2023 Fantasy Football WR/CB Match-Up Report Week 4: Keenan Allen Looks to Continue Strong Start
Welcome to the weekly wide receiver/cornerback breakdown for fantasy football Week 4! We will analyze each of the outside matchups one by one, as well as 10 of my favorite matchups in the slot. It is important to find the best matchups to gain a competitive advantage, optimize your starting lineups, and crush your opponents. This article is also critical for fantasy football DFS players, as this will help you find the right matchups to target when setting your lineups. You can follow me on Twitter, @FantasyCoachJB, and reach out with all your fantasy football questions as well.
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2023 Fantasy Football WR/CB Matchup Report Week 4
| WR CB Matchup Report | |||||
| Left WR vs Right CB | |||||
| Wide Receiver | Team | DK / FD $ | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
| Marquise Brown | ARI | $5000 / $6000 | Deommodore Lenoir | SF | Safe |
| Maybe Arizona isn't tanking like everybody expected. In a big upset win last week, Brown caught 5 passes for 61 yards and a touchdown in a tough matchup against a good defense. With 22 targets in the first 3 weeks, more than double the next closest wide receiver on the team, he is clearly the favorite target of Joshua Dobbs. San Fran has a good defense, but when Brown lines up against Lenoir who plays on the right side 72% of the time, he will avoid the top corner Charvarius Ward. Still priced well playing on a bad team, Brown has a good start this week and will likely have lower ownership in DFS with the San Fran matchup. | |||||
| Drake London | ATL | $4800 / $6100 | Darius Williams | JAC | Moderate |
| Desmond Ridder looks bad. He has some weapons but can't seem to hit them. London is one of them and while he saw 6 targets last week, only 2 of them were completed passes. The talent is there, but I just don't trust the quarterback enough to recommend London until we see a consistent improvement or a really good matchup. | |||||
| Zay Flowers | BAL | $5600 / $6100 | Martin Emerson Jr. | CLE | Safe |
| Zay Flowers continues to get peppered with targets as Lamar Jackson's shiny new toy. He saw 10 targets again last week which was the second time in 3 weeks he saw double-digit targets. With Odell Beckham banged up, some of those targets went to Flowers and he caught 8 passes for another solid PPR performance. His aDOT and yards per target are slightly concerning, but he is getting a ton of those short passes and has the playmaking ability to break one to the house on any given play. Lining up on the opposite side of Denzel Ward this week should lead to another bountiful target share. | |||||
| Stefon Diggs | BUF | $8100 / $8700 | Xavien Howard | MIA | Safe |
| This will be a fun matchup to watch this week in a big divisional game. Xavien Howard is a good corner, but so far this season he has allowed 16 catches on 22 targets for 161 yards and a touchdown in his coverage. Diggs is obviously one of the best receivers in the league and has been dominating this season with 25 catches on 32 targets for 279 yards and a touchdown. In a game with shootout potential, Diggs should continue to rack up catches against a corner who lets up plenty of them. | |||||
| Jonathan Mingo | CAR | $3400 / $4800 | Akayleb Evans | MIN | Moderate |
| We don't know yet who will be at quarterback for Carolina, but it looks like Young and the offense really looked better under Andy Dalton last week. Mingo has been a focal point of the offense with 20 targets on the season, but he hasn't cashed in much and only has 8 receptions on those targets. The Minnesota secondary is one of the worst in the league so it is a plus matchup and the volume is there for Mingo, he just needs to click with his quarterback. At this price point, with a 16.8% target share, Mingo is a good dart throw option for DFS. | |||||
| DJ Moore | CHI | $5600 / $6100 | Pat Surtain | DEN | Moderate |
| There's no denying the talent Moore has, but the Chicago offense hasn't looked good so far this season. On paper, the matchup for Justin Fields against a Denver defense that just got torched for 70 points last week looks good. But, when you look deeper, you will likely see a shadow coverage from Patrick Surtain on DJ Moore and that could severely limit the top receiving option for the Bears. Surtain held Davante Adams to 6 catches for 66 yards in week one and I expect him to put the clamps on Moore this week as well, making Moore a less-than-ideal play in DFS and a flex in season long. | |||||
| Ja'Marr Chase | CIN | $7800 / $8200 | Kristian Fulton | TEN | Safe |
| Welcome back, Ja'Marr Chase. A big 12 catch night in a sloppy game on Monday night was what all the Chase fantasy managers were looking for. Joe Burrow was questionable coming into the game, but he toughed it out and was able to connect plenty with his stud receiver. This week Chase has a plus matchup against the weak Tennessee secondary. Specifically, he should see plenty of Fulton who has given up an 87.5% catch rate in his coverage this season. Tee Higgins should get more involved this week, but there will be plenty for Chase in a plus matchup. | |||||
| Amari Cooper | CLE | $6100 / $7000 | Brandon Stephens | BAL | Safe |
| It looks like this is a two-man show for Deshaun Watson with Cooper and Elijah Moore getting 73.5% of the wide receiver targets through 3 weeks. Coming off a game with 7 catches, 116 yards and a touchdown, Cooper once again gets a plus matchup against Stephens who has allowed nearly 200 yards to receivers this season. The volume is there, the matchup is positive, and the price is more than fair to look to Cooper in DFS this week. | |||||
| Michael Gallup | DAL | $3700 / $5500 | Christian Gonzalez | NE | Risky |
| Gallup was much more involved last week with 6 catches on 7 targets and 92 yards, but he gets a really tough matchup this week against Christian Gonzalez who is quickly establishing himself as one of the better cover corners in the league. The way Gonzalez is looking, he will be in the conversation for DROY so at the high level Gonzalez is playing, Gallup is a risky start this week. | |||||
| Courtland Sutton | DEN | $5300 / $7100 | Tyrique Stevenson | CHI | Safe |
| A Fantasy Alarm favorite, Sutton continues to produce for us. Both Howard Bender and I were extremely vocal all draft season about loving a healthy Sutton in this role in a Sean Payton offense. While Denver has struggled as a whole, Sutton has produced to the tune of 17 catches for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns. He finds ways to get open and is already a favorite red zone target for Russell Wilson. Against a Chicago defense that is in the bottom 5 of PFF coverage grades, its another good place to use Sutton this week. | |||||
| Marvin Jones | DET | $3100 / $5000 | Rasul Douglas | GB | Risky |
| Is Marvin Jones dust? It certainly appears so these past couple of weeks. He hasn't even had a target over the past 2 weeks and making things worse, he only had a 59.5% route percentage in week 2 and that dropped to 29.4% in week 3. He is losing snaps and opportunities to Kalif Raymond and the lack of usage makes Jones a hard pass. | |||||
| Romeo Doubs | GB | $4700 / $6300 | Jerry Jacobs | DET | Safe |
| It looks like Christian Waston is going to return this week, which gives Doubs the better matchup against Jacobs while Watson deals with Sutton on the other side. Even against a tough New Orleans defense last week, Doubs was able to catch 5 passes for 73 yards and find the endzone. In a better matchup and with some focus coming off of him with Watson's return, its another good spot for Doubs at a very low price on DK. | |||||
| Nico Collins | HOU | $5100 / $6400 | Levi Wallace | PIT | Moderate |
| Collins came back down to earth last week after seeing 20 targets over the first 2 weeks. He only saw 3 targets in week 3, but the offense as a whole didn't do much other than a couple of big plays for Tank Dell. This game could be a sloppy, low scoring one with one of the lowest expected totals on the slate so while Collins is still the #1 receiver in this offense, it looks like a mediocre play this week. | |||||
| Alec Pierce | IND | $3400 / $5300 | Derion Kendrick | LAR | Risky |
| Pierce was much more involved last week, which was nice to see, but it was with Gardner Minshew at quarterback. Anthony Richardson will be back this week and he and Pierce haven't shown a connection yet. kendrick is the better of the Rams cover corners, only allowing a 40% reception percentage so Pierce would be a risky start this week. | |||||
| Calvin Ridley | JAC | $6900 / $6800 | Tre Flowers | ATL | Safe |
| After a blowup debut in week 1, Ridley has been disappointing the last 2 weeks with only 5 receptions. It is encouraging that in those games he still saw 15 targets and is out there with an 80% snap percentage. Tre Flowers is a pretty good cover corner, but this could be the week that he and Lawrence get back on track, return to week 1 form, and get back in the win column in London. | |||||
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling | KC | $4100 / $5100 | D.J. Reed | NYJ | Risky |
| Kansas City's wide receiver room is a merry-go-round that I don't want to ride. Especially against the solid outside corners on the Jets, none of them can be trusted with any confidence this week. | |||||
| Davante Adams | LV | $8000 / $8100 | Asante Samuel Jr. | LAC | Safe |
| A disgruntled Davante seems to be frustrated in Las Vegas and made comments to the media this week that hinted at his desire to go elsewhere and play for a competitor. While he's here though, he's going to continue to be the main focus of the passing attack and we have seen that with his average of 12 targets a game and 322 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns on the season. He has a 99% route percentage so as long as he's still wearing black and gold, he's going to catch passes and we're going to put him in our fantasy lineups. | |||||
| Joshua Palmer | LAC | $4000 / $6100 | Jakorian Bennett | LV | Moderate |
| The Chargers lost Mike Williams for the season and it is Palmer who will immediately step up into the role in the offense. Palmer, not Johnston, is the one who has more familiarity with the offense and has already seen a 68.4% route percentage on the season, even with Williams healthy. Jakorian Bennett is ranked 95 of the 105 ranked corners on PFF and plays almost exclusively on the right side. We will have to see how they use Palmer and Johnston on the sides of the field, but when Palmer is on the left side it's a good matchup in a high passing volume offense. | |||||
| Tutu Atwell | LAR | $5500 / $6300 | Dallis Flowers | IND | Safe |
| I mentioned last week that the Rams receivers have been moving around a lot and they are using their speed to their benefit. Atwell usually works on the left side and in the slot and last week he was the most-targeted receiver with 9 targets. Atwell has a 94.2% route percentage and a 21.8% target share on the season and he will continue to see Matthew Stafford targets this week against Dallis Flowers who allows 11 yards per reception in his coverage. | |||||
| Tyreek Hill | MIA | $9200 / $9600 | Tre'Davious White | BUF | Safe |
| Tyreek Hill has been in some tough matchups week after week. He has had to go up against some of the best corners in the league and he has answered the challenge. He has seen Christian Gonzalez, and Patrick Surtain and now will face White in consecutive weeks. The matchups don't phase HIll and he has scored a touchdown every week and has 4 total already to go with his whopping 412 receiving yards. Against Tre'Davious White, Walter White, Betty White, whoever... as long as Hill is out there he's a safe start. | |||||
| Justin Jefferson | MIN | $9600 / $9400 | Donte Jackson | CAR | Safe |
| This game has the makings of a shootout with the Minnesota defense likely to get carved up by the Chargers offense, so the Vikings will have to throw and score to keep up. Jefferson has racked up some nice totals thus far averaging 10 catches and over 150 yards per game. His 99.2 snap percentage and 100% route percentage show he's always out there running routes and while Samuel is a talented corner, he has allowed an 85.7% catch rate in his coverage so this is a safe and positive matchup for Jefferson with the projected gamescript. | |||||
| DeVante Parker | NE | $4000 / $5300 | DaRon Bland | DAL | Risky |
| In their first game without Trevon Diggs last week, Dallas' secondary got beaten a few times by Arizona. New England doesn't have a high-volume passing game so even against a backup corner, the receivers are risky starts. | |||||
| Michael Thomas | NO | $5200 / $5900 | Carlton Davis III | TB | Moderate |
| If Carlton Davis is back this week for Tampa, this will be a fun one to watch. There is bad blood between these 2 and Davis has notably offended Thomas by nicknaming him "Slant Boy". Finally healthy and looking like he's back to his old self, Thomas will be looking to show out against his biggest rival and should have a big game. The biggest question mark will be if backup quarterback Jameis Winston will be able to get him the ball in his own revenge game and that is what downgrades this matchup from safe to moderate. | |||||
| Isaiah Hodgins | NYG | $4600 / $5900 | Tariq Woolen | SEA | Risky |
| Another receiving room that is driving fantasy managers nuts is this Giants one. With the return of Wan'Dale Robinson and the flashes of potential, we have seen from Jalin Hyatt, last year's surprise stand-out Hodgins looks like he is being phased out of the offense. With so much competition and only seeing 1 target last week, Hodgins is not a good play anymore. | |||||
| Garrett Wilson | NYJ | $6400 / $6700 | L'Jarius Sneed | KC | Moderate |
| The targets continue to be there for Wilson, but with Zach Wilson throwing him the ball there isn't much coming from those targets. Add to that the fact that he could see shadow coverage from L'Jarius Sneed this week and the matchup is not a good one for Wilson. He is still a low-end WR2 in season-long based on talent and volume, but as long as his quarterback and offensive coordinator situation is as bad as it is, he won't be a safe play and won't be a target for DFS lineups. | |||||
| A.J. Brown | PHI | $7700 / $7700 | Kendall Fuller | WAS | Moderate |
| We know Brown is an absolute stud and he showed it last week with a 9-catch 131-yard performance on Monday night. He should have also had a touchdown but the Hurts pass on a slant in the endzone went right off the fingertips. This week he gets a tougher matchup against Kendall Fuller who will likely shadow Brown. Fuller is the #2 ranked corner in PFF coverage grade so Hurts could be looking more to Smith on the other side this game to not test Fuller too often. Brown is always a start in season-long leagues, but you may want to look a different direction in DFS this week. | |||||
| Calvin Austin | PIT | $3300 / $5000 | Steven Nelson | HOU | Moderate |
| Austin is the definition of a good dart throw his week. His price in DFS makes him very intriguing and he showed us last week that he can get behind the defense and score. He only caught 2 passes but he was targeted 6 times and had the big 72-yard touchdown reception showing us that he could be a one-play payday in DFS. | |||||
| Brandon Aiyuk | SF | $6200 / $7600 | Marco Wilson | ARI | Safe |
| Aiyuk was back at practice this week and looks like he will be back in time for a good matchup against the Arizona secondary. Marco Wilson has allowed a 78.3% catch percentage in his coverage and gives up an average of over 15 yards per reception. As long as the Cards keep playing competitive football, San Fran will keep throwing and Aiyuk will be a safe play. | |||||
| DK Metcalf | SEA | $6800 / $7600 | Deonte Banks | NYG | Safe |
| Big play DK is off to a good start averaging over 15 yards per reception and commanding a 20% target share to start the year. He has had 6 catches in each of the past 2 games and has over 75 receiving yards in both and should keep up the volume and production this week as well. | |||||
| Mike Evans | TB | $7000 / $8000 | Marshon Lattimore | NO | Moderate |
| We talked about the rivalry on the other side of this game with Michael Thomas and Carlton Davis, but this one between Evans and Lattimore is a heated one as well. They have gotten physical in the past and definitely have some bad blood. Lattimore usually gets the best of Evans in these matchups, so even though Evans has been very productive to start the season, this matchup against his arch nemesis makes it a riskier one. | |||||
| DeAndre Hopkins | TEN | $5800 / $6300 | Chidobe Awuzie | CIN | Moderate |
| The slow start for Hopkins is not his fault. Tannehill is struggling to get anything going in the passing game but Hopkins is still making some plays and showing he still has something in the tank. Hopkins is getting a near 31% target share and is going to keep being targeted in this offense, they just need to click. If they were, I would have him higher, but until they do we will call him a moderate play. | |||||
| Terry McLaurin | WAS | $5300 / $6700 | Darius Slay | PHI | Risky |
| McLaurin has had the toughest stretch of matchups against great cover corners to start the season. He has had Patrick Surtain and Tre'Davious White in back-to-back weeks and now he draws another challenging assignment this week with Darius Slay. Things will lighten up a bit for him next week but until then he is going to be a risky start, especially with Sam Howell struggling. | |||||
| Right WR vs Left CB | |||||
| Wide Receiver | Team | DraftKings/FanDuel | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
| Michael Wilson | ARI | $3500 / $4900 | Charvarius Ward | SF | Risky |
| Wilson showed last week that he can make a big play, but with Brown and Rondale Moore ahead of him in the pecking order and facing Charvarius Ward he is a very risky play. | |||||
| Mack Hollins | ATL | $3400 / $5300 | Tyson Campbell | JAC | Risky |
| Hollins had 1 catch last week as the 3rd best option in a terrible passing game. There isn't enough passing volume or good enough quarterback play in Atlanta to feel good about playing him. Even if they are playing from behind and are forced to throw more, London and Pitts should benefit more than Hollins. | |||||
| Rashod Bateman | BAL | $4400 / $5100 | Denzel Ward | CLE | Risky |
| Even with Odell Beckham out with an ankle injury, Bateman was not utilized and was outproduced by Nelson Agholor. In a matchup against a stud corner and barely getting any scraps in this offense, Bateman is a no for me dawg. | |||||
| Gabe Davis | BUF | $5900 / $6500 | Kader Kohou | MIA | Moderate |
| Davis has touchdowns in back-to-back weeks and this week could be another potential shootout. His ability to make the big play makes him enticing, but the volume just isn't there enough to feel safe using him. He has only seen 4 targets in 2 of the first 3 weeks so he is the definition of a boom/bust play. | |||||
| DJ Chark Jr. | CAR | $4000 / $6000 | Byron Murphy Jr. | MIN | Safe |
| The Panthers offense looked better last week under Andy Dalton who looked Chark's way 11 times. He caught a touchdown as well and also gets a great matchup this week against Minnesota who has been getting gashed through the air. Bryce Young is trending towards being back this week so hopefully the rookie finds a way to get the ball to the productive veterans this week in a plus matchup. | |||||
| Chase Claypool | CHI | $3200 / $5300 | Damarri Mathis | DEN | Moderate |
| This could likely be the best opportunity that Chase Claypool will have this season. Claypool gets a matchup against a Denver defense that just gave up 70 points last week and is playing on the Mathis side of the field while DJ Moore gets shadowed by Surtain. If Surtain limits Moore, it will have to be Claypool who steps up for Justin Fields as he looks to get on track and salvage the season. | |||||
| Tee Higgins | CIN | $6800 / $7300 | Sean Murphy-Bunting | TEN | Safe |
| Is it going to be an every-other-week thing for Higgins? If so, this is a good week. He was still targeted 8 times last week even though it only resulted in 2 catches so it's not like he wasn't involved. This week he gets a matchup against Sean Murphy-Bunting who couldn't even keep the 3rd CB job in Tampa last year. The matchup is largely in Higgins favor and he should bounce back nicely this week. | |||||
| Donovan Peoples-Jones | CLE | $3800 / $5500 | Ronald Darby | BAL | Risky |
| DPJ only has 5 catches on 10 targets so far this season and it looks like Elijah Moore has taken a lot of the targets that DPJ was getting last season. With only a 10% target share and against a formidable corner, he is a risky start. | |||||
| Brandin Cooks | DAL | $4900 / $5400 | Shaun Wade | NE | Moderate |
| Cooks is still trying to establish a connection with Dak Prescott and only has 4 catches in the 2 games he has played this season. He did return last week after missing week 2 and had a 80.2% snap share and 83% route percentage. With the New England secondary banged up and playing backups, this could be the week Cooks and Prescott connect for a nice game. | |||||
| Marvin Mims | DEN | $3900 / $5400 | Jaylon Johnson | CHI | Risky |
| We have seen some really nice flashes from Mims and he has shown his playmaking ability. The part that still makes him risky is that he isn't playing enough to trust him. He only has a 27.5% route percentage and just over a 24% snap percentage. He is still losing opportunities to Brandon Johnson and Lil'Jordan Humphrey so until we see Sean Payton give Mims more playing time he is going to be risky. | |||||
| Josh Reynolds | DET | $4100 / $6300 | Jaire Alexander/Carrington Valentine | GB | Moderate |
| Last week was a disappointing goose egg for Reynolds but even with no catches or targets, he still has the second most targets and receptions of all the Detroit wide receivers. The Green Bay corners who play the left side are both listed as questionable so we really don't know who Reynolds will draw yet. If Jaire Alexander plays, this leans towards risky. If Jaire doesn't go and Valentine does then Reynolds is playable. If both corners are out, put Reynolds in all your DFS showdown lineups. | |||||
| Christian Watson | GB | $5900 / $6400 | Cameron Sutton | DET | Moderate |
| On the other side of the same game, Watson is also still listed as questionable nursing the hamstring injury. Reports say he is trending towards playing so it will be interesting to see if they ease him back in with limited snaps on a short week. It may be wise to take it easy and get him back to full health with the longer week coming up so I would temper expectations this week and see how he looks. | |||||
| Tank Dell | HOU | $4600 / $6200 | Joey Porter Jr. | PIT | Moderate |
| We have seen an emergence from the rookie receiver who has led the team in targets each of the past 2 weeks. C.J. Stroud has been airing it out but that volume likely can't keep up. He is averaging over 40 pass attempts per game and Houston is going to want to get the run game going so the pace is not sustainable. In a game with a low point total and a lot of hype around Dell triggering higher rostership, he is a fine season-long play but I'm not using him in DFS this week. | |||||
| Michael Pittman | IND | $6500 / $7200 | Ahkello Witherspoon | LAR | Safe |
| Pittman is looking like one of the best draft values with his 25 catches, 34 targets and 230 receiving yards on the season. He has a 98.5% route percentage and gets a good matchup against Witherspoon who allows over 12 yards per reception. Richardson will be back this week as well and should pick up right where he left off with his number 1 target. | |||||
| Jamal Agnew | JAC | $3000 / $4900 | A.J. Terrell | ATL | Risky |
| With Zay Jones out we saw Agnew and Tim Jones sharing the workload on the right side last week. Against a solid corner in Terrell and behind Ridley, Kirk and Engram in the pecking order, neither one of them are good start. | |||||
| Justin Watson | KC | $3500 / $5200 | Sauce Gardner | NYJ | Risky |
| See other KC entry above. Last week we saw 5 different guys play 35-65% snap percentage so there's no telling who will be in there for the touchdown pass. Against one of the best young corners in the game, they're all a pass this week. | |||||
| Jakobi Meyers | LV | $5500 / $6900 | Michael Davis | LAC | Safe |
| Meyers came back last week after missing the previous week in concussion protocol and was right back in the mix with 12 targets and 7 catches. He saw 10 targets in Week 1 and is the clear second target in this offense. The volume that he is seeing in a very thin wide receiver room makes him a good play this week against a secondary that gives up plenty of points to wide receivers. | |||||
| Quentin Johnston | LAC | $3700 / $5200 | Marcus Peters | LV | Moderate |
| It is going to take some time for Johnston to overtake Palmer in the pecking order, if he even does this season, but he steps into a good spot after the loss of Mike Williams. He profiles as a Williams-like player but the problem is that he will be the one likely coming off the field in 2 wide receiver sets, not Palmer. because of that and a matchup against a solid veteran corner in Peters, Johnston will stay on my bench this week. | |||||
| Puka Nacua | LAR | $6700 / $7500 | JuJu Brents | IND | Safe |
| Isn't it crazy how a 5 of 7 for a 72-yard game for Puka felt like a big letdown? After an unprecedented start to his NFL career, Puka had a more "normal" game last week and that will oddly enough get some people off him in DFS this week. He gets a great matchup this week against a backup corner and is a great play in DFS and season-long this week. | |||||
| Jaylen Waddle | MIA | $7600 / $7400 | Christian Benford | BUF | Safe |
| Man, it would have been nice to see Waddle out there in Miami's 70-point outburst last week but he is on track to play in this big game this week. With Tyreek Hill likely drawing a Tre'Davious White shadow on the other side, Waddle has a great matchup against the 2nd year 6th-round pick Christian Benford. Tua and Mike McDaniel will look to exploit that matchup and Waddle could be in for a huge game. | |||||
| Jordan Addison | MIN | $5700 / $6400 | CJ Henderson | CAR | Moderate |
| While the price looks decent and Addison has 2 touchdowns already, something about this matchup doesn't feel right to me. Henderson has only allowed 6 catches in his coverage this season and Addison is still playing with a lower snap percentage and route percentage than K.J. Osborn. Even though Addison is more involved and getting more targets than Osborn, I don't feel good about playing him this week. | |||||
| Kendrick Bourne | NE | $5000 / $5700 | Stephon Gilmore | DAL | Risky |
| Stephon Gilmore is a far better player than Bourne and while he may catch a few passes I don't expect him to do much with them. As Ariana Grande would say, "Thank you, next". | |||||
| Rashid Shaheed | NO | $4000 / $5800 | Carlton Davis | TB | Risky |
| With backup quarterback Jameis Winston in there and nearly 80% of the wide receiver targets so far funneling to Olave and Thomas, Shaheed is a risky play every week who may get behind the defense for a big play every once in a while but you never know when. If you want to throw the dart that the gun-slinging Winston will chuck one up against a beatable secondary and hit Shaheed this week, it could happen, but it is risky nonetheless. | |||||
| Darius Slayton | NYG | $4000 / $5700 | Devon Witherspoon | SEA | Moderate |
| Slayton has led the Giants so far in targets and route percentage, but there are a lot of players in the wide receiver rotation now in New York. Slayton still had the highest route percentage last week with 83% and at least looks to be the guy who is out there the most. At a favorable DK salary in a game, they will likely have to throw and still be without their star running back, Slayton is a decent play if you want to start one of these Giant pass-catchers. | |||||
| Allen Lazard | NYJ | $4200 / $5600 | Jaylen Watson | KC | Risky |
| We're done trying to make a thing in this Jets passing game happen. As long as Hackett and Zach Wilson are ruining the show, Lazard is going to be risky. | |||||
| Devonta Smith | PHI | $7500 / $7800 | Emmanuel Forbes | WAS | Safe |
| If we see Kendall Fuller shadow AJ Brown in this one, it leaves Smith matched up against Forbes which is a juicy matchup. Forbes has allowed a 75% catch rate and 159 yards in his coverage so far and Hurts and Smith could have a field day with this matchup. | |||||
| George Pickens | PIT | $5400 / $7100 | Shaquill Griffin | HOU | Safe |
| This is one of those matchups where everything looks good on paper. Pickens is playing 100% route percentage and facing a corner in Griffin who is rated 99th of the 105 CBs rated on PFF. it could be a low-scoring game, but Pickens should be a part of the scoring. | |||||
| Deebo Samuel | SF | $6900 / $8000 | Kei'Trel Clark | ARI | Safe |
| Deebo owned the wide receiver target share last week with Aiyuk out so the targets will come down this week but it's still a favorable matchup. Clark has allowed 17 catches and 224 yards in his coverage this year and Deebo will be adding to those totals this week. | |||||
| Tyler Lockett | SEA | $6000 / $6900 | Tre Hawkins III | NYG | Safe |
| Lockett only has 13 receptions on the season so the volume is a little disappointing. He is playing an 85% snap percentage and 91.1% route percentage so it is encouraging that the opportunity is there. In a prime-time game at home in Seattle, it could be the week that the offense gets rolling and Lockett will always have a significant role in the offense as long as he is out there. | |||||
| Chris Godwin | TB | $6400 / $6500 | Isaac Yiadom | NO | Moderate |
| Tampa has been playing a lot of 2 wide receiver sets and using multiple tight ends so it is taking Godwin out of the slot and playing him on the outside with Evans. Evans has a tough matchup against Lattimore this week so it should be Godwin that sees the bulk of the targets in an important divisional game against the Saints. Vegas has this as one of the lowest-scoring games of the week but even if he doesn't score, Godwin should rack up plenty of points in a PPR league to pay dividends. | |||||
| Treylon Burks | TEN | $3900 / $5400 | Cam Taylor-Britt | CIN | Moderate |
| I'm not ready to give up on Burks yet, but the Tennessee passing game as a whole has really been struggling. He has 235 air yards but only 99 receiving yards so far on the season. They should have to throw this week to keep up with Cincinnati so there could be the opportunity for Burks, but a second receiver in a Tannehill passing game is still slightly risky right now. | |||||
| Jahan Dotson | WAS | $4800 / $5500 | James Bradberry | PHI | Moderate |
| Dotson has also been disappointing to start the season but better days will come. Unfortunately, this week against a Philadelphia defense with a struggling quarterback might not be the day. McLaurin will be locked up with Slay most of the day so some additional targets should head Dotson's way to give him some more opportunity to put up points even in a tough matchup. | |||||
| Slot WR vs. Slot CB | |||||
| Wide Receiver | Team | DraftKings/FanDuel | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
| Chris Olave | NO | $7100 / $7900 | Christian Izien | TB | Safe |
| Christian izien has been impressive in his first few NFL games but he is still an undrafted rookie slot corner and he will face his toughest test against Olave. With Michael Thomas squaring off against Carlton Davis, Olave will be the focal point for backup quarterback Jameis Winston in this matchup. Olave already has a 31.7% target share and gets the best matchup on the field which makes him one of my favorite plays on the slate this week. | |||||
| CeeDee Lamb | DAL | $7500 / $7500 | Myles Bryant | NE | Safe |
| Dallas is coming off a crushing loss against Arizona last week and will be looking to right the ship and get back on track this week. Part of the reason they struggled last week was because Lamb only had 4 catches and 53 yards. He needs to be heavily involved in the offense for it to be successful and this week he gets to face a backup slot corner in Myles Bryant. I don't think we will see Christian Gonzalez come play Lamb in the slot so as long as he gets to match up against a backup corner Lamb should be able to feast this week. | |||||
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET | $7800 / $8000 | Keisean Nixon | GB | Safe |
| Even if Jaire Alexander comes back this week for Green Bay, he doesn't usually move into the slot so likely won't shadow St. Brown. The Packers weakness in the secondary is in the slot which plays great for Detroit since ARSB from the slot is their biggest strength. It is a mismatch that Jared Goff and ARSB should look to exploit early and often in this game. | |||||
| Keenan Allen | LAC | $7900 / $9500 | Nate Hobbs | LV | Safe |
| All the debate on which of Joshua Palmer or Quentin Johnston replaces they lost Mike Williams volume may be answered with a "neither". Sure they will both be involved, but the main target for Justin Herbert will continue to be Allen. With over 400 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns on 32 receptions already, Allen should continue his dominance against Nate Hobbs who has allowed a 78.3% reception percentage on the season. | |||||
| Christian Kirk | JAC | $5500 / $6700 | Dee Alford | ATL | Safe |
| After a 1 catch game in the opener, Kirk has bounced back with consecutive games with over 15 PPR points. With Zay Jones out, Kirk and Ridley are the primary targets in the offense and Kirk gets a favorable matchup going up against Dee Alford who is allowing an 80% reception percentage in his coverage. | |||||
| Adam Thielen | CAR | $4500 / $6800 | Josh Metellus | MIN | Safe |
| The veteran slot receiver has been racking up the targets and catches the past 2 weeks and will look to continue the momentum against his old team this week. For a guy who has seen 23 targets the past 2 weeks, Thielen is still underpriced, especially on DK, and is a good play in DFS and in your season-long flex spots. | |||||
| Jerry Jeudy | DEN | $6600 / $6600 | Greg Stroman Jr. | CHI | Moderate |
| Jeudy is starting to ramp it up and increased his snap percentage from 68% in week 2 in his return to 75.8% in week 2. He faces a corner this week who has allowed 8 of 9 passes in his coverage to be caught and gives up over 10 yards per reception. Courtland Sutton still looks to be the top receiver, but there is still an opportunity there for Jeudy to be productive in your lineups. | |||||
| Elijah Moore | CLE | $4700 / $5900 | Kyle Hamilton | BAL | Moderate |
| The offseason acquisition of Moore is really paying off for Cleveland. He is tied for the team lead in targets and has the highest route percentage on the team with 85.2%. Hamilton is really a safety learning to play slot corner. He does blitz well from the slot and reacts well to short passes, but he is not a well-rounded corner and his route coverage is still lacking so Moore with the volume should wear down Hamilton. | |||||
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA | $4000 / $4900 | Adoree' Jackson | NYG | Moderate |
| JSN is still only playing about 50% snap share and getting about a 65% route percentage but his role should continue to increase each week that he plays and gets adjusted to the league. Something tells me that at home, in a prime time game, Geno Smith is going to get the rookie his first career touchdown this week, | |||||
| Tyler Boyd | CIN | $4100 / $5600 | Roger McCreary | TEN | Moderate |
| We had to add Boyd this week coming off 17 targets the past 2 weeks. With Burrow nursing the calf injury, he may not want to push off too hard to throw the deep ball, so he is looking at short and intermediate routes which is where Boyd lives. His route percentage this season has hovered around 88-94% and he gets to face a Tennessee secondary that has given up 5 touchdowns and 77 catches this season. There is always some risk with Boyd due to the other weapons ahead of him, but the increased volume lately is nice to see and makes him a playable option in your lineups. | |||||
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus and from Kevin Tompkins' Target Report
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