Welcome to the weekly wide receiver/cornerback breakdown! We will review each of the outside matchups, as well as my 10 favorite matchups in the slot. Then, below the charts in this article, I break down my 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. The wide receiver landscape is changing rapidly due to injuries and unexpected play both good and bad. Good luck to you all this week whether it is for the championship or just some of that daily money! Follow me on Twitter (@fightingchance) as well!
| Left WR | Right CB | Analysis |
| DeAndre Hopkins ARI | Daryl Worley DAL | Get your popcorn ready because this one should be exciting. Hopkins has a touchdown or 100 receiving yards in every game but one this season, and his lowest target total is seven. That happened last week when he had six catches for 131 yards and a score. Sure, it was against the Jets, but have you watched the Cowboys secondary? I know Daniel Jones didn't throw a touchdown last week, but the Giants were able to move the ball up and down the field. Kyler Murray should be able to carve them up like a Thanksgiving turkey, and the Cowboys don't have a corner that stands a chance against Hopkins. Look for another 100-yard game in this one. |
| Calvin Ridley ATL | Holton Hill MIN | A week after dropping a goose egg on his fantasy players, Ridley was right back in action with eight catches for 136 yards gainst the Panthers. After four touchdowns in the first two weeks, Ridley has been held scoreless for the last three. In fact, the Falcons have just one passing touchdown in that time. He gets another dream matchup against the Vikings who just allowed a huge game to D.K. Metcalf last week, and to Will Fuller the week before. See a pattern forming here? Top receivers have their way with Hill and the Vikings secondary. Even if Julio Jones is able to return at the last moment he won't be 100 percent, making Ridley the alpha male on the team who will burn the Vikings for at least 18 fantasy points. |
| Marquise Brown BAL | Darius Slay PHI | Despite his quarterback still struggling with accuracy, Brown finally had the big game we were hoping for last week against the Bengals with six catches for 77 yards and his first touchdown of the year. He gets to face off now against an easy Eagles secondary, but Darius Slay has done his best to keep his team in games. Slay is currently ranked 25th among cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus, and is allowing .18 fantasy points per route covered, which is a very strong number. Slay is allowing 13.3 yards per completion allowed, and Brown is averaging about 4.5 receptions per game. It only takes one big one for him to give you a solid day, but I think this is going to be a stronger game for Mark Andrews or perhaps one of those weird games where Willie Snead catches a touchdown. Brown is a solid season long league play, but I don't expect an explosive outcome here. |
| Stefon Diggs BUF | Bashaud Breeland KC | He was operating without John Brown on Tuesday, but Diggs would have been heavily targeted anyway. He did have a season-high 16 looks, which he converted to ten catches and over 100 yards. We were concerned about Diggs going to a run-first offense, but the Bills have turned into the second most prolific passing offense in football and Diggs is the main star. Vegas thinks that this will be one of the highest scoring games of the week, and it won't get to a high point total without Diggs being heavily involved. Breeland is a very solid corner, but sometimes the offense is just better. Diggs is a great WR2 for season long play but his salary will probably not make him a worthwhile DFS option. |
| Robby Anderson CAR | Kyle Fuller CHI | It is almost unfair here to talk about a game with Anderson going against the pathetic Falcons defense, but he did what he was supposed to do with eight catches for 110 yards. It has been a storybook start to the year so far for Anderson even if he only has one touchdown. He has done it so far against good secondaries, and his worst game so far this season was still ten fantasy points against the Chargers back when their secondary was healthy. Fuller is ranked as the 20th best corner in the league so far this season, and is allowing just a 44 percent catch rate when he is targeted. He has pretty elite numbers across the board for corners, but I don't think that they will be able to keep Anderson in check the whole game. He isn't a DFS target, but unless you have incredible depth, no injuries, and no one on bye, you should find yourself with Anderson in your season long lineups this week. |
| Allen Robinson CHI | Rasul Douglas CAR | It seems like Robinson is forgotten until the fourth quarter lately, but by the end of the game, Nick Foles gets him his targets and yards. He had another strong game last week, and despite having to wait a while for it, Robinson came through for those who have him on their roster. That was against the Bucs, and believe it or not, the Panthers secondary isn't as bad as you think. Carolina has allowed the fourth fewest yards per game through the air, and only six passing touchdowns in four games. Rasul Douglas is a big part of their success, allowing just .15 fantasy points per route covered which is an elite number. With no other really reliable option on the team though, Robinson is sure to get the lion's share of the targets. It might not be the prettiest outing, but expect him to come through with eight catches for 90 yards and likely a score for the Bears. |
| Tee Higgins CIN | Xavier Rhodes IND | Since taking over as a starter, Higgins has had at least six targets in every game. He has two straight of over 60 yards, and has two touchdowns on the year. He did much better last week against the Ravens than I anticipated, but will now get the top outside receiver treatment with the injury to A.J. Green. He certainly has a bright future ahead of him, but the Colts are the best pass defense in the NFL by yardage, and Rhodes is ranked sixth among all cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus. Higgins could still get eight to ten fantasy points in this one, but he isn't an overly strong start in this week. |
| Odell Beckham Jr CLE | Joe Haden PIT | Beckham has either been a big producer against bad defenses, or he has been a middling average receiver. He has 21 catches in four games, and he has had big games against the Bengals and Cowboys, but average outputs against the Ravens, Football Team, and Colts. He gets another really tough defense this week in the Steelers. Haden is allowing just a 45 percent catch rate and .11 fantasy points per route covered, both of which are great numbers. Beckham is likely still a season long start given the injuries and bye weeks, but if you get ten or eleven fantasy points from him you should consider that a win. |
| Amari Cooper DAL | Patrick Peterson ARZ | Last week we warned that Cooper might not pop off facing off against James Bradberry, and he was kept very quiet. We didn't foresee the quarterback injury, but I don't see it being as big of an impact as some do. Cooper should still be a stud this season, but he will match up against another good corner in Patrick Peterson this week. Peterson hasn't played up to his stud status and is barely inside the top-100 corners according to Pro Football Focus. I still think that Andy Dalton will run this offense well and there is no reason to freak out about Amari Cooper. |
| Jerry Jeudy DEN | J.C. Jackson NE | This isn't overly great to say, but Jeudy gets a bit of a break with Stephon Gilmore testing positive for Covid. However, it is only a bit of a break as Jackson has been playing great as well. He is rated in the top five with Pro Football Focus and is allowing just .22 fantasy points per route covered. Jeudy had a long touchdown last week, but little else. He will struggle with the lack of solid quarterback play and even with a compromised Patriots secondary, you might want to look in another direction for Week 5. |
| Kenny Golladay DET | C.J. Henderson JAX | He hasn't had a monster game yet, but Golladay does have a touchdown in each of his first two games since being injured to start the season. He has had 15 targets in the two games, and is firmly planted as the top receiver on this team. Henderson missed last week with a shoulder injury, but since he practiced a bit last week, I figure he will be ready to go. Hernderson is barely in the top-50 cornerbacks, and if he can't go it will be Chris Claybrooks who is allowing an 83 percent catch rate. If you have Golladay, I'd be rooting for Henderson, but either way Golladay will be a strong play on Sunday. |
| Davante Adams GB | Carlton Davis TB | Adams was able to practice to at the beginning of the week so you have to believe that he will be ready to go finally. Jamel Dean is a good corner, and the Buccaneers defense is starting out really strong. You just can never sit Davante Adams. Ever. A guy who has missed a few games against a strong defense might not be a recipe for DFS success, but in season long leagues you should sing with joy to get Adams back in your lineups. |
| Will Fuller HOU | Malcolm Butler TEN | Brandin Cooks might have been the star of last week's game, but Fuller still had 15 fantasy points including his third game in a row with a touchdown. He is still the most explosive guy on the team, and with the schedule getting easier for Houston, the prospects of Fuller just get more exciting. In case you missed Tuesday Night Football, I'll give you the cliff notes. Stefon Diggs went bananas on the Titans secondary and Butler. Even with the game being on Monday night, the Titans are still coming off somewhat of a short week, all of which points to a big time game coming from Fuller. |
| T.Y. Hilton IND | William Jackson CIN | It was his high target and most productive game of the season, but if that is as good as it is going to get for Hilton it isn't good enough. He had six catches for 69 yards against the Browns but there are two problems here. The first is that the Colts pass game is terrible. No explosiveness and very few big plays. The second is that Hilton hasn't really been targeted on the big plays. He gets a pillow-soft matchup against William Jackson and the Bengals who both get burned on a weekly basis. So, although I don't expect fireworks, he should get you 10-14 fantasy points in this one. |
| D.J. Chark JAX | Jeffrey Okudah DET | An ankle injury ended his game early last week, and it was a forgettable affair anyway as Chark had just three catches for 16 yards. It was a dreadful game all around for the Jags and they never did get the offense going. Okudah has had a pretty strong start to his rookie year, and I am a big fan of his physical play. On the whole though, the Lions secondary has allowed nine passing touchdowns in four games. Detroit is coming off a bye so they have had extra time to prepare for this one. There has been no further word on Chark's ankle injury to this point. If he is a full participant in practice by week's end you should feel comfortable starting him. If he is a game-time decision, you might want to look in another direction. |
| Mecole Hardman KC | Tre'Davious White BUF | With Watkins being out and White not lining up in the slot barely ever, that means he should be roaming around with the Chiefs speedy second year man who is trying to make an impact. Hardman has a number of big plays already this season and two touchdowns, but he lacks any sort of consistency that would make him a reliable fantasy player. He could pop off in any game, and with Sammy Watkins hurt, some more targets should go his way. The Bills defense appears to be a shell of what it was so if you want to take a dart throw at Hardman in DFS or put him in your flex it might pay off nicely. White missed last week's game with a back injury and if he can't play this week it makes me like Hardman a little more |
| Robert Woods LAR | Akhello Witherspoon SF | Woods is getting a decent reception total as he has 23 catches in five games, but he isn't getting the deep passes, and that is a little concerning. The Rams are running a really conservative pass game in recent weeks, and it isn't leading to big stats for Woods. The good news for him is that they are playing the 49ers this week, and their secondary is decimated by injuries. In case you missed their game last week the Dolphins hung a 40 burger on them, most of which came through the air. No matter what backup cornerback is covering Woods he should be plenty talented enough to exploit the plus matchup and he easily could have his best game of the season. |
| DeVante Parker MIA | Pierre Desir NYJ | He didn't blow up the boxscore in a game where the Dolphins trounced the 49ers, but Parker did get a touchdown and had a pretty solid game. It just came down to the fact that Miami had a matchup they could exploit with Preston Williams and did it over and over. He will get another smash matchup against the lowly Jets who are just getting destroyed on a weekly basis. DeAndre Hopkins shredded them last week, and Parker should do the same on Sunday. He is a must-start in seasonal and a really strong DFS candidate as well for this one. |
| Adam Thielen MIN | Isaiah Oliver ATL | He has had a field day the last two weeks against the awful Texans and Seahawks secondary with a combined 23 targets, 17 catches for 194 yards and three touchdowns. The emergence of Justin Jefferson only helps Thielen as it doesn't allow the defense to just focus on him. As bad as the last two defenses he has played have been, he gets the worst in Atlanta this week. You don't need a deep dive in stats here to know that Thielen is in play for all fantasy formats. Play him this week with tremendous confidence. |
| N'Keal Harry NE | Bryce Callahan DEN | The Patriots offense has been disappointing so far in 2020 outside of that one game against the Seahawks. Hopefully they will have Cam Newton back for this one and if they don't you can just write off all of their options. Harry has 28 targets in four games, but still has just 164 yards on the season with just a single touchdown. The Broncos secondary is pretty bad so the Pats could move the ball decently against them, but expecting more than ten fantasy points from Harry seems to be unrealistic at this point. You'd have to have some injury or bye week issues to play him. |
| Darius Slayton NYG | Kendall Fuller WAS | It was good to see Slayton producing again, even if it was against the awful Cowboys secondary. He hit the 100 receiving yard mark for the second time this season. It will be tough sledding for him again considering how his quarterback is struggling and the corner he is facing. Fuller is tied for the second highest cornerback grade by Pro Football Focus, and Washington has allowed the seventh fewest passing yards this season. Robert Woods had a solid game against Fuller so he isn't a total shutdown corner, but Slayton will be nothing more than a flex play this week. |
| Breshad Perriman NYJ | Xavien Howard MIA | He is largely expected to return this weekend, but does it really matter right now? Perriman has just five catches for 29 yards in the two games that he has played, and the Jets offense seems to get worse by the game. Sam Darnold is expected to return under center, but that shoulder isn't 100 percent. Even if it was, Perriman isn't a high impact receiver, and Howard is still one of the better corners in football. |
| DeSean Jackson PHI | Jimmy Smith BAL | Will he play? Will he not play? Will he ever come back? Jackson practiced on a limited basis at the end of last week and then was ruled out for Week 5. Considering he was able to get in some practice, you would think he should be healthy enough to play in this game. It might not make much difference against a Ravens secondary that has allowed just six passing touchdowns in five games and just totally blew away Joe Burrow last week. Carson Wentz isn't playing his best, the Eagles offense is out of sync, and Jackson won't likely be 100 percent even if he plays, and if he doesn't play John Hightower shouldn't even be on fantasy rosters. Unless you are in dire straits, I would try to find an alternative to Jackson this week. |
| Diontae Johnson PIT | Denzel Ward CLE | Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that Johnson would be able to practice on a limited basis this week. That being said, back injuries are very tenuous. Johnson has been a guy who has started games but has been unable to finish from time to time, so keep that in mind when making your roster decisions. I love the guy's talent, and he certainly gets targets when in the game. The emergence of rookie Chase Claypool could end up taking some of his usage away. Denzel Ward is a top-20 corner according to Pro Football Focus and shouldn't be taken lightly. If Johnson is able to practice in full on Thursday and Friday I would feel comfortable rolling with him, but if he is still limited I would be too worried about the back to trust him with a spot in my starting lineups. If he is unable to play I still wouldn't trust James Washington to be fantasy relevant. |
| Deebo Samuel SF | Jalen Ramsey LAR | The last game was an epic disaster for the 49ers between Jimmy Garoppolo's inability to plant his foot to throw, the offensive line's inability to block, and then C.J. Beathard's just lack of ability. Of course Head Coach Kyle Shanahan has come out and said that Garoppolo is healthy and should be out there on Sunday night. Color me skeptical. Between the lack of clarity on his quarterback's health and his likely date with one of the best shutdown corners in football, I definitely feel more comfortable with Deebo on my bench for Week 6. |
| Mike Evans TB | Jaire Alexander GB | Another game, another touchdown for Mike Evans as he has scored in all five games this season. It was his third game of under 50 yards in a game, but when you have six touchdowns in five games it is kind of hard to argue about anything. It is anyone's guess if Chris Godwin will return this week, but at this point you have to figure he won't play. Evans will still be the focal point of the Bucs offense. They had a tough match last week against the Bears, and they get an equally tough one against Green Bay. Alexander is currently listed as the number one rated cornerback by Pro Football Focus. Green Bay is coming of a bye so they have had extra time to prepare for this one. Tom Brady looked pedestrian last week, but even with all of these factors going against him, Evans is still a season long league start. He will just get enough targets to come through with some production. This could be the week that the touchdown streak comes to an end, but until it happens you should continue to play Evans. |
| A.J. Brown TEN | Bradley Roby HOU | He came out in his first game since Week 1 and Brown smashed it to the tune of seven catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. He is the undisputed number one receiver on the team, and he is helped even more by the fact that a couple of receivers have fallen victim to Covid. Roby has been a pretty decent corner this year and allowing a 68 percent catch rate. This game should have a bunch of points scored and passing yards considering the two defenses. He doesn't have a long career, but Brown looks to be matchup proof. Especially with others out, Brown will get the volume to make him a strong play in Week 6. |
| Terry McLaurin WAS | James Bradberry NYG | I have been touting McLaurin all season long figuring that no matter how bad Dwayne Haskins is, McLaurin is still getting it done. However, it was Kyle Allen and then Alex Smith torpedoed his value. It didn't help that they were playing the Rams and Jalen Ramsey, but it doesn't get any easier this week against the Giants. James Bradberry is the second best corner this season according to PFF and he has shut down Amari Cooper and Robert Woods in recent weeks. You likely will still need to start him and hope in season leagues considering the injuries and bye weeks we are enduring, but I am not expecting a big game from him. |
| Right WR | Left CB | Analysis |
| Christian Kirk ARZ | Trevon Diggs DAL | A week after scoring his first touchdown of the season, Kirk was highly involved in the offense as he had five catches on seven targets for 78 yards against the Jets. We have hoped that Andy Isabella was breaking out, but he hasn't been consistent yet and Larry Fitzgerald is starting to fade. Kirk gets another great matchup against a Cowboys offense that has allowed 12 touchdowns in five games. While I am not a huge fan of his in the long term, Kirk could be a viable option to put in your flex spot for Week 6 given the cupcake matchup. |
| Olamide Zaccheaus ATL | Mike Hughes MIN | With Julio unable to practice at all last week, I'm gonna go ahead and figure he won't play this week. Obviously if he does that changes the whole dynamic of the offense. A week after having eight catches on nine targets, Zaccheaus was the darling of the waiver wire. We were all brought down to Earth when he had just one catch for 13 yards against the Panthers. The Falcons pass game is completely in dissarray as Matt Ryan has one touchdown pass in three weeks. The Vikings secondary isn't good at all, but I have to figure that Calvin Ridley is going to be the prime focus again. Until we see something that resembles consistency from OZ he should remain on your waiver wire. |
| Miles Boykin BAL | Jalen Mills PHI | Outside of Marquise Brown, Mark Andrews, and J.K Dobbins, no other receiver had more than two targets. There is no way that you can trust any wide receiver on this team not named Marquise Brown. If I had to put my money on one it would be Devin Duvernay, but even he still belongs on waiver wires no matter the matchup. |
| John Brown BUF | Charvarious Ward KC | A calf injury cost him Week 5, but considering Brown practiced most of the week you figure he will be good to go in this one. And the Bills will need him against the high-powered Chiefs defense. Brown has had four catches or more in three of four games, and has two touchdowns at this point. Ward is allowing just .14 fantasy points per route covered and a 62 percent catch rate. Neither one of those are good news for Brown. Josh Allen will have to throw plenty, so while Brown is not a solid dart throw in DFS games, he could be a lower level flex play for Week 6. |
| D.J. Moore CAR | Jaylon Johnson CHI | He had perhaps his best game of the season with four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown, although it was against the worst secondary in the league in Atlanta. Before that, Moore had had just six catches and 114 yards in the last two games combined. Even with the good game he had last week, Moore was dwarfed by Robby Anderson with targets. Johnson is allowing just a 46 percent catch rate, and if Moore isn't getting a healthy number of targets it doesn't bode well for him to have a big game. The Bears have allowed just four touchdowns in five games, and Moore is a flex play at best in Week 6. |
| Darnell Mooney CHI | Donte Jackson CAR | He has five or more targets in each of the last three games, but the Bears anemic offense is keeping this kid on the brink of breaking out. He isn't worth rostering yet as he has had more than three catches just once, and more than 50 receiving yards just once. Mooney could be a factor before the end of the year, but he is still just someone to monitor. Jackson is a solid, yet unspectacular corner, and you should continue to monitor Mooney's production to see if his usage increases. |
| Auden Tate CIN | Rock Ya-Sin IND | The loss of A.J. Green will likely put Tate as the other outside starting wide receiver, but he hasn't even made a blip on the radar screen this year with just four catches for 56 yards in four games. The Colts are the stingiest pass defense in the league and there is no way that you should consider Tate in any format this week unless you are in a league that requires you to start a player whose name is Auden. |
| Rashad Higgins CLE | Steven Nelson PIT | He has been in line for some production several times in his career, and yet he has never come through. He did catch all three targets for 31 yards and a touchdown last week, but outside of the two big wide receivers, you can't trust anyone else on the roster. Tight end Austin Hooper is on the rise slightly which pushes down Higgins even more especially against the Steelers. |
| Michael Gallup DAL | Dre Kirkpatrick ARZ | He had four catches for 73 yards last week, but the most important thing for players with Gallup have to hold on to is that he did the majority of his damage when Andy Dalton took over for Dak Prescott. This isn't likely going to be a monster deal because they were playing a bad defense, but the hope is alive that a new quarterback might look to Gallup more than Prescott did. More likely is that he will get similar work and the Cowboys might look to run the ball more. Gallup continues to be a no go in DFS games but should be a WR3 with some possible upside in this matchup. |
| Tim Patrick DEN | Jason McCourty NE | I do like the Stephon Gilmore likely won't be ready for this one, but I did like it more last week when Noah Fant was probably out too. Patrick has had some success in the NFL, so his game two weeks ago isn't a complete outlier. Jerry Jeudy is still inconsistent at times with production, while Patrick is a reliable hands guy. I don't love this matchup against the Patriots at all, but Patrick definitely has the better end of the two receivers and is a low level flex for this week. |
| Marvin Jones DET | Sidney Jones JAX | I don’t know what to do with this guy. His targets have dropped every week since the start of the season down to a pathetic TWO in Week 4. Hopefully the Lions came up with a way to get Jones back involved in their offense on their bye week. If he is going to do it, it has to be this week against the Jaguars. I don't see any way to put Jones into your starting lineups this week, and if he can't get ten fantasy points against the Jaguars, it is time to cut bait. |
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling GB | Jamel Dean TB | He wasn't able to take much advantage when Davante Adams was hurt, so assuming Adams comes back this week why should we have confidence? MVS had 19 targets in the last three weeks and he finished with eight catches. That is some pretty awful efficiency. Couple that with facing off against a top-10 corner according to Pro Football Focus and I am all off Valdes-Scantling. In fact once Adams is back, I could see dropping him. |
| Brandin Cooks HOU | Jonathan Joseph TEN | Cooks saved himself from waiver wires everywhere with his eight catches and 161-yards last week, but that doesn't necessarily mean he is back in our good graces. He does face a Titans secondary that isn't very good although they held the Bills in check outside of Stefon Diggs. Joseph is allowing just 67 percent catch rate, and Cooks isn't exactly the guy who tends to get a ton of targets. I expect Will Fuller to be the guy with the big game, but Cooks still has seasonal league intrigue and should still come up with about five catches for 65 yards in this one. |
| Daurice Fountain IND | LeShaun Sims CIN | The Colts passing game is a mess, and even a game against the Bengals isn't likely to bring a lot of fantasy production. Fountain has two catches this season, and was targeted just once last week. Outside of Hilton, the running backs, and Trey Burton, there isn't anyone else on the roster to consider for fantasy purposes until their young receivers return. |
| Laviska Shenault JAX | Desmond Trufant DET | VISKA!!!! I love this kid a little more each week, and even though he has a hamstring injury right now, I think he will be in line to play in this one. His targets have slowly gone up all season from four the first two games to eight in Week 5. The Jaguars get a nice matchup against the Lions who have allowed nine passing touchdowns in four games. Trufant is one of the lowest rated cornerbacks in the league according to Pro Football Focus with a ghastly 32.8 rating out of 100. If Chark plays, and if this guy is covering Shenault he could be looking at a career high kind of day. |
| Demarcus Robinson KC | Josh Norman BUF | He only has one game with more than four targets, and he has two games without a single catch. Robinson gets a slight bump with Sammy Watkins out, but it isn't enough to put him on the fantasy radar. His best hope is that he breaks a big play, but his stone hands have already been on display earlier this season. The Bills secondary is suddenly beatable, but Robinson isn't good enough to be fantasy relevant unless Tyreek Hill were to also get hurt. |
| Josh Reynolds LAR | Jason Verrett SF | I did like this guy coming into the season, but he just hasn't gotten the volume of targets to even consider being fantasy relevant. He has only had more than three catches once, and has had more than 50 receiving yards once. The 49ers are a disaster defense right now but you still can't trust a guy who is so far down the target hierarchy on the Rams no matter what the matchup is. |
| Preston Williams MIA | Blessuan Austin NYJ | Last week could have been the coming out party we have been waiting for with Williams as he absolutely torched the 49ers secondary for over 100 yards. Was it just a really poor defense or is Williams ready to get back on track from where he left off in his rookie season. He gets another complete trash defense in the Jets and Blessuan Austin so even if Williams was just the beneficiary of poor defense last week, he will get that again in Week 6 and definitely belongs in your season long lineups. |
| Justin Jefferson MIN | Kendall Sheffield ATL | He had a really bad game against a bad defense, but Jefferson is still a rookie and isn't necessarily going to be consistent from week to week. You would have liked to see better production against Seattle, but we move on and accept it. He gets the easy of easiest matchups this week against Atlanta and Sheffield who is allowing 14.4 yards per completion so far this season. He is also allowing 2.5 yards per route covered, a metric you'd ideally like to see under one yard. This is a smash play for Jefferson and he should be in play in any sort of fantasy format. |
| Damiere Byrd NE | Michael Ojemudia DEN | The Patriots did have to throw a lot in Week 4, they just had awful quarterbacks doing it and somehow Byrd ended up with five catches for 80 yards. It was his best game of the season. Denver's secondary has allowed seven pass touchdowns this season, which is fairly middle of the road. Ojemudia is allowing just a 52 percent catch rate, and Byrd is only a thought of a start if you are dealing with injury and bye week issues. |
| C.J. Board NYG | Ronald Darby WAS | He is only here because Golden Tate runs out of the slot and the Giants cut their other awful outside receiver. Board has six catches all season, and has 58 receiving yards on the season. He isn't remotely close to fantasy relevant. |
| Jeff Smith NYJ | Byron Jones MIA | He is getting the targets with the Jets being banged up at receiver, but you can't count on him being consistent. Smith caught just three of 11 targets last week for 23 yards. The targets are great, but if you aren't doing anything with them, what good are targets? The Jets offense is barely able to score more than a touchdown or two during a game, and Jamison Crowder gets it all. Smith is a desperation flex start if you are in dire straits. |
| Travis Fulgham PHI | Marcus Peters BAL | The darling of the waiver wire this week, I think Fulgham is going to disappoint as much as Scotty Miller did a few weeks ago, and Olamide Zaccheaus did last week. This kind of production isn't sustainable, and the Eagles receiving corps will get healthy at some point. I know he had that huge game against a great Steelers defense, but it is even tougher this week with Baltimore. Marcus Peters will bang him around right off the line, and is only only allowing a 60 percent catch rate. I know Fulgham was great last week, but I will be surprised if he even tops 70 receiving yards in Week 6. |
| Chase Claypool PIT | Terrance Mitchell CLE | Boy did this rookie burst on to the scene! His 110-yard, four touchdown game sure got fantasy players attention and he surely was the most coveted waiver move of the week. With Juju Smith-Schuster not being quite himself and Diontae Johnson unable to stay on the field, Claypool got his chance and made the post of it. The question is whether this is sustainable. Johnson's back injury will go a long way to answering that question in all likelihood. However, Ben Roethlisberger certainly has shown trust to throw this kid the deep ball and the chemistry is there. I do like him to continue to produce, especially this week. Mitchell is a top-50 cornerback according to Pro Football Focus, but that is still the bottom half of the second cornerbacks on each team. He has been burned a few times already this season, and look for Claypool to get behind him at least once this week. |
| Brandon Aiyuk SF | Darious Williams LAR | It was one of the ugliest offensive games in a long time in San Francisco, but it wasn't all bad for Aiyuk. He didn't have a rushing attempt all game, but he at least had six targets, which is a solid number considering how bad the offense was. He only produced three catches for 44 yards, but that has to be rock bottom for the San Francisco offense. The health of Jimmy Garoppolo will be the deciding factor to see if the Niners can move the ball this week, and we likely won't know that for sure because coaches aren't forthcoming with information. Darious Williams is the 13th rated cornerback according to Pro Football Focus and I know myself I would feel better if I had no 49er receivers in my lineups this weekend. |
| Scotty Miller TB | Kevin King GB | After having two straight games with 83 receptions coming into Week 5, Miller had exactly zero targets last Thursday night. Yup, not just no catches, not even a target. And that was a game without Chris Godwin, Justin Watson, Leonard Fournette (active only for emergency) and LeSean McCoy. This is inexplicable. The Bears are a solid defense, but they aren't that good! Whether Godwin plays or not this week, Miller still doesn't look like a great start against a tough Packers secondary. King is only being targeted on 11 percent of plays, and is allowing a 62 percent catch rate. Tampa does have ten days to get ready for this one, but Brady looked rough last Thursday, and the Packers won't make it easy on him. I'd likely try to keep Miller out of my lineups if possible. |
| Kalif Raymond TEN | Vernon Hargreaves HOU | Raymond was the latest waiver wire darling to disappoint as a game after he had 118 yards, he finished Tuesday with just two catches for 26 yards in a game the Titans scored 42 points and were without Corey Davis and Adam Humphries. The Titans throw to A.J. Brown, Jonnu Smith, and then it gets spread around far too much for anyone else to be fantasy relevant. Hargreaves is currently sitting at 96th in cornerback rankings in Pro Football Focus which you don't need a degree in statistics to know that isn't good. However, unless he happens to break a big gain or long touchdown, he isn't likely to carry fantasy value in most weeks. Raymond should be kept on waivers right now unless A.J. Brown goes down again. |
| Dontrelle Inman WAS | Isaac Yiadom NYG | What little chance he had at fantasy relevance went bye-bye when the team benched Dwayne Haskins for Kyle Allen. It was made worse when Allen went out with injury. Allen will be back this week, but he is just awful. Inman had one catch on one target for -2 yards. That isn't going to get you any love from fantasy players. Even against a terrible Giants secondary there is no way that you can even roster this guy, nevermind think about putting him in a lineup. |
Now, here are my 10 favorite matchups in the slot in Week 6.
| Slot WR | Slot CB | Analysis |
| Jamison Crowder NYJ | Nik Needham MIA | The Jets offense is terrible. The Jets quarterback play is terrible. The rest of the Jets receivers are terrible. However, Jamison Crowder is still really good and is the only reliable player on this team. He has double digit targets with at least seven catches and 100 yards in all three games he has played this season. You would think that the opposing defenses would be able to stop him if he is the only decent player on the team, but none have been able to yet. Nik Needham is a terrible corner and I expect another 100-yard game and a score this week from Crowder. |
| CeeDee Lamb DAL | Byron Murphy ARZ | They do have a new quarterback this week, but I don't see it causing a huge drop off. Andy Dalton is a capable backup that should probably have a starting job somewhere in the league. He had great success with Tyler Boyd in the slot in Cincinnati, so he is fully aware of how to use the position. He did also hit Lamb with a couple of passes in the quarter and a half he played last week. Lamb has shown great hands, great route running, and a willingness to go over the middle. Murphy is currently sitting at a 53.6 on Pro Football Focus, which you don't have to be a big athematician to know that is not good. |
| Tyler Boyd CIN | Kenny Moore IND | I underestimated how much Joe Burrow would struggle against the Ravens front line last week, but I do see it being a little different story in Week 6. The Colts have a strong pass defense, but they don't have the ferocious pass rushers that will cause Burrow to panic and make as many bad choices this week. This should lead to Boyd getting back north of eight targets again, and when that happens, stats follow. Indianapolis two outside corners are grading out very well this season, but out of the slot Moore has gotten beaten more than a few times. Jarvis Landry just had his best game of the season against the Colts last week. Boyd isn't so strong that he should be in a good percentage of your DFS lineups, but he is strong season long league option. |
| Tyreek Hill KC | Taron Johnson BUF | For the sake of the Bills defense you would hope that Tre'Davious White would spend some time on Hill in this game, but he has lined up in the slot in just one percent of snaps this season. This leaves by far the worst of the three starting corners for the Bills on Hill. He is being targeted on 22 percent of routes, and is allowing a 77 percent catch rate to receivers. Sammy Watkins is forced to miss this game, which means even more targets could go to Hill. The Bills defense hasn't been as good this season, and Johnson is a big part of it. This could be a huge matchup to exploit in your fantasy games this weekend. |
| Keelan Cole JAX | Darryl Roberts DET | I am not a huge Keelan Cole fan, but here I like the matchup. He has consistently gotten between five and seven targets all season long, and while Laviska Shenault has certainly moved up to the second most popular receiver, there is still some meat on the bone for Cole. Roberts grades out at just a 58.3 overall on PFF and Tre'Quan Smith had a big two touchdown day out of the slot against Roberts in Week 4 the last time the Lions played. I don't expect a huge explosive game from Cole, but I do think he has 12-14 fantasy points in him in a Week where some of the top slot receivers are not playing. |
| Cooper Kupp LAR | Jamar Taylor SF | This one doesn't take too much of a deep dive. The 49ers secondary is incredibly beat up. They are down at least three corners, and Richard Sherman is not coming back for this one. They are basically putting near practice squad guys out there and hoping for the best. Kupp has been very solid with 19 catches in the last three games, and a touchdown in back to back contests. Given the current state of the 49ers secondary you can't help but put Kupp out there and figure he has a shot at a 100-yard game. |
| Jarvis Landry CLE | Mike Hilton PIT | I was starting to lose faith in Landry this season, and he finally broke out to an extent with four catches for 88 yards. Most importantly, he had nine targets on the day. Again, this is a week where we are missing some of the top slot receivers out there, and this might not look like a good matchup on paper. He was solid against Pittsburgh last year with ten catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. The Steelers slot corner, Mike Hilton is allowing a 74 percent catch rate, and the Browns are as hot as they have been in two decades. Landry should have another ten to twelve fantasy points in him for this game as well. |
| Randall Cobb HOU | Chris Jackson TEN | He hasn't gotten the injury to one of the starting receivers yet like we thought might happen, and Cobb's production has suffered. His six catches against the Vikings last week were his season-high, although it was only for 47 yards. This pick has to do with his improving offense and a dreadful defense. The Titans could still be playing shorthanded after their Covid breakout, which will only help Cobb. He has a chance to have a ten fantasy point day here in PPR leagues. |
| Juju Smith-Schuster PIT | Tavierre Thomas CLE | He does have three touchdowns in four games, but Smith-Schuster hasn't topped 50 receiving yards in three games. He has been incredibly efficient with 21 catches in 24 targets, but he certainly hasn't quite been the guy we hoped for when we drafted him as our WR2. Thomas is being targeted on 21 percent of routes, and allowing an 86 percent catch rate. The Browns gave up huge games to CeeDee Lamb and Tyler Boyd, and especially if Diontae Johnson misses this one, it could be Juju's best game of the year. |
| Julian Edelman NE | Davontae Harris DEN | This one has me a little nervous because Edelman has just five catches for 58 yards in the last two games. We can pretty much throw out the Week 4 effort against the Chiefs when the Patriots didn't have Cam Newton. With Cam all but assured to return, New England should be able to have a representative offense this week. The Broncos gave up a huge game to Jamison Crowder last week, and Scotty Miller and Juju Smith-Schuster both had positive games against the Broncos as well. If Newton was not able to play this suggestion certainly gets rescinded, but as of now Edelman should be a fine play in season long lineups for Week 6. |
Elite
Calvin Ridley vs. Cameron Dantzler. The Vikings secondary is already not good, but now that they are a little beat up this looks like even more of a smash spot for Ridley. He bounced back in a huge way and again showed that he is an elite receiver with or without Julio Jones . Atlanta’s offense hasn’t put up crazy points lately, but they also haven’t faced a defense as porous as Minnesota who has allowed two passing touchdowns per game. Ridley has had fewer than ten targets just once this year and is a total DFS smash play this weekend.
Adam Thielen vs. Isaiah Oliver . You have to love a guy with six touchdowns in five games who is going against the Atlanta defense. You have to love a guy with 23 targets and 17 targets in the last two weeks against the Falcons defense. You have to love most receivers against the Falcons pass defense! Atlanta has allowed a league-high 15 passing touchdowns this year, and despite the breakout of Justin Jefferson, Thielen is still the top receiver. Look for him to have double digit targets again and at least seven catches and a touchdown in this one.
Affordable
Kenny Golladay vs. C.J. Henderson. The rookie was able to practice early this week, but he is still nursing a shoulder injury that cost him last week. Even if he is able to play, the rookie is barely inside PFF’s top-50 cornerbacks, and if he is unable to go it should be a fireworks show for Golladay. Henderson’s backup, Chris Claybrooks, is rated as one of the worst corners in the league. The Lions have had an extra week to get ready for this one, and Golladay should finally be 100 percent. He has been a great source of production to begin the year and he should put it all together this week for a monster game.
Jamison Crowder vs. Nik Needham. This one was a toss up between picking Crowder and DeVante Parker . In the end I decided that Nik Needham was a worse corner than anyone than the Jets would be throwing out. The biggest factor here is Crowder is LITERALLY all the Jets offense has right now, and the volume alone makes him a popular fantasy pick. Again, he has had at least ten targets, seven catches, and 100 yards in each of the three games he has played in, while Nik Needham is rated 42.4 out of 100 by Pro Football Focus. The Jets might not have much going for them right now, but Crowder remains a star.
Bargain Bin
Laviska Shenault vs. Desmond Trufant . He is battling a hamstring injury, but D.J. Chark is dealing with a more significant injury and even if he is able to play it doesn’t appear that he will be 100 percent. Shenault is one of the more impressive young receivers in the game. Both his target numbers and his receptions have been climbing since the first week of the season, and he is only becoming more involved in the offense. The Lions have had a week off to get ready for this one, but Trufant is not a good corner. He is allowing a 78 percent catch rate and 1.76 yards per route covered which is a weak number. The Lions have allowed nine passing touchdowns in four weeks, and Trufant is a big part of why. Whether Chark plays or not, Shenault will be a bit part of the offense in Sunday’s game.
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus.