NFL Week 11 WR/CB Matchup Report
Welcome back to another edition of my wide receiver vs. cornerback matchups. As I’ve done with every article this season, I’m going to focus on five wide receivers, ranked in my top 24, that I feel have good matchups. I’m also going to look at my top 24 WR rankings and select five players that I feel don’t have very good matchups. Finally, I’m going to select five WRs outside of my top 24 rankings that I feel have some upside this week. You can use these picks in your season-long leagues (as a guide, not as a start/sit), or even when selecting your DFS lineups.
The Good:
D.J. Moore vs. Isaiah Oliver:
Moore is having a tremendous sophomore season, as he’s on pace for 96 receptions and 1,200 receiving yards. He only has two touchdowns this season, but I think we should expect some positive regression to come in that department. This week he faces off against Isaiah Oliver, who this season has allowed over 500 receiving yards, three touchdowns, and a catch rate of 72 percent.
Kenny Golladay vs. Chidobe Awuzie:
Over Golladay’s last three games, he has produced 13 receptions for 312 yards and four touchdowns. In week 11, Golladay should see a lot of Chidobe Awuzie, who has given up 9.6 yards per target, over 450 yards, and a quarterback rating of almost 100.
Michael Gallup vs. Rashaan Melvin:
Gallup has been a really nice compliment to Amari Cooper this season, averaging almost 15 PPR points per game this season as the Cowboys number two wide receiver. He should be shadowed by Rashaan Melvin this week. So far this season, Melvin has allowed over 500 receiving yards, three touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 111.
Courtland Sutton vs. Xavier Rhodes:
Sutton is another second-year receiver that has very similar stats as D.J. Moore, though he has found the endzone a couple more times this season. Even without Joe Flacco, Sutton’s target share hasn’t dropped off and I don’t expect that to change this week. The Vikings secondary has been quite bad this year, and Xavier Rhodes especially. So far this season, Rhodes has allowed 43 receptions, three touchdowns, and a catch rate of 86 percent.
Marquise Brown vs. Jonathan Joseph:
Brown has just 28 receptions this season but is averaging 16 yards per catch. Brown has been a low-end WR2/FLEX option so far, and this week he gets a nice matchup against Jonathan Joseph. Joseph is allowing almost eight yards per target, almost 400 receiving yards, and a quarterback rating of 101.
The Bad (only four this week):
DeAndre Hopkins vs. Marcus Peters:
Hopkins is one of the best receivers in the league, but he’s on pace to have season-low numbers in receiving yards and touchdowns since 2017. This week he gets Marcus Peters, who is a very aggressive cornerback and sometimes that aggressiveness can come back to bite him. This season, though, he has only allowed 207 receiving yards and not a single touchdown.
John Brown vs. Nik Needham:
Now, normally I would say that any matchup against the Dolphins is a plus matchup. But, Nik Needham has played really well this season. He has allowed just 5.6 yards per target, 135 receiving yards and a catch rate of just 54 percent.
Emmanuel Sanders vs. Kevin Peterson:
Sanders is questionable to play, as he hasn’t practiced all week so be sure to monitor his status. If he does play, he has a tough matchup against Kevin Peterson of the Cardinals. Peterson hasn’t allowed a touchdown this season and has allowed a measly 121 receiving yards.
Christian Kirk vs. Emmanuel Moseley:
I really love Christian Kirk and I think he will have a nice career in the NFL. This week, he faces off against Emmanuel Moseley. This season, Moseley has allowed a catch rate of just 58 percent, a quarterback rating of only 79 and just over 200 receiving yards.
The Upside:
Robert Woods vs. Kyle Fuller:
This season, Fuller has allowed over 570 receiving yards, three touchdowns and a catch rate of 70 percent.
Tyler Boyd vs. Lamarcus Joyner:
Even with Ryan Finley under center, Boyd should still find success. Lamarcus Joyner has given up a catch rate of 76 percent and a quarterback rating of 112.5.
Deebo Samuel vs. Byron Murphy:
If Sanders can’t go this week, Samuel’s matchup gets even sweeter as he should see an uptick in targets. He’ll go up against Byron Murphy who has surrendered six touchdowns this year.
Demaryius Thomas vs. Josh Norman:
I wrote up Thomas last week and I’m going back to the well against Josh Norman and the Redskins. This season, Norman has been one of the worst cornerbacks in the league, allowing five touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 135.4.
Randall Cobb vs. Justin Coleman:
Yes, Randall Cobb is the WR3 for the Cowboys, but that’s ok. He should see plenty of Justin Coleman in coverage this week. Coleman has given up 550 receiving yards and six touchdowns this season.
