Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 13

December 4, 2021

Mike Riggall's favorite WR vs. CB matchups to exploit for Week 13 of 2021 DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel. These wide receivers should be tournament and cash game targets based on matchups.

The wide receiver matchaup article from Week 12 had hits and misses. Deebo Samuel (WR-5) was one of the highlights from Week 12 as he continued to assault defenses in the ground game while  Tee Higgins (WR-4) exploited a great matchup in the Steelers secondary on his way to a big game. Michael Pittman Jr. (WR-40) had a rough week, Chris Godwin (WR-82) had one of his worst game of the season and Elijah Moore (WR-39) didn't have the best day with Zach Wilson struggling at quarterback. Diontae Johnson (WR-17), D.J. Moore (WR-22) and Brandin Cooks (WR-24) all had respectable games and came through for you if you used them in your lineups. Now it's time to put Week 12 behind us and look forward to Week 13.

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. So far 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 lockdown corners, there are also guys who can be exploited, such as Desmond King, Bashaud Breeland, Brandon Facyson, and Marco Wilson.

Up to this point in the season, the Titans, Bears, Colts, Saints, Dolphins, Vikings, and Washington defenses have glaring weaknesses in their secondaries that we can exploit with wide receiver matchups. Analyzing another angle, the Saints, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Seahawks, Bills and Rams defenses have given up 4.0 yards-per-carry or less which means teams may look to pass on them given their ability to stop the run. Keep in mind that the Bills have given up just 3.9 yards-per-carry after surrendering a ton of rushing yardage to Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry.

Here are the top WR vs CB matchups for Week 13. 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.

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

$7,600 FanDuel / $6,600 DraftKings - vs Richie Grant

Richie Grant has only covered 82 routes so far this year, but in that small sample size he's been the weak link in the Falcons secondary, giving up an 85% catch-rate and 1.35 yards-per-route covered. Antonio Brown will be out for at least three more weeks due to his lingering ankle injury and now his suspension which means Godwin won't need to compete with him for targets. Last week Godwin had a solid matchup against the Colts but things didn't play out well for him as Tom Brady targeted Rob Gronkowski heavily against a defense that surrenders big time production to tight ends. The Falcons are a little tougher against tight ends than the Colts, so hopefully that means Godwin will see a bulk of the targets in the middle of the field, especially with Mike Evans likely to see a lot of A.J. Terrell in coverage. This game has an over/under set at 50.5 points which is tied for the highest total of the week. That means Godwin has a good shot at scoring.

Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens

$7,100 FanDuel / $6,500 DraftKings - vs James Pierre

James Pierre is the weak link in the Steelers secondary and gave up six catches for 114 yards and a touchdown to Tee Higgins last week. Pierre gives up .37 fantasy points-per-route, 1.64 yards-per-route covered and a 66% catch-rate. Brown hasn't come through since he had 116 yards against the Vikings in Week 9, but he's been targeted 13 and 10 times over his last two games, so he's still very much involved in this offense. The Steelers have given up the 10th-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, including 20-point games to Tee Higgins, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Darnell Mooney since Week 9. The Steelers are in the middle of the pack giving up 33 explosive pass plays, but they do surrender a healthy 7.6 yards-per-pass, which is encouraging for Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore passing game.

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

$7,000 FanDuel / $5,600 DraftKings - vs D.J. Reed

The Seahawks defense has been playing better lately, but their cornerbacks still aren't the greatest. Brandon Aiyuk should see a mix of D.J. Reed and Sidney Jones in coverage this week and while neither is a prohibitive matchup, he shouldn't have any trouble at all when he lines up across from Jones. Deebo Samuel has already been ruled out this week, which means the 49ers passing game will primarily go through Aiyuk and George Kittle. In 2020, Aiyuk went for 91 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks so he does have some good history in this matchup.

Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

$6,800 FanDuel / $5,700 DraftKings - vs Desmond King

Michael Pittman had a very disappointing game in Week 12, but he should bounce back this week against a Texans defense that struggles to stop both the run and the pass. Pittman should see coverage from Desmond King on most of his routes in Week 13 who gives up a 78% catch-rate and 1.66 yards-per-route covered, both of which are among the worst marks in the league. The Texans have given up a healthy 4.5 yards-per-carry which is a little concerning because there's always the looming possibility that Jonathan Taylor dominates this game from the start. However, the Texans have only given up five explosive runs on the year, which means Taylor may need the entire game to get his usual 150-yards on the ground, not just the first quarter.

Van Jefferson, L.A. Rams

$5,800 FanDuel / $5,300 DraftKings - vs Tyson Campbell

Van Jefferson gets moved around the Rams offensive formation a lot which means he should see coverage from Nevin Lawson, Tyson Campbell and Rudy Ford this week. None of these matchups will be prohibitive for Jefferson, but when he gets matched up on Tyson Campbell he should really be able to take advantage. While Campbell has been improving lately, he's still surrendering a 68% catch-rate and 1.72 yards-per-route covered which is worst in the Jaguars secondary. The Jaguars defense is giving up just 4.0 yards-per-carry and Darrell Henderson is not 100% heading into this contest which means the Rams will likely put the ball in the air a lot. This game has a fairly high over/under set at 48 points and the Rams are 13-point favorites so they should put up a lot of points in this contest.

A.J. Green, Arizona Cardinals

$5,600 FanDuel / $5,000 DraftKings - vs Artie Burns

The Bears secondary is brutal other than Jaylon Johnson, who should be covering DeAndre Hopkins this week. Artie Burns is especially bad, giving up 2.12 yards-per-route covered and 0.56 fantasy points-per-route covered. A.J. Green will see Burns in coverage on most of his routes this week and he shouldn't have a hard time exploiting him, especially if Hopkins is slow out of the gate returning from his hamstring injury.

Quez Watkins, Philadelphia Eagles

$5,300 FanDuel / $3,600 DraftKings - vs Michael Carter

Quez Watkins has played at least 80% of the Eagles offensive snaps over the last five games. This week, Watkins has the best matchup in the Jets secondary against Michael Carter who has given up a 75% catch-rate and 1.35 yards-per-route covered. Watkins is a deep threat and the Jets have given up 49 explosive plays in the passing game which means he has a legitimate shot to come through this week. Don't be a hero and play Watkins over a more consistent wide receiver in your season-long leagues, this is a deep-reaching DFS play based on the matchup.

Josh Reynolds, Detroit Lions

$5,100 FanDuel / $3,400 DraftKings - vs Bashaud Breeland

It's tough to trust him, but Josh Reynolds has been playing a decent chunk of the Lions offensive snaps since he joined the team. Whether you like it or not, he's the best wide receiver on their roster. Reynolds was targeted five times in Week 12 and appears to have some chemistry with Jared Goff from their time together in L.A. Reynolds will see Bashaud Breeland in coverage this week who gives up a 67% catch-rate and 1.82 yards-per-route covered. The Vikings have given up a healthy 7.8 yards-per-attempt through the air and 40 explosive plays which makes them one of the most vulnerable secondaries in the league. The Lions will be without D'Andre Swift for at least two weeks, which means his pass targets need to go somewhere, creating more of an opportunity for guys like Reynolds. The Lions are also 7.5-point underdogs in this contest which means the Lions should be throwing the ball early and often.

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