2023 Fantasy Football WR/CB Match-Up Report Week 5: Big Game For Ja'Marr Chase
Welcome to the weekly wide receiver/cornerback breakdown for fantasy football Week 5! Here, we 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.
Be sure to check out the rest of the NFL DFS Coaches and DFS Watch List throughout the week!
| NFL DFS Watch List | DFS Playbook | QB Coach | RB Coach | WR Coach | TE Coach | D/ST Coach |
Fantasy Football WR/CB Matchup Report Week 5
| WR CB Matchup Report | |||||
| Left WR vs Right CB | |||||
| Wide Receiver | Team | DK / FD $ | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
| Marquise Brown | ARI | $5000 / $6400 | Cam-Taylor Britt | CIN | Safe |
| It was another heavy target volume week for Brown last week and he caught 7 passes on his 10 targets for 96 yards while racking up 16.6 PPR points. With a target share over 26% on the season and a plus matchup, Brown is a safe floor play with Joshua Dobbs playing well. | |||||
| Drake London | ATL | $4700 / $6300 | Steven Nelson | HOU | Moderate |
| Very fittingly, London scored a touchdown in London last week. The touchdown was only one of three catches on the day though and the poor play from Desmond Ridder will never allow London to be a safe play even as the lead receiver on the Falcons. He should see at least 6 targets each week, but we cant trust that they will actually be good passes from Ridder. | |||||
| Zay Flowers | BAL | $5500 / $5900 | Levi Wallace | PIT | Safe |
| Flowers moves all over the formation and the Pittsburgh secondary plays sides. Flowers will line up on the left side plenty where he will see Wallace who has given up 260 receiving yards in his coverage at an average of 13 yards per catch. With Flowers being the most targeted receiver in Baltimore, there will be plenty of opportunity to rack up catches and yardage in this one. | |||||
| Stefon Diggs | BUF | $8400 / $9100 | Tyson Campbell | JAC | Safe |
| It was a monster performance last week for Diggs with his 3 touchdown game en route to a 36 fantasy point game in a PPR. This week Buffalo travels across the pond to London and the offense should come down a notch between the travel, time difference and coming down from a big divisional game. Even with less volume and production than last week, Diggs is still commanding a near 30% target share and will have plenty of passes thrown his way. He is always a safe play when hes on the field. | |||||
| Jonathan Mingo | CAR | $3300 / $4600 | Jerry Jaccbs | DET | Risky |
| There are 3 outside receivers sharing 2 spots in Carolina but Mingo is still listed as the starter. With Terrace Marshall eating into his snap share, Mingo becomes riskier with limited opportunity. The hope is the two young receivers show they can get more volume, but for now, Mingo and Marshall are getting a 52.8% and 63.5% snap share respectively so it makes them risky whilke they share snaps. | |||||
| DJ Moore | CHI | $5700 / $6600 | Kendall Fuller | WAS | Moderate |
| DJ Moore should see a shadow from Kendall Fuller this week, be he did just fine against the Patrick Surtain shadow last week. Chicago did a good job moving Moore around last week including coming into the slot as well. He racked up 131 yards and a touchdown on 8 catches and he and Justin Fileds will be looking to build on that again this week. Its a fairly tough matchup, but the target share is there and its a very favorable price point in DFS for a number one receiver. | |||||
| Ja'Marr Chase | CIN | $7900 / $8700 | Kei'Trel Clark | ARI | Safe |
| Over the past 2 weeks Chase has really come back to life. He has 24 targets and 19 catches for 214 yards and over 40 fantasy points in that 2 week span. With Tee Higgins banged up this week, Burrow will continue to feed his stud receiver and hopefully he will find the endzone for us this week as well. | |||||
| Amari Cooper | CLE | #N/A | Bye | #N/A | Bye |
| Bye | |||||
| Michael Gallup | DAL | $3600 / $5600 | Deommodore Lenoir | SF | Moderate |
| It looked like Brandin Cooks came in and took over the WR2 role in Dallas in week 1, but in the past 2 weeks Michael Gallup has out targeted and outproduced Cooks even with a signifincatly lower snap percentage. Gallup had a 24% target per route run last week and Dak looks his way when he is out there. A maatchup with San Francisco is a tough one, but at the disocunted salary and the increased target share, Gallup is a sneaky dart throw option for DFS. | |||||
| Courtland Sutton | DEN | $5400 / $6900 | D.J. Reed | NYJ | Moderate |
| Sutton and Russell Wilson have shown a good connection so far and especially so in the red zone where Sutton knows how to get open. It's a tough matchup this week against a solid Jets defense, but Denver should look to keep Sutton on left side as much as possible to avoid Sauce Gardners coverage. He does play most of his snaps from that side already and will line up against Reed who is a solid corner in his own right. Reed should be able to limit Sutton some, so its risker in DFS but I'm still starting Sutton in season long. | |||||
| Josh Reynolds | DET | $4200 / $6300 | Donte Jackson | CAR | Risky |
| The return of Jameson Williams should have a greater effect on the other side of the field, not on Reynolds. Reynolds is playing a 75% snap share and will continue to be the #2 wide receiver until at least Williams ramps up and shows more. Even so, Detroit should be playing with the lead and continue to run the ball like they did last week so there probably wont be much meat on the bone for Reynolds outside of a few catches. With the low expected value and matched up against a good secondary, Reynolds is a risky start. | |||||
| Romeo Doubs | GB | $4900 / $6600 | Jakorian Bennett | LV | Safe |
| Doubs was still the main man last week even with the return of Christian Watson. Doubs saw 13 targets and reeled in 9 of them for 95 yards while playing a near 88% snap percentage. To be fair, Watson only played about 45% of the snaps as he was eased back from injury so his usage and target share will increase and cut into Doubs production. This week they should both be able to eat in a plus matchup against the Vegas secondary. Bennett is ranked 102 of the 109 cornerbacks graded on PFF and is a great matchup for Doubs at a great price in DFS. | |||||
| Nico Collins | HOU | $5600 / $7000 | Jeff Okudah | ATL | Moderate |
| After a 1 week blip in week 3, Collins bounced back with a nice week 4. He caught 7 passes for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns last week, but he gets a much tougher matchup this week against Atlanta. The Atlanta secondary is one of the best units in the game so they may give some fits to the rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Collins still has a good PPR floor as the main target in Houston, but in a game that should be slow paced and in a matchup against a good secondary, Id look elsewhere in DFS. | |||||
| Michael Pittman | IND | $6400 / $6600 | Kristian Fulton | TEN | Safe |
| Anthony Richardson struggled in the passing game last week and only completed 5 passes to wide receivers and only 11 passes in total on only 25 attempts. It was his first week back from injury so he had to get some rust off and this week they get a plus matchup against a porous Tennessee secondary. The run defense is good for the Titans, so look for Richardson and Pittman to pick up where they left off before the injury and get back on track this week in a good matchup. | |||||
| Calvin Ridley | JAC | $6800 / $6700 | Christian Benford | BUF | Safe |
| If it wasnt for a touchdown last week, we might be talking about Ridley as a possible bust with the lack of production we have seen since week 1. The metrics are there though, and Ridley is playing a 80% snap share witha near 87% route percentage and getting a near 20% target share. His air yard percentage is 33.6% and all of these usage metrics tell us that we need to just trust the talent and the production is going to come. In a matchup this week against a banged up Buffalo secondary without their best corner, this could be the week we see the resurgence of Calvin Ridley in what could be a high scoring back and forth game. | |||||
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling | KC | $4100 / $5400 | Akayleb Evans | MIN | Risky |
| I've said it before and Ill say it again, Kansas City's wide receiver room is a merry-go-round that I dont want to ride. Even against a bad Minnesota secondary, we dont know who is going to get the targets so none of them can be trusted with any confidence this week. | |||||
| Davante Adams | LV | $8100 / $8100 | Jaire Alexander | GB | Moderate |
| Adams is always a must start in season long leagues, but this week with him playing banged up and likely to see a shadow from a returning Jaire Alexander, it may be smart to look a different direction as a pay-up option in DFS at his high salary. | |||||
| Joshua Palmer | LAC | #N/A | Bye | #N/A | Bye |
| Bye | |||||
| Tutu Atwell | LAR | $5300 / $5800 | Josh Jobe | PHI | Safe |
| Atwell usually works on the left side and in the slot and even when Cooper Kupp comes back, Atwell will still do work on the outsides. This week against the strong Philly secondary, it is Atwell whose matchup I like the most against Josh Jobe. They have been using Bradberry in the slot and Puka may see a Darius Slay shadow which means more looks to Atwell. He is one of my favorite DFS values this week with that predicive matchup outcome. | |||||
| Jaylen Waddle | MIA | $7500 / $6800 | Deonte Banks | NYG | Safe |
| Miami struggled as a whole last week but Waddle did catch a touchdown that didnt count as it was called back on a penalty. He should be able to get one to stand this week going up against Banks who has allowed the most touchdowns in his coverage of all the members of the Giants secondary. Miami needs to bounce back after a disapointing loss and Waddle will be a big part of that. | |||||
| Justin Jefferson | MIN | $9400 / $9200 | L'Jarius Sneed | KC | Safe |
| Even with Jefferson likely to see a shadow from Sneed, the best receiver in football on a pass happy team is always a safe start. | |||||
| DeVante Parker | NE | $3800 / $5100 | Isaac Yiadom | NO | Risky |
| Parker has by far the largest snap percentage and route percentage of any Patriots wide receivers. But even with the usage, Parker only has a 13.8% target share and 13.3% targets per route run. As a member of the Kevin Tompkins All-Exercise team, Parker is a risky start. | |||||
| Michael Thomas | NO | $4900 / $5700 | Shaun Wade | NE | Safe |
| This is another matchup I really like this week. With New England without their top 3 corners its a savvy veteran who knows how to get open against raw, young, backup corners. Add to that the fact that Derek Carr is playing through an injury to his throwing shoulder, "slant boy" should see plenty of volume on those short and intermediate routes this week. | |||||
| Jalin Hyatt | NYG | $3600 / $4800 | Kader Kohou | MIA | Risky |
| Hyatt played 60% of the snaps last week but only saw 2 targets which equated to a 6.5% target share. With Hodgins, Campbell and others seemingly in a rotation in New York, all of the outside receivers are going to be risky starts until we see some clarity. | |||||
| Garrett Wilson | NYJ | $6000 / $7400 | Pat Surtain | DEN | Moderate |
| This should be another week of seeing Patrick Surtain in shadow coverage against a strong receiver. We saw DJ Moore have success against Surtain last week, but we have also seen Surtain limit Davante Adams and Terry McLaurin this season. As the main target in the Jets offense, Wilson will still see plenty of targets, but with questionable quarterback play and a tough macthup, its a fairly risky start for DFS. | |||||
| A.J. Brown | PHI | $8000 / $8200 | Derion Kendrick | LAR | Safe |
| Brown is on a hot streak, racking up 27 targets, 18 catches, 306 yards and 2 touchdowns over the past 2 weeks. While Kendrick is probably the best of the Rams corners, he is still no match for AJB. Jalen Hurts should be able to keep his momentum going with his star receiver in a great matchup against a weak secondary this week. | |||||
| Calvin Austin | PIT | $3500 / $4800 | Brandon Stephens | BAL | Moderate |
| Kenny Pickett is dealing with a bone bruise and a muscle strain and already hasnt been playing great football. At the low salary, Austin could be a dart throw in DFS due to his 45.3% air yard percentage which tells us he could break a big play at any moment, but he is by no means a safe start in a struggling passing offense with a banged up quarterback. | |||||
| Brandon Aiyuk | SF | $6200 / $8000 | DaRon Bland | DAL | Safe |
| Last week, Christian McCaffrey did all the scoring for San Francisco, but Ayuk did manage to rack up the yardage. He caught 6 passes for 148 yards with his 28.6% target share. Even with Deebo Samuel on the field for 87% of the snaps last week, it was Aiyuk who was the number one wide receiver target. Dallas is without Trevon Diggs now so Aiyuk should be able to get open against his backup DaRon Bland and capitilize on his opportunities like he has been all season. | |||||
| DK Metcalf | SEA | #N/A | Bye | #N/A | Bye |
| Bye | |||||
| Mike Evans | TB | #N/A | Bye | #N/A | Bye |
| Bye | |||||
| DeAndre Hopkins | TEN | $5700 / $6100 | Jaylon Jones | IND | Safe |
| This week could be the perfect get right spot for teh Tennessee passing game. They get a matchup against an Indianapolis secondary that has the 8th lowest team coverage grade according to PFF. Ryan Tannehill should look to exploit the matchup on the left side where he can get his star receiver lining up against a rookie 7th round pick. With the stars aligning, this is the safest week yet to start DHop. | |||||
| Terry McLaurin | WAS | $5400 / $7300 | Tyrique Stevenson | CHI | Safe |
| We finally saw the production we expected from McLaurin last week with his 10 targets and 8 catches. He has had the toughest stretch of matchups against great cover corners to start the season going up against some premier corners in Patrick Surtain, Tre'Davious White and Darius Slay. He finally gets a plus matchup against Stevenson and the Chicago secondary so I look for Sam Howell to find McLaurin early and often in this week's prime time game. | |||||
| Right WR vs Left CB | |||||
| Wide Receiver | Team | DraftKings/FanDuel | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
| Michael Wilson | ARI | $3700 / $5300 | Chidobe Awuzie | CIN | Moderate |
| Don't look now, but Michael Wilson has quietly leapfrogged Rondale Moore to be the #2 receiver in Arizona. He is second on the team in targets, air yards, snap percentage and route percentage. He is tied for the team lead in receivng touchdowns after his big game last week and is 1 yard shy of the team lead in receiving yards. As the one receiving option with some size, he is going to continue to have a role in this offense and will see enough targets to be useful in a game that could be high scoring this week. At a super favorable price in DFS he is a sneaky good play. | |||||
| Mack Hollins | ATL | $3300 / $5000 | Shaquill Griffin | HOU | Risky |
| Hollins has 1 catch over the past 2 games. There simply isn't enough passing volume or good enough quarterback play in Atlanta to feel good about playing him, especially against a good Houston secondary. | |||||
| Nelson Agholor | BAL | $3300 / $5000 | Patrick Peterson | PIT | Risky |
| Agholor played a majority of the snaps with Beckham and Bateman out and they both could miss this week again. Even with over 80% route percentage, Agholor only saw 2 targets last week. This passing game will be focused on Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews and the scraps that Agholor gets wont be enough to not consider him a risky play. | |||||
| Gabe Davis | BUF | $5800 / $6700 | Darious Williams | JAC | Moderate |
| Davis has touchdowns in 3 straight weeks now but only has 4 catches over the past 2 weeks. His ability to make the big play makes him enticing, but the volume just isnt there enough to feel safe using him. He is a touchdown dependent flex option in season long and at his price in DFS I would look to a safer option, especially against the top cover corner in Jacksonville. | |||||
| DJ Chark Jr. | CAR | $4000 / $5800 | Cameron Sutton | DET | Risky |
| Chark is still playing over 90% of the snaps but is getting less than a 10% target share. Sutton is a more than capable corner who won't let Chark beat him this week. With lack of volume and a struggling quarterback, Chark is a risky play. | |||||
| Equanimeous St. Brown | CHI | $3000 / $4300 | Emmanuel Forbes | WAS | Moderate |
| With Chase Claypool's demise, it is St. Brown who will see more action. Chicago doesnt run a ton of 3 wide sets though so he was only out there for a 58.3% snap share last week. I will say, when they do run 3 wide, dont be surprised to see Justin Fields look his way this week against Forbes who has given up 325 yards and 2 touchdowns in his coverage this season. EQSB is my sneaky DFS dart throw touchdown guy this week due to this WR/CB matchup. | |||||
| Tee Higgins | CIN | $6600 / $7000 | Marco Wilson | ARI | Moderate |
| Tee Higgins is questionable to play with the fractured rib and is yet to practice this week. This outside spot could become Trenton Irwin if Higgins doesnt go which is a big decline in talent. Marco Wilson has allowed over an 80% cactch percentage and almost 350 yards in his coverage, so I would love to see a healthy Higgins against him. Since we dont know if he will play and how well he will play if he does, we will downgrade this from safe to moderate. If its Irwin, he'd be a DFS dart throw only. | |||||
| Donovan Peoples-Jones | CLE | #N/A | Bye | #N/A | Bye |
| Bye | |||||
| Brandin Cooks | DAL | $4700 / $5100 | Charvarius Ward | SF | Risky |
| Charvarius Ward is one of the best corners out there and is in the top 20 of all corners graded on PFF. He has 3 forces incompletions, 3 pass breakups, 1 interception and 1 dropped interception on the season already. He is a menace to opposing quarterbacks and with Cooks being outtargeted by Michael Gallup lately along with the tough matchup, Cooks is a risky start this week. | |||||
| Marvin Mims | DEN | $4000 / $5500 | Sauce Gardner | NYJ | Risky |
| The Denver coaching staff has to see what they have here in the young playmaker. Mims is a big play waiting to happen, but the usage is still not where we need it to be. His 35% snap percentage along with a date with Sauce Gardner still makes Mims a risky start. | |||||
| Marvin Jones | DET | $3000 / $4500 | CJ Henderson | CAR | Risky |
| This is the guy who will be effected the most by the return of Jameson Williams. I expect Williams to be eased in, so there is still opportuinty for Jones this week, but his already low 28% snap percentage last week is going to decrease even more now with Wiliams rotating into his spot. | |||||
| Christian Watson | GB | $5900 / $6400 | Marcus Peters | LV | Safe |
| In his first game back from the hamstring injury, Watson was eased back in to game action with a 45.6% snap share and 47.6% route percentage. He only caught 2 passes on 4 targets, but one of them was a well designed play that left him wide open in the endzone for his first touchdown of the season. He gets a good matchup this week against a weak Raiders secondary and should see a bunch of 30 year old Marcus Peters who is allowing a 70% reception percentage in his coverage. The matchup is good and the volume should begin to ramp up this week for Watson. | |||||
| Tank Dell | HOU | $4800 / $6000 | A.J. Terrell | ATL | Moderate |
| The speedy rookie receiver led the team in targets in weeks 2 and 3, but he only caught 1 pass on 3 targets in last weeks contest. I told you in last weeks article to avoid Dell in DFS last week and I am doing it once again this week. With Nico Collins and Robert Woods also fighting for targets and a tough matchup against a strong Atlanta secondary, Dell is not a safe play this week. Atlanta plays at a slow, grinding pace so the game itself will be slower and lower scoring as well. There are too many things lining up against Dell this week to recommend him. | |||||
| Alec Pierce | IND | $3400 / $5200 | Sean Murphy-Bunting | TEN | Risky |
| Plain and simple, Pierce has only totalled 7 receptions on the season and only has 1 game with more than 3 targets. Even against the Tennessee secondary, Pierce is a risky play until we see him more involved in the offense. | |||||
| Jamal Agnew | JAC | $3000 / $4600 | Dane Jackson | BUF | Risky |
| Zay Jones is in London with the Jaguars, but as of Wednesday he still was not practicing. If he doesn't go, it leaves us this battle of the backups. Dane Jackson is the one stepping in for Tre'Davious White and has allowed 85.7% of the targets thrown in his coverage to be caught. I like the matchup against Jackson when its Kirk out ther in 2 wide sets, but I dont trust Agnew or Tim Jones enough even in a good matchup. | |||||
| Rashee Rice | KC | $3600 / $5000 | Byron Murphy Jr. | MIN | Moderate |
| Kansas City is too unpredictable to feel safe with any wide receiver. They had 4 receivers with s 45-59% snap percentage and Kadarius Toney also had a 24.3% snap percentage and 33.3% route share. I would love to play a receiver against this Minnesota defense, especially Byron Murphy, PFF's 96th ranked cornerback, but which one do you play? If you want to take a stab in DFS, Rashee Riche has the highest target share of the group even though he has the second lowest snap percentage so he's the one I have here for you. Rice has DFS dart throw written all over it in a plus matchup. | |||||
| Jakobi Meyers | LV | $5500 / $6600 | Rasul Douglas | GB | Moderate |
| The Raiders struggled to get much going on offense last week with a backup quarterback and a ton of pressure from Khalil Mack and the Chargers. Even if Jimmy G returns this week, it is a tough matchup for Meyers against Rasul Douglas and the Green Bay secondary. Meyers will have targets going his way as the clear number 2 receiver, so he will have a stable ppr floor, but in a bad matchup with a struggling offense he is not a safe play this week. | |||||
| Quentin Johnston | LAC | #N/A | Bye | #N/A | Bye |
| Bye | |||||
| Puka Nacua | LAR | $7700 / $8000 | Darius Slay | PHI | Moderate |
| I am slightly lower on Puka this week but it is not because Cooper Kupp may return, it is because he may see a Darius Slay shadow. We will see if Slay follows him into the slot or not, but he should be a good challenge when Puka is on the outside. Slay is allowing a 75% reception percentage in his coverage and we know Puka has been heavily targeted, so he can still have a productive game, but it's not the matchup for Puka to hit his ceiling in. | |||||
| Tyreek Hill | MIA | $9000 / $9400 | Adoree' Jackson | NYG | Safe |
| Tyreek is making a case to be considered the best receiver in football. He is on a record setting pace and now gets a Giants defense that is 4th worst in the league according to the PFF team coverage ratings. Jackson has allowed 236 receiving yards in his coverage and 116 yards after catch. With a great matchup and Miami looking to bounce back after a bad loss last week, its wheels up for Hill. | |||||
| Jordan Addison | MIN | $5300 / $5900 | Joshua Williams | KC | Moderate |
| In last week's article, I told you "something about this matchup doesn't feel right to me" and advised against starting Addison. He had a big fat goose egg and, even more concerning, is that Addison is still playing a lower snap percentage and route percentage than K.J. Osborn by a lot. Addison has a lot of talent and we've seen him make big plays and score touchdowns already this season, and the matchup in a game that should be a shootout should have him involved. Unfortunately, until he is more involved we can't quite call him safe. | |||||
| Kendrick Bourne | NE | $4600 / $5600 | Marcus Lattimore | NO | Risky |
| He was held to 2 catches last week against a solid corner and he faces another good one this week. Lattimore has the upper hand in this matchup so Bourne is a very risky start. | |||||
| Rashid Shaheed | NO | $3800 / $5500 | J.C. Jackson | NE | Moderate |
| I would love to target Jackson here who just got traded back to New England since basically their whole cornerback room is injured. Jackson was a healthy scratch last week for Los Angelse because he was playing so poorly. The problem with using Shaheed is that Derek Carr's shoulder injury limits Shaheed's upside. Shaheed is a downfield, big play guy and with an injured shoulder it will be hard for Carr to get the ball downfield and he will likely be using his other targets on the short and intermediate routes. | |||||
| Darius Slayton | NYG | $4100 / $5900 | Xavien Howard | MIA | Risky |
| Even with Robinson back and all the receivers healthy in New York, it is Slayton that continues to lead the Giants in snap and route percentage. The problem is that in last week's game there were 6 players who had the same or more than the 9.7% target share that Slayton had. There is too much ambiguity in this offense right now to confidently play anny pass catcher, especially in a matchup against a Miami defense that is going to pressure an already uncomfortable Daniel Jones. | |||||
| Allen Lazard | NYJ | $3900 / $5900 | Damarri Mathis | DEN | Moderate |
| The Jets impressively hung in there against Kansas City last week, but Lazard still only had 3 targets. He is still running the 2nd highest route percentage and in this matchup against a Denver secondary that ranks dead last in PFF coverage grade, even Lazard can be playable. The salary under 4K on DK makes him an enticing paydown option in a plus matchup this week. | |||||
| Devonta Smith | PHI | $7400 / $7500 | Ahkello Witherspoon | LAR | Safe |
| I just told you how the Denver secondary ranks dead last inPFF coverage grade, well the Rams secondary is second to last. Witherspoon has not given up a touchdown in his coverage yet this season, and Smith hasnt scored one since week 2. I anticipate this being the week that both of those things change and Smith finds the endzone in a great matchup for the Philadelphia passing game. | |||||
| George Pickens | PIT | $5200 / $6500 | Ronald Darby | BAL | Safe |
| Quarterback Kenny Pickett is dealing with a leg injury but they are saying he is trying to play this week. If he doensn't Pittsburgh will turn to Mitch Trubisky to lead the offense. Whoever is under center will be looking Picken's way as the main receiving weapon out there. He has seen at least 6 targets in every game and that will continue this week regardless of quarterback in a game they will likely be playing from behind and will need to throw to keep up. | |||||
| Deebo Samuel | SF | $6500 / $7500 | Stephon Gilmore | DAL | Moderate |
| Deebo played 87% of the snaps last week but didn't see a single target in the passing game. They could have been easing him back from his injury in a game they were winning handily so I'm not overly concerned with last weeks stats. He does draw a tuogh matchup this week against Gilmore, but Gilmore has allowed 2 touchdowns in his coverage this season. This should be a fun matchup to watch, but it could go either way. | |||||
| Tyler Lockett | SEA | #N/A | Bye | #N/A | Bye |
| Bye | |||||
| Chris Godwin | TB | #N/A | Bye | #N/A | Bye |
| Bye | |||||
| Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN | $3500 / $5500 | JuJu Brents | IND | Moderate |
| With Treylon Burks still dealing with a knee injury, it left an opportunity for Westbrook-Ikhine to step up and he did last week catching 5 passes on 6 targets and scoring a touchdown. He played an 84.6% snap share andhad a 93.8 route percentage in Burks' absence. JuJu Brents has played in 2 games and has allowed an 80% reception percentage andhas also given up a touchdown. At a low salary, this could be another sneaky DFS dart throw option that could pay off handsomely. | |||||
| Jahan Dotson | WAS | $4800 / $5700 | Terrell Smith | CHI | Safe |
| Dotson finally found the endzone last week and now gets to build on that in a matchup against Chicago who ranks in the bottom 5 in PFF team coverage grades. As a unit, Chicago has given up nearly 1,100 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns through 4 games so it is a solid matchup for Dotson and the Washington passing game this week. | |||||
Top matchups in the slot for Week 5
| Slot WR vs Slot CB | |||||
| Wide Receiver | Team | DraftKings/FanDuel | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
| Chris Olave | NO | $6900 / $7100 | Myles Bryant | NE | Safe |
| In both of the other New Orleans write-ups above, I basically made the case for Olave. The New England secondary is decimated and the shoulder injury that Derek Carr is dealing with benefits guys like Olave who work well underneath in the middle of the field. With a plus matchup and a team lead in targets, receptions and receiving yards, it is a good spot to use Olave this week. The 0 touchdowns on the season should change after this game. | |||||
| CeeDee Lamb | DAL | $7300 / $7400 | Isaiah Oliver | SF | Safe |
| Charvarious Ward doesn't shadow into the slot so with Lamb working mostly out of the slot he will see a lot of Oliver this week. Oliver has allowed a 75% catch rate in his coverage and is the weakest of the 3 San Francisco corners. With the 49ers offense playing well and liekly putting up points, Dallas will need Lamb to be heavily involved and taking advantage of this matchup to give them a chance to win this game. | |||||
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET | $7800 / $7700 | Jeremy Chinn | CAR | Safe |
| With Detroit pounding the rock with David Montgomery last week, ARSB didnt have to do much, but he still cought a touchdown and scored 16.6 fantasy points in a PPR. He has a nearly 93% route percentage on the season and gets to face a Carolina secondary that is beatable. With the certain volume and opportunity and pure skill he possesses, St. Brown is always a safe start. You could even get cute and build a DFS lineup using both St. Brown brothers in good spots! | |||||
| Jerry Jeudy | Den | $6300 / $6100 | Michael Carter II | NYJ | Safe |
| We all know how good the Jets outside corners are so the way you need to attack them is out of the slot. Sauce Gardner and D.J Reed stay on the outsides and that leaves Michael Carter II to play in the slot. He has been playing well but Jeudy has the advantage in this matchup. The outside receivers will have a tough go of it, so Russ should be looking to Jeudy early and often this week to rack up the PPR points, | |||||
| Christian Kirk | JAC | $5500 / $6600 | Taron Johnson | BUF | Safe |
| The injury to Zay Jones has really benefitted Christian Kirk and his prodution. It has allowed Kirk to stay on the field in 2 wide receiver sets and he has been capitalizing on the opportuinty with a few big games. He has an advantage in the slot against Johnson, but perhaps an even bigger one when they go 2-wide and he draws backup corner Dane Jackson on the outside. Its a great matchup for Kirk in a game that could be a back and forth scoring affair. | |||||
| Adam Thielen | CAR | $5100 / $6700 | Brian Branch | DET | Moderate |
| Thielen has been the reliable veteran presence for rookie quarterback Bryce Young so far. This week, they face Detroit where Thielen will match up against Brian Branch, Young's former college teammate. Branch has been playing amazing so far, but he hasn't practiced after injuring himself last week. He is looking to play, but if he does he will be playing hurt with high ankle sprain and the savvy veteran will take advantage andcontinue to rack up the receptions. | |||||
| Jayden Reed | GB | $4000 / $5600 | Amik Robertson | LV | Moderate |
| Each week the snap percentage has increased for Reed and the rookie is establishing himself as a solid weapon out of the slot. This week its a good matchup against Robertson who is allowing 67% of targets in his coverage to be caught. While there are other mouths to feed in this offense, it is a good matchup for a promising young receiver. | |||||
| Darnell Mooney | CHI | $3900 / $5800 | Benjamin St. Juste | WAS | Moderate |
| This is one of those plays where there is speculative volume to attack. Chicago's defense will let up points and Justin Fields is going to have to lead the offense and put up points to keep up. Kendall Fuller will look to limit DJ Moore, so Fields will need to look elsewhere and thats where a Darnell Mooney could benefit in a much better matchup against St. Juste. | |||||
| Robert Woods | HOU | $4000 / $5000 | Dee Alford | ATL | Moderate |
| Atlanta is another team, like the Jets, who have 2 solid outside corners and need to be attacked in the slot. Woods is the 3rd most attractive receiver in the Houston passing offense, but has the best matchup of the 3 this week, making him a reasonable play at a low pricepoint in DFS. | |||||
| Tyler Boyd | CIN | $4500 / $6200 | Jalen Thompson | ARI | Moderate |
| Over the past 3 weeks, Boyd is averaging 8 targets a game and has shown why hes been a reliable asset in this passing game for years. There could be even more opportunity for targets this week with Tee HIggins questionable with the rib injury. Joe Burrow's calf injury also benefits Boyd since Burrow knows he can get the ball out quicky to Boyd working the middle of the field and knowing how to find a hole in the defense. With Higgins either missing this game or playing less than 100%, the consistent volume we have seen from Boyd lately will continue and possibly even increase, making him a very playable option in your lineups. | |||||
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus and from Kevin Tompkins' Target Report.