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 | Janoris Jenkins NYG | His ankle should be healthy in this one, and while in name Janoris Jenkins is one of the better corners in the league, he certainly hasn't played like it this year. The Giants woes certainly aren't all Jenkins fault, but it isn't like you see his name across the field from your receiver and you think of benching him. Based on yards allowed per game, the Giants are the second worst secondary in football. Assuming Kirk gets back on the field he is a must start in this matchup with the Giants. |
| Julio Jones ATL | Jalen Ramsey LAR | The matchup just got a lot harder with Ramsey in town, but he won't be fully acclimated to his new team yet, not to mention he hasn't played in a few weeks. Ramsey was a huge addition for the Rams, but I don't think you will see the payoff come this week. The Falcons offense has been in high gear all season long and this one should be no different against a Rams defense that looks like a shell of the team that went to the Super Bowl a year go. Feel confident with Jones in your lineups in both season long and DFS games. |
| Marquise Brown BAL | Shaquill Griffin SEA | We are going to go ahead and figure that Brown comes back this week, because quite frankly if he doesn't there is no one else worth discussing in this Ravens receiving group. Even if he does come back this isn't an ideal matchup as Griffin has been rated as one of the top ten corners so far this year by Pro Football Focus. Brown has great big play ability, but will have to practice once this week to get in the game. The Ravens passing game badly needs this guy back, and if he plays he is at worst a flex option for Week 7. |
| John Brown BUF | Xavien Howard MIA | Howard is one of the best corners in football, but he won't be on Brown every snap, and Brown has shown to be quite consistent this season. He has five or more catches in every game but one, although he needs to score more touchdowns. The Dolphins defense is pretty bad, so even if Howard is on Brown most of the day, he should find enough space to rack up at least 75 yards and a score. Brown is a solid choice as your WR3 this week. |
| Allen Robinson CHI | Marshon Lattimore NO | Robinson has been much better than I anticipated coming into the season, and has been the only player that has performed on mostly a weekly basis. However, that should come to a screeching halt this week with a matchup against Marshon Lattimore . The Saints best corner has had opposing wide receivers on lockdown this season, and Robinson should be no different. Don't be the least bit surprised if he comes up short of both four catches and 50 yards on the day. |
| Auden Tate CIN | A.J. Bouye JAX | Last week I stated that the Auden Tate story was finished. His targets started to drop, his production went with it, but he put it in my face and turned it around last week with five catches and 91 yards. He should see an awful lot of A.J. Bouye this week |
| Michael Gallup DAL | Sidney Jones PHI | It doesn't look like Amari Cooper is going to play in this game, so it is a chance for Gallup to be the man. He gets a good matchup fro him with an iffy Eagles secondary. It remains to be seen if he is ready to take the next step and be the man if he gets a little more attention from the defense. Given how poorly the Eagles have played, I think he is up for the task. Gallup certainly is someone you should have in your lineups with supreme confidence. |
| Courtland Sutton DEN | Bashaud Breeland KC | Sutton has turned into one of the more consistent receiving targets in fantasy. He isn't going to give you those huge explosive games too often, but he is nearly automatic for five catches and around 75 yards every week. Breeland has been playing fairly well this year, or at least has made some impact plays. The Broncos likely won't light up the scoreboard on Sunday, they rarely do, but even with Emmanuel Sanders set to play in this game Sutton is looking like a fine WR2. |
| Marvin Jones DET | Xavier Rhodes MIN | After averaging five catches a game in the first three, Jones has just five catches in the last two weeks.The Lions are coming off a short week, and are facing one of the hotter teams in the Vikings. Whether it be Rhodes who is one of the best in the business, or Trae Waynes , the Vikings feature one of the better tandems of corners in the league now that Jacksonville has been broken up. Jones is a really risky play for Week 7 that I would avoid unless you are in bye week hell or have plenty of injuries. |
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling GB | Gareon Conley OAK | Valdes-Scantling has really disappointed his fantasy owners this year with his low volume of targets, and his inconsistency catching the ball. When he does make plays, he makes pretty big ones as evidenced by his beautiful over-the-shoulder grab Monday night. He is coming off a short week, but the Raiders secondary is certainly one you can score on. MVS is a WR3 at best, but even better in your flex. Unless he has a big catch or two it won't be an overly productive game for him. |
| DeAndre Hopkins HOU | Rock Ya-Sin IND | I am one of the staunchest Hopkins supporters, and even I am having trouble supporting him right now. It feels like it has been since about 2004 since he has been in the endzone, and before you tweet at me (@fightingchance by the way), I know Hopkins wasn't in the league then. The Colts defense is coming off a bye and hasn't been bad this year. Rookie Rock Ya-Sin will surely have his hands full if he draws a good amount of Hopkins this week, and sure Week 7 has to be when he breaks out. |
| T.Y. Hilton IND | Jonathan Joseph HOU | With the bye there should be no more lingering concerns about Hilton's quad. He had scored in four straight games before the game against the Chiefs, but let's face it, the Colts offense was out there to just keep the ball away from Mahomes in that one. This one Brissett is going to have to throw the ball down the field, and Hilton is the only reliable target they have. He hasn't had a 100 yard game yet this season, but based on how I think this game will go, if the Colts want to have any hope of winning Hilton is going to have to get a good number of targets. |
| D.J. Chark JAX | William Jackson III CIN | Chark owners might be scared after he was basically shut down last week. They might think that it is the game that signals his great start is coming crashing back to Earth. Fear not, Chark-heads that was a really tough matchup against Marshon Lattimore who is shutting everyone down. Cincinnati should help him get back on track for sure. It might not be a monster 150 yard game with two touchdowns, but Chark should be good for six catches and 85 yards while a touchdown seems like a great bet |
| Demarcus Robinson KC | Isaac Yiadom DEN | It will be a contrast in styles as the finesse offense of the Chiefs will face off against the tough, physical defense in Denver. With Sammy Watkins set to miss this game, Robinson remains in the starting lineup. However, he is one of the most touchdown dependent receivers in the league. Robinson will be lucky to get four targets, five at most with Tyreek Hill back in the fold. This means that he is going to not only catch most of those targets, but get a good distance down field to make them count for fantasy purposes. Against this hardnosed Denver defense, I wouldn't count on it. |
| Brandin Cooks LAR | Isaiah Oliver ATL | He had a concussion in Week 5, and then the whole Rams team laid an absolute egg against the 49ers last week. As a Cooks owner you have to forget that game even was played. Be happy he was able to play after the concussion and move on. Nothing cures a passing game funk like a game against the Falcons. They have already allowed a whopping 15 passing touchdowns in just six games, which is nearly averaging three a week. There might be one of the three Rams receivers that is left out of the reindeer games this week, but I would bet on all three topping 75 yards and any or all of them could have touchdowns |
| Mike Williams LAC | Malcolm Butler TEN | Usually a boom or bust kind of player, Williams has been getting more involved in the passing game lately with 30 targets in the last three weeks. Of course his efficiency has been terrible as those targets have only equated to 14 catches. Surprisingly, he still doesn't have a touchdown yet this season, but those scoring plays are coming, and he has been over 70 receiving yards in three of five weeks. However, none of this matters much this week. The Titans have one of the stingier pass defenses with just over 215 yards per game allowed in the air and eight passing touchdowns in six games. Williams belongs in your season long lineups with the thin receiving group for the Chargers, but this very well could be his worst week of the season. |
| DeVante Parker MIA | Tre'Davious White BUF | He has scored in each of the last two weeks, and that might get you excited from a fantasy perspective, but to knock you down a few pegs he doesn't even have 100 receiving yards combined in those two games. The Dolphins offense is going to score next to nothing this week, in fact I predicted they score six this week in the game recaps. And that's not six like missing an extra point. That's two field goals. Parker will be completely held in check by the nasty Bills defense this week. |
| Stefon Diggs MIN | Rashaan Melvin DET | After weeks of complaining, Diggs finally got his wish. The Vikings actually threw him the ball! And boy did he reward them in a big way. He had seven catches for 167 yards and three big touchdowns. I don't know why the Vikings spent most of the first five weeks avoiding him, but hopefully this will show that he is worth the targets. That is actually two of the last three weeks that he has seven catches and over 100 yards, so this should be the turning point. The Lions pass defense is allowing 280 yards a game through the air, but they have only surrendered six passing touchdowns in five games. Diggs should be good for catches and yards, but it might be a long shot he scores this week. |
| Phillip Dorsett NE | Darryl Roberts NYJ | So far it looks like Dorsett and not Gordon is more likely to be ready to go for this one. He was targeted 16 times in the last two games that he played, and Dorsett has had a nice season when he sees action. The Jets secondary has been nothing special at all, and the Pats shouldn't have too much trouble moving the ball against them. Dorsett has three touchdowns in four games that he has played, and Brady definitely likes to look for him in the end zone. He would be a possible flex play on Monday night if he indeed is going to lace them up and Josh Gordon is going to miss the game. |
| Michael Thomas NO | Kyle Fuller CHI | Thomas has been targeted at a crazy rate this season. He hasn't had less than seven in a game, and he has had nine or more in four of six games. And he is making the most out of it, despite the loss of Drew Brees . It is getting to the point where it is almost a surprise when Teddy Bridgewater doesn't throw to Thomas. He has 89 yards or more in every game but one and three touchdowns through six games. The Bears have been really tough against the pass and have only allowed four touchdowns through the air to this point. Thomas might be a pass in DFS leagues but he is matchup proof and should always be started in seasonal formats. |
| Darius Slay ton NYG | Patrick Peterson ARI | Who is the lucky receiver who gets the Cardinals and Peterson in his first game back from the PED suspension? Poor Darius Slay ton. The speedy rookie has been doing okay when called into duty with all of the injuries the Giants have had. And let's be honest they had nearly zero chance of success last Thursday against the Patriots. Slayton isn't likely to be shadowed by Peterson all game, so he does have a chance of success if one of the other bums on the Cardinals tries to cover him. However, he is nothing more than a dart throw if you are having bye week trouble or looking for a real cheap option in DFS games. |
| Robby Anderson NYJ | Stephon Gilmore NE | Robby Anderson is the happiest man in America that Sam Darnold is back. If you don't believe me, watch that 92 yard touchdown reception he had last Sunday. There is below a zero percent chance that Luke Falk could have made that throw. Before you get too excited, without that long touchdown (and I know we can't just wipe it away), Anderson would have had just 33 yards on the day and we wouldn't be talking about him. He has a nightmare matchup against Gilmore and the Patriots and should only be started in dire situations. |
| Trevor Davis OAK | Kevin King GB | Tyrell Williams is the longest of shots to play with plantar fasciitis, which means there's not much to talk about with the Raiders pass game other than Darren Waller . Davis did have four catches in London, but he isn't someone to get excited about. Packers corner Kevin King will be sure he is left in the fantasy trash bin. |
| DeSean Jackson PHI | Chidobe Awuzie DAL | He still hadn't practiced as of Wednesday, but still has a good chance of playing this weekend. He will be a risk of reinjury if he does play, as abdomen injuries are certainly something that can come back. The Cowboys secondary certainly didn't play well last week, but they have been good this season. However, if Jackson is going to play he absolutely belongs in your season long lineups as he will definitely get targeted in this one. The Eagles offense badly needs him back, even if it is just being a decoy. |
| D.K. Metcalf SEA | Marcus Peters BAL | It is really hard to know what to expect from Metcalf on any given week. He has a game this season where he had one catch for six yards, and another where he had four catches for 89 yards. The rest is in the middle. He hasn’t been getting a ton of targets of late with just 12 in the last three weeks and he has become hard to trust. However, he does get a easy matchup against the Ravens this week, and perhaps will see a bunch of their newest acquisition, Marcus Peters . The last time you saw Peters he was getting burned regularly for the Rams, so this would be a nice week to have Metcalf in your flex. |
| Deebo Samuel SF | Josh Norman WAS | The Niners offense continues to be one of the most balanced in the league, and also perhaps the one that spreads touches around to all of their weapons more than any other team. This is horrible for their receivers fantasy value. Samuel got off to a good start, but now is just another piece of the pie. He has 65 total receiving yards in the last three games and hasn't had more than three catches since Week 2. He suffered a slight groin injury in Week 6 as well, but even if he plays he isn't worth considering for your lineup in any format, unless you only are allowed to play guys named Deebo. |
| Corey Davis TEN | Casey Hayward LAC | The good news for Corey Davis is that Marcus Mariota has been benched, and while Ryan Tannehill is far from a star, he should be better. He also targeted Davis four times in the little bit of time that Tannehill played. The bad news is that Davis will draw one of the best corners in the game with Hayward. He has shut down waaaaaay better receivers than Davis this season, so while there is some good to this situation, the bad is far worse. If Tannehill is still in there in Week 7, the prospects of Davis might be better. |
| Terry McLaurin WAS | Richard Sherman SF | McLaurin has been battling injuries, but he also doesn't have many receptions in the thing the Redskins call an offense lately. He is still making the most of them though with 100 yards and two touchdowns last week against a thing the Dolphins try to pass off as a defense. Well, the test will be much stiffer this week, and if you don't believe me, ask Jared Goff . The 49ers should terrorize Case Keenum and the Redskins passing game, and while I expect Keenum to break 100 yards, this won't be a game he brags to his kids about. McLaurin could still go for four catches for 70 yards but no touchdowns in this one. |
| Right WR | Left CB | Analysis |
| KeeSean Johnson ARI | Deandre Baker NYG | Johnson's targets have started to rise in the last couple of weeks with 12 in those games, but it still isn't adding up to production. The last two weeks with Christian Kirk out, Johnson still only had five catches for 36 yards. I keep saying the breakout game is coming, but if it isn't against the Giants, I don't know when it will come |
| Calvin Ridley ATL | Troy Hill LAR | Ridley might be the best "second" receiver on any team in football, and he gets a bit of a gift as the Rams secondary is a bit in shambles. Sure, they just traded for Jalen Ramsey , but he won't be on Ridley. With Aqib Talib out, that leaves a third or fourth corner trying to contend with Ridley. The Falcons are always playing from behind becaus their defense is so bad and Ridley should have a very big game. |
| Seth Roberts BAL | Tre Flowers SEA | The Ravens passing game is a total disaster and can barely support one fantasy relevant receiver. Roberts is average at best, and average might be too nice. There is no way you can consider him in this week or any other week quite frankly. |
| Duke Williams BUF | Ken Webster MIA | He had a touchdown last week in a game against the Titans, but the Bills passing game isn't very strong. The Dolphins defense is really bad and the Bills certainly can score some points this week. However, after John Brown I would have more faith in Cole Beasley than I would Williams. He could be a complete dart throw if you are really a gambler, but you can certainly do better. |
| Javon Wims CHI | Eli Apple NO | Wims had a whopping one target and no catches in Week 5 against the Raiders. That was the second time in three weeks that he had just one target. This sound like a guy you want to consider for fantasy? Nah, me either. |
| Alex Erickson CIN | Tre Herndon JAX | Erickson has gotten up to third in targets among Cincinnati pass catchers, but that isn't exactly a role that has fantasy implications. Erickson had four catches for 47 yards, but that's about the best game you could hope for him to have outside of a random touchdown. The Jags defense has underperformed but they still will have no problem keeping Erickson in check |
| Tavon Austin DAL | Rasul Douglas PHI | Tavon Austin has stayed in the NFL for a long time, mostly because of his punt and kick returning skills. The former top ten overall pick of the Rams is nothing more than a gadget player who occasionally breaks something big. He actually played decently once Amari Cooper went out last week, and even in a nice matchup against the soft Eagles secondary Austin isn't a player you want to trust. |
| Emmanuel Sanders DEN | Charvarius Ward KC | Sanders was back to practicing in full so there is no doubt that he will play on Thursday Night Football. Hopefully this means that Sanders is close to 100% and hopefully can get back to the productive receiver who started the season. He seems to be behind Courtland Sutton as far as the pecking order for targets, but in a game where the Broncos will have to throw Sanders can be a WR3. |
| Kenny Golladay DET | Trae Waynes MIN | Golladay is coming off a strong game on Monday night, but comes into another tough matchup against the Vikings. Golladay had five catches for 121 yards against the Packers, so even against tough defenses he can succeed. He hasn't had a game with fewer than eight targets so obviously he is the biggest part of the passing game. There is a chance that Golladay could have a dud game, but for me he has reached every week starter status no matter who the contest is against. |
| Allen Lazard GB | Daryl Worley OAK | With Davante Adams out, and Geronimo Allison leaving the game early, Lazard was summoned off the bench by Aaron Rodgers . He delivered as well with four catches in very limited action. Adams and Allison both look like longshots to play, so will this unknown be a viable fantasy player in Week 7? He has size and he has some speed, and the Packers should be able to throw the ball well against the Raiders. If you are in bye week trouble, Lazard is a long shot target with the chance to pay off somewhat handsomely. |
| Will Fuller HOU | Pierre Desir IND | A week after Fuller blew the Falcons out of the water he could have done the same to the Chiefs except for one small factor. Sometimes Fuller can't catch the ball! He dropped three potential touchdowns of various level of ease and ended up having an average day. The Colts secondary has played fairly well this year, and Fuller is the definition of a boom or bust candidate, and it is usually impossible to guess which it is going to be. The Texans offense is in a nice groove right now so throw Fuller out there and hope for the best. |
| Zach Pascal IND | Lonnie Johnson HOU | After two straight fairly strong games, Pascal did next to nothing the last time the Colts played in Week 5. Of course, that was the game against the Chiefs where they really didn't try to throw the ball down the field much. The game script here is telling you that the Colts are going to have to throw, but no one on the team is overly consistent. Pascal is the best guess of all option after T.Y. Hilton , and you could do worse than Pascal. |
| Chris Conley JAX | Dre Kirkpatrick CIN | What started as a nice season, it has gone completely downhill for Conley ever since. He is completely irrelevant at this point in any matchup and shouldn't be considered for fantasy. |
| Mecole Hardman KC | Chris Harris DEN | Hardman has continued to remain on the fantasy map with four catches in each of the last two weeks even as the Chiefs offense has floundered. With Tyreek Hill back, it is a matter of time before the targets get even fewer for Hardman. Chris Harris and the Broncos secondary will make it very hard for Hardman to make any headway in the stat department and he should probably be avoided in Week 7. |
| Robert Woods LAR | Kendall Sheffield ATL | A very average season hit rock bottom for Woods last week as he caught exactly zero of his four targets against the 49ers. He did have an eight yard touchdown run to make it not a complete nightmare, but the Rams offense really needs a shot in the arm. Nothing will make that happen better than the Falcons defense. The Atlanta secondary has been a slump buster for more than a couple teams this season, and if you don't know what that reference is to, just google slump buster urban dictionary and read on. You can thank me afterwards on Twitter @fightingchance. |
| Travis Benjamin LAC | Adoree Jackson TEN | Even when the Chargers offense was running well, Benjamin wasn't a relevant part of it. Los Angeles has struggled to move the ball the past couple of weeks, and Benjamin has been a complete non factor. It doesn't even matter that they are playing a good defense, he isn't a name you need to worry about. |
| Preston Williams MIA | Levi Wallace BUF | He was tied for the most targeted wide receiver on the team last week with six, but there was still a running back and a tight end targeted more, and a second running back with as many targets as Williams. Not only that, but the Bills are one of the best pass defenses in the league. Williams could have some fantasy relevance if the Dolphins were playing the Falcons or Cardinals or a team like that, but he couldn't be farther off the map in Week 7 if he tried. |
| Adam Thielen MIN | Mike Ford DET | While he ceded the big game to Stefon Diggs in Week 6, Thielen still had a very respectable stat line of six catches for 57 yards and a score. You probably hoped for a little more against the Eagles, but this was Diggs Day! The Lions pass defense is going to have a really hard time with the Vikings, especially now that they have caught a groove, and this could be a game where Thielen has eight to ten catches for nearly 100 yards. |
| Jakobi Meyers NE | Trumaine Johnson NYJ | Meyers finally was given a chance to play on Thursday night as Phillip Dorsett was out and Josh Gordon injured himself during the game. There is a chance neither guy is ready for Monday night's game, but more than likely one will be. Meyers should see some meaningful playing time again this week, and if the preseason and last week's game is any indication he could be decent. He caught all four of his targets against the Giants for 54 yards, but then again, it is the Giants. However, the Jets defense is far from incredible either so if you have a couple of receivers on bye Meyers could be a plug and play type. If for some reason both Dorsett and Gordon were to miss the game I would use Meyers in DFS games as well. |
| Ted Ginn NO | Prince Amukamara CHI | Ginn continues to be irrelevant with Drew Brees on the sidelines as he had another game with just two receptions. His situation gets worse as the Saints play the Bears this week, and unless he busts a big play he is totally irrelevant. Stay away on this one. |
| Cody Latimer NYG | Byron Murphy ARI | Week 1 when Latimer had 74 receiving yards seems like a long time ago now. A concussion derailed his season, but his production was already falling off anyway. However, with Patrick Peterson likely taking his attention to either Golden Tate or Darius Slay ton most of the day, this could possibly be a sneaky place where Latimer could succeed. I am not gutsy enough to use one of my roster spots in either season long or DFS on him, but the possibility is there. He really hasn't had much playing time with quarterback Daniel Jones, so you will have to watch how that relationship pans out. |
| Demaryius Thomas NYJ | Jason McCourty NE | Thomas had four catches in each of the last two weeks, and while they weren't big statistical days, it is nice to see him having some success. That success is going to take a hiatus this week though as the Jets are sure to struggle moving the ball against the Patriots pass defense who has shut down everyone this season. They are allowing just over 160 yards a game through the air and have only surrendered on passing touchdown on the season, and that was on broken coverage to Golden Tate . It sure would be a long shot for Demaryius Thomas to be the second. |
| Zay Jones OAK | Jaire Alexander GB | There seems to be a little fantasy buzz surrounding the Raiders trade for Zay Jones and I'm not quite sure if I understand why. Sure, he is a name that we have heard for a number of years, but it wasn't in a good way. Jones really struggles to catch the ball, which is really the basic skill a wide receiver in the NFL needs to be successful. He wasn't getting many looks on the Bills, and that isn't likely to change much. It does help him that Tyrell Williams is almost certain to miss this game, but the Raiders pass game goes through tight end Darren Waller who just got a nice contract extension on Wednesday. If you truly like Jones you can monitor his targets this weekend, but I have zero confidence that the change of scenery will equal fantasy success for him. |
| Alshon Jeffery PHI | Byron Jones DAL | He has been much more involved in the pass game in recent weeks, and Jeffery is getting a little away from his usual boom or bust ways. He had 12 targets last week, which seems crazy for him, and the crazier part is that a lot of them were shorter gains. He faces a Cowboys defense that has been good most weeks, but both teams will be throwing in this one, so it seems logical that Jeffery will still be someone you can count on as your WR2. The potential return of DeSean Jackson will only help Jeffery as D-Jax will certainly garner a good amount of attention from the defense. Something Mack Hollins , Nelson Agholor , and the rest of the also-rans the Eagles call backup wide receivers have been unable to command. |
| Jaron Brown SEA | Brandon Carr BAL | Yeah, I know Jaron Brown caught two touchdowns last week against Cleveland. Don’t fall into that trap of chasing last week's points. Brown is probably fourth or fifth in the target order after Lockett, Metcalf and both running backs. He hasn't had more than three catches in a game this year and he hasn't had more than 50 receiving yards either. Even against a compromised Ravens secondary he isn't a good fantasy option. |
| Marquise Goodwin SF | Quinton Dunbar WAS | Quinton Dunbar has been one of the more surprising corners of the season as he has four pass defenses and three interceptions already this season. Even if Goodwin was going against Dunbar's little brother (assuming he has one) he likely still wouldn't be that great of a fantasy option. He is the 49ers number one deep threat, but they don't really use him that often. It would be a grave mistake to trust Goodwin this week or any week. |
| A.J. Brown, TEN | Michael Davis LAC | There is some optimism that the change at quarterback to Ryan Tannehill might spark the Titans offense. And while he might be better than Marcus Mariota , please watch some games of Tannehill in Miami if you are really thinking he will make a big difference. Brown is a low volume receiver who relies on a couple big plays to attempt to have fantasy value. Watch this game to see if Tannehill does latch on to a specific receiver, but it seems to be a long shot it would be Brown. |
| Paul Richardson WAS | Emmanuel Moseley SF | It would take divine intervention for Paul Richardson to be fantasy relevant against the best pass defense in football. He was held without a catch last week against Miami and only has 28 receiving yards in the last three games combined. It is almost comical how bad Richardson has been this season outside of one decent game. |
Now, here are my 10 favorite matchups in the slot in Week 7.
| Slot WR | Slot CB | Analysis |
| Cooper Kupp LAR | Damontae Kazee ATL | Even though the 49ers defense has looked incredibly strong this year, I still didn't see them shutting Kupp down as completely as they did. However, as a Kupp owner you are thankful that he got through the game healthy, but you are more thankful that he faces the Falcons defense this week. Some might shy away after Kupp was atrocious last week, but roll him out there and expect another 100 yard game in Week 7. |
| Julian Edelman NE | Brian Poole NYJ | Edelman is a PPR machine this year. He has back to back games with at least eight catches, and he had over 110 yards in each. The Jets secondary isn't very good, and the Patriots are going to want to win this one to stamp the Jets down. Edelman is surely still dealing with the chest injury, but he is an absolute must start right now and could easily be looking at his third straight game with at least 110 yards. |
| Tyreek Hill KC | Duke Dawson DEN | Hill looked like he didn't miss any time last week in his return as he had five catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns. While the two touchdowns were an outlier, this is about the floor that you can count on from Hill each week. He is a special talent on the football field, and his speed is nearly unmatched. The Broncos are really going to have to bump him off the line to try to knock off his timing with Patrick Mahomes , but I don't see them being very successful. The Broncos secondary is very physical, but I think they will have a hard time keeping up with Hill. Look for 100 yards and a touchdown in just his second game this season. |
| Tyler Lockett SEA | Marlon Humphries BAL | The Seahawks pass offense has been a little off lately, and Lockett has had to be ultra-efficient catching passes to remain putting up great stats. Well, that is exactly what he has done as he has 13 catches on 13 targets in the last three weeks. He shouldn't have a problem remaining efficient against the Ravens who have allowed nearly 270 yards a game through the air. Lockett has caught a touchdown pass in each of his three home games so far this season and will make it four on Sunday. |
| Larry Fitzgerald ARI | Grant Haley NYG | Fitzgerald has been fairly solid the last two weeks, but given who they have been playing I have been left wanting more. This will be his third straight cupcake matchup, and perhaps if Christian Kirk can come back and draw some defensive attention away from him, Fitzgerald can have a big day. He is an absolute must start in this one, and although he has disappointed I would use him in DFS games this week as well. I smell 100 yards and a touchdown in this one. |
| Keenan Allen SD | Logan Ryan TEN | The Chargers just haven't been themselves passing the ball lately, and Allen has three straight very un-Allen-like games. He faces another great defense this week in Tennessee, and I can't say I have a ton of confidence in him for Week 7. The Chargers offensive line has some injuries, and that clearly is affecting Philip Rivers time and ability to throw the ball. There's never a reason to sit Allen in redraft leagues, but certainly don't risk your DFS lineups with him. |
| Tyler Boyd CIN | D.J. Hayden JAX | Boyd was competely held in check last Sunday against the Ravens, which is crazy because it was the Ravens. Howver, it was only the second time this year that Boyd didn't have a really solid fantasy game. The Jaguars defense is solid, but it took a hit losing Jalen Ramsey for good this week, and that is as good indication as any that they really aren't trying to make run at the playoffs this year. Hayden is going to have to really work to not give up at least seven catches and 80 yards to Boyd. |
| Golden Tate NYG | Tramaine Brock ARI | With all of the injuries to the Giants receivers, Tate had little chance but to succeed last Thursday even against the vanted Pats defense. The Giants should get Evan Engram back, but not Sterling Shepard , so Tate will clearly be pressed into high volume duty again this week. Unless the Cardinals surprise us and use Patrick Peterson in the slot, Tate should see a lot of very average cornerbacks and plenty of fantasy success. |
| Anthony Miller CHI | Patrick Robinson NO | This one is a bit of a longer shot, but I was a fan of Miller coming into the season and was badly disappointed. After having just eight targets in the first four weeks of the season, Miller garnered seven targets in Week 5, and appears to have a pulse. Marshon Lattimore should lock down Allen Robinson , which leaves Miller is the next most viable receiver on the team. The Saints have given up nice points to slot receivers, and their usual slot corner, P.J. Williams is facing a two game suspension. All fo the signs point to this being a good game from Miller and he will be used in my lineups this weekend. |
| Dede Westbrook JAX | B.W. Webb CIN | It was a slight step back in production for Westbrook last week against the Saints, but the whole offense struggled. The part that I liked was although he only had three catches, Westbrook was still the most targeted receiver on the team. Webb is an average at best cornerback on an average at best pass defense. Gardner Minshew should get back on track this week, and Westbrook should be looking at seven or eight catches for at least 80 yards in this one. |
Elite
Almost put Kupp here last week, but decided against it at the last minute, and that certainly wouldn’t have worked out. People are freaking out about the Rams after last week’s game, and I get it. The pass game was atrocious. However, sometimes you just have to throw a game out of your memory and move past it. The 49ers pass defense has been manhandling everyone at this point. However, they aren’t playing the 49ers again this week, they are playing the awful Falcons. Only the Arizona Cardinals have allowed more passing touchdowns than Atlanta and they have been without their best corner all season. This appears to be a perfect set up for Kupp to have a ten catch, 100 yard game and a touchdown. Fire him up in any and all formats!
Affordable
I know that Howard is one of the better corners in the league, but it hasn’t translated to much of anything for the Miami defense. Not only that, but Brown won’t be standing across the field from Howard all day long. Brown has been ultra-consistent this year, which is pretty impressive because his quarterback is anything but consistent. There has only been one game out of five where Brown has had fewer than five catches in a game. Brown should be able to get loose in this one for a couple of big plays and could still end up with over 100 yards and a score against the Dolphins defense that has allowed 14 touchdowns through five games. For those of you not good at math, that is nearly three passing touchdowns allowed per game. Josh Allen might not be the most accurate or consistent passer in the game, but he will find his favorite receiver a handful of times for a great game in Week 7.
D.J. Chark vs. William Jackson
Skeptical Chark owners are going to look glass half empty and say that in two of the last three weeks the guy has had just four catches for under 50 yards. Smart fantasy players will recognize that in those games he was mostly covered by two of the best corners in football in Chris Harris of Denver and Marshon Lattimore in New Orleans. Great, so the kid isn’t quite good enough yet to torch the best in the game. Very few receivers are matchup proof, and even the best are sometimes held in check by lock down corners. Newsflash, no one in Cincinnati is a lock down corner. Their pass defense isn’t very good. They have given up just eight touchdowns, but teams have been moving the ball against them. Cincinnati also hasn’t exactly been playing the best quarterbacks in football this season either. Mason Rudolph , Josh Allen , Jimmy Garoppolo , Kyler Murray , and Lamar Jackson have showed up on their schedule so far. And before you crush me on for including Jackson on this list, he is not a prototypical big armed guy who throws a lot. And he tortured them running the ball. Now, I’m not saying Gardner Minshew is Tom Brady , but my point is more that the Bengals have given up some chunks through the passing game to average quarterbacks. The Jaguars should put up 270 yards of passing offense, and Chark should easily have 85 yards of it and another touchdown as his breakout season gets back on track.
Bargain Bin
Ridley gets averages over six targets a game and has four touchdowns in six contests this season, but remains very affordably priced in DFS contests. He did have two very bad games against Indianapolis and Tennessee where he combined for just four catches and 38 yards, but both are quality defenses. Have you watched the Rams defense this season? I think they gave up 6,000 yards to Jameis Winston , and 17 touchdowns to Russell Wilson in that game. What do you think Matt Ryan is going to do? The guy has thrown for 300 yards in every game this season. Sure, the Rams just traded for Jalen Ramsey which is a great addition. Two things though, first it isn’t even a guarantee he will play, and second he will be all over Julio Jones if he does. With Aqib Talib on IR and Marcus Peters traded to Baltimore that leaves absolute garbage covering Ridley. And if Ramsey isn’t ready to suit up from his phantom back injury, that will leave absolute garbage covering Julio Jones and straight trash trying to shadow Ridley. Matt Ryan is going to get his numbers. And with a great corner potentially on Jones that leaves plenty of yards and a touchdown for Ridley and he won’t cost you an arm and a leg against your salary cap.
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus.