RADIO
Mike Riggall's favorite WR vs. CB matchups to exploit for Week 14 of DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel. These wide receivers should be tournament and cash game targets based on matchups.
In Week 13, Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill were the high-end options that had great matchups. Adams had a huge two-touchdown game while Hill only came up with 55 scoreless yards, falling victim to game flow as the Chiefs led from start to finish, scoring a defensive touchdown in the process. Several of the wide receivers recommended in last week's column came through with solid performances, but Devante Parker stuck out as the No. 1 receiver on the week, absolutely shredding the Eagles Defense. There were, however, a few dud performances, with the biggest dud coming from D.J. Chark. The Jaguars were miserable on offense and as a result, Nick Foles was benched and Chark had a terrible game against a Buccaneers Defense that had been hemorrhaging points to opposing wide receivers. Among the Bengals wide receivers, Auden Tate had the best matchup against the Jets, but their best cornerback Brian Poole went down with an injury. That helped free up Tyler Boyd in the passing game, while also hurting Tate's production. Here is a complete statistical recap of the Week 13 recommendations:
- D.J. Moore - 9 targets, 6 catches, 126 yards, 2 TD
- Pivot: Brandin Cooks - 2 targets, 2 catches, 24 yards
- Devante Parker - 10 targets, 7 catches, 159 yards, 2 TD
- D.J. Chark - 5 targets, 2 catches, 47 yards
- Auden Tate - 7 targets, 4 catches, 66 yards
- Robby Anderson - 10 targets, 7 catches, 101 yards
- Pivot: Dede Westbrook - 8 targets, 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD
- Deep Sleeper: Marcus Johnson - 6 targets, 4 catches, 55 yards
Now, let's move onto the current week and find the best matchups to exploit for DFS tournaments and cash games. This week, a lot of the high-end wide receivers have difficult matchups making them a little prohibitive due to their high cost. Michael Thomas plays against a stingy 49ers Defense this week and even though Tyreek Hill dominated the Patriots in 2018, the thought of playing him in DFS is a little scary given the fact that the Patriots are No. 2 in the NFL against the pass. Davante Adams has a decent matchup against the Redskins, but if the Packers get out to an early lead, they may end up running the ball 40 times which would hurt Adams. When Marvin Jones ($6,400 Fanduel / $5,400 DraftKings) torched the Vikings Defense in Week 7 for 93 yards and four touchdowns, I made a note in my Week 8 column that you need to keep past performances in mind because certain players establish a dominant track record against certain teams. Although Jones plays the Vikings again in Week 14 and has historically dominated them, it's hard to put a full endorsement behind him with David Blough at quarterback.
Normally, the first thing I do when evaluating the weekend slate is look to see who the Buccaneers and Cardinals are playing because wide receivers generally produce against those defenses. Although that strategy may have worked throughout most of 2019, predicting who will produce against those defenses may prove to be tricky in Week 14. The Steelers will play the Cardinals this week with their third-string quarterback Devlin Hodges under center, which makes the proposition of relying on a Steelers wide receiver problematic. Last week against the Browns, Diontae Johnson ($5,100 Fanduel / $4,300 DraftKings) led the Steelers in targets with just five and while James Washington ($6,700 Fanduel / $6,000 DraftKings) had 111 yards and a touchdown, he did so off of just four targets. Similarly, the Colts will be without T.Y. Hilton against the Buccaneers this weekend, leaving you to determine whether Parris Campbell ($4,800 Fanduel / $3,200 DraftKings), Zach Pascal ($6,100 Fanduel / $5,500 DraftKings) or Marcus Johnson ($5,200 Fanduel / $3,600 DraftKings) will come through in the Indianapolis passing game. Pascal should see the most volume, but the other receivers offer tremendous upside and may end up being decent tournament plays. On the high-end, Chris Godwin ($7,900 Fanduel / $7,300 DraftKings) has a decent matchup against the Colts and that matchup just got a little bit better now that their stud cornerback Kenny Moore has been ruled out. As detailed below, this weekend's main slate seems to be littered with middle-tier wide receivers that have great matchups.
Week 14 WR/CB Matchups to Exploit
Courtland Sutton ($7,300 FanDuel / $6,400 DraftKings) vs Johnathan Joseph
The Houston Texans have given up 25 passing touchdowns this season and allow opposing quarterbacks to throw for 7.4 yards-per-attempt which is tied for 11th-worst in the league. Joseph is still a savvy cornerback but he can't run how he used to and he also gives up five inches of height to Sutton which will present a problem for the Texans Defense. Drew Lock looked comfortable throwing the ball up to Sutton last week in his first career start, so the idea of Lock starting at quarterback shouldn't scare you away from rolling Sutton out there in your lineups.
Devante Parker ($7,200 FanDuel / $6,900 DraftKings) vs Blessuan Austin
The Jets Defense as a whole is pretty solid this season, but their weakness has been the play of their outside cornerbacks. The Jets are giving up just 6.9 yards-per-attempt through the air but they have given up the ninth-most fantasy points to wide receivers. Last week against the Jets, Auden Tate had 66 scoreless yards and Tyler Boyd gained 59 yards and found the end zone once. In Week 11, Terry McLaurin was able to gain 69 yards against the Jets, even with Dwayne Haskins throwing him the ball and in Week 10 Darius Slayton went off against them for 121 yards and two touchdowns. When the Jets and Dolphins met in Week 9, Parker had four catches, 57 yards, and one touchdown, but that was when Preston Williams was still healthy and receiving heavy targets.
D.J. Moore ($7,100 FanDuel / $7,000 DraftKings) vs Isaiah Oliver
In Week 11, D.J. Moore had eight catches and 95 scoreless yards against the Falcons Defense, but that was back when the Falcons were on their two-game tear. Moore has been on an absolute tear as of late and at this point, you need to get him in your lineup until he lets you down. Dating back to October 6th, Moore has only scored under 14 PPR points once and that was back on October 27th against a 49ers Defense that gives up just 134.2 yards-per-game through the air.
Robby Anderson ($6,400 FanDuel / $5,100 DraftKings) vs Nik Needham
The Dolphins Defense has given up 8.1 yards-per-pass which is third-worst in the NFL and 29 passing touchdowns which is second-worst in the NFL. Robby Anderson has gone for over 100 yards or scored in each of his last three games and the Dolphins typically don't play as well in colder weather (Jets are home) so this could be a big week for him.
Tyler Boyd ($6,300 FanDuel / $5,900 DraftKings) vs T.J. Carrie
The Browns only give up 213.2 yards-per-game through the air but they give up 7.2 yards-per-play which is around the NFL average. Cleveland's best cornerbacks play on the outside which means Tyler Boyd, who is also the Bengals best receiver, will have the best matchup this week. The return of John Ross should soften up the Browns Defense for Boyd to work underneath and the return of Andy Dalton at quarterback helps Boyd's outlook tremendously.
Pivot: John Ross ($5,500 FanDuel / $4,400 DraftKings) vs Denzel Ward
The Bengals need some serious help at wide receiver and John Ross just may be the answer. Tyler Boyd has proven to be a great possession receiver while Auden Tate is primarily a red-zone threat who lacks elite speed. Ross has elite speed and the Bengals may look to move him around and get him the ball similar to the way they did before he suffered the injury that landed him on injured reserve. Ross can take any given play to the house and at his low price on both Fanduel and DraftKings, it's worth a shot to get him in your lineup.
