Welcome to the weekly wide receiver/cornerback breakdown! We will review each of the outside matchups, as well as all matchups in the slot in order of how I like them. Then, below the charts in this article, I break down my four absolute favorite matchups. We are down to the final four, and by the end of the night on Sunday we will have our Super Bowl matchup! I know you are going to be playing some NFL DFS this weekend and this article is critical for daily players, as this will help you gain a competitive advantage when setting your lineups. Follow me on Twitter (@fightingchance) as well!
| Left WR | Right CB | Analysis |
| Davante Adams GB | Richard Sherman SF | Adams is basically unstoppable. It was another big game for Adams with eight catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns against the Seahawks. He has more than 90 yards in four straight, and has six touchdowns in his last six. He has been targeted at least ten times in almost every game this year, and he was only held under 50 receiving yards in four gaems this year. One of those was against the 49ers in Week 12. He still had seven catches for 43 yards and a touchdown though. As good as Richard Sherman has played this year, it is hard to imagine Adams still not returning a minimum of 15 fantasy points. When one guy gets all the volume, he's going to make a few plays during the game. Despite the history and despite the matchup, Adams is still a fine play this Sunday. |
| Tyreek Hill KC | Adoree Jackson TEN | Since coming back from the hamstring injury, Hill just hasn’t quite been the same. He hasn't been bad, but he hasn't been the usual great receiver that we know he can be. Since the team's bye his top receiving yards in a game was 72. He hasn't had more than six catches in a game, and he has scored just twice in those five weeks and both came in the same game. The Chiefs did play some good defenses, but even last week against the lowly Texans he had just 41 receiving yards. He goes against another subpar defense in the Titans, although they have been playing better in the playoffs. Hill can pop off at any time, and the Chiefs are sure to score a good number of points this week. He trashed the Titans for 11 catches, 157 yards, and a touchdown back in Week 10, and he should be a great DFS play this week. I said that last week too, but all intelligent signs point to success. There is no guarantee, but he is certainly set up for a good game. |
| Deebo Samuel SF | Kevin King GB | Samuel didn't do much last week, but the Niners didn't need to pass very much to beat the Vikings. He is a physical receiver, and is capable of making a big play out of a short pass. The 49ers have also incorporated him a little in the running game, helping his fantasy value. He had just two catches for 50 yards with a touchdown against the Packers back in Week 12. He has been targeted five or more times in four of the last five games, and outside of George Kittle , he will be the most targeted player on the team. The 49ers will look to run the ball a lot again as the Packers are a bad run defense, but they are going to have to throw more than they did last week. Out of the three 49ers wide receivers, Deebo is your best bet from a DFS perspective, but he is far from a sure thing. |
| A.J. Brown TEN | Bashaud Breeland KC | Brown took advantage of some awful defenses down the stretch like Jacksonville, Oakland, and Houston twice. Now that we are into the playoffs, Brown hasn't been a focus in the offense as everything has been Derrick Henry . He has just 13 receiving yards total in two games in January, and you have to wonder how much the Titans are going to throw again. Tennessee will surely try to run a lot again to try to keep Patrick Mahomes off the field as much as possible. Henry will likely be very successful again, as the Chiefs are really weak against the run. Brown had just one catch for 17 yards in Week 10 against the Chiefs. I don't think that the Titans will be able to just run with Derrick Henry if they want to win this game, Ryan Tannehill is going to have to throw some. He has been focusing some on the tight ends in his limited pass attempts, but Brown is a great talent. He had a great rookie season, but has been shut down by a lot of really good tight ends. Breeland fits that category and he has played great in 2019. Brown is a risky play in the conference championship as he is likely to be all or nothing. |
| Right WR | Left CB | Analysis |
| Allen Lazard GB | Emmanuel Moseley SF | While Lazard had been consistently a small part of the passing game, he wasn't even targeted last week against the Seahawks. In fact, no other wide receiver besides Davante Adams had more than a single catch. Outside of Jimmy Graham and Aaron Jones , no one had more than one target. This was against a pretty porous Seahawks offense and this week they play perhaps the best pass defense in San Francisco. Lazard had just one catch for seven yards back in Week 12, and no receiver had more than 43 yards in that contest. The Niners could start Akhello Witherspoon who has been burned repeatedly of late, but even if he starts it likely won't last long. Lazard is the best of a bunch of average to below average receivers for the Packers after Davante Adams , and is a total dart throw at best. |
| Demarcus Robinson KC | Tramaine Brock TEN | In a game where they were playing a terrible defense and fell behind more than three touchdowns early, only one Chief wide receiver had more than two catches. Only one Chief receiver had more than 50 receiving yards. And no Chief receiver was targeted more than four times. Tyreek Hill will always be a viable fantasy option, and Sammy Watkins is a very iffy one. There isn't a single other guy with WR next to his name in the box score that you can even consider using for the Chiefs. Robinson had one catch for four yards last week, and it would be a miracle if he did something fantasy worthy on Sunday. |
| Emmanuel Sanders SF | Jaire Alexander GB | Sanders has been incredibly frustrating in the second half of the year, as he seems to be an afterthought in the passing game. He has only topped 50 receiving yards in two of the last nine games, and had fewer than five catches in eight of the last nine. Then there is that game against the Saints with seven catches for 157 yards that is just messing with you because you know he is capable of big games. It certainly feels like he should have another good game before the season ends, but it is very risky to bank on that, and he had just one catch against the Packers the first time around. He was still suffering from the rib injury at that time, and the team got out to a fast lead, but still. Sanders is a name you know, and he has the potential. I won't fault you if you put him in a lineup or two, but he won't be in any of mine. |
| Corey Davis TEN | Charvarius Ward KC | The Titans have almost refused to throw the ball this postseason, as Ryan Tannehill has just 29 attempts in their two games so far against New England and Baltimore. Davis has been completely invisible as he has just four targets in the two games, and while his one catch might be a touchdown it was thrown by Derrick Henry on a trick play. He hasn't had a game where he returned ten fantasy points since Week 7, and if he can't even get you that, he isn't worth putting on a roster. The Chiefs pass defense got stronger as the year went on, and it hard to envision Davis doing anything fantasy worth on Sunday. |
Now, here are the slot matchups for the Conference Championships.
| Slot WR | Slot CB | Analysis |
| Sammy Watkins KC | Logan Ryan TEN | Watkins had 90 total yards in the AFC Divisional Round, and that was the first time that he had over 50 yards since Week 9. He still hasn't scored since the opening week of the year, and last week's contest was the first time he topped 10 fantasy points since Week 10 against the Titans. Of corurse, he had 10.1 fantasy points in that one, so it wasn't like that was any great success. The Chiefs are going to score in this one and the Titans aren't a good pass defense, so there is a chance that Watkins could succeed again. Although he was targeted just twice in each of the last two games, after Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill , he is the only guy you can even consider counting on for Kansas City. |
| Kendrick Bourne SF | Tramon Williams GB | Last week I said that Bourne was incredibly touchdown dependent, and he went out and had 40 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted five times, which was also the second most on the team. He is again facing a bit of a compromised secondary as the Packers slot corner suffered a concussion in Week 16, and is resting in practice this week. However, he is still in need of scoring a touchdown, or else you will come away nearly empty. The good news for those of you who chose Bourne as a very cheap option this week is that Jimmy Garoppolo really trusts him in the red zone, so the chance at a touchdown isn't entirely far fetched. |
| Tajae Sharpe TEN | Kendall Fuller KC | The Titans really only throw enough to keep A.J. Brown fantasy relevant on a consistent basis, and the little bit they have been throwing in the playoffs mean everyone has been off limits. Sharpe has only had a good game or two all season long, and last week Kalif Raymond spent time in the slot and caught a 45 yard touchdown against the Ravens. The Chiefs are a very strong pass defense, and even A.J. Brown is a question mark. There is no chance that you can use Sharpe, and if you are really feeling lucky and want to throw a dart at someone, it would be Raymond, but that is an incredibly long shot. |
| Geronimo Allison GB | K'Waun Williams SF | It is pretty pathetic that somehow no other receiver is even close to fantasy relevant for the Packers. Both Allison and Jake Kumerow will take some time in the slot, but it really doesn't matter as neither guy has done anything for almost the entire season. Allison hasn't had more than 20 receiving yards since Week 7, and he had three catches for just nine yards the first time they played the 49ers. The only way that you can consider using Allison in any fantasy league this week is if the only choices are guys named Geronimo. |
Elite
Davante Adams vs. Richard Sherman
You just can’t argue with Adams right now, even against one of the best corners in the league. Adams is the only receiver that the Packers have, and even though that seems to be easy to take away, he just keeps performing. He didn’t have a ton of yards against the 49ers in their regular season blowout loss, but he still had 17 fantasy points. Tyreek Hill has been incredibly down of late, and he is the only high priced wide receiver this week. He is the most usage of any receiver left in the playoffs, and he is bound to make a couple of good plays, even against a good defense. You can use Adams with extreme confidence this week.
Affordable
A.J. Brown vs. Bashaud Breeland
There is a risk here that the Titans will run the ball with Derrick Henry a ridiculous number of times and that Ryan Tannehill won’t throw much. However, while Breeland is a solid corner, he isn’t Stephon Gilmore or Marcus Peters , both who have shut Brown down in the last two weeks. DeAndre Hopkins still had some good stats last week against the Chiefs, and while I am not saying that Brown is near the class of Hopkins, he is still the Titans number one receiver by a wide margin. There is some bust risk here, but this kid showed electric talent this year, and seems destined to finally be featured a little bit in this offense in the AFC Championship. His price tag has been severely lowered with his two playoff duds and he is a great value here. He only needs one or two big plays to make his day worthwhile fantasy-wise.
It is wild considering we are one game away from the Super Bowl, but this is an extremely weak class of fantasy receivers this weekend. The Packers have one reliable guy, the Chiefs have one reliable guy, the Titans have been running it 75% of the time, and the 49ers spread it around without a definitive number one receiver. This makes choosing DFS receivers tough. It is almost worth trying to mash Adams and Hill into your lineup. We go with Samuel here because of his assumed volume. Even in a week where they didn’t throw much against the Vikings, he was still the most targeted receiver, and San Francisco has found creative ways to get him the ball in space in the second half of the season. He is far from a sure thing, but in this mid-range price range he is your best bet. He is a physical receiver who is great at breaking tackles, and can turn a small play into a big one fast. Kevin King is a solid, but far from elite corner, and Deebo could help you cash those lineups on Sunday.
Bargain Bin
Kendrick Bourne vs. Traman Williams
Of all of the long shot wide receivers, Bourne is the one who has the best chance of scoring a touchdown. He had just 30 catches this season, and five of them went for touchdowns. He is a favorite target in the red zone for Jimmy Garoppolo , and the 49ers are bound to throw this week more than they did against the Vikings. The super long shot would be Titans’ receiver Kalif Raymond , but he only just returned from a concussion so he has much more risk associated with him. Bourne can help you fit both top receivers into your lineup, or keep Mahomes in your lineup along with one of the top running backs on the slate. He is very touchdown dependent, but he has a fairly decent shot at scoring.
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus.