NFL Week 6 WR/CB Matchup Report

I can’t believe we’re already a third of the way into the season.  Last week I swung and missed on guys like Mike Evans and Amari Cooper, but then went yard on others such as Michael Thomas and Will Fuller. So, it’s time to keep at it. 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:

Julio Jones vs. Byron Murphy:

This is a game that should see plenty of fantasy goodness. The over-under is 52, and both teams rank in the bottom six in the NFL in Pass Defense DVOA. Jones already has more touchdowns through the first five games of this season than he had all of last year up until week 13. He sat out of practice on Wednesday with a hip injury, but I still expect him to play. He’ll be going up against Byron Murphy who last week allowed seven receptions and a touchdown. 

Amari Cooper vs. Trumaine Johnson:

Ok, so I was wrong about Cooper’s matchup last week and he’s back on the “nice list”. This week he will face off against Trumaine Johnson, who has given up a catch rate of 83 percent and 12 yards per target. Dallas has an implied total of 26 so I love the scoring opportunities this game should see.

Larry Fitzgerald vs. Damontae Kazee:

Fitzgerald is seeing about nine targets per game this year, and while he only has two touchdowns, he has been a focal point in red zone targets with seven. I love his matchup this week against Kazee. Kazee has allowed 11 yards per target and a catch rate of 80 percent to WRs this year. Last week he allowed 59 receiving yards, and 31 of them were after the catch.

JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. Desmond King:

I know that JuJu has been hit or miss, as a lot of his production has been because of a long touchdown catch. Mason Rudolph may not play, so that would mean third-stringer Devlin Hodges would enter the game. JuJu has the talent, and I really like him this week against Desmond King. King has allowed 14 yards per target, two touchdowns, and a catch rate of 85 percent. 

Marquise Brown vs. Dre Kirkpatrick:

Brown’s ankle injury suffered last week doesn’t appear to be serious, so start him with confidence. Especially since Dre Kirkpatrick will be covering him. Kirkpatrick doesn’t have the speed (4.5) to keep up with the speedy Brown (4.32). Kirkpatrick has allowed a catch rate of just 64 percent but has allowed 242 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season. Another thing that intrigues me about this matchup is the usage that Brown has seen in the red zone with six targets.

The Bad:

Odell Beckham vs. Tre Flowers:

If you remove his week two performance against the Jets, OBJ is averaging just 4.25 receptions and 43.5 yards per game, without a touchdown. I do think he bounces back because he’s just too darn talented not to, but I don’t know if this is his “get right” spot. Flowers struggled in coverage the first couple of games this season, but lately he has played great. Over his last three games, Flowers has allowed just 37 receiving yards a game, and one total touchdown.

Tyler Boyd vs. Marlon Humphrey:

While Boyd’s stats have been very inconsistent this season, he has seen double digit targets in all but one game so far. This week he goes up against a Ravens secondary that hasn’t been very good against the pass, ranking 23rd in the league in Pass Defense DVOA. With that said, Marlon Humphrey has been fairly stingy against WRs, allowing just one touchdown and a catch rate of only 54 percent.

Davante Adams vs. Rashaan Melvin:

Adams sat out last week with a turf toe injury, which can tend to linger longer than expected. Keep an eye on his status to see if he practices on Friday, but even if he does suit up against the Lions I don’t love his matchup against Rashaan Melvin. Melvin hasn’t given up a touchdown this year and is only allowing a catch rate of 44 percent.

Mike Evans vs. James Bradberry:

Evans has been pretty hit or miss this season.  Like OBJ, Evans has had one or two big games and then has been a non factor in the rest. Jameis Winston has recognized that he needs to make more of an effort to get him the ball, saying “Bottom line, to win football games, we’ve got to get Mike Evans the ball.” Well, that might be easier said than done this week, as Evans will face James Bradberry. Let’s take a look at Evans’ stats over their last three meetings: 

Week 2 (2019): 3/61/0

Week 13 (2018): 4/48/0

Week 9 (2018): 1/16/0

Stefon Diggs vs. Rasul Douglas:

It has been a weird season for a lot of NFL star wide receivers, and Stefon Diggs has been one of the biggest mysteries so far. The Vikings clearly want to run the ball as much as they can (5th in rushing attempts, 30th in passing attempts), and that hasn’t favored Diggs at all this season. This week he will face off against Rasul Douglas. Normally, I would jump at the chance to play any wide receiver against the Eagles secondary, but not this week. Douglas has allowed a catch rate of just 52 percent and 6.44 yards per target.

The Upside:

Courtland Sutton vs Malcolm Butler:

Sutton has been having a quietly solid season so far, seeing at least seven targets a game and scoring three touchdowns over his last two games. I really like his matchup against Malcolm Butler, who has allowed 334 yards for three touchdowns, and a catch rate of 74 percent.

Christian Kirk vs. Isaiah Oliver:

Kirk is still dealing with an ankle injury, but he did warm up with the team on Wednesday, so keep an eye on his status going into Sunday. If he does play, look for him to exploit his matchup against Oliver.  So far this season, Oliver has given up 305 yards and three touchdowns to wide receivers. 

Michael Gallup vs. Darryl Roberts:

Gallup returned from injury last week with a bang, catching seven balls for 113 yards and a score. This week he gets Darryl Roberts in coverage, who has allowed 241 yards and three touchdowns this season.

Demarcus Robinson vs. Lonnie Johnson:

Tyreek Hill could play this week, but it looks like Sammy Watkins will sit this one out. That means Demarcus Robinson is absolutely in play this week against the Texans. Lonnie Johnson has been fairly good in coverage this season, the Chiefs will have plenty of scoring opportunities in a game that should feature plenty of points.

D.K. Metcalf vs. T.J. Carrie:

Metcalf hasn’t had more than four receptions in a game yet, but that game could come this weekend against the Browns. Both Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams are still questionable to play, which means Metcalf could be seeing a lot of T.J. Carrie: