Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Wild Card Round - Amari Cooper, Tee Higgins, Christian Kirk, Deebo Samuel

January 15, 2022

Mike Riggall's favorite WR vs. CB matchups to exploit in Wild Card Round DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel. These wide receivers are tournament and cash game targets based on matchups.

The wide receiver matchup article from Week 18 did pretty well, but to be fair, I didn't really recommend taking many risks. Rather, I recommend that you stick to higher-end receivers because Week 18 was very difficult to navigate due to the number of unclear situations heading into the weekend. Deebo Samuel (WR2) ran for a score and threw for one too, while Cooper Kupp (WR7) had a great game with seven catches, 118 yards and a touchdown. Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR10) continued on his tear, Stefon Diggs (WR14) had nine catches and a score, while Michael Pittman (WR18) also found the end zone. Tyreek Hill did absolutely nothing after hurting his heel in pregame warmups and while Jaylen Waddle (WR37) and Terry McLaurin (WR35) did register double-digit performances, they didn't exactly light it up either. Now it's time to put Week 18 behind us and look forward to Super Wildcard Weekend.

Now that the field has whittled down to the top-14 teams, there aren't any defenses in the playoffs that are really considered to be terrible units. For the most part, all of the playoff teams have at least respectable secondaries. Out of the 14 teams that are still standing, the Titans, Rams, Cardinals and Cowboys are in the bottom-10 of fantasy points against wide receivers. On the other end of things, the Bills, Patriots, Raiders and Eagles rank in the top-five in fantasy points against wide receivers.

Analyzing another angle, the Titans, Eagles, 49ers and Rams defenses are the only remaining units that 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. The Buccaneers have struggled to stop the run lately, but they are getting some key pieces to their defense back this week so the Eagles might have a tough time running the ball on Sunday. Here are the top WR vs CB matchups for Super Wildcard Weekend. Use these to set playoff league lineups, as well as gain a competitive edge in the DFS games. The matchup data used in this article is from PFF.

Cooper Kupp, L.A. Rams

$10,000 FanDuel / $9,000 DraftKings - vs Antonio Hamilton

The Arizona Cardinals have given up the eighth-most passing touchdowns in the league this year (30) and they're in the bottom-10 in fantasy points against to the wide receiver position. In two games against the Cardinals in 2021, Cooper Kupp was targeted 13 and 15 times. In Week 4, Kupp only had five catches for 64 yards but in Week 14 he exploded for 13 catches, 123 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals secondary is beat up right now and Kupp will likely see coverage from Antonio Hamilton who gives up a 68% catch-rate and 1.21 yards-per-route covered. The Rams passing game goes through Kupp and it's the playoffs, so you should feel safe trusting him in your lineup this week.

Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

$8,700 FanDuel / $8,100 DraftKings - vs Anthony Brown

The 49ers matchup pretty well against the Cowboys this weekend. On the season the Cowboys defense gave up the fifth-most explosive pass plays (62) and they're especially bad stopping receivers from running after the catch. Jimmy Garoppolo is practicing fully and should be good to go this weekend which bodes very well for Deebo Samuel's outlook. The Cowboys might force a lot of turnovers, but they also take risks and are very beatable. On the season the Cowboys gave up the 10th-most fantasy points to wide receivers. Samuel has been the 49ers most reliable playmaker all year and there's no reason to think they won't rely on him heavily this week.

Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals

$6,100 FanDuel / $5,300 DraftKings - vs Donte Deayon

Dont'e Deayon is the weak link in the Rams secondary which is good news for Christian Krik who should see coverage from Deayon on about 78% of snaps he plays this week. The Rams are very good against the run so the Cardinals will need to get it done through the air if they're going to win. The Cardinals don't really have a dominant receiver on their offense with DeAndre Hopkins out of the lineup, but if you had to go with somebody, Kirk would be the guy.

Quez Watkins, Philadelphia Eagles

$5,100 FanDuel / $3,900 DraftKings - vs Sean Murphy-Bunting

The Buccaneers defense started out the season performing very poorly against the pass, but they've gotten healthier in their secondary and have tightened up against the pass as of late. Sean Murphy-Bunting is the weak link in the Buccaneers secondary, giving up a 63% catch-rate and 1.73 yards-per-route covered, both of which are team-highs. Quez Watkins hasn't exactly lit things up for the Eagles this season, registering just one 100-yard receiving game, but he's a big play threat and capable of taking a long-catch for a score on any given play. Watkins did have five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown in Week 18 against the Cowboys so he could build off of that performance this week, especially if the Eagles find themselves playing from behind. Watkins is not playing a large compliment of the Eagles offensive snaps as of late, so you should only use him as a low-end option in DFS tournaments.

Pivot: Byron Pringle - $5,400 FanDuel / $3,900 DraftKings

Quez Watkins is a boom-or-bust play, so if you want a lower-end player with a higher floor you may want to consider Byron Pringle. In Week 16, Pringle had a big game against the Steelers while Tyreek Hill was a little off after being removed from the COVID-list just before the game. None of the Steelers cornerbacks give up a terribly high yards-per-route covered, but all of them give up at least a 66% catch-rate. Pringle has been Patrick Mahomes' go-to guy in the short to intermediate passing game and if the Steelers take away Hill on deep passes, Pringle may see a lot of volume in this contest.

Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills

$5,500 FanDuel / $4,300 DraftKings - vs Myles Bryant

In Week 16, Isaiah McKenzie manned the slot while filling in for Cole Beasley and blew up with 11 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. Myles Bryant has been a liability for the Patriots since taking over as their slot corner and he's likely to get burned again this week by Beasley who has returned to the Bills lineup. If you're scared to play any Bills or Patriots wide receivers because of the cold conditions expected in Buffalo this weekend, you should pivot to another player.

Pivot: Jauan Jennings - $5,200 FanDuel / $3,800 DraftKings - vs Jourdan Lewis

The entire Cowboys secondary is beatable, but Jourdan Lewis surrenders the highest catch-rate on the team (67%). Jauan Jennings has emerged as a legitimate threat in the 49ers passing game lately, and his matchup against Lewis sets up very well for him, especially when he's running after-the-catch. Jennings is a solid low-end option this weekend, but I would only use him in DFS tournaments.

Zay Jones, Las Vegas Raiders

$5,300 FanDuel / $4,200 DraftKings - vs Trae Waynes

Hunter Renfrow has been Derek Carr's go-to guy this season but in Week 11 against the Bengals, Renfrow had just four catches for 30 yards. Zay Jones should see a lot of Trae Waynes in coverage this weekend who gives up a 69% catch-rate and a healthy 1.43 yards-per-route covered. Jones has been a big-play threat all season (albeit inconsistently) and the Bengals gave up the third-most explosive plays in the passing game (65) this year, so he has a good shot at hitting on a deep shot this week. Jones didn't do much against the Bengals in the first matchup, but the Raiders offense didn't run many plays that day and their entire offense struggled.

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

$6,900 FanDuel / $6,300 DraftKings - vs Brandon Facyson

Nate Hobbs has been very good out of the slot this year and Casey Hayward has been a formidable matchup for wide receivers all season. Brandon Facyson, however, has been a liability in coverage for the Raiders and can be beaten. Tyler Boyd should see coverage from Hobbs on most of his snaps this weekend while Ja'Marr Chase should draw attention from Hayward, both of which are concerning matchups. This leaves Tee Higgins with the best matchup in the Raiders secondary. Higgins gained just 15 yards in their earlier meeting this year, but that game had a weird flow as Joe Burrow threw for just 148 yards and the Bengals actually ran the ball more than they threw it.

Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

$7,100 FanDuel / $5,900 DraftKings - vs Ambry Thomas

Amari Cooper should see coverage from Ambry Thomas this weekend who surrenders a 70% catch-rate and 1.84 yards-per-route covered which is one of the worst marks in the league. The 49ers secondary will have Emmanuel Moseley back this week so Thomas will likely be the cornerback that Dak Prescott targets in this matchup.

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