| WR CB Matchup Report |
| | | | | | |
| Left WR vs Right CB |
| Wide Receiver | Team | DK / FD $ | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
| Marvin Harrison | ARI | $5400 / $6800 | Jaycee Horn | CAR | Downgrade |
| Marvin Harrison continues to struggle to stabilize his performance this year and finds himself in a tough spot this week, running against Jaycee Horn of the Panthers. Horn doesn’t shadow much but has shaded his coverage toward a team’s best receiver when they don’t have a capable #2. While his counting stats of late have begun to swell, Horn’s ability to slow his assignment is not in question. |
| Darnell Mooney | ATL | $5400 / $6400 | Art Green | NYG | Upgrade |
| The Falcons have turned over a new leaf and moved Michael Penix into the starting lineup. This creates some uncertainty for Darnell Mooney but it would be hard for him to play much worse than what Kirk Cousins put on tape recently. He’s got a favorable individual matchup to help ease this transition, running against Art Green of the Giants. Green was called into action as a starter last week and allowed all 3 of his targets to be caught for 40 yards. |
| Rashod Bateman | BAL | $4900 / $6300 | Joey Porter | PIT | Downgrade |
| Rashod Bateman continues to be hit or miss this season but did a good job to take advantage of a lackluster Giants secondary last week, posting 3 catches for 80 yards and 2 scores in Week 15. He’ll have a much tougher out this week as he is set to face Joey Porter Jr of the Steelers. Porter is in the midst of another fine season and held Bateman catchless while covering 64.7% of his routes in Week 11. The deep threat is always in play with Bateman but this one projects as more bust than boom thanks to Joey Porter |
| Amari Cooper | BUF | $5200 / $5600 | Jonathan Jones | NE | Neutral |
| Week 15 showed troubling signs for Amari Cooper, as the Bills’ receiving corps returned to full strength and he saw his route participation fall to a near low for his time with Buffalo. This week he’ll face coverage from Jonathan Jones of the Patriots, who isn’t targeted all that frequently but allows nearly 80% of those targets to be caught. There’s just too much week-to-week variance in how the Bills use their receivers to feel comfortable starting Cooper. |
| David Moore | CAR | $3600 / $4800 | Starling Thomas V | ARI | Neutral |
| The absence of Xavier Legette means that David Moore is back in the starting lineup and taking position to the left side of the formation. This week that places him in the coverage of Starling Thomas V, the Cardinals’ 2nd-year man out of UAB. Thomas’s peripheral stats are a bit higher than you’d like to see but he’s done well to hold opponents to just 23.9 receiving yards per game on average. |
| DJ Moore | CHI | $5700 / $6300 | Terrion Arnold | DET | Neutral |
| We get a rematch this week between DJ Moore and Terrion Arnold, although their circumstances have changed significantly since their bout a few weeks ago. Arnold is one of the last men standing on a Detroit defense that is riddled with injury while the Bears offense can’t seem to get out of its own way recently. Arnold did string together a nice stretch of games before allowing 5 catches for 91 yards last week and while I’d give the edge to Moore, this matchup grades out as a “Neutral” spot. |
| Tee Higgins | CIN | $6800 / $7800 | Martin Emerson Jr. | CLE | Upgrade |
| Tee Higgins had a nice bounceback last week, snagging 5 passes for 88 yards and a score against the Titans. This week presents another favorable spot, running against Martin Emerson Jr of the Browns. Emerson is clearly the favorite target of opposing quarterbacks when facing the Browns, thanks to the 109.3 passer rating he allows, and he brought his season total for touchdowns up to 5 when he allowed another score last week. |
| Cedric Tillman | CLE | $4900 / $5100 | Cam Taylor-Britt | CIN | Upgrade |
| There is optimism regarding the availability of Cedric Tillman this week, after he’s missed several games with a concussion. Assuming he does, he’ll face coverage from one of our favorite targets in the NFL, Cam Taylor-Britt. To his credit, Taylor-Britt has done well to take advantage of games against lack-luster offenses recently but on the year he is still atop the list with 10 touchdowns allowed and sits 3rd with 680 receiving yards. |
| Brandin Cooks | DAL | $4500 / $5700 | Jamel Dean | TB | Neutral |
| Brandin Cooks has helped bring a more even distribution of targets to the CeeDee Lamb heavy Cowboys offense since returning in Week 13. Unfortunately he hasn’t been able to convert many of them to catches and is largely an afterthought for those playing fantasy. This week he draws Jamel Dean of the Bucs, who also returned from an extended absence a few weeks ago. Over that span he’s alternated good games and bad and looks to be playing at a level equivalent to the league average. |
| Jameson Williams | DET | $5500 / $6100 | Jaylon Johnson | CHI | Downgrade |
| Jameson Williams found the end zone last week and while he hasn’t flashed his true upside recently, it's been nice to see a more stabilized floor out of him down the stretch. He draws a tough matchup this week as he’ll run in the coverage of Jaylon Johnson. Johnson remains one of the best cover corners in the league and, apart from an 85 yard blemish, is pretty much a lock to keep his assignment under 30 yards each week. When these teams faced each other a few weeks back, he only had 2 catches and 10 yards on his side of the ledger. |
| Christian Watson | GB | $5000 / $6300 | Kool-Aid McKinstry | NO | Upgrade |
| The decision to play any Packers receiver is a spin of the roulette wheel and nobody encapsulates those swings more than Christian Watson. This week Watson gets a plus matchup against Kool-Aid McKinstry of the Saints. Kool-Aid has only been starting for about a month but has allowed over 30 receiving yards in each game and allowed the 1st touchdown of his career last week. |
| Nico Collins | HOU | $8100 / $9000 | Joshua Williams | KC | Upgrade |
| Even in games that are limited offensively, like the Texans’ Week 15 matchup against the Dolphins, Nico Collins is able to deliver strong fantasy performances. This week against the Chiefs projects to post a much higher total score and Collins faces a plus matchup against Joshua Williams. Williams doesn’t have many starts under his belt and has allowed a 90% catch rate over his last 2. He’s played better than could be expected from a platoon corner but he simply doesn’t have the skillset to slow a player of Collins’ caliber. |
| Michael Pittman | IND | $5000 / $6100 | Darrell Baker Jr. | TEN | Neutral |
| Defending the secondary against a team like the Bengals has a way of separating the wheat from the chaff and that’s exactly what we saw last week with Darrell Baker Jr. Baker was in the midst of a fine season by all regards but posted his worst game of the year last week, allowing a season-high 5 catches for 93 yards. This week he’ll be assigned to cover Michael Pittman Jr, who has struggled to get much going in the low pass-volume offense of the Colts. |
| Parker Washington | JAC | $4300 / $5600 | Decamerion Richardson | LV | Neutral |
| Parker Washington continues to see significant playing time in the hollowed out receiving corps of the Jaguars and continues to do very little with his expanded opportunity. This week he’ll face Decamerion Richardson whose best game of the season, 1 catch for 18 yards, must be taken with a grain of salt when considering it came last week against a hapless Falcons passing attack. |
| DeAndre Hopkins | KC | $5300 / $6500 | Kamari Lassiter | HOU | Neutral |
| The Chiefs receiving rotation is in a bit of flux with the presumed return of Hollywood Brown. While he might not draw the start, I do think we’ll see a more stabilized snap count among their best players and allow DeAndre Hopkins to solidify his position on the left side of the formation. There he’ll find himself in the coverage of Kamari Lassiter, a rookie corner who has been playing well down the stretch. He’s held his assignment to 25 yards or less in 4 of his last 6 games and has done a nice job of keeping yards after catch to a minimum over that stretch. |
| Tre Tucker | LV | $3900 / $4900 | Tyson Campbell | JAC | Neutral |
| The wheels really fell off for Tyson Campbell last week against the Jets, where he allowed 4 catches for 97 yards. This week he’ll face a less potent passing game as he squares off with Tre Tucker of the Raiders. Tucker is hoping to have Aiden O’Connell back under center, who has helped him ping onto the flex radar at times this season, but has a bit too low of a floor to garner much consideration among fantasy managers. |
| Demarcus Robinson | LAR | $4000 / $5000 | Qwan'tez Stiggers | NYJ | Upgrade |
| Another stalwart of the all-cardio team is Demarcus Robinson, running 414 routes this year but earning a target on just 13% of them. This week he’ll face the latest next man up for the Jets, Qwan'tez Stiggers. Stiggers allowed just 1 catch last week but for 29 yards, 27 of which came after the catch. I doubt we’ll see much involvement from Robinson but his individual matchup is a favorable one. |
| River Cracraft | MIA | $3200 / $4400 | Renardo Green | SF | Neutral |
| Jaylen Waddle carrying a “Doubtful” designation means that the last man standing in the Dolphins’ receivers room is River Cracraft. Cracraft will draw the start on the left side of the formation but profiles to be an all-cardio type of player. He’ll face coverage from Renardo Green who is about as average as it gets but is more than capable of slowing a player like Cracraft. |
| Justin Jefferson | MIN | $8200 / $9100 | Tariq Woolen | SEA | Neutral |
| Justin Jefferson found the end zone again last week in a very tough matchup against Jaylon Johnson. This week he’s got a bit of an easier spot, running against Tariq Woolen of the Seahawks. Woolen started out the year looking like his typical self but has gotten a bit wobbly down the stretch, allowing over 55% of his total yardage over the course of his last 4 games. The Seahawks could certainly choose to bracket Jefferson because it's unlikely he’s slowed by Woolen alone. |
| Kayshon Boutte | NE | $3500 / $4700 | Kaiir Elam | BUF | Neutral |
| Kaiir Elam has been playing a reservist role for the Bills this year, at least until injury forced him into action to the tune of 65 coverage snaps last week. He is expected to draw another start this week where he’ll be assigned to cover Kayshon Boutte of the Patriots. Even though this game projects to be pass-heavy for the Patriots, Boutte simply doesn’t draw enough target volume to be worthy of consideration and Elam should be able to slow him on the targets he does see. |
| Kevin Austin | NO | $3100 / $4700 | Carrington Valentine | GB | Neutral |
| Kevin Austin Jr will draw another start for the Saints this week and still has no business being anywhere near your fantasy lineup. He’ll face coverage from Carrington Valentine who keeps his catch rate and yards per reception fairly high but did add an interception and a pass break-up to his ledger last week. |
| Darius Slayton | NYG | $3800 / $4800 | A.J. Terrell | ATL | Neutral |
| Drew Lock will return as the starter for the Giants and that being cause for hope tells you all you need to know about this passing game. His left outside receiver, Darius Slayton, draws the most difficult matchup in a fairly pedestrian Flacons secondary, A.J. Terrell. Terrell isn’t having the season he would have hoped for but has done well to allow just 15.4 yards per game over the course of his last 5. |
| Garrett Wilson | NYJ | $6600 / $7100 | Darious Williams | LAR | Neutral |
| Garrett Wilson got in on the offensive explosion for the Jets last week, catching 3 passes and logging his 6th touchdown of the season. This week against the Rams, Wilson will run in the coverage of Darious Williams. Williams isn’t quite in the “Upgrade” category yet but his 66% catch rate and 14.9 yards per reception should offer little resistance to a player of Wilson’s caliber. |
| A.J. Brown | PHI | $7800 / $8700 | Marshon Lattimore | WAS | Downgrade |
| AJ Brown did the "squeaky wheel” thing ahead of last week’s game and was rewarded with 11 targets, 8 receptions (both season-highs), 110 yards, and a score en route to his best fantasy outing of the year. Keeping in mind this came in a tough spot against Joey Porter Jr should offer solace ahead of his matchup this week, Marshon Lattimore. Lattimore made his Commanders debut last week and allowed just 1 catch, his 6th time keeping his assignment to less than catches. Brown has been overcoming difficult matchups all season but the grade itself is still a “Downgrade” |
| Mike Williams | PIT | $3700 / $5100 | Brandon Stephens | BAL | Upgrade |
| The Steelers have already ruled out George Pickens for this game, leaving them a revolving door of so-so options at receiver. Last week it was Mike Williams who lined up to the left and this week that gives him a favorable matchup against Brandon Stephens. Stephens spent much of the year getting torched on the perimeter but has actually gotten things back on track of late, holding opponents under 20 yards in 3 straight games. We’ll still list him as an “Upgrade” based on his body of work but he’s showing signs of a major turnaround. |
| Jauan Jennings | SF | $5900 / $7000 | Kendall Fuller | MIA | Neutral |
| While Jauan Jennings’ production took a dip last week, where he posted a 2/31 line, but his tremendous opportunity share remained intact with 9 targets and 121 air yards. He’ll aim to convert that into fantasy points this week running against Kendall Fuller. Fuller has been back from injury for 2 games and has surrendered nearly 100 receiving yards over that span. He spent most of this season as a much tougher out than his recent play would indicate. |
| Tyler Lockett | SEA | $3900 / $5300 | Shaquill Griffin | MIN | Neutral |
| I am struggling to find more adjectives to describe the falloff we’ve seen from Tyler Lockett this season. He has clearly moved to become the 3rd wheel in a two-man progression and the offense overall has struggled mightily to move the ball through the air. He gets a tough individual matchup this week against Shaquill Griffin who, apart from a random 101 yard outburst against Atlanta, has held his opponents under 34 yards in every game this season. |
| Mike Evans | TB | $7600 / $8800 | DaRon Bland | DAL | Neutral |
| Mike Evans enters this week off a monster performance against the Chargers that keeps hopes alive for his ability to extend his 1,000 receiving yard streak. Evans now just needs 83 yards on average to continue this incredible run and this week will face DaRon Bland of the Cowboys. Bland finally posted a strong performance last week, albeit against the Panthers, as he shutout his assignment on just 1 target. Evans would still have an advantage over Bland when he was at his peak powers so he should have trouble staying hot against his current form. |
| Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine | TEN | $4700 / $5400 | Jaylon Jones | IND | Neutral |
| Over the last 2 weeks Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine has shown us what happens when a touchdown dependent guy doesn’t find the end zone, posting 2.9 fantasy points in back to back games. His opponent this week, Jaylon Jones of the Colts, is essentially the last stop before “Neutral” players turn to “Upgrades” but has the kryptonite to Westbrook-Ikhine’s productivity, allowing just 1 receiving score this year. |
| Terry McLaurin | WAS | $7300 / $8000 | Quinyon Mitchell | PHI | Downgrade |
| Scary isn’t just the nickname for Terry McClaurin, its also the best way to describe his matchup in Week 16. He’ll face coverage from Quinyon Mitchell, the Eagle’s 1st-round rookie who has been lights out since their Week 5 bye. His tight brand of coverage has him with just 61 yards after catch this season, the lowest in the league, and he helped shut out McClaurin when these two faced off a few weeks ago. Mitchell doesn’t shadow much so there will be opportunities for McClaurin but this is categorically a tough spot. |
| | | | | | |
| Right WR vs Left CB |
| Wide Receiver | Team | DraftKings/FanDuel | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
| Michael Wilson | ARI | $4200 / $5000 | Mike Jackson | CAR | Upgrade |
| Mike Jackson and Michael Wilson are facing off this week in a battle of 2nd-fiddles on their respective teams. Wilson is lucky to get a passing glance from Kyler Murray in any given week while Jackson is getting peppered with targets while opponents avoid Jaycee Horn. Jackson’s impact will be most felt when Marvin Harrison Jr lines up on his side of the formation, not as a reason to consider Michael Wilson. |
| Drake London | ATL | $6400 / $7400 | Adoree' Jackson | NYG | Neutral |
| Drake London will grapple with the same open question as to the quality of Michael Penix’s play as the rest of the Falcons pass-catchers. Hopefully Penix coming in will focus target distribution onto his best pass-catchers but there’s no way to tell for certain. This week he’ll face coverage from Adoree' Jackson, a washed out 1st rounder from front offices past. Oddly enough, given the state of the Giants secondary, Jackson is actually the corner that opposing quarterbacks are avoiding and he’s seen just 5 targets in his last two games. |
| Zay Flowers | BAL | $5900 / $7200 | Donte Jackson | PIT | Neutral |
| Zay Flowers has been the most steady target-earner on the Ravens and his 26.3% target share ranks 17th among wide receivers. This week the majority of those targets will be covered by Donte Jackson of the Steelers. Jackson has played at an above-average level for most of the season but has been surrendering touchdowns recently, allowing 3 in his last 5 games. This played out exactly as prescribed when these two faced off in Week 11 where Flowers caught only 2 passes, 1 of which was for a score. |
| Keon Coleman | BUF | $4700 / $5300 | Christian Gonzalez | NE | Downgrade |
| Keon Coleman returned from a 5 week absence last week and immediately reclaimed his role as the Bills’ leading receiver in snaps. We don’t have a prior matchup to reference but I’d expect Coleman to be shadowed by Christian Gonzalez, who shadows at the 2nd highest rate in the league. Gonzalez has proven very effective at limiting opponents but not quite to the point of shutting them down. Still a clear “Downgrade” by my measure. |
| Jalen Coker | CAR | $4200 / $5200 | Sean Murphy-Bunting | ARI | Neutral |
| Jalen Coker slid to the outside on more plays last week when Xavier Legette left the game with an injury and projects to take over the station to the right side of the offense this week. That will place him in the coverage of Sean Murphy-Bunting, whose peripheral stats profile like those of a slot corner. A 70% catch rate is a pretty high mark but its counterbalanced by 11.1 yards per catch and leaves Murphy-Bunting in the “Neutral” category. |
| Rome Odunze | CHI | $5100 / $5900 | Kindle Vildor | DET | Neutral |
| Rome Odunze’s rookie campaign continues to drive fantasy players crazy as his fantasy production swings wildly but his peripheral stats suggest a huge breakout is looming. Odunze’s 806 unrealized air yards are the 2nd most in the league and he currently sits 7th with 17 red zone targets. He’ll hope to build some momentum this week against Kindle Vildor, who has been playing more due to the Lions injury bug and doing better than most would have expected. |
| Ja'Marr Chase | CIN | $8500 / $9500 | Denzel Ward | CLE | Downgrade |
| Ja'Marr Chase’s excellence simply knows no bounds this season. He draws a tough matchup this week, running against Denzel Ward, but there should be little concern about that limiting his production. Ward is currently the leader in pass break ups this season and is holding opponents to a 48.4% catch rate but has amassed nearly 520 yards in spite of these areas of strength. |
| Jerry Jeudy | CLE | $6700 / $7200 | Josh Newton | CIN | Neutral |
| This is setting up to be the 1st week since their respective breakouts that both Cedric Tillman and Jerry Jeudy are taking the field for the Browns. It’s hard to imagine a world where Dorian Thompson-Robinson is able to support both of them so there is inherent risk to playing either. Jeudy will draw coverage from Josh Newton this week, who is the tougher out in the Bengals secondary by nearly every statistical measure. This has more to do with the poor play of Cam Taylor-Britt but it does lead to a lower target volume for those in Newton’s coverage. |
| Jalen Tolbert | DAL | $4000 / $4900 | Zyon McCollum | TB | Upgrade |
| Every now and then Jalen Tolbert will convert one of his catches into a touchdown, as he did last week. Unfortunately since Brandin Cooks return, Tolbert has totaled just 5 catches so his floor is as low as it gets. This week he’ll be the assignment of Zyon McCollum, who is fresh off his worst game since Week 5. Even a nice matchup isn’t enough to justify considering Tolbert. |
| Tim Patrick | DET | $4500 / $5500 | Tyrique Stevenson | CHI | Neutral |
| Tim Patrick has been coming on lately, scoring 35 fantasy points over his last 2 games and seeing a steady increase in playing time and route participation. This week he’s in a “Neutral” matchup against Tyrique Stevenson of the Bears. Stevenson is certainly the easier of the available matchups in the Chicago secondary but he’s no slouch, holding opponents to a 52.9% catch rate and limiting them to 22 yards or less in 7 of his last 9. |
| Tank Dell | HOU | $5100 / $6000 | Trent McDuffie | KC | Downgrade |
| The lost season continued last week for Tank Dell, seeing just 2 targets for 26 yards against the Dolphins. Things won’t get much easier for him in Week 16, where he’ll face coverage from Trent McDuffie. McDuffie put on a clinic last week, allowing just 8 receiving yards on 5 catches; his 3rd time keeping opponents to single-digit yards and his 8th holding them to 25 or less. It’s hard to pinpoint the root of the issue with Dell but for this week McDuffie stands as another limiting factor. |
| Romeo Doubs | GB | $5100 / $5600 | Alontae Taylor | NO | Upgrade |
| As much as I bemoan the guessing game that is deciding on which Packers wide receiver to play, Romeo Doubs sets up as a clear choice in Week 16. He leads the team in snaps and target share and this week gets the nuts matchup against Alontae Taylor. Taylor’s 878 receiving yards allowed is more than 200 yards ahead of the corner in 2nd place and he is routinely found on the wrong side of assignments’ highlight reels. The only concern here is a game script against the floundering Saints that doesn’t set up for much passing from Green Bay. |
| Alec Pierce | IND | $4800 / $5400 | Chidobe Awuzie | TEN | Neutral |
| Chidobe Awuzie returned 2 weeks ago and posted a shutout against the Jaguars. His fortune wasn’t the same against a potent Bengals offense last week, where he allowed 4 catches for 58 yards and a score. This week he’ll be assigned to cover Alec Pierce, the Colts’ deep-ball specialist who can get you a zero just as quickly as he can break a slate. Awuzie has the speed to keep up with Pierce and this game shouldn’t call for an outsized number of pass attempts from the Colts. |
| Brian Thomas | JAC | $6300 / $7300 | Jack Jones | LV | Upgrade |
| I will continue to take every opportunity to shower Brian Thomas Jr with praise for his ability to generate fantasy points in the most lack-luster of circumstances. He’s in a likely spot to keep performing this week, running against Jack Jones of the Raiders. Jones started the season playing a pretty solid brand of coverage but the wheels have come off recently. He’s allowed 50 or more yards in 4 of his last 6 games and has amassed 5 touchdowns over that same span. Brian Thomas Jr will be an overlooked stud in DFS yet again this week. |
| Xavier Worthy | KC | $5000 / $6400 | Derek Stingley | HOU | Downgrade |
| Much like the case with Hopkins, I’m expecting the return of Hollywood Brown to shorten the rotation and find Xavier Worthy playing more snaps on the right than we have in recent weeks. Unfortunately that places him in the crosshairs of one the league’s best cover corners, Derek Stingley. Stingley has worked his catch rate down to a stingy 44.9%, is holding opponents to just 10.3 yards per reception, and has tallied 4 interceptions in his last 3 games alone. He is on a different plane of existence right now. |
| Jakobi Meyers | LV | $5800 / $6700 | Montaric Brown | JAC | Neutral |
| Jakobi Meyers is coming off a floor game last week as the whole of the Raiders offense looked lost with Desmond Ridder at the helm. Aiden O’Connell is expected back this week and Meyers draws coverage from Montaric Brown. Brown has been pretty consistently below-average for the majority of the season, allowing a 67.2% catch rate but holding opponents to a respectable 10.5 yards per catch. |
| Puka Nacua | LAR | $8000 / $8900 | Sauce Gardner | NYJ | Downgrade |
| Puka Nacua has been on another planet since returning from an early-season injury, scoring 17.3 fantasy points or more in every game that he didn’t exit for throwing a punch. He’ll face off with the last man standing in the Jets secondary this week, Sauce Gardner. Sauce is having a bit of a down year by his standards, allowing 30 receiving yards per game with only 1 interception, but his coverage still ranks as the 5th tightest in the league. It is a tough matchup but I have little concern about Puka’s ability to overcome |
| Tyreek Hill | MIA | $6900 / $7700 | Charvarius Ward | SF | Neutral |
| Tyreek Hill gave fantasy managers a scare when he popped up on the injury report this week but it appears he’ll be good to go for Sunday’s game against the 49ers, where he’ll face Charvarius Ward. Ward has been in and out of the lineup this year with his own injuries and has been a below-average corner overall. Of specific concern for him this week is his tendency to give up a chunk play or two every game, a specialty of Hill’s. |
| Jordan Addison | MIN | $6200 / $6900 | Josh Jobe | SEA | Neutral |
| Jordan Addison has taken such a nice step forward as a player this year. He’s maintained the ability to gash opposing secondaries for big plays that he showed as a rookie but this year has shown good development in his route-running and his work in the intermediate part of the field. This week he draws Josh Jobe, a platoon corner turned starter for the Seahawks. Jobe has actually fared pretty well for himself, allowing 35 yards per game on average, but has leaned on pass interference to bail him out when he’s beat. |
| Kendrick Bourne | NE | $3400 / $4800 | Christian Benford | BUF | Downgrade |
| May the fantasy football gods help if you’re banking on ancillary Patriots receivers,like Kendrick Bourne, this week. Making matters worse is an individual matchup with Christian Benford, one of the league's most-effective cover corners. Benford isn’t exactly one to completely shut down his assignment but he’s very good at keeping them near their production floor, as evidenced by his 19.5 receiving yards allowed per game. |
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling | NO | $4200 / $5800 | Eric Stokes | GB | Neutral |
| Eric Stokes has been on a tear recently, allowing just 18 receiving yards over the course of his last 3 starts. This week he’ll be assigned to cover Marquez Valdez-Scanting who remains a touchdown or bust receiver who largely should not be in consideration for fantasy purposes. Stokes still has plenty of game logs that aren’t so impressive so we’ll net this out as a “Neutral” spot overall. |
| Malik Nabers | NYG | $6100 / $8200 | Mike Hughes | ATL | Neutral |
| Malik Nabers is another rookie who deserves his flowers for remaining fantasy-relevant despite a revolving door of lack-luster quarterbacking this season. This week against Atlanta he’ll see the majority of his routes covered by Mike Hughes. Hughes falls firmly into the heart of the “Neutral” category with a catch rate that is higher than he’d like but a 10.8 yards per catch rate that balances it out. The biggest thing working in his favor is the fact that Atlanta remains a slot funnel, keeping Hughes' target total to a minimum. |
| Davante Adams | NYJ | $7100 / $8400 | Cobie Durant | LAR | Neutral |
| For however much of a lost season this has been for the Jets, Davante Adams is making sure none of that blame falls on him. He has 445 yards and 4 scores in his last 4 games and is virtually tied for the lead in both target share and air yards despite joining the team in Week 7. This week he’ll run in the coverage of Cobie Durant, who is putting forth a pretty strong season by his standard but is just above-average in the context of the entire league. |
| Jahan Dotson | PHI | $3300 / $4600 | Mike Sainristil | WAS | Neutral |
| Jahan Dotson exists and will see the field a good amount every week. He is likely to draw just 1 target, 2 if you’re lucky, and it will be covered this week by Mike Sainristil. Sainristil has had an up and down rookie campaign and the fact that the Commanders did not take the opportunity to move him to the slot when they acquired Marshon Lattimore is malpractice. |
| Calvin Austin | PIT | $3800 / $5500 | Nate Wiggins | BAL | Neutral |
| Calvin Austin has really been the only receiver to step up in the absence of George Pickens and saying that might be giving him more credit than he’s due. This week he’ll run in the coverage of Nate Wiggins, who has been very solid for the Ravens. Wiggins has yet to surrender a receiving touchdown this year and is holding his assignments to just 28 yards per game. Austin should continue to see an uptick in volume but its hard to imagine him doing enough to warrant fantasy consideration. |
| Deebo Samuel | SF | $5200 / $6500 | Jalen Ramsey | MIA | Downgrade |
| It’s hard to come up with many highlights from Deebo Samuel’s 2024 season, apart from him getting hit with a community note when claiming he wasn’t struggling in a now-deleted Twitter post. This week will be a tough one for a rebound as he’ll be the primary assignment of Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey has a handful of blemishes on his 2024 resume, which account for about 57% of the yardage he’s allowed, but his other 11 games have accumulated just 197 yards. |
| DK Metcalf | SEA | $5500 / $7500 | Stephon Gilmore | MIN | Neutral |
| DK Metcalf has also been dragged down by the emergence of Jaxson Smith-Njigba as well as the stalling of the Seahawks offense down the stretch. This week he’ll aim to bounce back in a matchup against Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore enters on a hot streak, having allowed just 8 catches and 51 yards in his last 4 games, but is much closer to the league average when you zoom out to the whole of the season. |
| Jalen McMillan | TB | $4100 / $5800 | Amani Oruwariye | DAL | Upgrade |
| Jalen McMillian stayed hot last week with another trip to the end zone on 5 catches for 75 yards. Most promising was his near season-high 92.9% route participation and a healthy allotment of air yards, signaling a solidifying of his role in the offense overall. He’s in a juicy spot this week, running in the coverage of Amani Oruwariye. Oruwariye has played sparingly this season, starting just 5 games, but has amassed some gaudy counting stats over that span. 322 yards and 2 touchdowns might not sound like much but if you spread those averages over 15 games he’d be allowing the most fantasy production in the league by a mile. |
| Calvin Ridley | TEN | $5700 / $5900 | Samuel Womack III | IND | Downgrade |
| While its hard to be optimistic about the state of the Titans offense with Mason Rudolph taking over at quarterback again, at least Calvin Ridley is averaging 14 fantasy points in games he’s started this season. This week Ridley will face coverage from Samuel Womack III, a cagey veteran for the Colts who is in the midst of his best season as a pro. Womack’s peripheral stats are both a bit higher than you might expect but much of that is buoyed by a 2-game stretch that accounted for over 53% of his yardage. Removing those games, Womack is holding his assignments to just over 10 yards per game. |
| Dyami Brown | WAS | $3400 / $4900 | Darius Slay | PHI | Downgrade |
| The absence of Noah has moved Dyami Brown into the starting spot on the right side of the Commanders offense. This week that places him in the coverage of Darius Slay, the Eagles’ veteran corner who’s in the middle of a late-career renaissance thanks to the outstanding play of his rookie runningmates. Slay is allowing just 22 yards per game on average and the talent around him has allowed him to get back to his ball-hawking ways, as shown by his 9 pass break ups this season. |
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| Slot WR vs Slot CB (UPGRADES) |
| Wide Receiver | Team | DraftKings/FanDuel | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
| Josh Downs | IND | $4900 / $6000 | Jarvis Brownlee Jr. | TEN | Upgrade |
| Josh Downs returned from injury last week and while he didn’t have a stellar fantasy day, he stepped right back into his role as Anthony Richardson’s favorite target and drew 8 targets. This week he gets a juicy matchup against Jarvis Brownlee Jr. of the Titans. Brownlee's catch rate is pushing near 70% and his 12.9 yards per reception have swelled his season total for yardage to an even 600 yards. This game script might be ugly but I think we’ll see Richardson target this matchup early and often. |
| Jayden Reed | GB | $6000 / $6600 | Ugo Amadi | NO | Upgrade |
| My thoughts on the risk profile of playing Packers receivers is well documented at this point. Fortunately for Jayden Reed, he has solidified his role as the preferred slot option in this offense and offers a bit of work on the ground to boot. He’s in a plus spot this week, running against Ugo Amadi of the Saints. Amadi has only started 6 games this season but in those starts is allowing 57 yards on average, a rate the rivals that of his teammate (and leader in receiving yards allowed) Alontae Taylor |
