NFL Week 7 WR/CB Matchup Report

Welcome to week 7 of the NFL season!  As the bye weeks continue, and injuries start to pile up, it’s becoming quite the strategy to complete your starting rosters each week. Sometimes you have to take a shot in the dark and hope one of your waiver wire pickups will hit. This week, 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:

Kenny Golladay vs. Trae Waynes:

Golladay has been a WR1 so far this season, averaging just under 17 PPR points per game. He’s seeing nine targets a game, including 1.6 per game in the red zone. This week he faces up against Trae Waynes. Waynes hasn’t been terrible in coverage, allowing just six yards per target but he has allowed a catch rate of 68 percent. I give the advantage to Golladay here.

T.Y. Hilton vs. Jonathan Joseph:

Hilton loves to face the Texans, and here is why:

He also should see quite a bit of Jonathan Joseph, who is giving up five receptions and 58 receiving yards per game. 

D.J. Chark vs. Dre Kirkpatrick:

Chark had an off game last week, as the Jags faced a tough Saints secondary that ranks in the top half of the league in pass defense DVOA. This week he gets Dre Kirkpatrick and the Bengals, who rank 30th in pass defense DVOA. Kirkpatrick has allowed 246 receiving yards and three touchdowns to opposing WRs this season.

Larry Fitzgerald vs. Grant Haley:

With Christian Kirk missing the last two games with an ankle injury, fantasy owners have really hoped that Fitzgerald would see some increased production. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been much of a threat since week two. That could change against Grant Haley and the Giants this weekend. Haley has allowed 315 receiving yards and a catch rate of 82 percent this season.

Brandin Cooks vs. Isaiah Oliver:

Cooks has been the odd man out of this receiving core, with just 37 targets this year. His aDOT is at just about 14, and his TAY% leads the team at 28 percent. So, where he’s going up against Oliver who isn’t one of the faster corners in the league, that gives Cooks a chance for some big plays down the field. The Rams have an implied total of 28.5, which means lots of scoring opportunities. 

The Bad:

Michael Thomas vs. Prince Amukamara:

Thomas is one of the top receivers in the game, but has struggled a bit when facing better secondaries this season. This week he goes up against the Bears who are sixth in the league in pass defense DVOA and allow just 36 receiving yards per game to opposing WR1. Thomas should see Amukamara quite a bit, and the Prince has allowed just 157 receiving yards all season.

Julian Edelman vs. Brian Poole:

Edelman has posted back to back 100 yard receiving games, but these New York Jets aren’t the Giants or the Redskins. The Jets are the sixth best team in the league when it comes to defending passes in the middle of the field, where Edelman does most of his damage. He’ll face off against Brian Poole, who has allowed just four yards per target this season when covering slot receivers.

Tyler Lockett vs. Marlon Humphrey:

The Ravens defense has struggled lately and they rank in the bottom half of the league against the pass, even though they only allow about 54 receiving yards to WR1. Marlon Humphrey doesn’t play a lot in the slot, but when he does he has been targeted just seven times (on 47 snaps) for 16 yards.

Alshon Jeffery vs. Byron Jones:

Jeffery leads the Eagles with a 26 percent target share, and only Ertz has more red zone targets. I have Jeffery in my top 24, but I’m only starting him if I really have to. He gets Byron Jones this week. Jones has given up just 182 receiving yards and a catch rate of only 52 percent. Tread carefully, Jeffery owners.

Tyler Boyd vs. D.J. Hayden:

I’m a big Boyd fan.  With that said, I don’t love his matchup this week against D.J. Hayden. He’s seen just 158 routes, but has been targeted just 17 times, allowing only 91 receiving yards. I’m still starting Boyd in my redraft leagues, but I’m not expecting a huge performance from him.

The Upside:

Golden Tate vs. Tramaine Brock:

The Giants should be at full strength this week, which means that Daniel Jones will spread the ball around. Tate will probably see a decrease in targets, but against Brock and the Cardinals it shouldn’t be too much of a hit on Tate’s value. Brock has allowed almost 300 receiving yards and two touchdowns this season.

Marvin Jones vs. Xavier Rhodes:

Rhodes hasn’t really looked like the shutdown corner that we were used to seeing over the last couple of seasons. So far, he’s allowed 28 receptions for 266 yards to go along with a catch rate of 85%.

Mike Williams vs. Malcolm Butler:

Williams seems to be healthy, and could show fantasy owners this weekend why they drafted him in the seventh or eighth round. Williams gets Malcolm Butler in coverage, and Butler has been serving most WRs a lot of fantasy points this year. So far in coverage, he’s allowed 346 yards, three touchdowns and a catch rate of 71 percent.

Auden Tate vs. Tre Herndon:

While I don’t think Boyd will have a big game, I love the spot for Auden Tate this week. He’s going up against Tre Herndon, who has given up over 200 yards and a couple of touchdowns. The Ravens also allow over 90 receiving yards a game to opposing WR2.

Marquise Goodwin vs. Josh Norman:

Ok, we never really know which 49ers WR is going to catch Jimmy G’s attention, but this week I’m going with Goodwin, with Deebo ruled out. Josh Norman has been a liability in coverage for Washington and I think that continues this week. Norman is allowing 335 receiving yards, five touchdowns and a catch rate of 74 percent this year.