NFL Week 9 WR/CB Matchup Report
Week nine is upon us and this week we will be without some top receivers, such as Julio Jones, Cooper Kupp, and Michael Thomas to name a few. There’s still plenty of fantasy goodness this week, though! It’s currently Thursday as I write this, so be sure to check your injury reports on players that have been banged up. 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:
Amari Cooper vs. DeAndre Baker:
The Cowboys have an implied team total of 27.5, and with Cooper seeing a target share of 21 percent, I love this spot for him against the Giants. Poor DeAndre Baker has had a tough first half to his rookie season, allowing over 500 receiving yards and five touchdowns so far.
Tyler Lockett vs. Vernon Hargreaves:
Lockett seems to score every other game this season, which means this week he’s due for a touchdown. That should be too tough to do against the Buccaneers who are currently ranked 25th in the league in pass defense DVOA, and allow 89 receiving yards per game to opposing WR1. Hargreaves himself hasn’t helped to improve those numbers, as he is allowing a catch rate of 73 percent to go along with over 450 receiving yards on the season.
D.J. Chark vs. Gareon Conley:
Chark has been one of the pleasant surprises in fantasy football this season, as he’s currently the number five overall fantasy wide receiver. Now, normally, games played in London haven’t been very exciting, but when you’re facing the Texans secondary fantasy owners start to salivate. Gereon Conley was traded to the Texans a couple of weeks ago, and I don’t know how much he’ll help. This season he has allowed five receiving touchdowns.
Stefon Diggs vs. Bashaud Breeland:
Adam Theilen should be back this week, which means Diggs could see a dip in targets. That’s ok because I still love his matchup against Breeland and the Chiefs. This game should be high scoring, with plenty of points to go around. This season, PFF has Breeland rated as one of the worst cover corners in the league, with a rating of just 39.
John Brown vs. Josh Norman:
I’m really happy to see Brown catch on with a team and be productive. He’s running as many, if not more, routes as any wide receiver in the league and has a target share of 22 percent, and a targeted air yards percentage of 37. He’s a burner and this week Josh Norman will get burned. The Redskins tried to move Norman at the trade deadline, and for good reason. This year, Norman has allowed over 400 receiving yards, five touchdowns, and a catch rate of 75 percent.
The Bad (just four this week):
Keenan Allen vs. Tramon Williams:
Keenan Allen is banged up and has been limited in practice this week. That doesn’t bode well for him and his matchup against Tramon Williams. So far this year, Williams has allowed just over 200 receiving yards and a catch rate of 60 percent.
Odell Beckham vs. Chris Harris:
At this point, it’s tough to trust Odell and the Brown offense, outside of Nick Chubb. The Browns schedule does get easier in a few weeks but this week Chris Harris will give OBJ fits. Harris doesn’t have spectacular numbers this season, but he’s still one of the league’s tougher cornerbacks to face. I’m staying away from Odell for a couple more weeks.
Courtland Sutton vs. Greedy Williams:
The Broncos lost Flacco, and have named Brandon Allen the quarterback. It’s tough to say how that will affect Sutton, who has been having a great season up until this point. This week he faces Greedy Williams, who returned last week after missing five games due to injury. Williams is a rookie but has allowed just 62 receiving yards in three games this season.
Golden Tate vs. Jourdan Lewis:
This could be the first week that we see the Giants offense at full strength, as Sterling Shepard should be set to return. With a lot of mouths to feed, it will be interesting to see Tate’s target share. The Cowboys secondary has been average this year, and Jourdan Lewis is allowing just six yards per target this season.
The Upside:
Terry McLaurin vs. Levi Wallace:
McLaurin runs a 4.35 forty, and Wallace runs a 4.63 forty. Give me the F1 all day in this matchup. Wallace has given up over 350 receiving yards and two touchdowns this season.
Tyrell Williams vs. Rashaan Melvin:
The Gazelle has scored in every game that he has played in this season, and that streak should continue this weekend against Melvin. This season, Melvin has allowed 425 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Emmanuel Sanders vs. Tramaine Brock:
In Sanders’s first game with the 49ers last week, he was immediately shoved into the mix, leading all San Francisco wide receivers in targets. Tonight he gets Tramaine Brock in coverage, who has allowed 10 yards per target and three touchdowns this season.
Preston Williams vs. Darryl Roberts:
The Dolphins have been a joke, but I am very intrigued by Preston Williams. He’s seeing just over seven targets per game, including seven total red-zone targets this season. He is being targeted downfield, with an aDOT of 13, and a total target share of 22 percent. He faces off against Darryl Roberts, who has been torched this year for almost 400 receiving yards and a catch rate of just under 70 percent.
Chris Conley vs. Lonnie Johnson:
With Dede Westbrook being limited in practice this week, Chris Conley could see an uptick in targets if he’s unable to go against the Texans this week. Lonnie Johnson has allowed six receiving touchdowns this season.
