RADIO
The wide receiver matchup article from last week recommended some solid plays with Davante Adams (WR-2), Kadarius Toney (WR-7), CeeDee Lamb (WR-17) and Deebo Samuel (WR-20) all finishing Week 5 with strong performances. On the lower end, Marvin Jones Jr. was targeted six times but only hauled in one of them for 25 yards and Jakobi Meyers (WR-47) really underwhelmed. Tyler Boyd was expected to have a huge week with Jaire Alexander out of the lineup for Green Bay but he had just four grabs for 24 yards, which was a massive disappointment. Now it's time to put Week 5 behind us and look forward to Week 6.
Nothing is more important than matchup analysis when it comes to fantasy football. Playing your team's best players on a regular basis is important, but picking apart the top matchups on a week-to-week basis can win you a championship, or even better, some cold hard cash in DFS. Through the first five weeks of the season, the league's top cornerbacks like Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, Casey Hayward, Jaire Alexander and Trevon Diggs, have held receivers in check for the most part. While there are lock-down corners there are also guys who can be exploited, some of which will be discussed later. After five weeks of play, the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Colts, Cowboys, Dolphins, Falcons and Washington defenses have glaring weaknesses in their secondaries that we can exploit with wide receiver matchups. Analyzing another angle, the Buccaneers, Saints, Browns, Broncos and Patriots defenses have given up less than 3.8 yards-per-carry, which means teams may look to pass on them given their ability to stop the run.
Here are the top WR vs CB matchups for Week 6. 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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Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
$8,700 FanDuel / $8,500 DraftKings - vs Kamren Curl
Washington has given up the third-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers so far this season, which means the Chiefs passing attack is in a really good spot this week. Tyreek Hill should see Kamren Curl on most of his routes which would be a huge mismatch in favor of Hill. Even if Hill sees William Jackson in coverage on some of his routes, that shouldn't slow him down because Jackson isn't having that great of a year himself. Tyreek Hill is a big play waiting to happen and he's likely to have one this week against a Washington defense that's given up 70-or-more receiving yards to eight different receivers so far this season and four plays of 40-or-more yards. This game has the makings of a shoot out as Washington has given up the second-most passing touchdowns on the season (14) and the game features the highest over/under of the week at 54.5 points
Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
$7,800 FanDuel / $6,700 DraftKings - vs Amani Oruwariye
The Lions have given up the 10th-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season but that stat is a little deceiving because they have allowed 10 yards-per-pass attempt which is the most in the league by a half-yard. The Lions have also given up the seventh-most explosive plays in the passing game and opposing quarterbacks have an average passer rating of 110.9 against them. The Bengals offense is going to put some serious points on the board in Week 6. It's just a matter of how that happens, and given Ja'Marr Chase's hot start, you need to keep firing him up until he lets you down. Chase has 19 targets over his last two games and he's clearly established himself as Joe Burrow's favorite target in the passing game.
D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers
$7,600 FanDuel / $7,300 DraftKings - vs Bashaud Breeland
Bashaud Breeland has given up 2.17 yards-per-route covered which is one of the worst marks in the league. Breeland also gives up a 77% catch-rate. As a unit the Vikings defense gives up a healthy 8.1 yards-per-attempt through the air and 16 explosive pass plays on the season so it's likely that D.J. Moore has a big day this week. The Vikings have given up just the 15th-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers so far this season, but that stat is a little misleading because they've played the Lions and Browns over the last two weeks, two teams that don't have the greatest wide receiver corps.
Terry McLaurin
$7,400 FanDuel / $7,100 DraftKings - vs Mike Hughes
The Chiefs defense gives up 9.3 yards-per-attempt through the air which is the third-highest mark in the NFL. They have also given up 22 explosive pass plays which ties them for fifth-most in the league. Washington is definitely going to be playing from behind this week and McLaurin, who is the eighth-most targeted receiver in the league (49), should see healthy volume. So far this season the Chiefs have surrendered 30-or-more fantasy points to Marquise Brown and Mike Williams and 20-or-more fantasy points to DeVonta Smith and Emmanuel Sanders. Washington is a 6.5-point underdog so they will be throwing a ton. Terry McLaurin did pop up on the injury report on Friday with a hamstring issue, but it's being reported that he should be fine for this weekend and he was only held out of practice as a precaution because he felt a little tight.
Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans
$6,500 FanDuel / $5,800 FanDuel - vs Xavier Rhodes
While Brandin Cooks is likely to see a lot of Xavier Rhodes in coverage against the Colts this week, he does move around the Texans offensive formations so he will also see Kenny Moore and Isaiah Rodgers. The Colts have given up the eighth-most fantasy points to wide receivers so far this season, a healthy 9.0 yards-per-pass attempt and 15 passing touchdowns, which is most in the NFL. The Colts have given up 15-or-more fantasy points to Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, Cooper Kupp, DeVante Parker and Marquise Brown so far this year so the outlook is very good for Cooks this week.
Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots
$5,800 FanDuel / $5,500 DraftKings - vs Jourdan Lewis
Unfortunately Trevon Diggs can only guard one person at a time, so the Cowboys defense has given up the seventh-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. The Cowboys have given up seven-or-more catches to Chris Godwin, Mike Williams, D.J. Moore and Kadarius Toney. They've also given up 90-or-more yards to six different receivers. The Cowboys are favorites in this contest that has an over/under set at 50.5 points which means Mac Jones and the Patriots will be throwing a lot and Jakobi Meyers, who has 46 targets on the year, should see plenty of work. The 50.5-point over/under is one of the higher totals on the week so this game should yield some decent production.
Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
$5,800 FanDuel / $5,500 DraftKings - vs Desmond King
Michael Pittman's talents were on full display last Monday night against the Ravens as he turned seven targets into six catches for 89 yards and a score. This week Pittman will see Desmond King in coverage who has given up a healthy 1.79 yards-per-route covered and an 83% catch-rate. Pittman is clearly Carson Wentz's favorite target in the passing game and leads all Colts players in targets with 43, compared to Zach Pascal (28), Nyheim Hines (19) and Parris Campbell (16). The passing game runs through him. The Texans have given up 22 explosive plays through the air this season, so Pittman has a decent chance to hit on a big play.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
$5,200 FanDuel / $4,200 DraftKings - vs Mike Hilton
Amon-Ra St. Brown leads all Lions wide receivers in targets on the year with 26. St. Brown started the year off a little slow, but he has eight targets in each of his last two games and he's starting to become Jared Goff's favorite target in the passing game. St. Brown should see a lot of Mike Hilton in coverage this weekend and while Hilton is pretty good, he's not exactly a prohibitive matchup. The Lions are underdogs against the Bengals who shouldn't have any trouble putting points on the board, which means St. Brown should see plenty of passes thrown his way from Goff as the Lions try to keep pace with the high-powered Bengals offense.
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