Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 17: Drake London, Chris Godwin, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jaylen Waddle, Isaiah Hodgins, Keenan Allen

December 31, 2022

Ryan's favorite WR vs. CB matchups to exploit for Week 17 of 2022 - DFS wide receivers to target on DraftKings & FanDuel. These WR/CB matchups are GPP and cash game sleepers.

Week 17 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 Rams scoring 51 points with Baker Mayfield last week and Matt Ryan being benched for Nick Foles.

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 17. 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.

Drake London, Atlanta Falcons

DraftKings $4900 / FanDuel $6700 - vs. Marco Wilson

Drake London hasn’t had a great year up to this point, as he is currently the WR50 in PPR/G. That may sound scary, but he has been stepping up over the last three games. Since Week 13, London has averaged 6.7 receptions and 87 yards per game. A big reason was the absence of Kyle Pitts, who was placed on IR and hasn’t played since Week 11.

Over the past two games with Desmond Ridder under center, London has garnered ten targets per game. The Falcons take on the Arizona Cardinals this week, who have given up the seventh most receiving yards this year (3,607). Although London hasn’t fared well this year, confidently start him in DFS lineups this week, especially with his incredibly low cost on DK.

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

DraftKings $6800 / FanDuel $7600 - vs. Jeremy Chinn

Chris Godwin has been the clear leader of the struggling receiving corps in Tampa Bay. Godwin has seen 9.6 targets per game this year, with a 22% target share. Since Week 10 specifically, he has averaged 7.8 receptions for 74 yards and 0.5 touchdowns per game. Tampa Bay currently has a 67% pass-play rate (as per RotoViz) which is the highest in the league.

Godwin will see steady streams of targets no matter the matchup and will get the Panthers' defense this week, which currently allows the ninth most fantasy points to wide receivers. This week, Jeremy Chinn will be the primary defender, with a shallow 49.5 PFF coverage grade this season.

The Buccaneers' offense has seen some struggles, and there is a very real scenario that they might have to play in a negative game script at some point this week which will only increase the pass rate. Godwin should put together a solid PPR performance.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

DraftKings $7800 / FanDuel $8200 - vs. Josh Blackwell

A familiar name in this column, he is constantly undervalued even though he is the current PPR WR7. Since Week 10, St. Brown is averaging 8.1 receptions and 93 yards per game. He has finished with back-to-back 76-yard performances, which is his floor.

The last two games were road matchups, where quarterback Jared Goff typically struggles. This week, Detroit takes on the weak Chicago Bears defense at home in Detroit. Chicago currently allows 7.5 yards per reception, tied for the second most in the league.

Josh Blackwell is projected to be the primary defender, who has had a decent 69.7 PFF coverage grade this year, but at this point, nothing is stopping St. Brown. Since Week 10, the Sun God has boasted a 31% target share and should once again see a ton of looks his way this week.

Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

DraftKings $7500 / FanDuel $7700 - vs. Myles Bryant

Jaylen Waddle has had a great season this year, but most Miami headlines have been about Tyreek Hill. Waddle has hit 1,260 receiving yards this year, already over 200 more yards than last year. Over the past two games, he has averaged 128.5 yards and one touchdown per game.

One thing that may hold some DFS players back this week is that Teddy Bridgewater is in line to start with Tua Tagovailoa out with a concussion. Bridgewater has only gotten on the field four times this year and played more than 65% of the snaps in just one (Week 6).

In that Week 6 game, Waddle finished with six receptions for 129 yards. Waddle has incredible speed and yards-after-catch ability and should be able to put up a nice line, no matter the quarterback. Some DFS players might be scared to play Miami receivers this week, but they shouldn’t be.

Isaiah Hodgins, New York Giants

DraftKings $4500 / FanDuel $6200 - vs. Stephon Gilmore

Isaiah Hodgins has really been stepping up for the New York Giants since Week 13. The Giants have had a rough year of injuries, with their top two receivers, Wan’Dale Robinson and Sterling Shepard, both tearing their ACLs. Over the last four games, Hodgins has had 208 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Now Hodgins is up against a great defender in Stephon Gilmore, but the sheer usage he should see and red zone looks are enough to take a flier on him to fill out DFS lineups with a low price on DK. The Colts allowed 235 passing yards last week, and the Giants could look to exploit the defense and let Daniel Jones cook.

Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

DraftKings $7000 / FanDuel $8000 - vs. Cobie Durant

Keenan Allen had a hamstring injury limit him early in the season, only playing in two games through the first ten weeks. Since returning in Week 11, however, he has stepped right back into the WR1 spot of the Chargers' receiving corps. Over the past six games, he has averaged 9.2 receptions and 92.5 receiving yards per game, boasting a 32% target share.

He'll take on Cobie Durant and the Los Angeles Rams this week on Sunday afternoon. The Rams' defense has struggled as of late, getting torched by Jerry Jeudy for 117 yards last week. Allen is an incredibly reliable receiver, with an elite quarterback throwing the football. Don't overthink it. Start him in DFS this week.

All data is from PFF, FantasyData, and RotoViz. Thanks for reading, and good luck with your DFS contests!

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