Welcome to the weekly wide receiver/cornerback breakdown and a Happy Thanksgiving from our #FAmily to yours! We will review each of the outside matchups, as well as my 10 favorite matchups in the slot. Then, below the charts in this article, I break down my five absolute favorite matchups. This article is also critical for daily players, as this will help you gain a competitive advantage when setting your lineups. It is the last week of the fantasy regular season, so your lineup decisions have never been more critical. Let’s get you to the playoffs! Follow me on Twitter (@fightingchance) as well!
| Left WR | Right CB | Analysis |
| DeAndre Hopkins ARI | Jalen Ramsey LAR | He has had 55 yards or less in three of the last four games, and his quarterback clearly doesn’t have a healthy shoulder. Usually I would say forget it, get Hopkins out there for your fantasy team. Now throw in a matchup against one of the best corners in the league and it becomes even more dicey. San Francisco found a way to avoid Ramsey last week, and perhaps Kliff Kingsbury can do the same. I just can't see you being in a place with your fantasy playoffs on the line and you not putting Hopkins in your lineup. He might not be an active DFS target because of who he is facing, but in season long leagues you will kick yourself if you bench Hopkins and then he has a big game. |
| Julio Jones ATL | Marshon Lattimore NO | How much risk do you like? Jones missed last week's game with a hamstring injury, the same one that forced him to leave Week 11 early and we have seen this routine a couple of times this year. If he is active, do you have the guts to put him in your lineup if you need this one to make the playoffs? I would say if he is active that you should, even with a tough matchup against Lattimore who hasn't been his usual shut down self. Jones got you to this dance, you don't leave him on the bleachers and take some other person to the dance. You take the one that got you there unless the practice reports are so sketchy and he is a true game-time decision which is likely. If he seems good to go on Friday or Saturday you grab his hand and pull him on to that dance floor and you two will burn it up and get your fantasy victories! |
| Marquise Brown BAL | Chidobe Awuzie DAL | Man, if he is going to make something happen, this better be the game he does it. Brown has been one of the biggest disappointments of the year, but he has his chance to make a mark against one of the worst defenses in football. Awuzie has been one of their better corners in the past, but he has been beaten for five catches and 60+ yards in each of his two games back. This one will come down to if Lamar Jackson can throw accurately and if Marquise Brown can catch. Sounds simple doesn't it? But it has been these two skills all season long that have eluded them at separate times. When Jackson hits on the mark, Brown drops it. When Brown gets open, Jackson misses him by five yards. The Cowboys defense is there for the taking, they just have to do it. I would feel comfortable with this plus matchup for Brown if you still have him on a roster and would use him in your flex spot. |
| Stefon Diggs BUF | Richard Sherman SF | The catch total of seven was nice last week, but for him to only come up with 39 yards against a bogus Chargers secondary was one of the bigger disappointments of Week 12. We look for Diggs to bounce back, but he does get the 49ers at a time that their secondary is actually healthy. Sherman played well in his first game back since Week 1 and allowed only one catch on him and had an interception. However, Diggs is still one of the most targeted receivers in football, and you'd be a fool to think that San Francisco can keep him in check the whole game. Diggs is still a lock for six catches and 70 yards as a floor with a chance to get over 90 on Monday night. |
| Allen Robinson CHI | Amani Oruwariye DET | It is like the gods of fantasy football have this vendetta against Robinson and they keep putting him in tough situations to see if he can succeed and damn it he keeps succeeding. Even with Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback Robinson still had eight catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns against a good Packers secondary. There has only been one game all year long where Robinson scored under ten fantasy points in PPR scoring. You'd love to see him have more than five touchdowns, but he is playing with bums at quarterback so we get what we can. You might remember Oruwariye from your Thanksgiving Day game where the Texans receivers were beating him up and down the field. Robinson is set to shine this week. |
| Tee Higgins CIN | Xavien Howard MIA | While I thought it would be Tyler Boyd who kept most of his fantasy value with the loss of Joe Burrow, it was Higgins who still did okay with five catches for 44 yards and a very late touchdown. There is so much to be concerned with in this offense with what is sure to be putrid quarterback play. Higgins is still likely to be right up there in the team lead in targets, it is just a matter of if the offense can pivot to something that resembles decent with Brandon Allen at quarterback. Xavien Howard has been shutting down elite receivers left and right this year and I really worry about Higgins in such a tough matchup. You can use him as your flex, but I would keep everything crossed and hope that he can at least get you ten fantasy points against a tough Dolphins defense. |
| Rashard Higgins CLE | Malcolm Butler TEN | The Browns offense is far from explosive, but you had to expect the passing game to be a little more explosive than it was against the Jaguars last week. Higgins was a bitter disappointment as an actual starting wide receiver against Jacksonville with just one catch for 15 yards. Even with Odell Beckham out for the year, he has taken almost no advantage of the situation. The Browns run the hell out of the ball and then spread the passes around very thin after Jarvis Landry gets his. The Titans are not a strong secondary but they are better than the Jaguars so I don't see a path to a fantasy relevant game for Higgins here. |
| Amari Cooper DAL | Jimmy Smith BAL | The offense stinks, the team is in turmoil, and the whole thing is headed nowhere. However, Cooper continues to produce. He had a big six catc, 112-yard effort with a touchdown on Thanksgiving, marking the third straight game he has had five or more catches and 65+ yards. This is not going to be an easy one though. Baltimore is one of the better secondaries in football, and Smith has allowed more than two catches against him just once all season long. Andy Dalton looks lost at times, but he does seem to find a way to keep finding Cooper. He should still be good for four or five catches and 55-60 yards in this one, but I wouldn't expect a touchdown. |
| Jerry Jeudy DEN | Bashaud Breeland KC | Obviously last week is a complete throwaway as the Broncos were forced to play without a quarterback. Jeudy had been targeted eight or more times in four straight games before that. His biggest issue is subpar quarterback play, and that isn't likely to change before the season ends. His hope is for good matchups and this game against the Chiefs doesn't fall into that category. Breeland allows just under ten yards per catch and a 56 percent catch rate. He has been beaten for a touchdown in two of the last three weeks, but Jeudy had just two catches for 20 yards the first time these two teams played. The Chiefs don't let off the gas on defense when they have a large lead and they should annihilate the Broncos. Jeudy can still be a risky flex play based on recent usage, but I am not getting a big game vibe from this one. |
| Marvin Jones DET | Jaylon Johnson CHI | He has continued to enjoy increased usage with Kenny Golladay on the shelf, but he hasn't exacly been lighting the world on fire. Jones has averaged five catches and 50 yards over the past two weeks, including on Thanksgiving Day. He has ten days to get ready for this one, but the Bears defense only struggles against top flight offenses and the Lions are certainly not one of those. I think that Jones can continue his recent run of about ten fantasy points a game. He had four catches for 55 yards back in Week 1 against the Bears and I think that is a very realistic expectation with a hope of two or three more fantasy points in there for this coming week. |
| Davante Adams GB | Darius Slay PHI | Whoa his usage is way down the last two weeks! That is by Adams standards as he has had just nine targets in each of the last two weeks after averaging over 12 the previous five weeks. This is not to be taken seriously, of course, as there is nothing to nit pick at Adams game. He has 100 yards in three of the last six weeks and has scored in six straight. Darius Slay has been a Pro-Bowler before, but D.K. Metcalf just took him to school on Monday night and I expect Adams to do the same this week. I am not predicting the 177 yards that Metcalf had, but if Adams were to go over 120 yards and have a touchdown I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. |
| Brandin Cooks HOU | Xavier Rhodes IND | He has 80+ receiving yards in three of his last four games, and Cooks was just elevated to the top receiver on the team with the suspension of Will Fuller. The only issue here is that no other receiver on the team demands much attention from the defense and now Cooks will be seeing the opposing team's best cornerback. In this case it is Rhodes who is a top-ten corner according to Pro Football Focus. He surrenders a staggeringly low 44 percent catch rate, and Rhodes has a spectacular 63.7 quarterback rating against. With Fuller out you have no choice but to put Cooks in your seasonal lineups, but this isn't a matchup that has me feeling like he is going to break 100 yards and have a touchdown. |
| Michael Pittman IND | Vernon Hargreaves HOU | After enjoying his breakout game against the Titans just two weeks before, I couldn't have guessed that Pittman would come up so small as to have just 28 yards in Week 12 against those same Titans. He did have nine targets, so it isn't like he was forgotten, he just didn't have the connection with Philip Rivers. he gets a break in that he has a matchup against a soft Texans secondary, and then it is brought to another level of excitement as their top corner, Bradley Roby, was just suspended for PED use. Hargreaves is pretty terrible, allowing nearly 15 yards per catch and is ranked 116th among all corners and rated as just 37.6 out of 100 in coverage both at Pro Football Focus. Pittman is set up for a really nice bounce back game here assuming the Colts can get their offense moving unlike last week. Personally, I am starting Pittman on every roster I have him on. |
| D.J. Chark JAX | Kris Boyd MIN | He missed last week with a rib injury, but it is hard to put too much stock in Chark right now given the way the season is going.He has just four touchdowns all year, and three of them were in Week 4 or earlier. He has had one nagging injury after another, and the ribs are the latest in a tough season. Throw in the fact that he now has a third string quarterback throwing him the ball and the confidence meter on Chark is dragging on the ground. Mike Glennon wasn't a complete waste last week, but he isn't filling defensive coordinators full of fear. He at least has a good matchup this week with Boyd who is rated 50.8 out of 100 by PFF in coverage and allows a quarterback rating against of 110.8. Chark has a significant six inch height advantage over him, so he at least still belongs in the flex spot in most rosters still fighting for fantasy playoff consideration. |
| Demarcus Robinson KC | A.J. Bouye DEN | His usage took a slight dip last week with Sammy Watkins returning, but Robinson continued to be just outside of fantasy consideration. He has been a little more consistent of late with at least eight fantasy points in four straight weeks, but we need even more production than that for him to be worth even having on a roster. This offense goes through Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, and maybe Sammy Watkins leaving Robinson just too far down the wire to be worth considering in this crucial week. |
| Robert Woods LAR | Patrick Peterson ARI | He is now on a little roll as he has 19 catches for 210 yards and a touchdown in the last two weeks against the 49ers and Buccaneers. The matchup is tough in name value as everyone knows who Patrick Peterson is, but he has really been struggling of late. He allowed three catches and 37 yards last week which doesn't sound bad, but it was against the Patriots. Peterson should be able to shut dhem down. He has also allowed 11 of the last 13 targets against him to be caught and has given up three touchdowns in the last three weeks. The Rams are really focused on their wide receivers right now and even though Jared Goff was objectively awful last week, Woods still had success. Look for another 14-17 fantasy point game for him in Week 13. |
| Mike Williams LAC | Stephon Gilmore NE | He continues to be a roller coaster for fantasy players, even if he has had more ups than downs compared to other seasons. He has a big armed quarterback who certainly has the ability to make any throw. He has been targeted just five times in two of the last three games, and he won't have an easy matchup with the Patriots secondary. Whether it is Gilmore or J.C. Jackson, both will have lockdowns on Williams. He does have three inches on Gilmore so if the Chargers are down around the end zone he could be a favorable target in Week 13. |
| Henry Ruggs LV | Lamar Jackson NYJ | He did break 50 receiving yards for the third tiem this season, but Ruggs has also had under ten receiving yards four times. This will be the best matchup of the season for him against the Jets who have been awful all season long. Ruggs will still be a longshot dart throw, but if he is going to do anything this season, this has to be the week. I'm not using him, but at least the matchup is definitely on his side. |
| DeVante Parker MIA | William Jackson III CIN | His production with Ryan Fitzpatrick is always better than it was with Tua Tagovailoa and that is good news for the coming weeks. Parker had 119 yards on eight catches last week, and he gets another great matchup against the Bengals. Jackson is a top-25 cornerback according to Pro Football Focus, but Parker has a three inch height advantage over him. Jackson allows 14.4 yards per catch on the year, and Parker averages about 12 yards per catch. Fitzpatrick definitely likes to take chances down the field, and Jackson's defensive average depth of target of 13.3 yards. The Dolphins should be able to move the ball on the Bengals and Parker should have a very solid game. Look for him to fall on the low-end WR2 or elite WR3 landscape. |
| Adam Thielen MIN | Tre Herndon JAX | He was forced to miss last week after a false positive Covid test, and Thielen should be back for this one in the juiciest of matchups against the Jaguars. Thielen has four touchdowns in the last two games that he has played, and the Vikings pass offense is in the best streak of the season. Herndon allows nearly 14 yards per catch against him with a nearly 70 percent catch rate. The way that Thielen is targeted in most weeks, this is a smash play for Week 13. He will help you clinch that playoff spot or bye week in season long leagues, and will help you win some DFS money as well. |
| Damiere Byrd NE | Casey Hayward LAC | To no one's surprise Byrd was unable to repeat his performance from Week 11 where he had 132 passing yards. He was targeted seven times for the second straight week, but this Patriots offense is just a disaster. Byrd has five or more catches in just four weeks this season and has three games with one or no catches. The Chargers secondary isn't very good, but the Patriots pass game is worse. The Patriots have a good chance of running the ball against the Los Angeles defense. There is nothing this season that suggests you should play Byrd in this game. |
| Michael Thomas NO | Darqueze Dennard ATL | We have to hope that we see plenty more of the Week 11 Thomas than the Week 12 Thomas. Last week against the Broncos, Thomas had just four catches for 50 yards. Taysom Hill is still wanting to run more than pass, but he has to get back to Michael Thomas who is the bread and butter of the offense. He has yet to score in his five games this season, and the Falcons secondary has been playing slightly better. However, this is still Michael Thomas who is still one of the top receivers in the game. There is no reason to not trust MT in this crucial week. |
| Darius Slayton NYG | Tre Flowers SEA | I don't know if I have ever been more upset with a player than I was with Slayton last week with his no catch "effort" against the Bengals. Slayton has been completely boom or bust with three games all season where he has topped 60 receiving yards and four with 35 yards or less. The Seahawks secondary hasn't been good all year, but they have been playing better of late. Slayton also lost Daniel Jones and I can't see Slayton having a big game with Colt McCoy in this game. Keep Slayton on your bench this week. |
| Breshad Perriman NYJ | Damon Arnette LV | He does have three straight games of 50 receiving yards or more, but this certainly feels hollow. Perriman is better with Joe Flacco than Sam Darnold, but the four catch and 79 yard game last week was with Darnold. The Raiders secondary isn't good at all, and Arnette was dinged up last week with a concussion. I still don't have faith in Perriman even with this recent little hot streak. The Jets do play from behind constantly, but I also think that Jamison Crowder gets back involved more in the coming weeks, and Perriman is a tough guy to trust with a starting roster spot this week. |
| Travis Fulgham PHI | Jaire Alexander GB | The bottom has officially dropped out on Fulgham's value. After being a stud for five weeks, the guy has just 32 receiving yards in the last three games on four catches. The Eagles pass game is a disaster between the play calling, offensive line, and quarterback play. Even if Jaire Alexander spends half the game on Jalen Reagor there is literally no way that you can trust Fulgham this week. |
| Diontae Johnson PIT | Kendall Fuller WAS | You can trust in death, taxes, and Diontae Johnson having ten or more targets when healthy. Johnson has been on fire since the Steelers have just decided to throw a ton regardless of how much they are ahead. They might have a hard time making a mockery of the Washington defense as they have two top 20 corners according to Pro Football Focus. Johnson has an amazing knack of getting open and while he might not have a 20 fantasy point game in this one, 15 is definitely in his wheelhouse. |
| D.K. Metcalf SEA | James Bradberry NYG | Earlier in the season, Bradberry was near the top of Pro Football Focus ranking of cornerbacks, but in recent weeks he has fallen all the way to 16th as the Giants stud has been unable to keep the entire defense together himself. He is going to have his hands full this week against Metcalf who made a mockery of the Eagles secondary on Monday night. The Seahawks boss receiver has three inches and 17 pounds on Bradberry and should be able to out-physical his defender. Metcalf has 100 yards in three of the last five games, and has nine touchdowns on the year. He should have another 100-yard game and another touchdown in this one. |
| Deebo Samuel SF | Tre'Davious White BUF | He was ultra impressive in his first game back from injury with 11 catches for 133 yards although he didn't score. It was vintage Deebo as he got the ball behind the line a few times and made things happen in space. He also ran hard and on more than one catch got several extra yards just with his effort. He will face what we thought was going to be a tough defense in Buffalo and stud corner White, but hasn't been very studly of late. White has allowed 50 receiving yards or more in three straight and touchdowns in two of the last three games. Nick Mullens is far from a great quarterback, but the team is so good at scheming for their strengths and you should feel very confident with Samuel in your lineup. |
| A.J. Brown TEN | Denzel Ward CLE | After a rough one catch game against the Colts two weeks ago, Brown bounced back with a nice 98-yard effort and another touchdown. Ward is a solid corner, but he isn't quite the elite guy he was a couple years ago. It also doesn't matter to me who is guarding Brown because he almost always gets his. There are only two games all season where he hasn't found the end zone, and I don't expect that streak to end against the Browns who have surrendered 22 passing touchdowns this year with four attributed to Ward. The Titans are coming off a huge passing game and Brown should keep that momentum rolling again in Week 13. |
| Terry McLaurin WAS | Joe Haden PIT | He will break 1,000 receiving yards this week as he has 963 yards to this point. McLaurin has 80+ yards in five straight and he has seven catches in five of the last six. Despite subpar quarterback play, McLaurin continues to have success. The only thing holding him back from being among the elite is the three touchdowns he has this year. Haden is a good corner and allows just a 52 percent catch rate and 73.6 quarterback rating against. However, he does allow 13.5 yards per catch and was burned badly by Tee Higgins a couple of weeks ago. Pittsburgh has a great defense, but McLaurin is matchup proof and should absoultely be in your lineups this week. |
| Right WR | Left CB | Analysis |
| Christian Kirk ARI | Darious Williams LAR | Kirk's descension back into fantasy obscurity as he dropped a touchdown and ended up with just three catches for 19 yards against the Patriots. Kyler Murray's banged up shoulder isn't helping his value, but Kirk himself hasn't played well. He has been targeted six times in each of the last three weeks, but he has had an average per catch of under seven yards in two of the last three weeks. Williams is one of the best young corners in football and PFF has him ranked as the third best corner in the NFL through 12 weeks. Until we see Kyler Murray back to his usual, aggressive self, Kirk should be left on your bench. |
| Calvin Ridley ATL | Janoris Jenkins NO | Whether Julio Jones plays in this one or not, Ridley is going to be a solid play in this game. He has nine targets in each of the last two games, and honestly he is the safer play than Jones with his health concerns. Ridley has scored in three of the last five games. His production has been down in the last five weeks as opposed to the first five weeks of the season, but his best game in that stretch was the five-catch, 90-yard effort two weeks ago against these same Saints. Ridley isn't a smash DFS play, but he should help you clinch that playoff spot or first round bye in the season long leagues. |
| Devin Duvernay BAL | Anthony Brown DAL | This is a great matchup against the Cowboys but who knows how much Duvernay will even be thrown to. He hasn't been targeted more than three times in any game this season and hasn't had more than 45 yards in any game. The talent is there, this offense is just awful passing the ball. If a couple of pass catchers are still ineligible Duvernay could have a solid game, but he would be an extremely risky play in Week 13 considering he has 15 catches all season and no touchdowns. |
| Gabriel Davis BUF | Jason Verrett SF | With John Brown on IR, this brings Davis on to the edge of fantasy relevance against lesser defenses. He was targeted just four times last week against the Chargers but he did have three catches for 79 yards. The Niners secondary is getting healthy, and the defense played strong against the Rams. Verrett is a top-five corner according to Pro Football Focus and allows just under nine yards per catch. Davis depends more on the deep ball, and I think it is going to be a low-volume game for him. You could find worse dart throws on the slate, but I am less confident in him than I was last week. |
| Darnell Mooney CHI | Darryl Roberts DET | He was hanging out on the fringe of fantasy relevancy, but that seems to be a thing of the past with Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback. Mooney was targeted nine times last week so he is clearly second after Allen Robinson, but this offense isn't going to move the ball enough for another guy to be consistenly relevant in fantasy. Things got a little more exciting for Mooney with the Lions losing a starting corner, and he isn't the worst dart throw out there. |
| A.J. Green CIN | Byron Jones MIA | He is now catchless in two of the last three games, and the tiny hope of Green regaining some fantasy value went bye-bye with the injury to Joe Burrow. Green can be sent packing to the waiver wire if you haven't done that already. |
| KhaDarel Hodge CLE | Breon Borders TEN | Hodge got a little bit of fantasy attention in Week 11 when he had 73 yards on three catches, but that was fun while it lasted as he had just 31 yards last week against the lowly Jags. The Browns passing game isn't enough to have more than one wide receiver be fantasy relevant, and even their tight ends are not really showing up for much production. Hodge is decent at best and even in this good matchup there isn't any readon to think he will have a fantasy friendly game on Sunday. |
| Michael Gallup DAL | Marcus Peters BAL | Sadly, the ten fantasy points in PPR leagues for Gallup were his most since Week 8, and he has crossed that threshold just four times all season. Gallup has been one of the bigger disappointments of fantasy football in 2020, and with the disaster at quarterback and offensive line, it isn't going to get better going forward. Peters and the Ravens represent a matchup the Cowboys have little hope for in putting up quality passing numbers and you shouldn't be using Gallup in Week 13. |
| Tim Patrick DEN | Charvarious Ward KC | Well, at least we know that the Broncos will have a quarterback this week. How much that matters, remains to be seen. Ward and the Chiefs secondary have allowed just 17 passing touchdowns in 11 games, although Ward himself is responsible for four of them. However, Drew Lock is looking lost lately, and the Broncos offense isn't instilling fear in anyone's heart. Patrick had just three catches for 44 yards the first time they played the Chiefs, but he has been the most consistent receiver on the team. He has four catches or more in every game but three, and one of those doesn't count because they didn't have a quarterback. Patrick isn't a great play in Week 13, but Denver is going to throw a lot in the second half. He could surprise, but I don't feel good about it. |
| Marvin Hall DET | Kyle Fuller CHI | Hall burst on the fantasy scene in Week 8 with a 113-yard game and the air has been let out of the balloon as fast as it was filled. He did have another big catch with a touchdown in Week 10, but Hall has had only two games with 30 yards all season long. Even without Kenny Golladay, Hall isn't in play. He had just a single catch for 26 yards back in Week 1 against the Bears, and with Matthew Stafford's thumb still injured it is hard to trust anyone but Marvin Jones and T.J. Hockenson catching the ball for Detroit. |
| Allen Lazard GB | Avonte Maddox PHI | His four catches for 23 yards in a game where the Packers did some damage wasn't overly encouraging, but a few things did make me happy. First, he scored a touchdown, and second, Marquez Valdes-Scantling wasn't even targeted. That makes Lazard's six targets much more attractive. I still think he is the second receiver on this team, even though Adams eats up most of the targets. Lazard is 6'5" and Maddox is 5'9", allows 13 yards per catch, and is ranked 119th in PFF's cornerback rankings. That is awful. It is a bit of a stretch, but I don't hate Lazard in any fantasy format this week. |
| Keke Coutee HOU | Rock Ya-Sin IND | Will Fuller was suspended, Randall Cobb is on IR, and Kenny Stills was cut. There isn't a lot left in Houston in the wide receiver room, which pushes Coutee into duty. He has just six catches all season long and has been a healthy scratch often. He has had a few decent games in his career, but Coutee was easily passed over by several receivers. The Texans brought in other receivers via trade and free agency for a reason. They didn't have faith in him. His first matchup as a starter is against one of the best defenses in football. Don't get cute and roll with Coutee. |
| T.Y. Hilton IND | Eric Murray HOU | He topped 50 yards for just the third time all season and Hilton also caught his first touchdown of the season in Week 12. Wow. Normally, I would say not to buy into that, but the Texans just lost their best corner in Bradley Roby to suspension which means their already bad secondary is down another guy. Murray allows a ridiculous 82 percent catch rate and 13 yards per catch. I am far from high on Hilton, but can he take advantage of the situation of going against a bad defense that is down one of their best? If you are in dire straits Hilton might not be the worst option, but he's looked flat all year I would hate to count on him now. |
| Chris Conley JAX | Chris Jones MIN | Conley missed last week with an injury, and honestly whether he plays or not shouldn't be crucial to your fantasy team. He has four games with just a single catch and just one touchdown all season long. He also has Mike Glennon at quarterback, so it really isn't all that relevant that Jones and the Vikings secondary isn't that great. Conley could luck into a decent role if D.J. Chark misses another game, and the same can be said for Collin Johnson if both Chark and Conley miss another game. You shouldn't be counting on Conley or Johnson though in a week to clinch a playoff spot. |
| Mecole Hardman KC | Essang Bassey DEN | This offense revolves around Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill with some running game mixed in. With Sammy Watkins back and Demarcus Robinson seeing more targets than usual this leaves Hardman out in the cold unless he happens to break a long touchdown. He has 87 receiving yards in the last three weeks combined and even against the Broncos he should be nowhere near any fantasy lineups. |
| Josh Reynolds LAR | Dre Kirkpatrick ARZ | Remember when we thought Reynolds had lasting fantasy value? That was cute of us, wasn't it? Reynolds did see some increased targets for about three weeks, but he has been back down to six in each of the last two games. He did have five catches for 40 yards last week, but nine fantasy points in PPR leagues isn't bringing home the fantasy playoff berths. The Rams have gone back to heavily targeting Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, and Reynolds has certainly become a distant third option. Kirkpatrick and his 75 percent catch rate allowed aren't very good at all, but Reynolds just isn't getting the usage to warrant fantasy consideration unless he happense to score a touchdown, but he hasn't done that since Week 7. He isn't a strong play in any fantasy leagues this week. |
| Jalen Guyton LAC | J.C. Jackson NE | Whooo hoooo he had his best game since Week 7 last week. Wait, what? His best game in over a month was three catches for 33 yards? Yeah, we have to pass here. Guyton was catching some touchdowns in the month of October, but that has run dry now and has less than ten receiving yards in three of his last five. The Patriots secondary isn't great, but it is plenty good enough to hold this guy in check. |
| Nelson Agholor LV | Bryce Hall NYJ | I was all in on Agholor last week in what seemed like a dream matchup against the Falcons, but somehow Freddy Krueger showed up and it turned into a nightmare for Vegas. Agholor still had a respectable day with five catches for 54 yards, but I expected more. He has been wildly inconsistent this season, but he again has a plus plus plus matchup against the Jets who give up points to everyone. I might have been disappointed too much last week to trust Agholor for DFS contests, but he is a very strong play in season long lineups this week as the Raiders should drop 30+ points against the Jets. |
| Jakeem Grant MIA | LeShaun Sims CIN | We were hoping that maybe Grant would step up with the injury to Preston Williams but it didn't happen. Then the next thought was maybe now that Ryan Fitzpatrick is at quarterback that the offense might be a little more prolific. However, it isn't happening for this guy as he has just four catches for 27 yards in the last two games combined. Sims is ranked 111th among all corners according to Pro Football Focus, but you are taking an awful big chance in Week 13 in your fantasy lineups. Grant is more a long dart throw in a DFS GPP but even that isn't really advised. |
| Justin Jefferson MIN | Chris Claybrooks JAX | I'm not going to deep dive into stats about why the Jaguars secondary is bad. You should already know it by this point of the season. However, if I must Claybooks allows a 76 percent catch rate and over 13 yards per catch. Jefferson, on the other hand, is on fire. Yes, Adam Thielen will be back for this one, but it hasn't mattered as Jefferson has officially made himself an every week fantasy play. Jacksonville has allowed 23 passing touchdowns this season, and Jefferson has three scores in the last two weeks. This is the perfect storm of season long and DFS greatness and Jefferson should absolutely be in play in all formats. |
| N'Keal Harry NE | Michael Davis LAC | he has just six catches in the last FIVE weeks combined! He also has just 24 on the season. Harry has been dinged up here and there, but is that a guy you want to trust in a crucial week for your fantasy playoff chances? The Chargers secondary is suspect, but Davis is probably the best they have and I can't picture a scenario where I would feel good trusting Harry in this game. |
| Emmanuel Sanders NO | A.J. Terrell ATL | I'm not exactly sure what this offense is that the Saints are running with Taysom Hill at quarterback, but I don't like it. It is especially bad for fantasy purposes, unless you like Taysom Hill rushing touchdowns. Sanders did have four catches for 66 yards two weeks ago against the Saints, but two-thirds of that came on one long bomb that Hill embarrassingly underthrew. Last week it was one catch for four yards for Sanders. I know it is Week 13 and we are all dealing with injuries but this is hard to trust. The Falcons secondary has been a little better of late, and Sanders has five or fewer receiving yards in two of the last three. Even with what looks like a good matchup on paper might be a trap for your playoff clinching week. |
| Sterling Shepard NYG | Shaquill Griffin SEA | Shepard continues the same trajectory he has been on since coming back from injury in Week 7. He catches at least six passes, but he still hasn't topped 75 yards. He is like a comfortable pair of jeans. Sure, they aren't anything special, but you know that they are going to button even if you go on a two week eating binge. Shepard is like that. He is going to consistently get you 11-14 fantasy points, even if he never wins a week for you. The Seahawks secondary is playing a little better, but even with Colt McCoy at quarterback, I expect Shepard to continue to get usage. |
| Denzel Mims NYJ | Trayvon Mullen LV | This might be the only bright spot for the Jets this season is they are at least getting promising results from their young receiver. Mims has been targeted 23 times in the last three games, and while he has caught just 11 of them, he has at least 60 receiving yards in each. We would love to see him find the end zone, but the Jets as a whole aren't doing that much so it is hard to expect too much from Mims. Before shutting down the Falcons last week, Mullen had allowed over 150 yards in his previous two games combined. Mims won't be a DFS play but if he has been in your flex in season long leagues he can remain there for this matchup. |
| Jalen Reagor PHI | Kevin King GB | Love this kid, hate the situation. The talent is there, but the offensive line is giving Carson Wentz no time, he is making bad decisions, and leading the league in interceptions. Reagor is still averaging over six targets a game since he returned from injury, but the Eagles offense is just going nowhere fast. King isn't an elite corner, but he is still solid and you really can't trust Reagor until we see any sort of decent game from Philly. |
| Chase Claypool PIT | Ronald Darby WSH | Darby had allowed 20 receiving yards or less in five straight games before Amari Cooper had his way with him on Thanksgiving day to the tune of 97 yards and a touchdown on five catches. That was the first touchdown that Darby had allowed since Week 4. The Steelers have been on a total hot streak passing the ball, but it has also been against bad defenses and they play one of the best this week, but Claypool's upside is hard to ignore. At 6'4" he has a six inch height advantage over Darby, and even though Washington had ten days to get ready for this one and the Steelers have been dragged around the schedule, Claypool is still a strong play. |
| Brandon Aiyuk SF | Levi Wallace BUF | This dude lives on the Covid list, but he has already been activated for Monday. Aiyuk has proven in his rookie season that he will be a part of fantasy football for a long time and he has 75+ receiving yards in three straight games to go with his 21 catches in that span. Wallace is a few weeks back from injury now, and has been playing fairly well since his return. He does allow 12.9 yards per catch but just a quarterback rating against of just 82.8. The power of the 49ers playcalling often gets Aiyuk in space with the ball and Wallace has allowed 150 yards after the catch in just seven games. Aiyuk has played just one game since Week 8 because of Covid, so he should be strong and ready to go for this one. He profiles as a WR3 on Monday night. |
| David Moore SEA | Isaac Yiadom NYG | It isn't every day you see a guy have three catches for -6 yards and a touchdown but that is what Moore had on Monday night against the Eagles. If that isn't the most 2020 stat line I don't know what is. Moore now has -1 total yards in his last five catches over a two week span. Yeah, I know that the Giants secondary isn't very good, but do you really want to use a guy who has had under 20 receiving yards in four of the last five weeks? |
| Corey Davis TEN | Terrance Mitchell CLE | This should be an interesting matchup as Davis has had 65+ yards in four of the last five games including 70 on Thanksgiving, but Mitchell has played really well of late too as he has allowed ten yards or less in three of his last four. However, Mitchell does average allowing 13.1 yards per catch and a quarterback rating against of 105.7. He has also been burned for four touchdowns this season. Davis enjoys a four inch height advantage on him, and the Titans pass game is coming off a huge game and Davis is definitely someone you can play in your flex spot in Week 13. |
| Cam Sims WSH | Steven Nelson PIT | We have watched his production fall from his Week 9 explosion where he had 110 yards down to 54 in Week 10, down to 20 in Week 11, and no catches and no targets in Week 12 against the lowly Cowboys secondary. Think he has fallen off the fantasy radar? Yeah, me too. |
Now, here are my 10 favorite matchups in the slot in Week 13.
| Slot WR | Slot CB | Analysis |
| Tyreek Hill KC | Bryce Callahan DEN | Essang Bassey lines up the vast majority of the time in the slot for the Broncos but you have to figure that Hill gets a lot of Bryce Callahan who has lined up in the slot 34% of the time and is by far the Broncos best corner. Callahan is a top three corner according to Pro Football Focus, but I just don't know if it matters who is on him right now he is on such a hot streak. he started this five game touchdown streak with one against the Broncos in Week 7 when he had six catches for 55 yards which was his worst game in the last month. Fire up Hill in all formats. |
| Keenan Allen LAC | Jonathan Jones NE | He does have 40 yards or less in two of the last three games, but Allen has scored in five straight and is clearly Justin Herbert's favorite target. The veteran receiver is proving that he is worth the contract the team gave him coming into the year. The Pats slot corner allows a 67 percent catch rate and has been burned for two touchdowns in the last three weeks. Allen also has a four inch height advantage over him which is quite tasty in the red zone. I expect Justin Herbert to be able to throw on the Pats in the California weather and Allen to be the main beneficiary of that. He is a great start for Week 13. |
| Jarvis Landry CLE | Desmond King TEN | He finally had the big game we expected when Odell Beckham went out with eight catches and 143 yards against the Jaguars. Now, we have to take the opponent into account, although the Titans aren't exactly the toughest defense either. They did trade for King at the deadline and after two shaky games after coming over, he has been much better in the last two allowing just 37 yards in those games combined. The Browns just don't have any other reliable, veteran receivers to throw to so I think that Landry will continue to see more volume. He needs to continue to find the end zone, but in PPR leagues he should be a lock for over ten fantasy points. |
| Tyler Lockett SEA | Darnay Holmes NYG | The inconsistency of 2020 continues as Lockett had just three catches for 23 yards on Monday night, one week after having nine catches and a touchdown the previous week. Lockett is going to break 1,000 yards and have ten touchdowns for the season in all likelihood, but this season can't be called a success when so much production was built into so few games. That was his fifth game of less than ten fantasy points in PPR scoring. Holmes allows an 80 percent catch rate and is ranked 110th among all corners by Pro Football Focus. If Lockett doesn't have one of his signature games here, there should be red flags flying all over. |
| Cooper Kupp LAR | Byron Murphy ARZ | Kupp was probably one of the biggest disappointments last week with just two catches for 41 yards a week after dropping 11 and 145. He still is either first or second in targets most weeks, and should get back on track so don't be scared away. Tyler Lockett had nine catches and 67 yards with a touchdown out of the slot in Week 11 against the Cardinals and Murphy allows just under 11 yards per catch which is high for a slot corner. He also has allowed over 170 yards this season after the catch, which is where Kupp excels. I don't expect him to blow up for another double digit catch and 100 yard game, but Kupp should be good for 14-16 fantasy points in PPR scoring in this one. |
| Juju Smith-Schuster PIT | Jimmy Moreland WSH | He had a foot injury scare which seems to be behind him, and Smith-Schuster continues to have a fine second half of the year. The Steelers have also shown recently that no matter how far ahead they are on the scoreboard that they are going to continue to throw. Washington is the best pass defense by yards allowed, but Moreland has also allowed five receptions on him in each of the last two weeks. He might be third on his team as far as production in this game, but Smith-Schuster is still going ot be a strong start for your season long lineups in Week 13. |
| Hunter Renfrow LV | Arthur Maulet NYJ | After three straight games with just two catches, Renfrow decided to pop back up and have success with seven catches for 73 yards in Week 12. Of course, it was against the Falcons secondary and it was in a game where they were getting crushed so there were ample throwing opportunities. This one is another great matchup against the winless Jets and Maulet who has allowed almost 86 percent of passes thrown at him in the last three weeks to be complete. And two of those were against the Patriots and Dolphins, so not exactly high octane offenses. Renfrow isn't going to win you a matchup with his production, but he should give you another solid five or six catches for 65-75 yards with a good chance at a touchdown in this one. |
| Cole Beasley BUF | Emmanuel Moseley SF | He has been all over the map with volume lately, but the truth of the matter is he should be the second most used receiver with John Brown on IR. I don't see the Bills able to run the ball a ton against San Francisco, so I see Josh Allen throwing the ball 40 times. Despite three games with under five targets recently, Beasley has seven games of six targets or more this season. Moseley has had his struggles at times this year and while he shouldn't get crushed in this one, Beasley should be able to get 12-14 fantasy points in PPR scoring. |
| Jakobi Meyers NE | Chris Harris LAC | The shine is certainly off the star from a few weeks ago, but Meyers hasn't completely fallen apart. He still has five catches in four of the last five weeks, and has had at least ten fantasy points in PPR scoring in four of the last five as well. He still doesn't have a touchdown this season, but the quarterback isn't very good, and the offense likes to run down in the red zone. Harris has just one game under his belt after a two month absence with a foot injury and likely isn't 100 percent. Meyers does have four inches on him which could be useful if Newton continues to be inaccurate. I can't use Meyers in DFS contests if I want to win, but he will be a large part of the passing game again and double digit fantasy points should be assured. |
| Tyler Boyd CIN | Nik Needham MIA | There is a ton of concern with Boyd now that we have lost Joe Burrow for the season, especially after Boyd's three catch game last week. His 15 yards were a season low, and he gets an even tougher matchup this week against Miami. I've picked on Needham a lot again this season, but he has played slightly better of late. He still allows over 12 yards per catch which is high for his position, but the Dolphins secondary as a whole has been tough. Can Brandon Allen improve with another week of practice under his belt? He wasn't as bad last year for Denver as he was last week for the Bengals, so I haven't lost hope in Boyd to have five or six catches a game still going forward. |
Elite
Davante Adams vs. Darius Slay . He is the most expensive receiver on both DraftKings and FanDuel by pretty wide margins, however, there is a reason for that. The guy is freaking awesome. Not only that, but I think Darius Slay is still in therapy after getting burned play after play by D.K. Metcalf last Monday night. Since Week 6, Slay has allowed 24 of the last 30 targes at him to be caught. The Eagles team as a whole is simply imploding around us and Aaron Rodgers should have no trouble picking them apart all game. Adams is the man in Green Bay and there really isn’t a close second when it comes to receiving volume. He isn’t cheap, but he will succeed.
D.K. Metcalf vs. James Bradberry . So much for his slump, huh? Metcalf was a beast last week against the Eagles and this is what he is capable of on a weekly basis. He honestly could have had two touchdowns if he had just taken one more step before going to the ground on two of his catches. Yeah, Bradberry is good, but the Giants haven’t exactly been facing good teams lately as their last three opponents were the Bengals without Joe Burrow, the Eagles, and Washington. The last time that Bradberry was really tested was Week 8 against the Bucs and he was beaten for a touchdown by Mike Evans . Metcalf is just too big and too fast to hold down. He might not pop off to the same extent as Monday, but this should be a really good game for him.
Affordable
Justin Jefferson vs. Chris Claybrooks. Adam Thielen should be back and that means Jefferson will be targeted a little less, but it also means he is guarded by the Jags second best corner, when their top guy isn’t even that good. The matchup is amazing, and Jefferson is on a great roll. He has 60+ receiving yards in four straight and the Vikings have been throwing more. On top of that their offensive coordinator has said that Dalvin Cook is beat up right now. This to me means that they should look to lighten his load a bit which means more passing. I think you can play either Thielen or Jefferson in this one, and Thielen is just coming back from a Covid designation so maybe he isn’t quite 100%.
Allen Robinson vs. Amani Oruwariye. The guy is just ultra-consistent and has six or more catches in four straight weeks, despite terrible quarterback play. He continues to be targeted the most on the team and it isn’t even close. Robinson continues to get it done most every week. The Lions secondary is bad, and now with Desmond Trufant headed to Injured Reserve, that opens up the whole pass game for the Bears. I know we crap on Mitchell Trubisky a lot, and he deserves it, but he isn’t completely awful. Oruwariye is still probably having flashbacks of his disaster on Thanksgiving, but he is going to have even more problems this week against Robinson.
Bargain Bin
Michael Pittman vs Vernon Hargreaves . I know he was bad last week, but if you watched the Wednesday FA Sports Talk livestream, Howard Bender told you that you have to have a short memory when you play DFS. Yes, Philip Rivers spreads the ball around a lot, but Pittman is their best receiver. The Texans just lost the only decent corner on the team with Bradley Roby getting suspended for PEDs. This puts an emerging young wide receiver on a garbage cornerback. Pittman has been targeted at least seven times in three of the last four weeks and against this weak secondary he should pop off.
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus.