Wide Receiver Matchups to Target For Week 9 - Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave, Keenan Allen, Malik Washington, more

November 7, 2026

Zach Thompson's favorite WR vs. CB matchups to exploit for Week 9 of 2026 - DFS wide receivers to target on DraftKings and FanDuel. These WR/CB matchups are GPP and cash game opportunities.

The NFL season approaches the halfway point with a beautiful 11-game slate for the main DFS fantasy football contests on Sunday's Week 9 main slate. With 22 teams in the main player pool for the second straight week, several strong wide receiver matchups stand out. Getting the right receiver at the right DFS salary is key to fantasy football success. Typically, wide receivers bring some of the highest ceilings each week due to PPR scoring. Diving into the matchups, the players in this post are expected to get plenty of work and should find room to operate during Week 9.

For Week 9, I'll break down the top five WR/CB matchups using Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades, along with key metrics that indicate a major advantage for the receiver. We always have to factor in usage and game script, too, but these are the top spots on the board, and if things break just right for these receivers, they could easily end up in the optimal lineup.

Don't forget to jump into our RotoBaller Discord! We have specific channels devoted to NFL DFS! We also have lots of great NFL DFS articles and NFL DFS tools to help you win MORE this season! Below are my top five WR vs. CB matchups for this week’s DFS main slate. Use these insights to fine-tune season-long lineups, player props, and DFS builds. Let’s get to it!

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

Matchup: Max Melton/Kei'Trel Clark (Arizona Cardinals)

Pricing: $9.3K DK, $9.5K FD

The Seahawks took a tough Monday Night Football loss in Week 8, even though Smith-Njigba has another game with 100+ yards and a touchdown. They'll look to bounce back after a short week as they host the Cardinals on Sunday, and Smith-Njigba will be working with a new QB as Drew Lock takes over for Sam Darnold, who is out with a quadriceps injury.

Smith-Njigba had success with Lock earlier this season, even in this specific matchup. Lock started against the Cardinals in Week 2, and he threw three touchdowns, all to JSN.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba so far today:

8 Receptions
151 Yards
3 TDs
41.1 PPR points

LEAGUE. WINNER. https://t.co/lbtUzk1X8c

— PFF Fantasy (@PFF_Fantasy) September 20, 2026

Smith-Njigba has the highest grade of all wide receivers on PFF, while the Cardinals as a team rank 30th of 32 teams in pass coverage. Max Melton is an especially strong matchup for JSN, since he ranks 73rd of the 106 graded CBs, while Kei'Trel Clark ranks 57th, still giving JSN a huge advantage with his top grade.

Smith-Njigba is a no-brainer must-start in all season-long leagues, but if you can find values in other roster slots, it makes sense to target him for DFS this week as well since he has such a clear advantage in the matchup.

Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

Matchup: Grant Delpit (Cleveland Browns)

Pricing: $7.4K DK, $8K FD

The Saints are returning from a Week 8 bye as they host the Browns and Shedeur Sanders, making his first start of the season. Taking on the Browns' defense should be a favorable spot for Olave to continue to deliver strong production as the team's clear No. 1 receiver.

While JSN has the highest target share in the NFL, Olave is also in the top 10 among wide receivers who have played at least seven games. He had 10 targets in five of his seven games, and the bye week should give the offense a chance to reset. They may also get rookie first-rounder Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) in the mix, since the rookie is listed as questionable to return from IR.

Olave has 49 catches in his seven games, with two touchdowns, one in each of the Saints' two victories this season.

Tyler Shough drops it in the bucket to Chris Olave for the TD 🪣

NOvsNYG on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/l54Il6zCEN

— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026

Olave has the seventh-highest WR grade of the 114 WRs on PFF, and he gets a good matchup if he's lined up against Delpit, who has only the 93rd-highest coverage grade of the 99 safeties on PFF. Olave will have a tougher time if he lines up outside against Denzel Ward, who has the highest coverage grade of all CBs, but the Saints could possibly try to scheme ways to get Olave into the more favorable matchup.

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Keenan Allen, Indianapolis Colts

Matchup: DaRon Bland (Dallas Cowboys)

Pricing: $4.9K DK, $5.9K FD

The Colts have been trading away key players from both their offense and defense, but there are still some solid veteran options who could provide good value at some key positions, including receiver. Allen still has a top-30 PFF grade at the position and has at least five catches in five of his seven games this season.

Last week, Allen caught all seven of his targets for 67 receiving yards against the Jaguars, when not much else was going right for the Colts' offense.

He is in a very favorable matchup against the Cowboys' defensive backfield, which has allowed eight wide receiver touchdowns in eight weeks, along with an average of 164.1 yards per game to the position. As a team, Dallas has the sixth PFF grade.

Most of Allen's snaps are expected to come against DaRon Bland, who ranks 98th among 106 qualified CBs. On the other side, Joey Porter Jr. has a much higher coverage grade, but if Allen can avoid getting too much of Porter in coverage, he should find himself in a great spot to continue his solid PPR production.

Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins

Matchup: Roger McCreary/Rock Ya-Sin (Detroit Lions)

Pricing: $4.7K DK, $5.7K FD

The Dolphins are in a favorable matchup against the Lions' secondary, and Washington has the potential to be a great value option as he continues to work with Malik Willis. Willis has looked much better over his last three games, and Washington continues to serve as the team's top target.

He leads the team with 45 targets on the season and tied for the team lead last week against the Patriots, catching five of six targets for 40 yards and his first receiving touchdown of the season.

Malik ➡️ Malik

Willis to Washington moves the sticks

NEvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/sYbrzj6iXk

— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2026

Washington has one red zone target in six of his last seven games, and leads the Dolphins' wide receivers in targets in that critical part of the field as well. He ranks in the top 50 of WRs on PFF, the highest of the three Dolphins' receivers who qualify for a grade.

He will have a distinct matchup advantage against Rock Ya-Sin, who ranks 89th of 106 CBs, but even if he gets matched up against Roger McCreary, he should have the advantage since McCreary's coverage grade is only a little better than Ya-Sin's, checking in at No. 81 of CBs.

Washington is a high-risk, boom-or-bust play since Willis has been hot-and-cold this season. However, if Willis has to air it out to keep up with the Lions, Washington could end up being a great value play based on his potential volume and matchup.

Jordan Watkins, San Francisco 49ers

Matchup: Eric Stokes/Darien Porter (Las Vegas Raiders)

Pricing: $3.3K DK, $5.6K FD

The 49ers are very short-handed at receiver this week with Mike Evans (Achilles), Deebo Samuel (hamstring) and Christian Kirk (knee) all ruled out. Demarcus Robinson (ankle) is questionable to return from IR, but even if he does, Watkins should be involved in this favorable spot against the Raiders, who rank last of 32 defenses in PFF coverage grades.

Watkins was a fourth-round pick in 2025 out of Ole Miss, but he didn't get enough snaps to earn a PFF grade, catching two of three targets for 26 yards.

This season, Watkins has been asked to step into a larger role. He played 76% of snaps in Week 7 against Atlanta before his Week 8 bye and had a season-high six targets. He hauled in three catches for 56 yards in the loss to the Falcons, and each of his three catches resulted in a Niners' first down.

Jordan Watkins, what a catch

SFvsATL on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/7qvEMgfj7p

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026

He came very close to a spectacular toe-tap touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the pass was ruled incomplete. He has the potential for bigger things this week against the Raiders.

He is projected to split snaps matched up against Eric Stokes and Darien Porter. In coverage grades, Porter ranks 86th of 105 CBs, and Stokes is just behind him at No. 88. Overall, the Raiders have allowed 10 wide receiver touchdowns in eight games this year, with an average of over 160 receiving yards per week to the position.

Watkins is a bargain play, especially on DraftKings, where he is barely more than the minimum. After a solid showing in Week 7 and with plenty of work, he brings nice upside in this favorable matchup. A breakout game is within the realm of possibilities, and he won't have to do much to be worth his small salary.

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your DFS contests!

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