RADIO
As usual, the wide receiver matchup article from last week had some solid recommendations along with a few letdowns. Davante Adams (WR-10) had a solid game against a struggling Washington defense, Marquise Brown (WR-11) scored on a long-touchdown against the Bengals, while both Corey Davis (WR-20) and Calvin Ridley (WR-26) came through with scores. Brandin Cooks (WR-54) caught five passes for just 21 yards, Darnell Mooney (WR-49) failed to come through in a good matchup against the Buccaneers and with DeVante Parker ruled out the pivot was to Robby Anderson who had nine targets but only hauled in three of them for 14 yards. Now it's time to put Week 7 behind us and look forward to Week 8.
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 lock-down corners there are also guys who can be exploited, some of which will be discussed later. Up to this point in the season the Titans, Bears, 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 Saints, Browns, Buccaneers, Patriots and Bengals 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 8. 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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D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers
$7,700 FanDuel / $7,200 DraftKings - vs A.J. Terrell
The Falcons have given up the seventh-most fantasy points to wide receivers on the year. While the Falcons haven't been giving up big yardage to opposing receivers, they have surrendered the sixth-most passing touchdowns (15) in the league. Sam Darnold has been struggling which is a little concerning, but the Falcons are pretty good against the run so the Panthers should need to throw a lot to move the ball. Over the last four games D.J. Moore is averaging 10.5 targets-per-game so he should be heavily involved in this contest.
Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
$7,300 FanDuel / $6,700 DraftKings - vs Denzel Ward
The Browns rush defense has given up 3.5 yards-per-carry which is second-best in the league. The Steelers are underdogs and based on the Browns ability to stuff the run, the Steelers will need to put the ball in the air a lot in order to put points on the board in Week 8. Diontae Johnson has seen an average of 10 targets over his last four games and he figures to see coverage from Denzel Ward who is no slouch but he has given up a 68% catch-rate and 1.13 yards-per-route covered. Johnson also has a good history against the Browns, posting a total of 14 catches and 213 yards against the Browns across two games in 2020.
Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
$7,300 FanDuel / $8,100 DraftKings - vs Byron Jones
The Dolphins have injury problems in their secondary right now and have given up the third-most fantasy points to wide receivers on the season. Just last week the Dolphins gave up touchdowns to both Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage. In two games against the Dolphins in 2020, Stefon Diggs had seven catches for 76 yards and eight catches, 153 yards and a score. The Dolphins have also given up a league-high 37 explosive plays in the passing game which means Diggs has a good chance to catch a few deep passes.
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
$7,200 FanDuel / $6,400 DraftKings - vs C.J. Gardner-Johnson
While Marshon Lattimore has been an absolute stud in the Saints secondary, the team as a whole has given up the 10th-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. Lattimore figures to follow Mike Evans for most of this contest which means Chris Godwin should avoid his coverage for the most part. Leonard Fournette shouldn't have much success this week because the Saints give up a league-leading 3.3 yards-per-carry which means Tom Brady will need to have a big game if the Buccaneers are going to win. The Saints have only surrendered six touchdown passes on the season but they've managed to give up the 10th-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, including 15-or-more fantasy points to six different receivers. Antonio Brown has already been ruled out this week which means there's one less mouth to feed in this offense and Godwin will have the best matchup.
Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
$6,600 FanDuel / $5,300 FanDuel - vs Janoris Jenkins
Michael Pittman should see Janoris Jenkins in coverage this week who has given up a healthy 71% catch-rate and .29 fantasy points-per-route covered which is not great. The Titans have given up the most fantasy points to wide receivers on the season, a healthy 12 touchdown passes and 27 explosive plays which bodes well for Pittman's outlook. This game has the third-highest over/under on the week set at 51 points so there should be a lot of points scored in this contest.
Marvin Jones Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
$6,400 FanDuel / $5,900 DraftKings - vs Sidney Jones
Recommending Marvin Jones is always dangerous because it feels like he disappears at times when he has a great matchup. Jones will see Sidney Jones in this contest who gives up an NFL-worst 2.39 yards-per-route covered and .45 fantasy points-per-route which is near the bottom of the league. The Jaguars are underdogs in this contest which means they should be throwing a lot and Jones should see plenty of targets.
Van Jefferson, L.A. Rams
$5,700 FanDuel / $3,900 DraftKings - vs Desmond King
The Texans give up 8.5 yards-per-pass which is fourth-worst in the NFL, along with 27 explosive plays in the passing game. Between all of the Texans cornerbacks, Desmond King is the one you want to pick on, surrendering an 86% catch-rate and 1.64 yards-per-route covered which is one of the worst marks in the league. Van Jefferson figures to see King in coverage for most of this contest. Over his last four games Jefferson has seen just over five targets-per-game but he may be busier this week because of his matchup. Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods don't have prohibitive matchups this week, but Jefferson will see King the most so this might be his time to shine.
Elijah Moore, N.Y. Jets
$5,200 FanDuel / $3,900 DraftKings - vs Eli Apple
Corey Davis is dealing with a hip injury and according to Coach Saleh, he's not likely to play in Week 8 against the Bengals. Elijah Moore played more than half of the Jets offensive snaps last week which was a season-high for him and with Davis out of the lineup he should be more involved in the offense. Mike White will be starting at quarterback for the Jets which is very concerning, but Moore is the Jets best play-maker and he's a threat to score from anywhere on the field. The Jets will need to get the ball to Moore in space so he can make plays if they want any chance to compete this week. This is a very low-end play and is very risky given the Jets quarterback situation, but if Moore can break free for a score, he will come through.
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