is regressing. He should have a field day against the Cardinals and if he even surpassed last week's statistics no one should be surprised. Ridley is a beast and will do beast things on Sunday. |
| Seth Roberts BAL | Dre Kirkpatrick CIN | He did not have a catch on his two targets in his Ravens debut, and in no way should he even be on your fantasy radar. Baltimore is having a hard time making one receiver fantasy relevant, there is no way that they can support two. Even with a great matchup against the Bengals, Roberts is not a guy to consider. |
| Curtis Samuel CAR | Carlton Davis TB | Cam Newton can't come back fast enough for Samuel. And unfortunately for him, Newton has already been ruled out of this game. He has just 11 catches in the last three games, and is barely over 100 total yards in that span. Samuel is a great PPR threat when Cam is the quarterback, but Kyle Allen seems to not want to look his way. He isn't someone to drop because it seems that Newton will be back before too long and Samuel will be a good play then. |
| Damion Willis CIN | Marlon Humphrey BAL | Willis has 13 targets this entire season. That's not receptions, which would also be low. That's targets. He is in no way fantasy relevant even against a struggling Ravens defense. |
| Antonio Callaway CLE | Tre Flowers SEA | Callaway returned from suspension in Week 5, but he actually was more harm than good. He had no catches on his three targets, and one was a ball he tipped that ended up being intercepted. However, Callaway is still the third most talented receiver on this team, and if the Browns could get their offense going he could have some low end fantasy value. Right now though he has none and should either be stashed on your bench or even left on the waiver wire. |
| Michael Gallup DAL | Darryl Roberts NYJ | It wasn't believed that Gallup was going to play until very late in the week, but he came back in a huge way. The Cowboys fell behind early and basically threw the ball for the entire second half. This game projects out to an easy Cowboys victory, so they won't have the same garbage time production as last week. However, Gallup is extremely involved in the passing game and should be able to have his way against the Jets secondary. Fire up Gallup in both season long leagues and in DFS GPPs this week. |
| Emmanuel Sanders DEN | Adoree Jackson TEN | Sanders was completely shut down last week, and he faces another very daunting task against Tennessee this week. He will have more success in this one as the Broncos will be forced to throw the ball more than 20 times like they did last week. He might be falling a little behind Courtland Sutton on the target pecking order, but there is still plenty to go around in order to support two fantasy relevant wide receivers. Look for Sanders to have five or six catches and 60 yards on the game. |
| Kenny Golladay DET | Jaire Alexander GB | His catch rate needs to improve as he has just 19 receptions on 36 receptions, but Golladay is the best receiver the Lions have. He does get a tough matchup against Alexander and the Packers who have held several good receivers down this season. The Lions are coming off a bye, which usually bodes well for a solid game plan. He does have a six inch height advantage over Alexander, which means that Golladay should be the target if the Lions get into the red zone. He might not have a ton of catches this week, but Golladay should still have a solid fantasy day. |
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling GB | Mike Ford DET | Maybe the Cowboys defense is that good, or maybe Valdes-Scantling is best served in a secondary role. He was cued up for a great game last week and couldn't have come up smaller with just one catch. It is unsure if Davante Adams will play this week. This might sound counterintuitive, but in my opinion if Adams plays I would put MVS in my lineups, but if he is set to be the main man again, I might look in another direction .The Lions secondary has been better than expected, and this might not be the best week to count on this guy. |
| Will Fuller HOU | Charvarius Ward KC | Even the biggest Fuller supporters never saw a game like that coming for him. Fuller is definitely a big play threat, we all know that, but he never gets that volume of targets where he would even dream of having 14 receptions. The Texans are going to have to throw plenty to keep up with the Chiefs, if they get on track, and while Fuller could certainly have another 100 yard game, he really should top off at about five receptions. It was good to see him finally get going, now hopefully he can keep his momoentum pointing in the right direction. |
| Chris Conley JAX | Eli Apple NO | After an impressive start to the season, Conley's role has diminished greatly in the last three weeks. Ever since Leonard Fournette woke up and has been a bigger focus of the offense and Dede Westbrook has improved, Conley has had just four catches combined in the last three weeks. It will take an injury of some sort for him to return to fantasy relevance. |
| Demarcus Robinson KC | Lonnie Johnson HOU | Which Chiefs receiver will be good against a dominant Ravens defense? Kansas City should score fewer points in this one than they are used to, so if Kelce and Watkins get theirs, there might not be much left for the rest. Hardman had a touchdown last week, and I love his talent with Tyreek Hill out and I would trust him over Demarcus Robinson . |
| Robert Woods LAR | Emmanuel Moseley SF | I spoke a lot in the beginning of the year about how consistent Woods was last season, but he has been anything but in 2019. Outside of that one bananas game, he hasn't been the same guy we saw in 2018. He stands to get a bump in usage if Brandin Cooks is unable to go in this one, and he certainly draws the easier of the two 49ers corners. The pass game just doesn't look right for the Rams, but you still have to continue to use Woods on a weekly basis in redraft leagues. |
| Travis Benjamin LAC | Steven Nelson PIT | Benjamin should be returning from a hip injury this week, but he is not a fantasy worthy player. He has just 12 targets through four games, and even with some injuries to Charger receivers, there is no way to put Benjamin in your starting lineup. Both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams would have to be out of the game and even that might not be enough for me to think about using Travis Benjamin . |
| Preston Williams MIA | Quinton Dunbar WAS | Williams is the Miami player that I think has a chance to succeed this week. He has been the focal point of the Dolphins pathetic pass game so far with 31 targets in four games. Josh Rosen has particularly looked his way a lot with 19 targets in the last two weeks. The Redskins defense is God awful, and if someone is going to have a good game for the Dolphins, it really should be Williams. He isn't a bad plug and play option in redraft leagues and is a great DFS tournament dart throw to free up salary for studs at other positions. |
| Bisi Johnson MIN | Craig James PHI | Even against the bad Philly secondary there is no way you can even consider using Johnson. Heck, the Vikings aren't even throwing enough to keep Stefon Diggs on the fantasy radar! He would need an injury to get more attention, and I'm not even sure that would put him on the fantasy map. |
| Jakobi Meyers NE | Deandre Baker NYG | The injury to Phillip Dorsett opens up some playing time for Meyers. If you don't remember him, he was the guy who was torching opposing defenses in the preseason on a weekly basis. This is likely a short term rise in value, but it could prove to be productive as the Giants defense is among the worst in football. Meyers is a decent dart throw in fantasy games in Week 6, but he is still behind Edelman, Gordon, and James White in the pecking order for targets. |
| Ted Ginn NO | Tre Herndon JAX | Ginn may have had a touchdown in Week 5, but he was still barely even looked at by Teddy Bridgewater . Even if he wasn't playing against Jacksonville, Ginn still wouldn't be someone you can think about using. His value has been completely smashed by the loss of Drew Brees , so until you see number nine under center again for the Saints, don't bother considering Ginn. |
| Cody Latimer NYG | Jason McCourty NE | I touted Latimer early in the season as a guy I liked that no one was talking about. A concussion cut into his season after Week 2, but he was able to come back in a limited fashion last week. He will get a chance to play on Thursday with basically everyone out for the Giants, but unfortunately he will matchup with McCourty and the stout Patriots defense. New England may have a soft schedule to start the year, but the defense has allowed basically nothing. Latimer might be a guy you can look to on another game if injuries persist for the Giants, but Thursday night isn't one of them. |
| Demaryius Thomas NYJ | Byron Jones DAL | Thomas placed himself back on the fantasy map somewhat when he received nine targets last week for the Jets. Fantasy owners are now seeing that, coupled with the return of Sam Darnold , and thinking this might be a thing. It could be, but I have about 20% confidence that Thomas can still be a factor. He had a bad Achilles injury, and he is on the wrong side of 30 years old. He will definitely not be someone to play this week as the Jets will face the tough Cowboys secondary, but if you want to stash him and hope for better days be my guest! |
| Mack Hollins PHI | Trae Waynes MIN | After a couple good games when the Eagles were really hurting at wide receiver, Hollins has watched his role diminish each week since. He had seven targets in Week 3, but that went down to just two in Week 4, and he had a single target last week that he didn't catch. When DeSean Jackson comes back next week, you will even forget who Hollins was. He really has no chance for success this week against the Vikings and if you are still holding him for some reason in season long leagues the time to drop him was two weeks ago. |
| Diontae Johnson PIT | Michael Davis LAC | The rookie from Toledo saw a season high eight targets in Week 5 as he continues to improve his place in the offense, but this week doesn't look like a great one for him. First, the Steelers are going to be down to their third string quarterback in Devlin Hodges, but it is also that stern Chargers defense that has me backing away from Johnson in Week 6. Assuming that Rudolph doesn't miss too much time or Hodges surprises us and can play, there will be many weeks ahead where you can comfortably start Johnson. |
| Marquise Goodwin SF | Marcus Peters LAR | As stated above with Deebo Samuel, the 49ers are really spreading the ball around the offense with amazing variety. However, Goodwin is never a candidate to be the most targeted receiver in any given week. He is solid, but he is more of a deep threat then someone you want to throw the ball to ten times in a game. Marcus Peters has been burned for some big plays this season, so if you want a total dart throw you can sling it at Goodwin. However, if he doesn't get that touchdown you could be looking at a four or five point fantasy day. |
| D.K. Metcalf SEA | T.J. Carrie CLE | After seeing 21 targets in the first three weeks of the season, Metcalf has just seven in the last two weeks. He saved his bacon by catching a 40 yard touchdown last week, but he is in danger of getting the "touchdown dependent" tag in fantasy football. He does face the Browns this week who are coming off a short week but are only allowing just over 200 yards of passing each week. Metcalf might have to pull in another big play to have himself a good fantasy day. He can be someone to start any week, but he comes with a decent amount of risk |
| Bobo Wilson TB | Ross Cockrell CAR | With Breshad Perriman out last week, it opened the door for someone to play a minimal role in the offense. Wilson was as minimal as possible as he had just one catch in Week 5. He will be equally uninvolved this coming week against Carolina as only Mike Evans and Chris Godwin get any sort of meaningful attention in the Tampa passing game. |
| A.J. Brown TEN | Isaac Yiadom DEN | As usual in the 2019 season, Brown has a monster game, and he immediately crashes back to Earth the following week. He will definitely stay on Earth again on Sunday as the Titans face the Broncos who still have a great secondary. Brown is a boom or bust candidate who is going to bust four times for every boom. This is not a week to bet on Brown to do much of anything from a statistical perspective. |
| Paul Richardson WAS | Ken Webster MIA | The quarterback situation has been bad, but it isn't getting better any time soon, and that is not good for Richardson. He has had one good game this year, and the rest have been bad. Really bad. The Dolphins are the farthest thing from a good defense, but the Redskins aren't good enough to exploit it. Richardson could possibly come up with four catches for 40 yards, but even that is nothing to get excited about. |
Now, here are my 10 favorite matchups in the slot in Week 6.
| Slot WR | Slot CB | Analysis |
| Chris Godwin TB | Javien Elliott CAR | There was a lot of hype surrounding Godwin in the preseason in the fantasy community, and I have to admit that I didn't think he would be this good. However, it didn't take long for me to change my mind. Godwin is a must start each and every week. The Carolina defense has been quite strong against the pass, but he had eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown against them in Week 2, and he could easily duplicate that this week. |
| Tyler Boyd CIN | Brandon Carr BAL | Like Tate, this is a case of who the heck else are they supposed to throw to? No Green, no Ross, well that is about all of the viable weapons the Bengals had anyway. But Auden Tate is starting to fade, and you can't count on their tight ends. Baltimore's defense has been really poor since they have had to deal with injuries, and even with Boyd being the only real target on the team, he still should have |
| Jarvis Landry CLE | Jamar Taylor SEA | While the Browns offense is imploding, Landry just keeps plugging along drama-free. Sometimes I wonder what a professional receiver like Landry thinks of the ridiculous antics of his teammates, Beckham and Mayfield. Ideally, you'd like to see his reception numbers increase as he has only one game with more than five catches. However, he has had over 60 receiving yards in every game but one. Seattle's defense got lit up by Cooper Kupp out of the slot last week, and while Landry isn't Kupp, he is pretty good. If Mayfield can get his head on straight, Landry should be good for 80 yards and a score. |
| Larry Fitzgerald ARI | Damontae Kazee ATL | Bigger things were expected out of Fitzgerald last week going against a bad Bengals defense and having no Christian Kirk active. He still had six catches, but no touchdown. He should have Kirk back to take some defensive attention away from him, and he has a dynamite matchup against the Falcons. Fitzgerald's floor should be eight catches for 100 yards in this one. He won't disappoint again. |
| Keenan Allen LAC | Mike Hilton PIT | Keenan Allen doesn't get shut down often, but Denver's Chris Harris did just that as Allen had just 18 receiving yards in Week 5. Fear not, Allen owners, the Steelers are here to save your day! Even Willie Snead had four catches and 50 yards against them last week out of the slot for the Ravens, and Allen is light years better than Snead. This should be a solid performance for Allen and eight catches and 90 yards is a very realistic expectation. |
| Cooper Kupp LAR | K'Waun Williams SF | Kupp now has four straight games with 100 yards, three straight with a touchdown, and is the hottest receiver in football. He has 44 targets in the last three weeks, and he is basically unstoppable. The Niners allowed 70+ yards to Jarvis Landry last week out of the slot, and you should expect over 100 from Kupp. The 49ers defense has been solid, but Kupp is amazing and can't be stopped. |
| Adam Thielen MIN | Orlando Scandrick PHI | Sometimes the squeaky wheel does get the football, as Thielen complained very publicly about his lack of involvement in the Vikings offense. He was handsomely rewarded for that with two touchdown catches. Sure, it was against the hapless Giants defense, but Philly's is pretty bad too. Minnesota is still a run first team, but even they can support one fantasy worthy wide receiver and that will be Thielen. If you are still worried about his usage you can look another way in DFS games, but he is a no doubter in redraft leagues. |
| Julian Edelman NE | Grant Haley NYG | Oh, did I mention the hapless Giants defense? They give out more gifts than Santa, and should give Edelman's fantasy owners the gift of a great start to their fantasy week on Thursday night. There aren't enough descriptions for how bad the Giants defense is, and the only way that Edelman doesn't have a ten catch game is if he is rested in the second half because of his chest injury. If he is 100% and plays the whole game we should be looking at 115 yards and a score. |
| Dede Westbrook JAX | P.J. Williams JAX | The Saints have been torched out of the slot, and P.J. Williams has been a big part of the reason why. The outside corners are great for the Saints, but slot receivers have been killing them. Insert Dede Westbrook who has 17 catches in the last three weeks and is coming on strong. He absolutely belongs in your starting lineups this week and could be featured again in this article in favorite DFS plays |
| Mohamed Sanu ATL | Tramaine Brock ARI | Sanu's season has been going largely unnoticed as he has five catches or more in every game but one. He did finally catch his first touchdown last week, and he should have no trouble producing against the Cardinals. Clearly he is the third target on the team behind Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley , but this defense is bad enough that there still should be six or seven catches for Sanu. He is a great flex option for your redraft leagues this week. |
Elite
Amari Cooper vs. Trumaine Johnson
I really wanted to use Cooper Kupp here because the 49ers have been beaten on a consistent basis out of the slot, but I couldn’t ignore how bad the Jets secondary has been. They gave up big yards to John Brown , they allowed Odell Beckham ’s only big game of the season, Josh Gordon owned them, and while Alshon Jeffery didn’t score last week, considering how little the Eagles threw he had a good game. Cooper should eat this defense alive. And, with Sam Darnold returning this week, maybe the Jets actually hang in the game for a little while and the Cowboys won’t just run the ball the entire second half. Cooper is an absolutely dynamite play this week, and is worth his hefty salary.
Affordable
The Bengals offense certainly looks like a disaster in the last couple weeks, but they did pull it together in the fourth quarter in Week 5. With John Ross and A.J. Green gone, it doesn’t leave many reliable options for Andy Dalton to throw to. However, he still does have his go to guy in Tyler Boyd who is averaging over seven catches and 80 yards per game. And while the Ravens have name recognition on defense, they have been awful this year, especially getting beaten by slot receivers. Larry Fitzgerald had over 100 yards, Mecole Hardman burned them for a big play down the middle, and Jarvis Landry had his best game in years. Boyd is a slam dunk this week for a ton of volume that should translate into big fantasy numbers.
Larry Fitzgerald vs. Damontae Kazee
I just can’t quit the Falcons. And by that I mean I just can’t quit picking against them! I had a hard time deciding between Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk here because both should be awesome plays this week. Sure, Kirk is coming off an injury, but he will be fine and let’s just marvel at the work receivers have done against Atlanta. Fitzgerald did disappoint last week, but this is the cupcake matchup to end them all. Both Kirk and Fitzgerald should be able to go wild this week. If I had to pick one, I would go with Larry. The Falcons have given up solid fantasy numbers to slot receivers with far less skill than him.
Bargain Bin
Dede Westbrook vs. P.J. Williams
I told you that you would see him again! Williams is rated among the bottom of the league in coverage, and the Saints have been murdered by slot receivers this season. Everyone’s favorite D.J. Chark is going to be locked up by Marshon Lattimore , which is going to open the door big time for Westbrook to perform. Somehow he has the same salary as guys like Jamison Crowder , Auden Tate , and A.J. Brown on FanDuel despite his increased role in the offense lately. He is priced a little more reasonably on DraftKings but still should vastly outperform what he costs.
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus.