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 ARZ | Richard Sherman SF | Kirk didn't skip a beat after missing several games with an ankle injury as he stepped back in with eight catches and even an 18 yard run. He was someone that the Cardinals offense was sorely missing. However, they are now playing on a short week against perhaps the best passing defense in football. You could likely still play Kirk in a flex in a PPR league as he could get five to seven short catches, but don't expect more than 60 yards and don't expect a touchdown. |
| Marquise Brown BAL | Stephon Gilmore NE | He hasn't played since Week 5 and the schedule makers did him no favors putting the Patriots on the docket for his return game. Brown was still targeted plenty, but did very little after his explosive first two weeks. He will need a big play getting behind the Patriots defense to make it a good fantasy day, and that is unlikely to happen. You've had him on your bench this long, one more week won't hurt. |
| John Brown BUF | Josh Norman WAS | Brown had five catches for the fourth consecutive week, and even the terrible weather in Buffalo couldn't stop him from having a fairly solid game last week. He will face a Washington secondary that is a little better than most one win teams, but it is nothing that Brown can't exploit. He isn't a dynamite DFS option, but you could do worse and as always he is a guy to use in your seasonal leagues. |
| D.J. Moore CAR | Malcolm Butler TEN | Moore could certainly use Cam Newton back, but more than that he could use an easier defense on his schedule. A week after facing the 49ers, Moore should be seeing a lot of Malcolm Butler in Week 9, another tall task. The rest of the Titans secondary is pretty banged up and not that great, so if Moore can get away from Butler he could have some success. There is no way you can use him in DFS until Newton returns, and you can use him as a WR3 with a tough matchup in your redraft leagues and hope he breaks a couple of nice runs after a catch. |
| Allen Robinson CHI | Jalen Mills PHI | The lone consistent force on the Bears offense all season long, Robinson continues to get it done no matter who is at quarterback or how poorly they are playing. It wasn't his best game last week, but considering he was blanketed by Casey Hayward all game, five catches for 62 yards isn't that bad. He gets a much easier week against the leaky Eagles secondary that is getting torched on a weekly basis. Robinson is a must start in seasonal leagues, and is definitely someone to consider using in DFS, although the inconsistent play of Mitchell Trubisky makes him a risk. |
| Odell Beckham CLE | Chris Harris DEN | It seems like Beckham and the Browns have found most of the league's solid defenses on their schedule so far this season, and that won't change in Week 9. While not up to his standards, his 52 yard game last week isn't so horrible considering what most receivers are doing against the Patriots. This week he will be covered almost exclusively by Chris Harris of the Broncos who is one of the top five corners in the league. Beckham will be lucky to find the end zone or top 60 receiving yards in this one. |
| Amari Cooper DAL | Janoris Jenkins NYG | While Jenkins is a very solid corner, the rest of the Giants secondary is so bad that he isn't getting any help and has been getting burned. New York's pass defense is among the worst in the league statistically, and the Cowboys have had two weeks to get ready for this one. Cooper had six catches for 106 yards and a touchdown when these two teams faced off in Week 1 and there is a very strong chance that he will be looking at another statistical line like that when the clock strikes all zeroes on Monday night. Cooper is in line for a huge game in this one. |
| Courtland Sutton DEN | Denzel Ward CLE | He was able to still have some success despite a game against a solid Colts secondary and the loss of Emmanuel Sanders . However, now Sutton's fantasy value will face the ultimate test as they will be playing with a completely inexperienced quarterback after the injury to Joe Flacco . Now, I know that Flacco is a long way from a great quarterback, but he was a veteran and could throw the deep ball. Sutton also will have the misfortune of being blanketed by Denzel Ward this Sunday, who despite his reputation is having an off, and injury plagued year. I wouldn't touch Sutton in DFS games this week until we see what Brandon Allen is, but I still plan on putting him in redraft lineups for Week 9. |
| Marvin Jones DET | Trayvon Mullen OAK | So he scores four touchdowns against a solid Minnesota defense, and then has just four catches and 22 yards against a disastrous Giants D. This is why I don't like Marvin Jones . Have fun figuring out when he is going to be good. He has had solid games against other bad defenses he played like Kansas City and Philadelphia but overall his inconsistency is maddening. The Raiders have allowed 19 passing touchdowns already this season, so the chances are Jones will have a serviceable enough game to make him a WR3 for Week 9. |
| Davante Adams GB | Casey Hayward LAC | Adams is on track to play for the first time in quite a while, and fantasy owners are chomping at the bit waiting to get their star receiver, and likely first round draft pick, back into their lineups. The bad news is that Casey Hayward is waiting for him. The Chargers All-Pro corner has been shutting down quality receivers all season long. Some of his victims include Allen Robinson (5/62), JuJu Smith-Schuster (1/7), and DeAndre Hopkins (6/67). Now most of those aren't horrible games, so there is no suggestion not to start Adams, but just temper your excitement for some rust and a really tough matchup. |
| DeAndre Hopkins HOU | Tre Herndon JAX | Hopkins is back baby! After a really tough stretch of the year, he had his second straight 100 yard game in Week 8 against the Raiders. Sure, the Raiders stink, but Hopkins is just an other worldly talent. Things get a little tougher this week against Jacksonville who played a solid defensive game last week, but at the same time it was against the Jets. Deshaun Watson is on fire right now, and he and Hopkins are clicking on all cylinders. Hopkins had just 40 yards the first time these two teams played, but Jalen Ramsey was on him then, and he is playing for the Rams this week. Hopkins has a real shot at a third straight 100 yard game. |
| T.Y. Hilton IND | Joe Haden PIT | We haven't seen a lot of the explosive big play ability from Hilton this season, but Jacoby Brissett isn't Andrew Luck , and the Colts have been a team determined to run the ball first. He still has had a fine season with five touchdowns in six games, he just hasn't had a 100 yard game to this point. He appears to be fully healthy from the quad injury he suffered earlier this season, but has had some tough corners on his schedule. Haden will be more of the same, as Pittsburgh's main guy is no slouch to deal with. Hilton will still get the better of him on a handful of plays in this one and he will be looking at a line of six catches for 75 yards and likely a touchdown. |
| D.J. Chark JAX | Gareon Conley HOU | One week after he cost me a pie to the face in the #FFPieBet, Chark comes back with another of his great games with six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Of course, you should have saw this coming against the downtrodden Jets, but it was disheartening for me personally. This one is set up for another good game for Chark as he is facing a pretty bad Houston secondary and will likely be facing off with a castoff from the Raiders awful secondary that Houston traded for. Chark had seven catches for 55 yards and a touchdown when these teams faced off in Week 2, and he should have an even better game this time around. |
| Tyreek Hill KC | Xavier Rhodes MIN | Hill was able to continue to have success even without Patrick Mahomes in Week 8 with his line of six catches for 76 yards. Unfortunately, he didn't find the end zone, but it was against a solid Packers secondary. Even worse is that it will be even tougher this week as the Vikings have a strong pass defense that is anchored by Xavier Rhodes . Minnesota won't be able to keep Hill completely locked down, and backup Matt Moore should continue to look to him a lot. This isn't an ideal situation, but I still expect Hill to have a good game with another 80 or more yards, and a touchdown should be in his future as well. He isn't a good bet for the #FFPieBet going against Rhodes, but he is certainly worth your WR1 spot. |
| Mike Williams LAC | Jaire Alexander GB | This guy still doesn't have a touchdown, and has become one of the bigger disappointments this season. The Chargers offense is in total disarray since Melvin Gordon came back, and they will face another tough task against the Packers defense. The offensive line is giving Philip Rivers very little time to throw, and he is not a mobile guy to say the least. Williams hasn't been horrible as he has had at least 60 yards in four of the seven games he has played in, but we all expected much more including touchdowns. He is going to blow up and have some huge game one of these weeks, but I really don't see it being this week against Green Bay. |
| DeVante Parker MIA | Trumaine Johnson NYJ | While 50 yards might not seem like a great game, if you have followed the career of DeVante Parker you would know that it is for him. He has been far from spectacular this year, but with his team playing from behind basically since Week 1 started, there has been ample opportunity for Parker to get the ball. He has 18 targets and 11 catches in the last two weeks, and is set up for success against a pretty terrible Jets secondary who just threatened to trade their best safety. Parker should be looking at another five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown in what could be a nice bargain basement performance against a bad team. |
| Stefon Diggs MIN | Bashaud Breeland KC | Diggs came through in a big way on Thursday night with Adam Thielen out with his third straight game with over 140 receiving yards. Thielen should be back in this one, but that really almost helps Diggs as he will get less attention from the defense. He can't keep putting up these monster games, but he has become an every week starter in redraft leagues, and against a wet paper towel defense like the Chiefs he is worth DFS consideration. |
| Phillip Dorsett NE | Jimmy Smith BAL | He and Tom Brady do have a nice connection, although Dorsett isn't a major part of the offense. It has been four games since he has had more than three catches, and if he doesn't score a touchdown there isn't a ton of value here. The Ravens defense is coming off their bye and getting better with Smith's likely return and the recent trade for Marcus Peters . Dorsett doesn't appear to be a good bet in any fantasy format this week. |
| Darius Slay ton NYG | Byron Jones DAL | Yes, Slayton did have two touchdowns in last week's contest, but what have I preached time and time again this season. Don’t' chase last week's stats! Those were his only two catches of the game, it was against a very banged up secondary, and he has only been targeted seven times in the last two weeks. I like Slayton's skills, but it isn't translating to success right now. It won't again this week against a strong Dallas defense. |
| Robby Anderson NYJ | Ken Webster MIA | The Jets offense is such a mess. The pounding that the Patriots put on them two weeks ago is still resonating with them as they were only able to score 15 points against Jacksonville. Anderson continues his boom or bust ways with another subpar game of four catches for 43 yards. If you have Anderson, and you like to roll the dice, this is the week to do it and hope he has a big one. The Dolphins secondary obviously isn't great, and they just put their one good corner on IR ending his season. Personally, I am not a huge fan of Anderson, but he should at least be worth a flex play this week against Miami with a slight chance of one of his big games. The way the offense is playing lately he is too big of a risk to trust for DFS games. |
| Tyrell Williams OAK | Rashaan Melvin DET | Another week, another Tyrell Williams touchdown. This guy is unbelievable! The Raiders offense has been far better than expected, and Williams (and Waller) is a big part of why. Of course last week was against the Texans who have struggled against the pass all season, but this week is against the Lions whose secondary is currently in shambles. Unless Darius Slay is able to play this week in a surprise Williams makes a solid DFS candidate, while no matter who is on him he belongs in your redraft lineups. |
| Alshon Jeffery PHI | Kyle Fuller CHI | His production has fizzled out over the past couple of weeks, but he also faced two tough defenses in Dallas and Buffalo, and the weather in Orchard Park was not conducive to passing the football. Jeffery will face another tall task in Week 9 with the Bears as the opponent, as their defense got back on track last week against the Chargers. Jeffery would probably be helped by the return of DeSean Jackson as the Eagles have no other receivers that scare Defensive Coordinators. Unless he is able to pull a touchdown out of the air, look for Jeffery to top out at five catches for 65 yards. |
| Diontae Johnson PIT | Rock Ya-Sin IND | Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I give to you Exhibit A of why Diontae Johnson is someone that belongs in your starting redraft lineups. In the last three full games that he has played with quarterback Mason Rudolph he has 213 yards and three touchdowns. Sure, this one won't be easy against the Colts, but there is a definite connection here and Johnson was targeted 19 times in those three games. He should at worst be worth a flex option in your leagues this weekend. |
| D.K. Metcalf SEA | Carlton Davis TB | He hasn't been a huge part of the target share in Seattle, but Metcalf has been making the most of them. He did have two touchdowns in Week 8, but that was only on three catches for 13 yards. He has been targeted five or fewer times in four of the last five games, but in this cupcake matchup against the Buccaneers he surely is worth a WR3 spot in redrafts, and the way he has been targeted in the red zone he could be a strong DFS play. |
| Kendrick Bourne SF | Byron Murphy ARI | Even against a lowly Cardinals defense, Bourne doesn't make enough traction in the passing game to warrant any fantasy consideration. He isn't a deep down the field threat, he isn't anything special with yards after the catch, and guessing if he will find the end zone is like guessing how many jelly beans are in the jar. It is impossible. |
| Mike Evans TB | Shaquill Griffin SEA | While I picked Chris Godwin last week for the #FFPieBet, it was Mike Evans who blew up in a major way with over 190 yards and two touchdowns. Apparently, the Titans didn't view him as enough of a threat to put Malcolm Butler on him at all. Smooth move Titans! Seattle's defense is a far cry from their defenses of the past, but they aren't horrible. The likelihood of success for Evans on Sunday is going to be in garbage time when Seattle is up by 20 points. Evans has a real shot at six catches for 90 yards and likely that late game score to save his fantasy day. |
| Corey Davis TEN | James Bradberry CAR | Just when we thought he was gaining momentum and might be a fantasy relevant receiver on a weekly basis, Davis went out and laid an egg against the awful Buccaneers with under ten receiving yards. What a colossal disappointment. The Titans two week magic carpet ride with Ryan Tannehill looks to come to a close this week as well when they actually face a good defense in Carolina. After last week's debacle, you should plant Davis on your bench for Week 9. |
| Terry McLaurin WAS | Tre'Davious White BUF | Man, I have watched some bad passing games in my life, but very few are on the level of bad that Washington is at right now. Case Keenum is all kinds of banged up, Dwayne Haskins clearly isn't ready, and Colt McCoy ….well, is Colt McCoy . They were a disaster against the Vikings in Week 8, and it will likely be worse in Week 9 against the Bills. At this point, McLaurin has to find his way to your bench. |
| Right WR | Left CB | Analysis |
| Damiere Byrd ARZ | Emmanuel Moseley SF | With Christian Kirk back, Byrd's small window for fantasy success has been slammed shut. The passing game can barely support one fantasy receiver, and Larry Fitzgerald should certainly be in front of Byrd for the second in line in Arizona. However, no one really should be in for a great game against San Francisco, and if Byrd were to top 40 receiving yards he should see that as a major win. |
| Miles Boykin BAL | Jason McCourty NE | He has woken up a little bit more the past two weeks, but this rookie is not ready to make a fantasy impact in 2019. He certainly won't do it this week against one of the best pass defenses in the league, so even if you look at last week and see 55 yards, look the other way for Week 9. |
| Duke Williams BUF | Quinton Dunbar WAS | I've said all year that the Bills pass offense isn't strong enough to support two fantasy worthy receivers. It wasn't Zay Jones , and it isn't going to be Duke Williams. First, they don't throw enough and second Josh Allen is very erratic as a passer. Williams had a whole one catch in Week 8, and likely won't do much better. Even in a plus matchup, which this isn't, he shouldn't be anywhere near your fantasy lineups. |
| Curtis Samuel CAR | LeShaun Sims TEN | Despite his struggles since Kyle Allen took over, Samuel has remained a highly targeted option. It would be nice if that were to turn into success, but the chance comes into play this week with the Titans on the schedule. Sure, Malcolm Butler is a strong corner, but after that they don't have much with Adoree Jackson injured. While I don't expect Samuel to match Mike Evans 190 yard game from last week, this is his best chance for success since Newton went down. I haven't suggested playing Samuel in quite a while, but for the first time I feel like he can get to six catches for 70 yards in this game. |
| Taylor Gabriel CHI | Ronald Darby PHI | What we have here is a very inconsistent receiver being thrown to by a very inconsistent quarterback. That is never a recipe for success. However, every once in a while the clock strikes 12 and things work out for the best. That has a chance of happening this week as Gabriel faces the very suspect Eagles secondary. That being said there is zero chance that I would start him if I owned him in seasonal leagues or in DFS lineups, but if you are one of those folks looking for a long shot play that might pay off, Gabriel is a very long shot. |
| Antonio Callaway CLE | Isaac Yiadom DEN | He might be the other receiver starting opposite Odell Beckham , but Callaway really isn't a factor in this offense. He has only been targeted ten times in the three games since his return from suspension. Of course, the entire passing game has been out of sorts, so it isn't all on Callaway. He gets a second consecutive really tough matchup with the Browns and you would have to be the biggest better in the country to start Callaway in this one. The Browns will be lucky to have 175 yards passing in the entire game, Callaway won't be a big fantasy player. |
| Michael Gallup DAL | Deandre Baker NYG | It has been back to back less than ideal games for Gallup, and both were against bad defenses in the Jets and Eagles. This week they will face another bad defense in the Giants who is the worst of the three that they have faced recently. In fact, when the Cowboys played New York in Week 1, Gallup had seven catches for 158 yards. He looks to be a great guy to have in all fantasy formats this week, especially after Baker and the Giants secondary let Kenny Golladay go wild against them in Week 8. I will be #TeamGallup for sure on Monday night. |
| Fred Brown DEN | Greedy Williams CLE | Brown hasn't been on the field much this season before last week when he saw a good number of snaps. Of course, it didn't add up to much of anything, and even if he is on the field more this week after the trade of Emmanuel Sanders he is nothing that should be considered in fantasy games. I'm sorry if his wife, mother, sister, brother, or other family member is reading this. I'm sure he is a nice guy, but I have to be honest. |
| Kenny Golladay DET | Daryl Worley OAK | After a rough game against the Vikings where Marvin Jones got all the love, it was Golladay bouncing back in a big way with 123 yards and two touchdowns against the lowly Giants in Week 8. The good news for Golladay and his fantasy owners is that the Lions face an equally pathetic pass defense this week against the Raiders. He should have no trouble registering another 100 yard game with a touchdown and will be under very strong consideration for the #FFPieBet if none of the hosts choose him. Of course go to ffpiebet.com for details and to see videos. |
| Allen Lazard GB | Michael Davis LAC | While Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Geronimo Allison appear healthy, it has been Lazard who has been the most consistent over the past couple of weeks. After reports that Aaron Rodgers specifically requested he be put in the game in Week 7, fantasy owners took note. He has been far from spectacular, but he does have 14 targets in the last three weeks, catching 12 of them. With Davante Adams being back, it remains to see how much Lazard is on the field, but I feel like after Adams he might be the one who has the highest floor of all of the remaining Packers receiving options. |
| Kenny Stills HOU | A.J. Bouye JAX | It all seemed to be set up for Stills to have a knockout game against the Raiders and instead he finished with just 22 receiving yards. He should be the second option for targets after DeAndre Hopkins , but it certainly didn't come to pass in Week 8. We aren't ready to give up on him quite yet though, even with a tough matchup with A.J. Bouye and the Jags defense. Bouye surely will also spend some time with DeAndre Hopkins , so Stills should have ample opportunities for success. There is no reason he can't have five catches for 80 yards and one of my predicted three touchdown passes for Deshaun Watson in this game. |
| Zach Pascal IND | Steven Nelson PIT | The inconsistency in the Colts passing game continues. A week after a 100 yard/two touchdown game for Pascal he had a whopping one catch on two targets against the Broncos. Sure, Denver is a good defense, but not good enough to see that kind of drop off coming. With Parris Campbell now back, and T.Y. Hilton , the three running backs that can catch passes, and the two tight ends, there are simply too many options for targets for anyone besides Hilton to be viable from a fantasy perspective. If you picked up Pascal you can safely let him go again. |
| Chris Conley JAX | Lonnie Johnson HOU | He did have 103 yards on the game, although 70 of it came on one play for a touchdown. He does have 14 targets in the last two games but has only caught half of them. His value this week comes down to the health of Dede Westbrook . He has little chance of success if Westbrook gets in a couple of practices and plays close to 100 percent. However, if Dede is going to be on a snap count or perhaps miss the game all together, Conley could be a nice dart throw in DFS tournaments so you can pay up at other positions. |
| Demarcus Robinson KC | Trae Waynes MIN | As expected, the receivers outside of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce were fairly non-existent with Matt Moore at quarterback for the Chiefs. Robinson has some nice skills, but there aren't going to be enough passes to go around to help keep him fantasy viable. It is compounded by the fact that they are facing a very stout secondary, and while he could have some value when Patrick Mahomes returns, Robinson should be glued to your bench for now. |
| Andre Patton LAC | Kevin King GB | You could put anyone else on the Chargers roster here and it won't matter. Outside of Keenan Allen , Mike Williams , Hunter Henry , and the running backs, there is no one else that would even possibly make a fantasy splash. Just forget Patton all together. |
| Preston Williams MIA | Darryl Roberts NYJ | He remains a heavily targeted receiver, well at least by Dolphins standards, and he has had a couple of good games, but there is no consistency with Williams and he is almost impossible to roster. If for some reason you do have him, or if you are really in bye week trouble there is a chance that he could succeed against a severly struggling Jets defense, but he really is the ultimate dart throw. The Dolphins need to put an entire solid game together for someone besides DeVante Parker to have any sort of fantasy relevance. |
| Bisi Johnson MIN | Charvarius Ward KC | We gave some thought to Bisi Johnson last week with Adam Thielen out, heck some of us probably even played him. I mean who doesn't want to root for a guy named Bisi Johnson? However, it was not to be. With a golden opportunity for success, Johnson was targeted just twice and it wasn't for much. With Thielen set to return this week, Johnson goes back to fantasy obscurity. |
| Mohamed Sanu NE | Marcus Peters BAL | As expected, with Sanu only coming to the team in a matter of days he wasn't a big part of the game plan but he still was targeted five times and he caught two of them. The Patriots didn't trade for him for nothing, and I expect him to be a bigger part of their plans than he was with the Falcons. In fact the Patriots tweeted out a picture of him during the game, to which Antonio Brown retweeted that complaining they never posted his picture. Ugh, enough about him. Clearly with Julian Edelman entrenched in the slot, Sanu will line up his fair share on the outside, and this will hurt the value of Phillip Dorsett . Look for Sanu to be targeted six to eight times and come up with four or five of them for about 70 yards, and I think his role will increase a little more even the week after that. |
| Cody Latimer NYG | Chidobe Awuzie DAL | I liked Latimer as a shot in the dark this preseason, and after his first game I was patting myself on the back. However, it has all gone downhill from there. First a concussion, and now he just isn't an integral part of the offense since Daniel Jones took over. Even though he had a great first game against the Giants that team was led by Eli Manning , and Latimer has been an afterthought ever since. |
| Demaryius Thomas NYJ | Eric Rowe MIA | Thomas has been getting more attention the past couple of weeks, and that has come at Jamison Crowder 's expense. Neither player has been overly successful lately, but that comes with the territory when the quarterback is seeing supernatural beings on the field during a game. They get a bit of a reprieve this week facing the Dolphins, but the Jets offense is so out of sorts right now, that I don't know that you can count on any receiver to really have a big game. If I had to pick one it would be Thomas in PPR leagues, but I would give the big red X to Gang Green. |
| Trevor Davis OAK | Mike Ford DET | With Tyrell Williams back that pretty much closes the door on any thought of Davis sneaking in some fantasy relevance. This goes back to the Williams and Waller show. Despite the Lions defense even being banged up in a big way there isn't a possible scenario where you should think about using Davis in any fantasy format this week. |
| DeSean Jackson PHI | Prince Amukamara CHI | Jackson was at least able to get in a limited practice on Wednesday which bodes really well for his chances of returning this weekend. Carson Wentz and Alshon Jeffery have sorely missed his big playmaking skills. Jackson won't come back to the best matchup possible, but let's face it the Bears defense hasn't exactly been stellar of late. If you have been holding on to D-Jax all of this time you absolutely should have him in your lineups even if it is just a flex. If he is somehow on your waiver wires, run to pick him up. |
| James Washington PIT | Rolan Milligan IND | Are any of you really holding on to hope of Washington having a role in this offense? If you are, please let his ONE catch against the worst defense in football be all of the evidence that you need that it isn't going to happen. Mason Rudolph isn't Ben Roethlisberger , there aren't a bunch of 300 yard games to go around, and Washington is NOT fantasy relevant. Let's move on. |
| David Moore SEA | Sean Murphy-Bunting TB | Jaron Brown , David Moore , anyone else? Take your pick. It really doesn't matter who you put on the other side of D.K. Metcalf, there isn't going to be any fantasy relevance here. The Seahawks focus on their few guys, and every once in a while someone will surprise and have a big game, but there's nothing consistent with any of these guys. If you are a severe risk taker and want to try Moore or Brown against Tampa be my guest, but it's not for me |
| Deebo Samuel SF | Patrick Peterson ARI | Samuel is now back healthy, but none of the 49ers receivers outside of Emmanuel Sanders are going to be fantasy relevant. Jimmy Garoppolo spreads it around to everyone, and the offense revolves around the running game. If Patrick Peterson really guards an outside receiver instead of Sanders in the slot it would be basically impossible for either Samuel or Dante Pettis to come up with more than three catches for 25 yards. |
| Breshad Perriman TB | Akeem King SEA | Due to injury and inconsistency, Perriman hasn't even had a catch since Week 3. There couldn't be a less fantasy relevant player if you tried to name one. Just stay away. |
| A.J. Brown, TEN | Donte Jackson Car | While Brown did have a touchdown, this past week also showed that the Titans passing game hasn't brought about enough changes for these receivers to be fantasy relevant on a weekly basis. Brown had just two catches for 11 yards against the lowly Bucs. Brown is very hard to trust against a strong Panthers secondary and he would be lucky to top 50 receiving yards. |
| Paul Richardson WAS | Levi Wallace BUF | Richardson hasd his first catches in three weeks against the Vikings, but they were good for just 34 yards. He is so far from fantasy relevance with this unclear quarterback situaiton, and then it is exacerbated by a matchup against he stingy Bills. Richardson shouldn't even be a possible consideration. |
Now, here are my 10 favorite matchups in the slot in Week 9.
| Slot WR | Slot CB | Analysis |
| Tyler Lockett SEA | Vernon Hargreaves TB | Hargreaves might be the best corner the Buccaneers have, but he is still pretty bad, so it isn't saying much. Lockett is coming off a 100 yard game, and has another one staring him in the face as the Bucs give up over 285 yards per game through the air. The Seahawks should absolutely destroy the Bucs and Lockett will be the main receiver on the team. If he doesn't have another 100 yard game I will be very surprised and unless Seattle gets up so much early that they don't pass in the second half, Lockett should have an amazing game. |
| Chris Godwin TB | Jamar Taylor SEA | Godwin might have cost me a pie in the face last week, but that isn't anything to make you shy away from him in Week 9. The Seahawks allow 273 yards per game through the air and will have trouble covering both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin , and honestly both could have good games. Godwin will be one of the top ten slot receivers each and every week of the season, no matter what his matchup is, but this is one that will be better than most. |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT | Kenny Moore IND | Juju had his first 100 yard game on Monday night, and looks to duplicate that feat against the decent Colts. Indianapolis has allowed 11 touchdowns through the air in seven games, and Smith-Schuster is very likely to get one this week. Mason Rudolph has thrown two touchdowns in almost every game he has finished this season and of course Juju is his most reliable target. Start him with confidence in Week 9. |
| Golden Tate NYG | Jourdan Lewis DAL | The Giants continue to have very few options to throw to that are consistent options, in fact they have just three. After Barkley at running back and Evan Engram at tight end, tate is the only wide receiver you can count on. Sure, he has a good matchup against the Cowboys, but Daniel Jones has looked to him so much since his return from suspension it is borderline on stalking. Tate should continue to see double digit targets and at least six catches on the game. |
| Julian Edelman NE | Marlon Humphrey BAL | Despite apparently still nursing a chest injury, Edelman has been a beast this season. He has been targeted more than most receviers in the league with 38 in the last three weeks and scored twice last week against Cleveland. With the question marks at the other receiver spots for the Patriots, Edelman has been the one constant. Of course, it helps that they haven't really played many playoff caliber teams, but they are still the Patriots. Baltimore is coming off its bye, and you have to figure that they know they have to stop Edelman. He will likely see his usual dozen targets, but it might only be good for five catches and 70 yards in this one. |
| Adam Thielen MIN | Rashad Fenton KC | The Vikings were smart to let Thielen rests last week playing the stinky Redskins to get ready for this one against the Chiefs. The game loses its sizzle with Patrick Mahomes injured, but it isn't going to ruin anything for the Vikings. With the Vikings getting back to their passing ways the past few weeks, Thielen is back on track to be a top 15 fantasy wide receiver. He has six touchdowns in eight games, and figures to add to that total facing the Chiefs defense which has been easily beatable. Thielen is a sure fire WR1 this week. |
| Keenan Allen LAC | Tramon Williams GB | The line is a mess, the running game nearly doesn't exist, and the Chargers have stopped scoring a good number of points. So, why are we suggesting Allen? Well, first the guy is one of the best in the business, and he is too talented to be struggling the way he has been. Do you remember the rough patch DeAndre Hopkins went through? Allen is in that now. He doesn't get a cupcake matchup against a fairly strong Packers secondary, but the Green Bay pass rush isn't among the elite. This should give Philip Rivers a bit more time this week to find Allen and for him to have at least 80 receiving yards and likely a score. |
| Emmanuel Sanders SF | Tramaine Brock ARI | The 49ers wanted their newest receiver to know that they traded for him for good reason, as they threw to him multiple times on their opening drive last week. However, being on the team less than a week you knew he wasn't going to be a major part of the offense. With Sanders being a veteran, and him now being on the team more than a week, you can expect more targets for him on Thursday night. The Niners play the Cardinals who have one elite corner in Patrick Peterson and then a lot of trash. They have already surrendered 20 passing touchdowns in just eight games, and while that was without Peterson, he can't cover everyone. Look for Sanders to get to about six catches for 75 yards in this Halloween night fright fest. |
| Danny Amendola DET | Lamarcus Joyner OAK | Amendola is usually a guy who has a high volume of catches in three or four games all season and disappears most of the rest of the season. However, with the injury to Kerryon Johnson , it has been Amendola who has been picking up a lot of the slack with short passes. He has eight catches in each of the last two weeks, and while the Lions are still trying to figure out their identity in the running game, why not use Amendola a lot with short passes against the awful Raiders secondary? This looks like it could be another seven to nine catch game for Amendola. |
| Jarvis Landry CLE | Duke Dawson DEN | The whole Browns offense is off kilter right now, but Landry remains the highest targeted receiver and even had ten last week against the Patriots. The Broncos secondary is pretty strong, but Chris Harris will be on Odell Beckham , and then the defense takes a step down after that. Landry should be a great safety valve for Baker Mayfield who really needs to have a good game after popping off at a reporter this week. Landry should be looked at a good dozen times as the Browns should look to throw plenty in this one. It would be a surprise if he didn't have at least seven catches and 75 yards and he is overdue for his first touchdown of the season. |
Elite
Kenny Golladay vs. Daryl Worley
Golladay was in the affordable section of this article last week, and after he absolutely torched the Giants defense, his salary jumped in a big way this week on the daily sites. And with good reason. There are few things worse than the Giants pass defense, but the Raiders secondary is definitely one of them. They allow over 285 yards a game through the air so far this season. Not only that, but are you sitting down? You should be sitting down. Oakland has allowed 19 passing touchdowns in just seven games. That is almost THREE a game! Insanity! Even if Marvin Jones was to have another huge game, there will still be enough production for Golladay to go bananas too. But this game is all about Golladay for me. Look for at least eight catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. He will be in strong contention for being picked in the #FFPieBet if none of the hosts pick him. Of course go to ffpiebet.com to find out how to enter!
Affordable
Allen Robinson vs. Jalen Mills
Somehow despite inconsistent quarterback play all season long, Robinson continues to put up strong numbers. He has only had one game where he has had less than five catches, and less than 50 yards and that was against Denver who has a very good defense. This week he goes against Philadelphia, and in cases you have been living under a rock all season, the Eagles secondary is pretty porous. They average allowing over 250 yards per game through the air, and have given up 16 passing touchdowns already this season. I know that Mitchell Trubisky has looked inconsistent and really hard to trust, but Robinson already has had success with him and with Chase freakin’ Daniel! You can count on Philly’s defense to give up the booty, and with the Bears it is going to be to Robinson.
D.K. Metcalf vs. Carlton Davis
I wanted to use Lockett in the Elite section, but I didn’t want to use two Seahawks, and Vernon Hargreaves isn’t the worst corner in the world and he will likely see a lot of Lockett. Lockett is still a solid choice though. The Buccaneers are the second worst pass defense when it comes to yards allowed and they are averaging surrendering two passing touchdowns per game at the halfway mark of the year. Metcalf doesn’t get targeted as much as you would like, but he has a nose for the end zone. The only thing stopping him from finding the end zone at least once would be if the Seahawks run a lot in the second half because they are beating Tampa so badly. Look for Metcalf to have six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.
Bargain Bin
I’m not exactly chasing last week’s stats in this one, because I’m not using a player that had a good week last week. However, I am choosing a defense that was absolutely torched last week by Mike Evans . Butler is a very solid corner, but he isn’t 100% and missed part of practice on Wednesday. In fact, the Titans had three cornerbacks as limited participants in practice. If Butler is compromised, or if he spends a lot of time with Curtis Samuel who has been better of late, that will open up Moore to nearly run free against the rest of the backups the Titans should be using this weekend. Kyle Allen isn’t a great quarterback, but he has shown the ability to get Moore the ball, and he is priced much lower than I expected this week, especially on FanDuel. He is a good value, and should be a solid return on investment.
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus.