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Week 9 will be full of exciting and unexpected games like the NFL has given us all year. The NFL has been full of surprises between the Eagles' wild 8-0 start and Tom Brady going on a three-game losing streak.
Hopefully, this DFS article will help you win some money while we watch our favorite teams and players this Sunday. Matchups for the wide receiver position aren't always as black and white as they can be for other positions. Receivers sometimes move around the formation or may face shadow coverage, meaning these matchups need to be broken down deeper based on that data.
Now, here are the top WR vs. CB matchups for Week 9. Use these to set season-long lineups, as well as gain a competitive edge in the DFS games. The matchup data used in this article is from PFF.
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Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
DraftKings $6300 / FanDuel $6900 - vs. Myles Hartsfield
Tyler Boyd is no stranger to this column, as he has had a pretty productive season this year. In Week 7, Boyd had eight receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown. With the recent news of Ja’Marr Chase missing time, Boyd has been promoted to WR2 on the Bengals' offense.
Last week, Boyd finished with three receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. That’s not the flashiest stat line, but his five targets were third-most on the team. The Bengals struggled offensively against the Browns last week but should be in for a great get-right spot against Carolina.
Myles Hartfield will be the primary defender this week, who has given up the most receptions (30) and targets (40) this year among all CBs (as per PFF). The Panthers currently give up the 11th most fantasy points to wide receivers, and Boyd should be able to take advantage.
Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers
DraftKings $5100 / FanDuel $6200 - vs. Darren Hall
Joshua Palmer could be in a smash spot this week against the weak Atlanta pass defense. Keenan Allen is currently questionable, and Mike Williams is still out with an injury, so there is a good possibility that Palmer will be the team's WR1 on Sunday.
In his last game (Week 6), he finished with nine receptions for 57 yards (14.7 PPR points) and will now be up against the team that is allowing the second most fantasy points to wide receivers. Darren Hall will likely be the primary defender, allowing 14.9 yards per reception to opposing receivers.
Atlanta is coming off Week 8, where they allowed 152 yards and a touchdown to DJ Moore, and 317 passing yards to P.J. Walker. This defense is one to exploit every week, and Palmer should be the beneficiary this time.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
DraftKings $5900 / FanDuel $7200 - vs. Cameron Dantzler
Terry McLaurin has been a star ever since he got into the NFL. Since Taylor Heinicke took over under center, he has been seeing more targets and yards per game than he was with Carson Wentz to start the year. McLaurin is coming off Week 8, where he finished with six receptions for 113 yards against the Colts.
Over his last two games, he averaged 5.5 receptions, 93 yards, and 0.5 touchdowns. In Week 9, Scary Terry will take on Cameron Dantzler, Patrick Peterson, and the Minnesota Vikings defense. Dantzler has been allowing 11.1 yards per reception, while Peterson has been allowing 13.9.
The Vikings currently allow the seventh most fantasy points to wide receivers, and the Commanders should find themselves playing from behind pretty early in the contest. McLaurin has gotten eight targets in back-to-back games and should also see a ton this Sunday.
DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers
DraftKings $5800 / FanDuel $7000 - vs. Tre Flowers
DJ Moore has made an absolute splash over the last two weeks. Who knew it would be P.J. Walker that unlocked Moore’s potential? Over the past two weeks, since Christian McCaffrey was traded to the 49ers, Moore is averaging 6.5 receptions, 110.5 yards, and one touchdown per game.
Since P.J. Walker has taken over in Week 6, Moore is averaging 9.3 targets per game and is showing no signs of slowing down. Tre Flowers will likely be the primary matchup this week, who currently boasts an abysmal 54.1 PFF coverage grade this year.
The Bengals had a hard time defending the pass last week, as they allowed 131 yards to Amari Cooper and 81 yards to Donovan Peoples-Jones. With Robbie Anderson and Christian McCaffrey gone from the offense, Moore is the undisputed #1 option and could see another double-digit target outing this week.
Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots
DraftKings $5400 / FanDuel $6800 - vs. Kenny Moore II
Jakobi Meyers is one of the only consistent/usable players for fantasy on the New England Patriots. Meyers hasn’t been talked about much, but he is the current WR13 in PPR scoring (per game), averaging 15.9 fantasy points per game. He has scored a touchdown in back-to-back weeks and finished Week 8 with nine receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown against the Jets' stout passing defense.
Kenny Moore II will likely be the primary defender in this contest and has struggled a bit this season. Currently boasting a shallow 43.1 PFF coverage grade, he has been allowing 11.5 yards per reception to opposing receivers and a 124.7 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks.
As for the Colts' passing defense, they have been pretty solid - giving up the 2nd least fantasy points to wide receivers. However, Meyers should get a lot of usage, and the defense's strength shouldn’t be a scare, as DeVante Parker has already been ruled out for Week 9, which will only increase Meyer’s usage.
Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
DraftKings $5600 / FanDuel $6200 - vs. Benjamin St. Juste
Adam Thielen has been a bit inconsistent this season in terms of production, but he has seen some very steady usage. He has garnered at least seven targets in every game since Week 2. In Week 8, he finished with six receptions for 67 yards against the Arizona Cardinals.
Benjamin St. Juste will be the primary defender this week, who allowed three receptions for 69 yards with Michael Pittman Jr. as his primary defender last week. Washington has allowed 14 receiving touchdowns this year (tied for 4th most), and Kirk Cousins should look Thielen's way in the endzone.
Coming into this year, Thielen had back-to-back seasons with at least ten touchdowns. Thielen might not be the most exciting pick for DFS, but he is in a good spot to put up good numbers this Sunday.
All data is from PFF, FantasyPros, FantasyData, and Player Profiler. Thanks for reading, and good luck with your DFS contests!
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