We've reached the point of the season where players start to settle into their systems and key in on tendencies in their opponents. In turn, a lot of our favorite cornerbacks to pick on have been moved into the "Neutral" camp and some guys we viewed as average have played their way into "Downgrade." 

There are still a handful of enticing upgrades, many of which in the game between Minnesota and Detroit, that will go a long way to inform which games and players to target this week in DFS. 

 

 

 

2024 Fantasy Football WR vs. CB Matchup Report For Week 7

WR CB Matchup Report
      
Left WR vs Right CB
Wide ReceiverTeamDK / FD $CornerbackOppMatchup
Marvin HarrisonARI$7000 / $7000Kristian FultonLACNeutral
Marvin Harrison Jr’s rollercoaster rookie campaign carried on last week as he posted 0 catches running in the coverage of Jaire Alexander. His matchup this week against Kristian Fulton isn’t quite as difficult but Fulton is no slouch in his own right. He’s allowed 12 receiving yards or fewer in 4 of 5 games and only has surrendered 1 touchdown on the season.
Darnell MooneyATL$5600 / $6300Nehemiah PritchettSEAUpgrade
Slotting in as the Falcons’ WR2 this year has been a bit of a career renaissance for Darnell Mooney, whose 13.6 fantasy points/per game are a high water mark for the 5th-year man. He’ll have a good chance to keep his momentum this week as he gets set to face Nehemiah Pritchett of the Seahawks. Pritchett was the next man up after Riq Woolen exited with an ankle injury and, in limited run, has largely played in a fashion that is worthy of his reserve role.
Rashod BatemanBAL$4300 / $5600Tyrek FunderburkTBUpgrade
Jamel Dean exited Week 6 with a hamstring injury and has been ruled out for the Week 7 matchup against the Ravens. This clears the way for UDFA Tyrek Funderburk to enter the starting lineup, who allowed all 5 of his targets to be caught for 42 yards and a touchdown when he stepped up in Dean’s place. Bateman is on the fringe of the flex conversation weekly but undoubtedly gets an upgrade with his individual matchup this week.
Keon ColemanBUF$5400 / $5900L'Jarius SneedTENNeutral
I’m going to keep Keon Coleman in the starting left receiver spot for now, as the newly acquired Amari Cooper’s playing status for this week is still reported “to be determined.” If that holds true, he’ll face L’Jarius Sneed this week. Sneed had been rounding into form of late but took a bit of a step back last week, allowing 4 catches for 42 yards and a score while also drawing a costly penalty. Another week in the “neutral” category for Sneed and monitor reporting out of Buffalo closely for an update on Cooper’s status.
Diontae JohnsonCAR$6600 / $7100Benjamin St-JusteWASUpgrade
The Panthers were clearly looking for a guy to lead their receiver room when they traded for Diontae Johnson this off-season and they got exactly what they bargained for. Johnson enters Week 7 with 55 targets, the 5th-most in the NFL, and has gotten a look on nearly 40% of the Panthers’ red zone pass attempts. He’ll have a chance to make the most of that opportunity this week, running routes in the coverage of Benjamin St-Juste. The Commanders’ corner has allowed the 4th-most receiving yards this season as well as 3 trips to the end zone.
DJ MooreCHI#N/AMontaric Brown#N/ANeutral
DJ Moore looked to finally get on the same page with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams last week and should have a decent shot to keep it rolling in Week 6. He’ll face Montaric Brown of the Jaguars who looks pretty solid by most regards, with a 65.7% catch rate and 10.5 yards per reception allowed, but is buoyed by a single game pulling those averages in the right direction.
Ja'Marr ChaseCIN$8400 / $9300Martin Emerson Jr.CLENeutral
Martin Emerson Jr. kept things pretty quiet last week, allowing just 1 catch for 22 yards. Unfortunately, that 1 catch went for a touchdown and Emerson now had 4 scores on his ledger for the season. His primary assignment this week, Ja'Marr Chase, is among those receivers who can overcome any matchup so even if Emerson starts to play like his usual self, Chase still projects to be one of the best receivers on the board this week
Cedric TillmanCLE$3000 / $4000Cam Taylor-BrittCINUpgrade
The Browns have started the process of folding up shop on their 2024 season by shipping off Amari Cooper to the Bills for some day 3 draft capital. This exit, however, does create opportunity and my expectation is that Cedric Tillman will see the largest increase to his role. Tillman hasn’t done much since entering the league in 2023 but his additional snaps this week come in a favorable spot, running against Cam Taylor-Britt of the Bengals. He’s allowed a 65.5% catch rate this year and is still getting beat deep to the tune of 17.2 yards per catch.
Jalen BrooksDAL#N/ATerrion Arnold#N/AUpgrade
It was Jalen Brooks, not KaVontae Turpin who saw the biggest boost in playing time from the absence of Brandin Cooks. Unfortunately his involvement didn’t change much as he finished Week 5 with just 1 catch for 10 yards. Should he get more looks this week, he’s in a terrific spot against Terrion Arnold and the Lions secondary. Arnold leads the league with 8 penalties, largely because he’s getting beat left and right.
Courtland SuttonDEN$5400 / $5700Marshon LattimoreNODowngrade
Courtland Sutton remaining near the top of the league in targets and air yards while having little realized production to show for it, has become a major theme for 2024. He’s routinely projected as a top-10 receiver in expected fantasy points per game but the 67th-ranked target accuracy on balls thrown his way make it hard to do much. This week he’ll see Kristian Fulton who is still firmly in the “Neutral” category but has been showing some promising signs of late.
Jameson WilliamsDET$6000 / $6500Stephon GilmoreMINNeutral
Jameson Williams and the Lions are fresh off a rout of the Cowboys last week where Williams posted a 3/76/1 line against Trevon Diggs. This week he’ll run in the coverage of Stephon Gilmore who is seeing absurd target volume this season and is allowing 66.7% of those passes to be caught. Gilmore has done a nice job of limiting downfield production so that hurts WIlliams’ big-play upside but not the point where it affects his ranking on the week.
Romeo DoubsGB$5500 / $6000Derek Stingley JrHOUDowngrade
Romeo Doubs returned to the field in Week 6, after missing the prior on suspension, and made his presence known with 2 trips to the end zone against the Cardinals. He’ll have his work cut out for him if he hopes to repeat such a performance against Derek Stingley Jr of the Texans. Stingley was rung up for his 1st touchdown of the season on an absolutely perfect pass to Kayshon Boutte but still remains one of the tougher outs in all the NFL. Expect Doubs to return to his “middle of the pack” production this week.
Tank DellHOU$6500 / $7000Keisean NixonGBNeutral
In the Texans first game without Nico Collins we saw Tank Dell turn in season highs with 9 targets and 7 receptions as well as his first touchdown of the year. More impressive is that much of that production came in the coverage of standout sophomore Christian Gonzales. This week Dell is in a more favorable spot, lining up against Keisean Nixon of the Packers. Nixon was pulled out of his slot corner role last week after the Packers benched Eric Stokes and played in the league-average fashion that he has all season.
Alec PierceIND$5200 / $5700Jalen RamseyMIADowngrade
Another week is in the books and as has become tradition, Alec Pierce was among the leaders in air yards yet again. This time however, they were of the “unrealized” variety as Pierce failed to make a catch in Week 6. The boom or bust nature of Pierce’s production makes him a weekly headache for fantasy managers and this week things get tougher with a matchup against Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey is looking as strong as ever, having allowed just 8 catches and 76 receiving yards on the season.
Brian ThomasJAC$6300 / $6200Christian GonzalezNEDowngrade
Last week was a bit of a downswing for Brian Thomas Jr, the Jaguars’ rookie receiver who looks to have all the promise of other LSU products at his position. Running in the coverage of Jaylon Johnson, one of the league’s best corners, Thomas posted a 3/27 line and unfortunately dropped a fairly routine touchdown pass. Things don’t get much easier this week as he’ll face Christian Gonzalez of the Patriots. Gonzalez has been allowing a good amount of catches this season (26) but does a nice job to hold his opponents to just 8 yards per reception. Thomas’ floor isn’t impacted much but his ceiling is a bit capped this week.
Justin WatsonKC$3700 / $5400Isaac YiadomSFNeutral
In a week that had a couple splashy wide receiver transactions, Kansas City remained on the sidelines. Because of that, it will once again be Justin Watson lining up on the perimeter for the Chiefs and largely running go routes. Watson is absolutely the type of receiver to be avoided most every week and his “Neutral” matchup against Isaac Yiadom doesn’t change that. Yiadom has been playing better of late, which is a trend we’re tracking for when he lines up for a more meaningful matchup.
Jakobi MeyersLV$5400 / $5800Ahkello WitherspoonLARUpgrade
The Rams have largely taken a platoon approach in their defensive backfield after deciding to bench Tra’Davious White after 4 games. While several guys have logged coverage snaps, Ahkello Witherspoon has seen the most time on the right side of the formation and projects to cover Jakobi Meyers this week. Witherspoon took up the mantle of the Rams version of White, allowing all 3 targets thrown his way to be caught for nearly 22 yards a piece in Week 5. Meyers has a juicy matchup to kickoff his official tenure as the Raiders’ WR1.
Quentin JohnstonLAC$4500 / $5800Starling Thomas VARINeutral
We’ll have to keep an eye on the practice reports this week as Quentin Johnston is nursing an ankle injury; a circumstance made more treacherous by the Chargers playing on Monday night. If he plays, he’ll be in a nice spot against Starling Thomas V of the Cardinals. Thomas has been mostly targeted downfield, which drags down his catch rate but inflates his yard per reception to nearly 15. This plays right into the hands of Johnston, if he’s able to suit up this week.
Demarcus RobinsonLAR$4700 / $5500Jakorian BennettLVNeutral
As a reminder, even if Cooper Kupp returns this week, he won’t be lining up on the perimeter. That responsibility, specifically to the left side of the offense, will fall to Demarcus Robinson. Robinson has done little to garner the attention of fantasy managers this season and equally average is his matchup this week against Jakorian Bennett. Bennett didn’t do much to change his rating last week but he did go the entire game without missing a tackle, a huge step forward by his standard.
Jaylen WaddleMIA$5300 / $6200Jaylon JonesINDUpgrade
Unfortunately the analysis largely isn’t going to change for the Dolphins pass-catchers. Until Tua Tagovailoa returns, or until they bring in a starting-caliber replacement, it's going to be hard to trust their receivers. Waddle has at least been consistent, catching 4 passes in each of the last 4 games, but consistently below average isn’t great for fantasy. This week he’ll mostly see Jaylon Jones of the Colts who’s allowed nearly 350 receiving yards this season, a nice upgrade but hardly enough to offset the poor quarterback play of the Dolphins.
Jordan AddisonMIN$5600 / $6300Terrion ArnoldDETUpgrade
The case of Terrion Arnold is a tricky one to decipher. The rookie first rounder is starting to round into a form where his counting stats don’t look so bad but his coverage grade is near the bottom of the league (47.3). That rating is thanks to his league-worst 8 penalties this season and unfortunately we don’t get fantasy points for penalty yardage. My thesis is that corners grab when they’re beat and if a guy is getting beat frequently enough, they’ll eventually give up the production. Potentially as soon as this week, as Arnold will be assigned to cover Jordan Addison, who has been known to make some splashy plays.
Kayshon BoutteNE$3600 / $5000Montaric BrownJACNeutral
Kayshon Boutte, as did most of the receiving corps for New England, enjoyed the debut of Drake Maye; to the tune of 3 catches for 59 yards and a score in Week 6. Now the Patriots are heading to London to face a Jaguars secondary that has been getting carved up all season. For Boutte, that means running in the coverage of Montaric Brown; who has been responsible for 27 catches this season and gave up his 2nd score last week against the Bears.
Bub MaensNO#N/ALevi WallaceDENNeutral
It's the battle of the backups on Thursday Night Football as the injury report for this game is longer than a Walgreens receipt. In this case in particular, Bub Means and Levi Wallace are set to square off. Both guys were thrust into action thanks to concussions for their starters and both filled in nicely. Means posted a 5/45/1 line while Wallace earned a 92.1 coverage grade while allowing just 2 catches. This appears to be a fair fight.
Malik NabersNYG$7500 / $8300Quinyon MitchellPHINeutral
After missing the last two games in the concussion protocol, hope for his availability this week was restored as Malik Nabers returned to practice in a limited fashion on Wednesday. If he suits up, he’ll face Eagles rookie Quinyon Mitchell for the majority of his routes. Mitchell has done well to keep his catch rate at a respectable 55.6% but his propensity for giving up long catches would play in Nabers’ hand, should he take the field.
Davante AdamsNYJ$7100 / $6900Joey Porter JrPITDowngrade
The worst kept secret in all the NFL, Davante Adams and Aaron Rogers wanting to reunite as Jets, finally became a reality this week as the Raiders traded the all-pro receiver to New York. Reporting out of New York indicates an expectation for Adams to make his debut this week and he’ll have his work cut out for him as the Steelers’ Joey Porter would likely shadow. Porter has been missing tackles lately, which has inflated his yardage totals, but is still one of the better cover corners in the league.
AJ BrownPHI#N/ADionte BanksNYGNeutral
Dionte Banks and the Giants secondary has become a situation to monitor. After starting the year as one of the sure-fire corners to target, Banks has turned in back-to-back solid performance; where he limited both DK Metcalf and Ja'Marr Chase. This week’s matchup against AJ Brown will serve as a bellwether for Banks, who could be moving toward “downgrade” status if he keeps it up against another stud receiver.
George PickensPIT$5800 / $6000DJ ReedNYJDowngrade
The Jets DJ Reed showed signs of being human, as opposed to pass-defending cyborg, last week against the Bills. He allowed catches on 5 of 6 targets thrown into his coverage for a season-high 70 yards. This week he’ll face George Pickens, the Steelers explosive star receiver who just can’t seem to put it all together. Reed’s body of work affords him a mulligan and this week will be a tough one on Steelers pass-catchers.
Brandon AiyukSF$6300 / $6800Trent McDuffieKCNeutral
Through 6 games, we’ve really only seen Brandon Aiyuk look like his typical self 1 time; a Week 5 performance where he tallied 147 receiving yards. He’ll look to get back on track in Week 7 with a Super Bowl rematch against Trent McDuffie and the Chiefs. L’Jaruis Sneed was assigned to Aiyuk when these teams faced off in February, so we don’t have game tape to go off of. This year McDuffie has done well to hold opponents to just 8.8 yards per reception but is closer to league-average in terms of catch rate.
DK MetcalfSEA$6800 / $8100AJ TerrellATLNeutral
It has been a frustrating couple of weeks for DK Metcalf, where his fantasy production was stymied by questionable penalties taking his touchdowns off the board and fluky fumbles. He’ll aim to get back on track this week, running against AJ Terrell of the Falcons. Terrell plays a tight brand of coverage but his counting stats are closer to average than they have been in recent years. The bigger limiting factor is opponents funneling their throws to the middle of the field, where Metcalf only lines up on 14% of snaps.
Mike EvansTB$7200 / $8000Brandon StephensBALNeutral
All of the receiving production that Brandon Stephens has been allowing this year finally caught up to him last week as he gave up his first 2 touchdowns of the season to the Commanders. This brings his total to 319 receiving yards on nearly 65% catch rate and has Stephens flirting with “upgrade” status. This week he’ll face Mike Evans in a game that will see its fair share of passing if it gets close to the 50 points that Vegas has it projected for.
DeAndre HopkinsTEN$5000 / $5600Christian BenfordBUFDowngrade
It was a bad week for Christian Benford, who allowed 7 catches for 81 yards and a score on Monday Night Football against the Jets. That more than doubled his catch total and accounted for nearly 75% of the yardage he’s allowed on the season. I’ll give him body of work credit and list him as a “downgrade” for his matchup this week, DeAndre Hopkins of Tennessee. Hopkins, like much of the Titans passing game, has been stuck in the mud this year and lining up across from Benford doesn’t help matters.
Terry McLaurinWAS$6800 / $7200Jaycee HorneCARDowngrade
Terry McLaurin comes into Week 7 off his best fantasy performance of the year, racking up 6 catches for 53 yards and 2 scores against Baltimore last week. He’ll have a tough road ahead of him if he aims to repeat that sort of production this week as he’ll likely be shadowed by Jaycee Horn of the Panthers. Horn has held his opponents to a 48.1% catch rate this year and 11.5 yards per reception. He does have 3 touchdowns on his side of the ledger, but 2 of them came from help defenders not switching in time.
      
Right WR vs Left CB
Wide ReceiverTeamDraftKings/FanDuelCornerbackOppMatchup
Michael WilsonARI$4600 / $6300Cam HartLACNeutral
The Chargers were without Asante Samuel Jr in Week 6, as they’re expected to be again this week, and it was Cam Hart who stepped up in his place. Har pitched a shutout last week, not drawing a single target on 44 coverage snaps against the Broncos. This week he’ll look to do the same against Michael Wilson of Arizona, but it’s hard to imagine him being able to sustain this type of performance for long. The small sample size will keep Hart in the “Neutral” category for now.
Drake LondonATL$6900 / $7500Tre BrownSEANeutral
Drake London, and the whole of the Falcons’ offense for that matter, have been getting into a nice rhythm of late. London is coming off back to back games scoring a touchdown and Atlanta leads the league with 309 passing yards per game over their last 3. This week London is set to face Tre Brown of the Seahawks, who has been fairly pedestrian through most of the season. Brown has kept receptions to a minimum, allowing just 11 on the year, but his getting gashed to the tune of 15.5 yards per catch.
Zay FlowersBAL$6600 / $7300Zyon McCollumTBDowngrade
Despite an electric game that tallied 78 points and nearly 900 yards of total offense, Zyon McCollum managed to turn in another stingy performance last week. He allowed just 3 catches for 54 yards and snagged his 2nd interception of the season, bolstering his impressive stats on the 2024 season. This week his assignment will be Zay Flowers of the Ravens, who is far and away their preferred receiving option, is coming off a season-high 9 catches for 132 yards. There are some stylistic differences in their respective games that could create some opportunity for Flowers but even so this matchup is a clear Downgrade.
Mack HollinsBUF$3300 / $5200Jarvis Brownlee Jr.TENNeutral
Like I outlined above, I’m carrying forward with the assumption that Amari Cooper does not play this week until otherwise stated. If that's the case, Mack Hollins will draw another start on the perimeter and will see Jarvis Brownlee Jr of the Titans. The 5th-round rookie out of Louisville has strung together a pretty nice campaign, allowing just 9 catches for 52 yards through 5 games. I’ll keep him neutral given the struggles of rookies historically but he’s probably one more strong start away from that changing.
Xavier LegetteCAR$5100 / $5900Mike SainristilWASUpgrade
Mike Sainristil of the Commanders has slowly been getting his feet under him, as many rookies begin to around this point of the season, but still allowed all 4 targets thrown his direction last week to be caught. His catch rate, which is now at 78.3% on the season, is certainly his achilles heel but having allowed 3 scores this year is plenty problematic. This week he’ll face another rookie, Xavier Legette of the Panthers, who is also starting to acclimate at the NFL level.
Rome OdunzeCHI#N/ARonald Darby#N/AUpgrade
Ronald Darby has been getting gashed this year and currently sits 4th on the list with 326 yards allowed. His catch rate has ballooned up to 75.9% and nearly half of the yards he’s allowed have come after the catch. This week we’ll be assigned to cover Rome Odunze of the Bears, who he cedes 3 inches and almost 20lbs to. In the Bears’ pass-heavy offense, Odunze should see plenty of looks and can make the most of them in Darby’s coverage.
Tee HigginsCIN$6400 / $7800Denzel WardCLEDowngrade
As we’ve covered for a few weeks now, Denzel Ward is a better cover corner than his 2024 stats would indicate. The thing we can point to for hope is his 45.5% catch rate, made more impressive by the fact that he’s often covering an opponent’s best receiver. This week he projects to work across from Tee Higgins. Higgins has a boom or bust profile but tends to do best in man coverage, which Cleveland plays the highest rate in the NFL.
Jerry JeudyCLE$4800 / $5600DJ Turner IICINNeutral
Its been DJ Turner who has seen the biggest uptick in playing time with Dax Hill sidelined for the Bengals. The former 2nd rounder has played alright for himself allowing a 52.6% catch rate and just under 11 yards per reception this season. This week his assignment will be Jerry Jeudy, who is thrust back into the spotlight as the Browns WR1 now that Amari Cooper is a Bill. The play of Jeudy’s quarterback will have far more to do with his fantasy production than this neutral matchup.
Jalen TolbertDAL#N/ACarlton Davis III#N/AUpgrade
While his teammate Jalen Brooks saw the biggest uptick in playing time last week, Jalen Tolbert saw a huge increase in utilization. Tolbert set career-highs with 10 targets, 7 catches, and 87 yards as well as a trip to the end zone in Week 5. He’ll have a great chance to repeat this type of performance against Carlton Davis III of the Lions. Davis has given up 313 receiving yards, the 5th-most in the league, and the whole of the Lions secondary has been hemorrhaging production (and penalties) this season.
Troy FranklinDEN$3100 / $5000Paulson AdeboNOUpgrade
Josh Reynold exited the Week 6 game with a finger injury clearing the way for rookie, and collegiate teammate of Bo Nix, Troy Franklin to see some more playing time. He ran a route on 77% of Nix’s dropbacks, catching 2 passes for 31 yards and a touchdown, and showed a nose for open space in the defense. He’ll have a good chance to keep it going this week as he’s set to face Paulson Adebo of the Saints on Thursday night. Adebo has surrendered the most yards (426) in the entire league and its somewhat astounding that he’s only allowed 1 touchdown in light of that yardage.
Tim PatrickDET$3500 / $4800Shaquill GriffinMINNeutral
Tim Patrick stepped into the starting lineup for the Lions a few weeks ago but his time on the field has yet to lead to any meaningful production. This week he’ll square off with Caelen Carson of the Cowboys, who is returning from a 2-game absence. There isn’t much that stands out about Carson’s statline or on-field performance overall, apart from a big yards after catch total in Week 3 against Baltimore.
Dontayvion WicksGB$5200 / $5600D'Angelo RossHOUUpgrade
Kamari Lassiter exited last week’s game with a shoulder injury, clearing the way for D'Angelo Ross to get more playing time. Ross played more coverage snaps last week than he had at any point in his 5-year career and did well for himself, allowing just 1 catch for 9 yards. He’ll have an entirely different test ahead of him this week against Christian Watson and the pass-happy Packers. Watson stands a full 8 inches taller than Ross, in addition to being quantifiably faster and more agile than him.
Stefon DiggsHOU$7700 / $8600Jaire AlexanderGBDowngrade
Jaire Alexander returned for the Packers last week and largely did Jaire Alexander things, allowing just 1 catch for 18 yards. Unfortunately that catch was for a score but that is going to happen from time to time. Overall Alexander has done a great job of limiting his opponents, which he aims to do with Stefon Diggs this week. Diggs, as expected, moved out of the slot with Nico Collins sidelined but still managed to post a 6/77/1 line in the coverage of Christian Gonzalez.
Michael PittmanIND$6200 / $6700Kendall FullerMIANeutral
Michael Pittman went from a rumored stint on IR to finding his way into the end zone last week after posting a 3/35/1 line against Tennessee. This week he’ll look to do the same, albeit against much stiffer competition, running against Kendall Fuller. Fuller is the classic “big play” corner who’s downfield targets help his catch rate but balloon his yards per catch. The bigger consideration with Fuller is the miniscule target volume he sees as quarterbacks opt to attack Kader Kohou in the slot. Fuller has seen just 7 targets on season, a 7.3% target rate.
Gabe DavisJAC$4600 / $6100Jonathan JonesNEUpgrade
Jonathan Jones has been a favorite target of ours, and of NFL quarterbacks this season, as passes are funneled his direction and away from Christian Gonzalez. Jones has allowed a 77.8% catch rate at a 15.6 yard clip this season and gave up his first receiving touchdown of the year last week. Gabe Davis should have had a score in Week 6 and will look to make up for it this week in a nice matchup.
Xavier WorthyKC$6400 / $7300Charvarius WardSFNeutral
It was Juju Smith-Schuster who stepped up in absence of Rashee Rice, not Xavier Worthy. In fact, Worthy saw his lowest snap-share of the season (66%) and turned in a typical (for him) 3 catch performance in Week 5. This week he’ll face Charvarius Ward who is in the midst of a very average season. Hopefully the Chiefs used the bye week to work more plays in for Worthy, at least for the sake of his fantasy managers.
Tre TuckerLV$4200 / $5500Cobie DurantLARNeutral
We get one or two of these every week; a matchup where both receiver and cornerback are nearly at the exact midpoint of the rankings at their respective positions. Tre Tucker has been enjoying more volume as Davante Adams has transitioned out of the Raiders offense and Durant has worked his catch rate down to a respectable 52.6% for the year.
Joshua PalmerLAC$4400 / $5200Sean Murphy-BuntingARIUpgrade
The Cardinals Sean Murphy-Bunting has struggled after coming over from Tennessee this off-season. He’s allowing nearly 80% of targets thrown into his coverage to be caught and is missing a tackle on almost 20% of his attempts. This week he’ll be assigned to cover Joshua Palmer of the Chargers. Palmer isn’t an elite receiver by any stretch, but he’s shown an ability to take advantage of favorable matchups such as this one.
Jordan WhittingtonLAR$4800 / $5300Jack JonesLVNeutral
As we detailed on the other side of the formation, a potential return by Cooper Kupp stands to impact the target volume of Jordan Whittington not his alignment in the office this week Whittington Will run in the coverage of Jack Jones. Jones has put forth a middle of the road campaign this year, allowing a catch on 69% of targets.
Tyreek HillMIA$7300 / $7900Samuel Womack IIIINDDowngrade
Like with Jaylen waddle, quarterback play is going to have the largest impact on Tyreek Hill's fantasy production. Unlike Waddle, Hill has the ability to create for himself and to more effectively be schemed into a position to win. He'll face stiff competition in Samuel Womack this week, who has given up just 27 yards this year. Hill can certainly get there on any given Sunday but this individual matchup is clearly a downgrade
Justin JeffersonMIN$8500 / $9400Carleton DavisDETUpgrade
Occasionally, we as fantasy managers find ourselves in these nearly unbelievable situations where everything lines up for a player. This is one of those instances. Justin Jefferson is, for my money, the best wide receiver in football and in a passing offense that supports elite productivity. This week he has the benefit of matching up against Carlton Davis of the Lions, who has allowed 336 receiving yards this year and drawn 7 penalties. Justin Jefferson is the odds on favorite to finish this week as the WR1.
Ja'Lynn PolkNE$3500 / $4700Ronald DarbyJACUpgrade
While it wasn’t Ja’Lynn Polk specifically who benefitted from the move to Drake Maye last week, its fair to say that wide receivers are at least a consideration for the New England passing offense with the rookie under center. This week Polk has a plus matchup against Ronald Darby of the Jaguars. Darby’s 355 yards are the 3rd most in the league and he’s allowing a catch on nearly 79% of his targets.
Mason TiptonNO$3600 / $4900Riley MossDENDowngrade
The injuries to the Saints receiving corps are not limited to just Chris Olave, as Rasheed Shahid is expected to miss multiple games with a knee injury. This opens the door for Mason Tipton to take his position on the right side of the offense. This week that means Tipton will run in the coverage of Riley Moss. Moss has developed into a nice player for the Broncos and has held opponents to under 11 yards per reception and at catch rate at 60% (and falling). I’ll run the risk of being reactionary and move Moss into the “downgrade” category.
Darius SlaytonNYG$5100 / $6000Darius SlayPHINeutral
It's finally happening! This week we get a matchup between the two closest named opponents as Darius Slay will cover Darius Slayton on the majority of routes. Slayton has played well in Malik Nabers’ absence and I’m projecting him to remain in the starting lineup as a perimeter receiver, with Robinson moving to the slot. Slay continues to round into form, giving up just 1 catch for 6 yards last week. A few more like that performance and Slay will be moving to the “downgrade” camp as well.
Allen LazardNYJ$4700 / $5700Donte JacksonPITDowngrade
The Steelers’ Donte Jackson has been playing admirably opposite Joey Porter Jr this year, to the point where he’s no long being picked on by opposing quarterbacks. Jackson is hovering around a 55% catch rate and opposing QBs have a 32.6 passer rating when throwing into his coverage. We have to project the Jets deployment this week but my assumption is that Mike Williams won’t recover from being thrown under the bus and we see Garrett Wilson move to a more slot-heavy role, leaving Allen Lazard to the right side of the offense.
Jahan DotsonPHI$4500 / $5100Cor'Dale FlottNYGNeutral
The curious case of the Giants secondary extends to Cor'Dale Flott as well. He has given up some yardage but his turnaround finds his catch rate in the 60s in each of the last 3 games. This week he’ll primarily work against Jahan Dotson, who technically starts on the right side of the alignment but is cleary the 4th-option in a 3-headed passing attack.
Van JeffersonPIT$3000 / $4800Sauce GardnerNYJDowngrade
The Pittsburgh Steelers are rumored to be making the move th Russel Wilson this week and, while not particularly likely, this move theoretically opens the door for enough passing to support secondary options. Van Jefferson might be the beneficiary of that, but likely not this week as he’s set to run against Sauce Gardner. Apart from one game where he inexplicably got torched by the Titans. Sauce has allowed just 5 catches for 39 yards on the season and has shut out his assignment on 3 separate occasions.
Deebo SamuelSF$7000 / $8200Jaylen WatsonKCNeutral
Deebo Samuel had his best game of the season last week, finding the end zone on 3 catches for 102 yards. He’ll have a bit of a tougher matchup this week against Jaylen Watson in the Super Bowl rematch. Watson is developing into a nice player for the Chiefs and has yet to allow a score this year, in addition to holding opponents to a 51.9% catch rate. Watson is another player who we’ll list as “Neutral” with plans to change that if he keeps up this level of play.
Tyler LockettSEA$5300 / $5800Mike HughesATLNeutral
As we’ve documented, the way to attack the Falcons is over the middle. This serves to limit the number of passes thrown toward the coverage of Mike Hughes, although not quite to the extent it does for Terrell. Hughes has seen 23 targets this season and allowed a catch on nearly 70% of them. This week he’ll be assigned to cover Tyler Lockett, who has been hot and cold as the Seattle offense figures out the pecking order between him, Metcalf, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Sterling ShepardTB$3500 / $5000Marlon HumphreyBALNeutral
Sterling Shepard is technically the starting right receiver but just because you’re out there on ~70% of plays doesn’t mean you’re part of the gameplan. Shepherd shook his “all he does is catch touchdowns” tag last week, catching 3 passes for 23 yards. This week he’ll run in the coverage of Marlon Humphrey who is giving up more production than we’re accustomed to but certainly has what it takes to keep Shephard quiet.
Calvin RidleyTEN$5500 / $5700Rasul DouglasBUFDowngrade
Calvin Ridley wasn’t too pleased with his 8 targets last week as none of them were deemed “catchable” according to advanced statistics. Things dont get much better this week for Ridley as he’ll face off with Rasul Douglas of the Bills. Douglas has let his yardage total get away from him a bit this year but still plays a tight brand of coverage that will be difficult for even a starting-caliber quarterback to throw into, nevermind someone on Levis’ level.
Noah BrownWAS$4000 / $5000Mike JacksonCARUpgrade
Noah Brown continues to assert himself as the 2nd pass-catching option in Washington, seeing 8 targets last week and the highest air yards share on the team. He’ll have a good shot at converting more of those air yards this week, running against Mike Jackson of the Panthers. Jackson has been dotted with 37 targets this season and has allowed a catch on nearly 65% of them. With Jaycee Horn likely limiting Terry McClaurin’s involvement, Brown becomes an interesting DFS option in a game that has the potential to score.
      
Slot WR vs Slot CB
Wide ReceiverTeamDraftKings/FanDuelCornerbackOppMatchup
Jaxon Smith-NjigbaSEA$5900 / $6100Nick McCloudATLUpgrade
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before… attack the Giants secondary at every opportunity. Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s opportunity this week comes against Nick McCloud of the Giants. McCloud has gotten limited run but has allowed a 100% catch rate so far and the way the Seahawks move JSN around the formation, he’ll see plenty of routes in the coverage of the other favorable matchups offered by the Giants.
Amon Ra St BrownDET#N/AAlontae TaylorMINUpgrade
Part of the beauty of playing your best receivers out of the slot is that it often finds them lining up against their opponent’s weakest corners. That is exemplified by Amon Ra St Brown’s matchup this week against Bryon Murphy, who is 2nd in the league having given up 405 receiving yards this year. I like this game to shoot out and that should call for a healthy dose of St Brown for the Lions.
Garrett WilsonNYJ$6600 / $7400Beanie Bishop JrPITUpgrade
The addition of Davante Adams to the Jets offense, in my opinion, will move Garrett Wilson to a more slot-heavy alignment going forward. This week, that finds him in the coverage of Beanie Bishop Jr, who has surrendered 3 touchdowns and allows a catch on nearly 70% of targets thrown his way. Don’t panic on Wilson if you had him, he’ll have plenty of plus matchups (like this one) where he can still provide top 15 level production.