Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 15

December 19, 2021

Mike Riggall's favorite WR vs. CB matchups to exploit for Week 15 of 2021 DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel. These wide receivers should be tournament and cash game targets based on matchups.

The wide receiver matchups article from Week 14 did not play out very well other than Ja'Marr Chase (WR4) who exploded for two touchdowns. Many of the high-end receivers underwhelmed in great spots. CeeDee Lamb (WR35) was targeted 10 times, but Dak Prescott narrowly missed him on a few balls which would have changed Lamb's final stat line. DK Metcalf only had four catches for 43 yards, but he was interfered with a few times, at least one of which would have gone for a sure touchdown.  Terry McLaurin was a major disappointment, failing to haul in a single catch before leaving the game with a concussion and when Elijah Moore was ruled out, the pivot was to Denzel Mims, who played 22 snaps but did nothing with them. Cole Beasley was targeted 11 times but was held to nine catches for 64 yards and while Nick Westbrook-Ikhine had a decent matchup, the Titans wide receivers were only targeted 13 times in the entire game. Donovan Peoples-Jones (WR32) was targeted seven times and had several big plays, but he failed to score so he had just an average day. Now it's time to put Week 14 behind us and look forward to Week 15.

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, Josh Norman, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Kristian Fulton.

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, Ravens, Washington, Titans, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Seahawks 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.

Here are the top WR vs CB matchups for Week 15. 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.

CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

$7,400 FanDuel / $7,400 DraftKings - vs Aaron Robinson

CeeDee Lamb is in a great spot out of the slot against Aaron Robinson and the Giants this week. In Week 14 Joshua Palmer filled in for Keenan Allen in the slot and had five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown and the Giants also gave up double-digit fantasy points to Mike Williams and Jalen Guyton in that same game. In Week 13 Jaylen Waddle had nine catches for 90 yards and Chris Godwin had six grabs for 65 yards and a touchdown against them in Week 11. On the year the Giants give up the ninth-most fantasy points to wide receivers and Aaron Robinson is the weakest link in their secondary.

Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers

$7,200 FanDuel / $7,500 DraftKings - vs Kristian Fulton

Kristian Fulton has struggled this season, which is good news for Diontae Johnson who will likely be lining up across from him on most of his routes in Week 15. The Titans did well against the Jaguars passing game in Week 14, but that's not saying much because that team is a mess. In Week 12 the Titans gave up a two-touchdown game to Kendrick Bourne and 98-scoreless yards to Jakobi Meyers. Diontae Johnson is Ben Roethlisberger's favorite target in the passing game and has been targeted 61 times over the last five games. If the Titans lock down Najee Harris and the Steelers running game, Johnson could see a lot of action. As a unit the Titans have given up 46 explosive-passes, which is a very healthy number, so Johnson has a decent shot at catching a big one in this contest.

Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

$7,100 FanDuel / $6,600 DraftKings - vs Brandin Echols

The Jets are absolutely brutal on defense, especially against the run. Normally I would say that the Dolphins running backs should be in for a big week, but Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed have been on the COVID list for about a week and just came off of it on Friday so the Dolphins may lean more on the passing game this week. Back in Week 11 Jaylen Waddle had eight catches for 65 yards against the Jets and added a touchdown on the ground. As a unit the Jets secondary has given up 55 explosive-passes on the season, which is second-most in the league. Waddle should see Brandin Echols in coverage this week who gives up 1.45 yards-per-route covered and a healthy 66% catch-rate. On Thursday Waddle popped up on the COVID list, so it's unclear if he will be cleared in time to play in Week 15. However, the NFL did just pass new COVID clearance protocols so there is an outside chance he can play, but you must be prepared with a pivot in case he isn't.

Pivot: DeVante Parker $5,800 FanDuel / $4,300 DraftKings - vs Brandin Echols

In Week 14 DeVante Parker played in his first game since Halloween and hauled in all five of his targets for 62 yards. The angle here is simple. If Jaylen Waddle is unable to get cleared off of the COVID list and misses the game, then Parker will see coverage from a combination of Brandin Echols and Bryce Hall, neither of which is a prohibitive matchup. If Waddle is out, Parker would be the Dolphins biggest threat in the passing game and command a lot of targets along with Mike Gesicki and should be in line for a big game.

Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots

$5,900 FanDuel / $5,000 DraftKings - vs Kenny Moore

Jakobi Meyers did not receive a single target in Week 13 against the Bills in an extremely windy contest where the Patriots only threw the ball three times. The last time Meyers had a decent matchup out of the slot against the Titans in Week 12 he had five catches for 98 yards. In Week 15, Meyers figures to see a lot of Kenny Moore in coverage who is the most-targeted cornerback in the Colts secondary and gives up a healthy 70% catch-rate. Meyers should get it done this week, but the fact that he rarely scores makes him more appealing in DraftKings because of the PPR-scoring format.

Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans

$6,900 FanDuel / $5,800 DraftKings - vs Tyson Campbell

The Jaguars have given up the 11th-most fantasy points to wide receivers on the year and have struggled defending guys on the outside. Since Week 11, the Jaguars have given up 15-or-more fantasy points to Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Russell Gage, Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson. All the way back in Week 1 Cooks gained 132 yards on five catches against the Jaguars, so he has some good history against them.

Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons

$6,000 FanDuel / $5,800 DraftKings - vs Ambry Thomas

The Falcons passing game is brutal in general and it's difficult to trust any of their wide receivers. That being said, Russell Gage has 33 targets over his last four games and had a 130-yard effort in Week 13. Gage will see Ambry Thomas in coverage on most of his routes who gives up a league-high 2.98 yards-per-route covered and a 90% catch-rate. Gage has a good matchup and the Falcons don't have a lot of weapons, so this could work out as a low-end option. The 49ers secondary is a patchwork unit right now and the Falcons should be able to get something going in the passing game this week. The Falcons are nine-point underdogs in this contest so they will be throwing a lot.

Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

$7,800 FanDuel / $7,700 DraftKings - vs C.J. Henderson

In Week 11 the Panthers gave up five catches for 103 yards and a score to Terry McLaurin and the following week Jaylen Waddle had 9 grabs for 137 yards and a touchdown. Stefon Diggs had a nice game in Week 14 against the Buccaneers, and while the Panthers have been solid against wide receivers on the season, the secondary is a little beat up and they are rather weak outside of Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore hadn't been shadowing the opposition's best wide receiver through his first few games with the Panthers but he did appear to shadow Russell Gage in Week 14. If Gilmore doesn't shadow Diggs, then he would see C.J. Henderson in coverage a lot this week who is the guy in the Panthers secondary you want to pick on. Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis should see an equal amount of coverage from Henderson this week, which is good news for both of them unless Stephon Gilmore shadows Diggs.

Pivot: Gabriel Davis $4,900 FanDuel / $3,700 DraftKings - vs C.J. Henderson

If you believe that Stefon Diggs will see shadow-coverage from Stephon Gilmore and don't trust that Diggs will come through, then Gabriel Davis is the pivot because if Gilmore shadows Diggs, that would mean Davis would see coverage from C.J. Henderson on most of his routes.

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

$8,000 FanDuel / $7,600 DraftKings - vs Chauncey Gardner-Johnson

Chris Godwin has been targeted 32 times and has 25 catches over the last two weeks. Although Godwin has failed to score in that span, he's come through in a big way with 248 yards. Godwin will see Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in coverage on most of his routes this week who is the guy in the Saints secondary you want to pick on. He's been targeted on 18% of routes he's covered this year and surrendered a 71% catch-rate so Godwin should be in a great spot to come through.

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