NFL Week 3 WR/CB Matchup Report

Week two is in the books and I’m coming back for more. Trying to find advantages in a wide receiver-cornerback matchup can really help to gain an advantage over your league mates, and win your weekly matchups. So, 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. Now, as always, keep in mind that just because a player has a “bad” matchup doesn’t mean I’m telling you to bench him. It just means you should limit your expectations for that player this week. Let’s see if we can’t increase our success for week three!

The Good:

Davante Adams vs. Isaac Yiadom:

Adams is still looking for his first receiving touchdown of the season, and it could come this week again Yiadom. Through the first two weeks, Yidom has allowed 12 receptions on 13 targets for 148 yards. The last time Adams went two weeks in a row without a touchdown were weeks seven and eight in 2017. 

Michael Thomas vs. Tre Flowers:

No Brees? No problem! Thomas will have the pleasure of facing Tre Flowers in week three. This season, Flowers has allowed 11 yards per target (15 total targets) for 170 yards and a touchdown. Between last season and the first two weeks of 2019, Flowers has allowed a catch rate of 70 percent to opposing wide receivers.

Mike Evans vs. Janoris Jenkins:

This game could get out of hand early, as the Giants are benching Eli Manning in favor of the rookie Daniel Jones. Evans has had a slow start to the season, but he did see eight targets last week against the Panthers. He should have a bounce-back week against Janoris Jenkins who has had his own struggles early on this year. He has allowed nine catches on 12 targets for 94 yards, and should have trouble against the six-foot five Evans.  

Antonio Brown vs. Trumaine Johnson:

Love him or hate him, Antonio Brown can ball! In his Patriots debut, he was the most targeted receiver and also caught a touchdown. We don’t know how much Brown will play in the fourth quarter, as New England is favored over the Jets by 18 points at the moment. But, when Brown is on the field, he will certainly take advantage of his matchup with Trumaine Johnson. Johnson has only been targeted eight times this year, but has allowed 14 yards per target. 

Adam Thielen vs. Daryl Worley:

I’ve been a little worried about the Vikings passing attack, as they have really favored the run this year, but Thielen has a really nice matchup this week that is hard to ignore. Worley has been targeted 10 times for 108 yards and a touchdown this season and has a PFF grade of just 52. Another positive is that Thielen’s targets jumped from three in week one to eight last week. 

The Bad:

Julian Edelman vs. Brian Poole:

The addition of Antonio Brown certainly will hurt Edelman’s fantasy production, but what I’m worried about this week is going against Brian Poole. Poole has been targeted 12 times and has allowed just three catches for 12 yards. 

Sammy Watkins vs. Brandon Carr:

Last week, Watkins saw an increase in targets but a decline in production, catching six balls for 49 yards. This week, he’ll face off against Brandon Carr who between this year and last year has allowed a catch rate of just 55 percent. That goes along with allowing just 49 yards on 13 targets.

T.Y. Hilton vs. Desmond Trufant:

Hilton has three touchdowns through the first two weeks of the season but has yet to crack the 100 yards receiving mark. It’s early, but this Colts offense has certainly slowed down the pace without Andrew Luck behind center. They were one of the fastest teams in the league last year, and this year they rank 22nd in pace of play. This slowed down offense doesn’t bode well for scoring a lot of points, and Hilton’s matchup against Trufant should only slow things down more. Trufant has allowed one catch on five targets for six yards.

Tyler Boyd vs. Siran Neal:

I’m a big fan of Tyler Boyd, and I think he will continue to see success this year. This week is another story. The Bills have been pretty stingy against all WRs this season, allowing just 19 fantasy points per game. Boyd’s matchup this week, Siran Neal, has allowed four receptions on four targets, but for just 18 yards. 

Brandin Cooks vs. Greedy Williams:

Cooks has blazing speed, but so does Greedy Williams. Greedy has been targeted just five times this year, allowing one catch for 16 yards. While I expect the Rams to put up a good amount of points against the Browns this week, Cooks will have trouble creating separation against the speedy rookie cornerback.

The Upside:

Allen Robinson vs. Josh Norman:

Norman has been having a tough start to the season, allowing nine catches for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Look for A-Rob to have a nice bounce-back game from last week’s pedestrian performance.

John Brown vs. Dre Kirkpatrick:

Brown’s 40 yard dash time was 4.34. Kirkpatrick’s was 4.50. Kirkpatrick has allowed eight catches for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns. I expect to see a good number of deep ball connections between Allen and Brown this week.

Will Fuller vs. Brandon Facyson:

Fuller didn’t have the game we all thought he might against the Jaguars, and I believe he has that expected performance this week against the Chargers and Brandon Facyson. Facyson has allowed 10 catches on 12 targets for 126 yards and one touchdown. 

D.K. Metcalf vs. Marshon Lattimore:

I love this matchup for the rookie Metcalf this week.  Why? See below, please:

Mecole Hardman vs. Anthony Averett:

Dynasty owners rejoice! Last week, Hardman had six targets for 61 yards and a score. With Tyreek Hill out another few weeks, Hardman should take advantage of these increased targets. And who better to take advantage of than Anthony Averett. This year, Averett has allowed 12 receptions for 153 yards and one touchdown.