There have been several shake ups in defensive backfields that create upside opportunities for the receivers being covered. We also have a number of the league's best receivers facing off with top corners this week; limiting their upside but making for must-see TV. 

 

 

 

WR CB Matchup Report
      
Left WR vs Right CB
Wide ReceiverTeamDK / FD $CornerbackOppMatchup
Marvin HarrisonARI$6900 / $7000Jaylon JohnsonCHIDowngrade
The up and down rookie campaign for Marvin Harrison Jr was on an upswing last week as he posted a 6/111/1 line in an admittedly tough spot against Jalen Ramsey. This week will pose an equally challenging matchup as he’s slated to run against Jaylon Johnson of the Bears. Johnson has been one of the most consistently difficult matchups in the league this year, allowing 2 or fewer catches in every game and the lowest passer rating among qualifying corners. It's nice to know that Harrison can overcome a tough spot but expectations should be tempered again this week.
Darnell MooneyATL$6000 / $6700Trevon DiggsDALDowngrade
There’s an interesting trend emerging that applies to this matchup, specifically with regard to Trevon Diggs. Diggs was never really one to shadow prior to this season but in 2024 he has twice covered a single opponent on more than 60% of their snaps. Both of those instances came against receivers with a long and lean build who are primarily vertical threats in their offense, both of which could be said of Darnell Mooney. If this projection holds true, Mooney will be running against a corner who is allowing just 2.5 catches and 28 yards receiving per game; much of which came in a single outlier performance against Detroit.
Rashod BatemanBAL$4200 / $5500Pat Surtain IIDENDowngrade
For all the excitement in Baltimore around the trade for Diontae Johnson, I don’t believe that his arrival will impact the role and alignment for Rashod Bateman. He should still dominate snaps on the left side of the offense while Flowers and Johnson rotate between the right and the slot. In that alignment he’ll project to be covered by Pat Surtain of the Broncos. Surtain remains one of the toughest matchups in the entire league and is allowing just 1.7 receptions per game on average. Bateman’s boom or bust profile plus a matchup with one of the most effective corners in the league is not a winning formula for fantasy.
Keon ColemanBUF$5400 / $6000Cam SmithMIAUpgrade
We saw an interesting shift last week as Keon Coleman, who had been playing about 70% of snaps this year, jumped up to see the field on 83% of plays in Week 8. He continued to lead the team in snaps from the left side of the offense and this week that places him in the coverage of Cam Smith. Smith got the nod last week after the benching of Kader Kohou, and the subsequent shift of Jalen Ramsey to the slow, and had a rough go of it. He allowed all 5 of his targets to be caught for 63 and a score in the first extended playing time of his career. The arrow is pointing up for Coleman.
David MooreCAR$3000 / $4500Marshon LattimoreNODowngrade
We got a preview of the impact of Diontae Johnson’s trade from Carolina when he missed their Week 8 game due to injury. That created opportunity for several players but it was David Moore who led the Panthers in the snaps and was their clear preference on the left side of the formation. This week that leaves him in the sights of one of the best corners in the league, Marshon Lattimore. The former Buckeye has held his opponents to 1 catch or fewer in all but one game this season and just 11.8 yards per game on average. Moore really shouldn’t be in consideration this week.
DJ MooreCHI$6500 / $6600Starling Thomas VARIUpgrade
Navigating the waters of the Bears pass-catchers has been a frustrating experience this season and, considering his draft capital, that is doubly the case for DJ Moore. Moore is hovering around WR30 on ppg and much of that is buoyed by his 2-touchdown game in Week 5. He’ll look to get back on track this week in a favoriabel spot, running into the coverage of Starling Thomas V. Thomas, known mainly for his propensity to give up chunk plays this season, had a bit of an inverse week his last time out; keeping his yardage to a manageable level but the 4 catches he allowed was a high point for the season.
Ja'Marr ChaseCIN$8600 / $9500Jakorian BennettLVNeutral
I made the executive decision to move Jakorian Bennett into the ranks of the “Downgrade” tier and he promptly allowed his highest catch rate (80%) and 2nd highest yardage total (36) of the season. Not terrible all things considered but breaking the trend that led to his status being changed. Regardless of how I categorize him, he’ll have his hands full this week where his primary assignment will be Ja'Marr Chase. Chase enters Week 9 as the WR1 overall and has in his wake several of the best corners the league has to offer.
Cedric TillmanCLE$4300 / $6100Cam HartLACNeutral
An interesting matchup this week as Cedric Tillman and Cam Hart, two players who are making the most of the opportunity recently presented to them. Tillman is averaging better than 11 targets per game in a suddenly interesting Browns offense and Hart added to the “Pros” column last week holding Chris Olave to just 1 catch for 15 yards. We certainly can’t set our watches to 2-game sample sizes but both of these guys have performed better than expected and this should be a fair fight in Week 9.
Jalen BrooksDAL$3200 / $4400AJ TerrellATLDowngrade
There's a bit of an interesting trend emerging with AJ Terrell that I think we can use to project his role in Week 9. He has been one of the more frequent shadowers in the league this year but in games where his opponent doesn’t have top talent on the perimeter, he’ll typically stick to playing his side. That is likely how he’ll play it this week, meaning he’ll be assigned to cover Jalen Brooks. Brooks has done little to garner the attention of fantasy managers and a matchup against a premier corner won’t help his case this week.
Courtland SuttonDEN$5400 / $6000Brandon StephensBALUpgrade
Courtland Sutton of the Broncos has zero concerns about his role in the Denver offense. His ability to convert that opportunity into real fantasy production is, however, finally starting to come online as of late. He’ll have a good look at maintaining the momentum running in the coverage of Brandon Stephens this week. Stephens only hurt his season-long numbers last week, allowing a catch on 75% of targets for nearly 20 yards per. A nice spot for Sutton and the ascendant Broncos offense this week.
Tim PatrickDET$3500 / $4700Jaire AlexanderGBDowngrade
Not much has changed regarding the viability of Timp Patrick week over week. He continues to dominate snaps, specifically on the left side of the offense, but largely is uninvolved in the game plan. Things get worse this week as he’ll see the coverage of Jaire Alexander. The Packers’ All-Pro corner is going to be in consideration for another award based on his play in 2024, holding his matchup to just 1 catch in all but 2 games this season.
Romeo DoubsGB$5700 / $6300Terrion ArnoldDETUpgrade
We’ve been tracking the evolution of Terrion Arnold throughout his rookie campaign, noting that his abundance of penalties will eventually transition to receiving production at some point. It appears that point is now. Arnold hasn’t drawn a penalty in his last 3 games, during which he’s allowed a 65% catch rate, nearly 200 receiving yards, and his first score of the season. His primary assignment this week is Romeo Doubs who certainly has the skillset to take advantage of this matchup but is on the merry go round of the overcrowded Packers receiving corps.
Alec PierceIND$4700 / $5200Stephon GilmoreMINUpgrade
The roster dynamics for the Colts shifted dramatically this week as they stated their intention to start Joe Flacco at quarterback for the rest of the season. This has the arrow point up for the Colts offense overall but presents a perplexing circumstance for Alec Pierce specifically. While Flacco certainly isn’t shy about letting one rip, he doesn’t seem to rely on throwing up prayer balls the way that Richardson did and that is a limiting factor for Pierce. In Flacco’s 3 games Pierce is averaging just 1.3 catches for 47 yards, inflated by a single 65 yard catch in Week 5. His matchup is a favorable one this week, running against Stephon Gilmore who is tied for the 10th most receptions allowed, but his boom or bust profile makes him hard to trust.
Gabe DavisJAC$5000 / $5700Quinyon MitchellPHINeutral
The Jaguars receiving corps was struck by a rash of injuries last week so we’ll have to do some projecting as to their alignment in Week 9. I’m expecting to see Gabe Davis take the field this week and line up on the left side of the formation, where he’ll see coverage from Quinyon Mitchell of the Eagles. Last week we upgraded Mitchell to a “Neutral” matchup and he played in a fashion fitting of that description. He allowed a 66.7% catch rate and only 16 yards receiving but drew a costly penalty against the Bengals.
DeAndre HopkinsKC$5000 / $5600Tyrek FunderburkTBUpgrade
The Chiefs teased us last week by forcing the ball to a newly-acquired DeAndre Hopkins on their first play and then proceeding to only complete one more pass to him through the duration of the game. He’ll have a golden opportunity for a statement game this week as he’ll be the primary assignment of the Buc’s Tyrek Funderburk. Funderburk hasn’t shown any signs of improvement and last week was torched to the tune of 4 catches for 85 yards and a score against Atlanta.
Tre TuckerLV$4300 / $5500Cam Taylor-BrittCINUpgrade
There was a shift among the Raiders’ deployment last week, seeing Tre Trucker take over on the left side of the offensive alignment. This week that affords him a juicy matchup against Cam Taylor-Britt of the Bengals. His 4 touchdowns allowed are tied for the most among coverage defenders this season and Taylor-Britt is one of just 5 players to allow more than 400 receiving yards this season. The state of both the defenses in this game is such that a sneaky shootout is on the range of outcomes and Tre Tucker is an interesting dart-throw in large field tournaments.
Quentin JohnstonLAC$4400 / $5600Martin Emerson JrCLEUpgrade
The Chargers are expecting the return of their 2023 1st-round pick, Quentin Johnston, this week against the Browns. Johnston was showing promising signs, like an ability to catch the ball, before an ankle injury cost him the last 2 games. He returns to an amazing spot, running against Greg Emerson of the Browns. I’ve given Emerson the benefit of the doubt, more than I should have honestly, but it’s time to face the reality that he isn’t himself this year. Last week he missed another tackle, gave up 40+ yards on a 75% catch rate, and logged his 3rd penalty of the season. Something is clearly off with Emerson and that's to Johnston’s benefit in Week 9.
Demarcus RobinsonLAR$4800 / $4900Tariq WoolenSEADowngrade
Demarcus Robinson’s Week 8 performance is the epitome of how variance can swing a player’s fantasy performance. The return of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp impacted Robinson in the ways you’d might expect. He saw a season-low in route participation and caught 2 passes on 3 targets. It just so happens that both of those passes were for touchdowns and Robinson finished as WR18. He’ll have a tough time repeating that performance against Tariq Woolen of the Seahawks. Riq has allowed just 9 catches for 65 yards on the season. He did allow Keon Coleman to muscle a touchdown catch through his arm last week, but you can’t expect fluke plays to happen every time out.
Jaylen WaddleMIA$5500 / $6200Rasul DouglasBUFNeutral
We’ve been charting the up and down nature of Rasul Douglas’ season throughout the year and he enters Week 9 having strung together back-to-back strong performances; most recently allowing just 1 catch for 10 yards against Seattle. Zoom out to the whole of his season, his “bust” weeks are really tied to just a single play getting behind him. Unfortunately for Douglas, getting behind defenders is a specialty of his matchup this week, Jaylen Waddle of the Dolphins. Waddle delivered Rasul one of his down games this year and could do it again now that Tua has returned to the field.
Jordan AddisonMIN$5200 / $6200Jaylon JonesINDDowngrade
It was a bit disappointing that Jordan Addison couldn’t make the most of his favorable matchup last week but it stands as a lesson that individual matchup isn’t the only thing that factors into a player’s fantasy output. This week he’ll line up across from Jaylon Jones of the Colts, a player who we’re moving into “Downgrade” territory for the first time this season. He comes into this week having allowed 11 or fewer receiving yards in 3 straight games and is tied for 3rd in the league with 6th pass breakups. Addison moves around the formation so he’ll have opportunity elsewhere but Jones is a big time limiting factor.
Kayshon BoutteNE$3700 / $4800Jarvis Brownlee Jr.TENUpgrade
It has been two weeks since L’Jarius Sneed left the lineup with an injury and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. has shifted to cover their opponents’ best receivers. In those two games, it hasn’t gone well. Brownlee has coverage ratings of 39.5 and 45.4 and has allowed 182 yards and a score. Speaking of not going well, it appears that the Patriots will be turning back to Jacoby Brissette as Drake Maye is in concussion protocol. Kayshon Boutte is the beneficiary of a plus matchup but still largely shouldn’t be considered in the fantasy context.
Chris OlaveNO$6100 / $7100Jaycee HornCARDowngrade
With Week 9 upon us, we’re reaching a point where we have the benefit of analyzing a previous matchup from earlier in the season. The Saints played the Panthers in Week 1 and Jaycee Horn was covering Chris Olave for the majority of his snaps. In that game he held Olave to just 2 catches but gave up a lofty 27.5 yards per reception. That was actually the high water mark for Horn who has allowed just 22 yards per game on average since that point. While the matchup is certainly a downgrade for Olave, he does have the benefit of Derek Carr returning for the Saints.
Malik NabersNYG$7500 / $8400Benjamin St-JusteWASUpgrade
Week 9 should bring some welcomed relief for Malik Nabers who has been covered by some of the best corners in the league through his first 6 games. In fact, his only plus matchup of the season came against Benjamin St-Juste of the Commanders; who he matches up with again this week. In that game, Nabers caught 10 passes for 127 yards and a score en route to finishing the week as WR3 . St-Juste hasn’t done much to stop the bleeding in his other games, getting rung up for nearly 400 yards and 3 touchdowns on the season.
A.J. BrownPHI$8100 / $9000Tyson CampbellJACNeutral
The Eagles offense has been disappointing through the early part of the season but they’ve got a shot at a bounce-back this week against Cincinnati. Much of that is based on AJ Brown’s individual matchup against Cam Taylor-Britt. Taylor-Britt has done well to limit yardage but has given up a catch on nearly 68% of his 34 targets and has already allowed 4 trips to the end zone this season.
 
Trey PalmerTB$4000 / $5400Joshua WilliamsKCNeutral
Surprising many, it was Joshua Williams who saw the biggest increase in playing time last week for the Chiefs. In his 29 coverage snaps, Williams allowed 1 catch (on 1 target) for 17 yards as his assignment was largely uninvolved. This week he’ll be covering Trey Palmer of the Buccaneers. In his first game without both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Palmer was shut down by AJ Terrell last week. With only two teams on bye, it's very likely that you’re not making a decision that includes Trey Palmer
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-IkhineTEN$3500 / $5200Jonathan JonesNEUpgrade
Apparently all Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine does is catch touchdowns. He has 5 receptions on the season but 3 of them have gone for scores, 1 in each of his last 3 games. Unfortunately he hasn’t been able to surpass 12 fantasy points yet this season but it is an interesting development as we try to determine who gets more run now that Hopkins is out of town. This week he projects to be covered by Jonathan Jones of the Patriots. Jones actually played more Safety than anything last week so his coverage stats were minimized but on the season he’s sitting around 74% catch rate and better than 15 yards per reception.
Terry McLaurinWAS$7100 / $7400Greg Stroman JrNYGNeutral
Another big shift among defensive backfields last week was the Giants’ decision to bench former 1st rounder Deonte Banks. When pressed on the decision, Head Coach Brian Daboll said “Just thought during that series needed a little bit more” - a nail in the coffin of the young corner’s prospects. This clears the way for journeyman Greg Stroman Jr to enter the lineup; this week assigned to cover Terry McClaurin of the Commanders. On his career, Stroman has a catch rate that's higher than you’d like, 75.4%, but keeps his yards per reception allowed to a reasonable 12.9 per.
      
Right WR vs Left CB
Wide ReceiverTeamDraftKings/FanDuelCornerbackOppMatchup
Michael WilsonARI$4900 / $5600Tyrique StevensonCHINeutral
Michael Wilson is essentially locked into a “touchdown or bust” profile for fantasy managers this season. He’ll aim to find the end zone again this week running against a player who allowed the most notable touchdown of the week (if not the season) last week, Tyrique Stevenson. Stevenson was busy taunting Commanders fans shortly before his tip of the hail mary pass landed into Noah Brown’s arms for the walk-off score. That was Stevenson’s 2nd touchdown of the season to go with an inflated 16.4 yards per reception on 23 catches.
Drake LondonATL$6700 / $7900Amani OruwariyeDALUpgrade
I planted my flag earlier in the article that I believe Trevon Diggs will focus his attention on Darnell Mooney this week. If that holds true, Drake London will run in the coverage of Amani Oruwariye. Oruwariye has played only 4 games this season but has already allowed 219 yards, thanks in large part to his nearly 74% catch rate on 23 targets. You add the significant size difference between the two and London should be in position for a big game in Week 9.
Zay FlowersBAL$7000 / $7200Denzel WardDENDowngrade
We have to do a bit of projecting as to the deployment of the Ravens receivers in light of their recent acquisition of Diontae Johnson from the Panthers. While I think both Johnson and Flowers will see plenty of slot snaps, I’d expect Flowers to play the right side of the alignment slightly more often. When he does, he’ll be in the coverage of Denzel Ward. Ward has allowed just 2.1 receptions per game and leads the league with 12 pass break ups this season.
Amari CooperBUF#N/AKendall FullerMIANeutral
The 2nd week of Amari Cooper's tenure as a Bill saw his snap share increase from 35% in his debut to 50% last week, largely at the expense of Khalil Shakir and Mack Hollins. If this trend holds, Cooper can push for 70%+ of snaps in Week 9. The majority of which would be in the coverage of Kendall Fuller of the Dolphins. Fuller has been all over the place this season, alternating inflated yards per catch totals and catch rates week in and week out. Whichever side of the coin, the net of it is Fuller landing as a “neutral” matchup this week.
Xavier LegetteCAR$5300 / $5700Kool-Aid McKinstryNONeutral
As expected, Kool-Aid McKinstry played a larger role in Week 8 against the Chargers. He did fairly well for himself, allowing just 2 catches for 39 yards, but was primarily covering Simi Fehoko so we need to take that into consideration. He’ll be assigned to a much more capable receiver this week, Xavier Legette of the Panthers. Legette is now the de facto “1” in Carolina and early returns show a lot of promise for the 1st-rounder. Almost by default, rookie on rookie matchups get filed under “Neutral” and this case is no different.
Rome OdunzeCHI$4900 / $5500Sean Murphy BuntingARIUpgrade
In an offense that is already struggling to support their abundance of pass-catchers, rookie Rome Odunze is often the odd-man out in the distribution. He has quickly become a 3 for 40 guy and his fantasy viability is largely tied to whether or not he scores. He does have a plus matchup this week, running against Sean Murphy-Bunting of the Cardinals. Its’s being reported that Murphy-Bunting is past the neck issue that has limited his play of late and is expected to resume his role as a starter. The counting stats don’t look outrageous, given how many snaps he’s missed, but allowing your opponent to catch 80% of their targets is prime “Upgrade” territory in terms of matchup.
Andrei IosivasCIN$3900 / $5300Jack JonesLVNeutral
Technically Tee Higgins hasn’t been ruled out of the Week 9 game against the Raiders but 3-straight DNPs almost never results in that player suiting up. His absence opens the door for Andrei Iosivas to take his position on the right side of the offense, where he’ll be covered by Jack Jones. Jones has actually steadied the ship after starting the year as a touchdown magnet and is firmly in the “Neutral” category this week
Jerry JeudyCLE$5100 / $6000Kristian FultonLACDowngrade
Albeit to a lesser extent than some of his teammates, Jerry Jeduy has also been the beneficiary of the quarterback change in Cleveland. Last week he tied a season high with 8 targets and his 79 receiving yards were the most he’s had as a Brown. He’ll have his work cut out for him in Week 9 as he’ll be running in the coverage of the Chargers’ Kristian Fulton. Don’t ask me how but the Chargers have unlocked the full potential of Fulton, who was previously one of the matchups we’d target. Now he enters Week 9 having allowed 1 or fewer catches in 6 of 7 games and is largely being avoided by opposing quarterbacks.
Jalen TolbertDAL$5100 / $5900Mike HughesATLNeutral
Jalen Tolbert is another of the wide receivers who has locked into a “touchdown or bust” capacity for fantasy managers. This is particularly frustrating that the projection for the Cowboys offense to be one of the most pass-happy in the league has come to pass, but Lamb and Ferguson leave little to go around. This week Tolbert will face Mike Hughes of the Falcons who has shown some leaks in the dam recently. His catch rate remains high at 71.9% and opposing quarterbacks have started targeting him more heavily because of it.
Lil'Jordan HumphreyDEN$3200 / $4700Jalyn Armour-DavisBALUpgrade
This matchup features two players who have seen their playing time increase starkly of late. Lil'Jordan Humphrey has taken a hold of the RWR role with Josh Reynolds heading to IR and Jalyn Armour-Davis is coming off his first start of the season in Week 8. Armour-Davis played sparingly in his 1st two seasons and it showed last week, allowing catches on 6 of 7 targets for 76 yards and a score against the Bengals. The plus matchup puts Humphrey in the “dart-throw” conversation for those stacking this game in DFS
Kalif RaymondDET$3900 / $4900Eric StokesGBNeutral
Eric Stokes has been platooning more of late but still projects to see the most snaps on the left side of the defense this week. Here he’ll be assigned to cover Kalif Reymond of the Lions. Reymond has frustratingly low volume but has managed to find the end zone in both the Lions games without Jameson Williams. Despite lessened playing time for Stokes, he’s still giving up chunk plays frequently. It wouldn’t surprise me to see another big, or trick, play lead to a Reymond score but you’re better served not relying on that for fantasy production.
Christian WatsonGB$5000 / $5600Carlton Davis IIIDETUpgrade
Another case of similar circumstances between teammates. Like with the other Packers receivers, the abundance of mouths to feed makes it difficult to project workload with confidence on a weekly basis. Like with the Lions’ other perimeter corner, Carlton Davis has been playing a oft-penalized aggressive style of defense. This style, played against a downfield threat like Christian Watson, can certainly put a ceiling game in-play. That upside makes Watson an interesting GPP play and in flex consideration for season-long managers.
Michael PittmanIND$5900 / $5800Byron Murphy Jr.MINUpgrade
There is well-founded optimism regarding the Colts’ pass-catchers in light of their decision to start Joe Flacco for the rest of the season. This bodes well for Michael Pittman, especially when you consider his individual matchup this week, Byron Murphy Jr of the Vikings. Murphy is atop the list you don’t want to be on if you’re a cornerback, having allowed the most yardage (454) and catches (42) in the league this season. A player with Pittman’s ability to get open should absolutely feast in this matchup.
Brian ThomasJAC$6600 / $7000Darius SlayPHINeutral
Reporting out of Jacksonville is a bit murky about rookie phenom Brian Thomas Jr’s ability to play this week. It sounds like he won’t be at 100% if he suits up and he’ll have the Eagles’ Darius Slay waiting for him on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Not much has changed about Slay’s outlook in recent weeks. He’s still doing a solid job of limiting yardage (10.6) on the catches he’s allowed but lets those catches happen lightly more often (63%) than you’d like. Whether its Thomas or Parker Washington, the matchup against Slay is fairly average.
Xavier WorthyKC$6300 / $7100Zyon McCollumTBNeutral
Zyon McCollum finally stopped the bleeding in Week 8. After a 3-game skid where he allowed over 220 yards and 3 touchdowns, McCollum shutout his assignment and posted a 39.6 passer rating when throwing into his coverage. This week he’ll fix his gaze onto Xavier Worthy of the Chiefs. The exciting speedster has had no shortage of opportunities afforded to him, given the never-ending list of injuries to the KC corps, but has yet to fully adjust to the NFL level. I don’t want to move McCollum back to a “downgrade” off a 1-game bounceback but another strong outing here will do so heading into Week 10.
Jakobi MeyersLV$5300 / $6300DJ Turner IICINDowngrade
I teased it last week and DJ Turner held up his end of the bargain, so we’re changing his status to the ranks of the “Downgrade.” In Week 8 Turner added only 1 catch and 9 receiving yards to his side of the ledger, accentuating a season where he’s giving up 1.6 catches on average and under 18 yards per game. This week he’ll be assigned to cover Jakobi Meyers who has stepped up nicely, averaging 15 ppg in the span of time that Davante Adams was “injured” and eventually traded.
Joshua PalmerLAC$4600 / $5700Greg Newsome IICLEUpgrade
The Browns are expected to be without Denzel Ward this week which means that Greg Newsome will travel from his typical slot position to guard a perimeter receiver, Joshua Palmer of LA. Newsome gets a bit of grace, as most corners do, in terms of catch rate so his 68.6% mark for the season isn’t too concerning. The 15 yards per reception he allows, however, is very problematic. Palmer certainly is getting an upgrade here, but unfortunately his role in the offense doesn’t give him much chance to take advantage.
Puka NacuaLAR$7200 / $8100Tre BrownSEANeutral
Its always troubling to see players pop up on the injury report mid-week and that is precisely what has happened with Puka Nacua. He made his triumphant return last Thursday but is now considered a game time decision ahead of Week 9. McVay was quoted saying “I wouldn’t be against [Puka] playing” so we’ll take him at his word. If he’s out there, he’ll be covered by Tre Brown of the Seahawks. Brown is essentially right at, or slightly worse than, league average in most regards and can be safely labeled as a “Neutral” matchup.
Tyreek HillMIA$7300 / $8500Christian BenfordBUFNeutral
We’ve got another rematch on our hands as Tyreek Hill gets set to face Christian Benford of the Bills. Benford has been having a solid season overall, especially when you see his 8.9 yard per reception, but has been letting his catch rate get away from him in recent weeks. Tyreek Hill can obviously produce at a high level regardless of individual matchup and that is still the case in this “Neutral” spot against Benford.
Justin JeffersonMIN$8700 / $9200Samuel Womack IIIINDDowngrade
You don’t need me to tell you to start Justin Jefferson every week. Even in a tougher spot against Samuel Womack III, he’ll be just fine. What is interesting here is that Womack is coming off easily his worst outing of the season. He allowed his 2nd touchdown of the season and the 67 yards he gave up account for 62% of his yardage on the season. He’s still a downgrade but now one that we’ll be watching more intently.
Ja'Lynn PolkNE$3400 / $4600Darrell Baker Jr.TENNeutral
Even though there are reports of Drake Maye practicing with the 1st team today, the fact that he went down as “Limited” makes it all but guaranteed that he won’t play this week. That leaves Jacoby Brissett under center and leaves Patriot receivers in a bad spot. Ja’Lynn Polk sees plenty of time on the field but wide receivers have been an afterthought when Brissett is starting. This week Polk will be covered by Darrell Baker Jr. of the Titans. Baker has only 2 starts under his belt this year but had done well to allow only 14 yards total in that stretch. We’ll need to see this performance sustain before moving Baker out of the “Neutral” category.
Darius SlaytonNYG$4800 / $5600Mike SainristilWASUpgrade
Mike Sainristil is another player that we slid up into the “Neutral” category last week and he held serve, limiting his assignment to just 1 catch for 16 yards. He’ll look to keep his momentum going as he lines up across from Darius Slayton in Week 9. Slayton has come on nicely as the season has progressed and broke the 100-yard mark last week in a tough matchup against Donte Jackson. Slayton is a bit too boom or bust to fully trust in fantasy but he’s an interesting way to get into this game if you’re prioritizing it in DFS.
DeVonta SmithPHI$6800 / $7800Ronald DarbyJACUpgrade
Last week we saw an interesting development with the Eagles’ deployment of their receiving personnel, DeVonta Smith played more snaps on the right side of the offense than any other player. This marks the 1st time since AJ Brown’s return that Smith wasn’t overwhelmingly used in the slot. If that trend holds, Smith will see Ronald Darby of the Jaguars. Darby backed into a nice performance in Week 8 as the Packers lost Jordan Love early. Even though he didn’t add any yards to his ledger, Darby’s 372 is good for the 12th-most in the NFL this year.
Tyler LockettSEA$5600 / $6200Cobie DurantLARDowngrade
It was presumed that the absence of DK Metcalf would boost Tyler Lockett’s workload but instead he caught just 1 pass for 9 yards, both low points for the season. This week he’ll grapple with the return of Metcalf as well as a tricky matchup against Cobie Durant. Durant is in the midst of his best season in the Pros, working his catch rate down to 51.9% while holding his opponents to just 8.7 yards per reception. I’ve seen enough to move him to “Downgrade” status.
Jalen McMillanTB$4200 / $6000Trent McDuffieKCDowngrade
While we have to project a lot of things about the receiving deployment for the Buccaneers, I think we’ve got some stability in Sterling Shepard. Shepard was largely the primary player aligned to the right side of the offense, he just wasn’t seeing many looks with Evans and Godwin on the field. The downside of being the new WR1 for the Bucs is that he’ll draw the focus of A.J. Terrell this week. Terrell is playing like his typical self this year and doing a nice job holding his opponents to about 3 yards after the catch per reception on the season.
Calvin RidleyTEN$5700 / $6200Christian GonzalezNEDowngrade
Week 8 was the point where Calvin Ridley finally converted his ample opportunity into meaningful fantasy production, catching 10 passes for 143 yards in his game against Detroit. He’ll have his work cut out for him if he wants to repeat that performance this week as he’ll be shadowed by Christian Gonzalez. Gonzalez shadows at the 2nd-highest rate and this year has held players like Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Garrett Wilson, and DK Metcalf to near season lows in yardage. Gonzalez had gotten burned by vertical threats a couple times this year, but that simply isn’t in Ridley’s locker.
Noah BrownWAS$4000 / $4800Nick McCloudNYGUpgrade
Noah Brown is coming off what is (and will be) his best game of the season, thanks to a deflected reception on the Commander’s hail mary touchdown against the Bears. He’ll have a nice matchup this week against a Giants secondary that is shuffling the deck. It will reportedly be Nick McCloud sliding to the left side of the defensive alignment and who will be covering Brown. Despite limited playing time, McCloud has allowed 170 yards and a touchdown on 89 coverage snaps.
      
Slot WR vs Slot CB
Wide ReceiverTeamDraftKings/FanDuelCornerbackOppMatchup
Jalen CokerCAR$3600 / $5200Alontae TaylorNOUpgrade
Given the way that offenses utilize their slot receivers, it's rare to see the slot corners that cover them accumulate exorbitant yardage totals. That is not the case with Alonte Taylor of the Saints. He currently sits as 1 of 6 players to allow over 400 receiving yards this season. He’ll be assigned to cover Jalen Coker of the Panthers, who is seeing more playing time with Diontae Johnson off to Baltimore. Coker showed some zip at the combine and tallied 78 yards and a score last week with Johnson off the field.
Josh DownsIND$6000 / $6900Josh MetellusMINUpgrade
I am fully buying into the correlation between Joe Flacco starting and Josh Downs producing. He’ll have a good shot at keeping that streak alive this week running against Josh Metellus of the Vikings. Metellus typically plays Safety for Minnesota but is manning the slot this week and is bringing a 76.5% catch rate along with him. More than 55% of the yardage he’s surrendered has come after the catch and you can expect more of the same against a quick-twitch athlete like Downs.
CeeDee LambDAL$8800 / $9100Dee AlfordATLUpgrade
You likely don’t need much persuading from me to start him but in the event you do, CeeDee Lamb has a golden matchup this week against Dee Alford of the Falcons. Alford is one of the most heavily targeted corners in the NFL and his 3 touchdowns allowed is tied for the most among slot corners. Lamb and his 27% target share should shine in this spot
Ladd McConkeyLAC$5600 / $6400Ja'Quan McMillianCLEUpgrade
I’m hopeful for another good game this week for Ladd McConkey as he and the Chargers return from their bye. Also working in his favor is a matchup against Ja'Quan McMillian of the Broncos. Denver has become a major funnel toward the middle of the field and McMillian is doing all he can to stay above water. He’s seen 33 targets already and is allowing a catch on nearly 70% of them.
Amon-Ra St. BrownDET$7900 / $8600Byron MurphyGBUpgrade
This one is a bit more speculative but one of my favorite plays nonetheless. Adonai Mitchell, the Colts’ 2nd-round rookie had 3 separate passes overthrown in his direction last week, leaving nearly 150 yards and 2 touchdowns in his wake. I think an athletic freak of nature like AD can continue to get open this week running against Keisean Nixon of the Packers. Nixon simply doesn't have the physical gifts to keep Mitchell contained and is near the bottom of the league with 3.7 yards of separation allowed on average. I think this week is the breakout game for Mitchell.
Khalil ShakirBUF$5900 / $6100Michael CarterMIAUpgrade
Buffalo has more vacated targets than I can recall seeing in quite some time and that leaves Khalil Shakir as the beneficiary. He should meet little resistance in catching those vacated targets as he lines up against Garrett Williams, the Cardinals’ slot corner who allowed a catch on 72.4% of targets in his coverage last year. Its unclear if Shakir stays in the slot for more than 3/4th of snaps like he did last year but I’d expect that he is there plenty this season.
Demario DouglasNE$4400 / $5000Kader KohouTENUpgrade
Boyd had an amazing 30% target share last week and doubled the amount of targets Chase had. He could have also had a touchdown to go with his 8 catches and 117 yards, but the game winner bounced off his hands in the endzone at the end of the game. Boyd will continue to see an increased workload with Higgins out, making him a safe play this week.