Wide Receiver Matchups To Target in Week 17

January 3, 2021

Mike Riggall's favorite WR vs. CB matchups to exploit for Week 17 of 2020 DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel. These wide receivers should be tournament and cash game targets based on matchups.

The Week 16 wide receiver matchups article did not yield the greatest returns. CeeDee Lamb was the bright spot scoring two touchdowns, one of which was on the ground and one out of the slot, finishing as WR-10 with 23.4 points. Cooper Kupp did alright, snagging eight balls for 66 yards, but other than that, nobody really hit. Demarcus Robinson was featured as the pivot to Tyreek Hill, and while he did score and finish just ahead of Hill, he still only scored 10.9 points as the Chiefs surprisingly had trouble moving the ball against the Falcons.

Nothing is more important than evaluating matchups when making lineup decisions. From a yardage standpoint, the Lions, Jaguars, Eagles, Texans and Dolphins Defenses are giving up the most yards-per-pass which means they aren't great against the pass on a per-play basis. The Lions, Falcons, Vikings, Bengals and Broncos Defenses have given up the most explosive pass plays in the league which means big-play wide receivers are likely to have good games against those defenses. Through 16 weeks of the season the Seahawks, Falcons, Titans, Lions and Cowboys Defenses are giving up the most fantasy points to wide receivers which makes them units you want to exploit.

Now, here are the top WR vs CB matchups for Week 17. Use these to set season-long lineups, as well as gain a competitive edge in the DFS games.

Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

$8,700 FanDuel / $8,500 DraftKings - vs Sean Murphy-Bunting

The Buccaneers will be playing to win in Week 17 and shouldn't have trouble scoring on the Falcons Defense. Offensively, the Falcons will be without Julio Jones for yet another week, which means Calvin Ridley will be the No. 1 option in the Falcons passing game. Just two weeks ago, Ridley was the primary wide receiver for the Falcons against the Buccaneers and had 10 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown in that contest. The Buccaneers boast the No. 1 rushing defense in the league, giving up just 3.5 yards-per-carry which means the Falcons are more likely to have success through the air than on the ground.

Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears

$7,700 FanDuel / $7,700 DraftKings - vs Kevin King

The Bears need to win to solidify their playoff spot which means they will be pulling out all the stops against a Packers team that's already wrapped up their trip to the playoffs, but still needs to lock up the No. 1 seed. Robinson will likely avoid Jaire Alexander on most of his routes which means the fourth-most targeted receiver in the NFL will likely be heavily involved. While the Packers have given up the fourth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season, they did give up 131 yards to D.J. Moore two weeks ago, and eight catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns to Allen Robinson earlier this season. The Bears and Mitch Trubisky are on fire right now, so you should ride the hot-hand.

Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys

$6,200 FanDuel / $5,000 DraftKings - vs Isaac Yiadom

Michael Gallup avoided Darius Slay in coverage for much of Week 16 and was able to have a big game because of it. Similarly, Gallup will likely avoid James Bradberry in Week 16 who figures to cover Amari Cooper. Isaac Yiadom, who surrenders a 64% catch-rate and 1.2 yards-per-route covered, should cover Gallup on most of the routes he runs, which is very good for Gallup because he will have the best matchup in the Giants secondary. It's difficult to run on the Giants meaning the Cowboys will likely rely more on the pass in this matchup and while the Giants don't necessarily get gashed through the air, they have given up at least 12 fantasy points to six wide receivers since Week 12.

Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos

$5,300 FanDuel / $4,000 DraftKings - vs Damon Arnette

The Raiders secondary has been one of the worst units in the league all season and there's no sign that they will turn things around and start shutting receivers down in Week 17. Tim Patrick will likely see coverage this weekend from Damon Arnette who gives up an 84% catch-rate and 2.06 yards-per-route covered which is third-worst in the league. The over/under is set at 51 points so Patrick is a good bet to score in this contest.

T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts

$6,300 FanDuel / $5,800 DraftKings - vs Chris Claybrooks

Since Week 6, the Jaguars Defense has allowed a wide receiver to gain over 100 yards in every game except for Week 15 when Marquise Brown only managed to register 98 yards. T.Y. Hilton has been the hot receiver for Indianapolis over the last few weeks and he certainly won't have much resistance this week against the Jaguars. The only reservation I have about starting Hilton in DFS contests this week is that Philip Rivers may only throw the ball 20 times if Jonathan Taylor runs for 175 yards and scores three times.

Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers

$6,100 FanDuel / $5,300 DraftKings - vs Chauncey Gardner-Johnson

The Saints Defense gives up just 3.9 yards-per-carry, the seventh-fewest in the league, which is an indicator that Teddy Bridgewater will be throwing a lot. Against the Saints earlier this season Curtis Samuel touched the ball seven times and scored once. The Panthers have been extremely creative with the ways they get Samuel the ball on offense, incorporating him into the running game, so if the Saints slow down DJ Moore or Robby Anderson on the outside, Samuel may have a big day. The over/under is set at 47.5 points and the Panthers are 6.5-point underdogs which is another indicator they may be throwing a lot and Samuel will be busy.

A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

$8,400 FanDuel / $7,200 DraftKings - vs Vernon Hargreaves

The Texans are extremely vulnerable against the run but they're equally as bad against the pass as we saw last week when Brandon Allen threw for 370 yards against them. While the Titans will undoubtedly have success on the ground, the Texans are capable of putting points on the board themselves, which means Ryan Tannehill will likely need to feed the ball to A.J. Brown in order to keep pace. The over/under is set at 56 points which means this game will probably be a shootout.

Steven Sims, Washington Football Team

$4,600 FanDuel / $2,400 DraftKings – vs Nickell Robey-Coleman

Steven Sims primarily plays out of the slot and should avoid Darius Slay in coverage. Last week, CeeDee Lamb scored on a 19-yard run and caught three balls for 65 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles out of the slot. Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson are questionable to play in this contest, and if they're ruled out or see limited action, Sims could have a big role on Sunday. Sims is playing on Sunday night, so he's not available on any of the main slates on DraftKings.

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