Welcome to the weekly wide receiver/cornerback breakdown! We will review each of the outside matchups, as well as my 10 favorite matchups in the slot. Then, below the charts in this article, I break down my five absolute favorite matchups. It is the last week before there are no longer four teams on bye each week, so after this we should have our full complement of players each week except for Carolina and Tampa Bay in Week 13! This article is also critical for daily players, as this will help you gain a competitive advantage when setting your lineups. Follow me on Twitter (@fightingchance) as well!
| Left WR | Right CB | Analysis |
| DeAndre Hopkins ARZ | Tre Flowers SEA | It was the play of the year as Hopkins skied up to catch the winning touchdown on a true prayer last Sunday in between three Bills defenders. He once again showed why he is one of the best in the league. He has had a funny pattern this season where he has had a 100-yard game in every other week this year. He hit triple digits last week but he is going to do it again this week against Flowers and the Seahawks. He had 10 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown the first time these two faced off, and Flowers has a quarterback rating against of 110.3 which is really bad. Seattle's secondary has shown little improvement this season and Hopkins will be a top play on Thursday night. |
| Julio Jones ATL | Marshon Lattimore NO | Lattimore has been playing better of late, allowing just 41 yards in the last two games combined, but overall it has been a completely disappointing season for him as he is allowing a 68 percent catch rate and 14 yards per reception. That is a recipe for disaster against Julio who will be the most targeted receiver on the team, and perhaps even moreso if Calvin Ridley is forced to miss the game. Lattimore is also dealing with an ankle injury, and is likely not 100 percent. Jones, on the other hand, is coming off the bye, and is probably as healthy as he has been since the start. He has only had two games with under five catches, and has 90+ receiving yards in three of the last four weeks. Don't fall into the trap because you have heard Lattimore's name, Jones is a great start for Week 11. |
| Marquise Brown BAL | Malcolm Butler TEN | Last week I suggested someone sit Brown in their lineups and they said "isn't this one of those games (against the Patriots) where if he is ever going to succeed this is the one?" The Patriots pass defense has been bad, and Brown still had just two catches for 14 yards. The Ravens pass game is off kilter, and the connection with Lamar Jackson is just gone. I know weather conditions weren't ideal, but it wasn't until late in the game when they got bad. Butler is far from a star cornerback, but he has given up just one touchdown so far this season and has been playing better of late. You might want to find a better option for your lineups this week. |
| D.J. Moore CAR | Desmond Trufant DET | This freakin guy! I'd say something more but this is a family website. After two straight flops including a two catch, 18 yard game against the Chiefs, many were nearly writing Moore off with Curtis Samuel gaining steam. Moore came back with a 96 yard outburst with a touchdown against the Bucs. The Panthers were behind the whole game and so there was plenty of garbage time, but again Moore was fueled by two big gains and then did very little the rest of the day. Trufant is a terrible corner who is rated 40.5 out of 100 by Pro Football Focus in coverage and is ranked 111th overall for cornerbacks. I am not a huge proponent of Moore, but this is just shouting big game as Trufant allowed 95 yards to Terry McLaurin last week. |
| Tee Higgins CIN | Ronald Darby WAS | I believe I said a few weeks ago that we are watching a star form before our eyes and Higgins continues to prove it each and every week. He has one game with fewer than ten fantasy points in PPR leagues and he had a huge seven catch, 115-yard effort with a touchdown against the Steelers. This will be another tough one for Higgins as Darby is a top-15 cornerback according to Pro Football Focus. Despite his talent, Darby is still going to have his hands full in this one. Higgins has a five inch height advantage over him and is a favorite target in the red zone. |
| Rashard Higgins CLE | Darius Slay PHI | We really are yet to see what to expect from this offense without Odell Beckham as the weather in Cleveland has been horrific in both of their last two games. Higgins was targeted on four of Mayfield's 20 throws last week, but the conditions were so poor it is hard to take much from that. He likely will deal with Slay this week who isn't the stud he once was, but is by far the best corner that Philly has. Considering the Browns are sure to throw to the running backs and tight ends a lot, it remains to be seen whether or not the second receiver for the Browns gets enough action to be considered fantasy relevant. |
| Amari Cooper DAL | Kris Boyd MIN | It remains to be seen how effective the Cowboys offense can be this season, although they will get Andy Dalton back this week. However, based on how poorly he played against the Cardinals, they might have been better off with Garrett Gilbert again. The good news for the Cowboys and Dalton is that the Vikings pass defense isn't very good despite the Bears failures last week. Boyd is the best they have, but he is still ranked 43rd among corners by PFF and he is allowing an 82 percent catch rate. He is allowing nearly 14 yards per catch, so if Dalton is decent at all Cooper should be in for a decent game. |
| Jerry Jeudy DEN | Xavien Howard MIA | He has had three straight good games, but things are not looking good for Jeudy this week. Drew Lock is really banged up and it looks like there is a good chance that we see Brett Rypien on Sunday. He also will face off against Xavien Howard who has kept DeAndre Hopkins and Keenan Allen mostly under wraps for the past two games. Howard allows just a 54 percent catch rate, and .25 fantasy points per route which is a strong number. Jeudy is improving as the season goes on but this seems like a week he might come up small. |
| Marvin Jones DET | Rasul Douglas CAR | He has scored in three straight weeks and Jones is starting to settle into his own with the injury to Kenny Golladay. He led the team in targets last week, and is the most talented guy on the team wit Golladay out. Rasul Douglas was one of the better corners in the first couple months of the season, but has allowed 164 yards and a touchdown in the last two games. Jones isn't going to be a matchup winner for you, but he will be a very solid WR3 coming into this Week 11 matchup. |
| Davante Adams GB | Xavier Rhodes IND | He is the eighth most targeted receiver (81) in football despite only playing in seven games this year and he left one early. Adams has nine touchdowns this season, and even the return of Allen Lazard won't alter his usage. Rhodes is the sixth best receiver according to PFF and allows just a 43 percent catch rate. This might not be a monster mega game for Adams but he is always a start in season long leagues. |
| Will Fuller HOU | J.C. Jackson NE | Last week was a total throwaway as the Texans had no chance to throw in the terrible weather in Cleveland. They get a reset this week against the Patriots who gave up solid pass numbers to the Jets and Ravens in the past two weeks. I wouldn't call either of those electric offenses. Jackson has been one of the more solid corners this season, but allowed 181 yards to the Jets and Bills before coming back with a good game against Baltimore. Pro Football Focus still has him rated in the top ten, but his arrow is pointing in the wrong direction. We have seen Fuller's big play ability all year long, and the Patriots propensity for giving up the big play. This one would appear to be leaning in Fuller's direction. |
| Michael Pittman IND | Josh Jackson GB | He has 15 targets in the last two weeks, and Pittman broke out in a big way last Thursday night with seven catches for 101 yards against the Titans. Sure, they aren't the toughest defense, but Pittman has asserted himself to the top of the target hierarchy for the Colts in just two short weeks. He could draw the attention of Jaire Alexander if he was able to play this week. If Alexander is in, that will put a major kink in Pittman's fantasy value for the game. However, if Alexander and Kevin King both miss Week 11, we could be looking at another strong game for Pittman. Philip Rivers has shown he still has enough in the tank to take advantage of subpar secondaries and that is what Green Bay would be if they are down their top two corners. |
| D.J. Chark JAX | Joe Haden PIT | He was sick last week, but with the Packers hurting at cornerback I expected a huge game out of Chark and it didn't come to fruition. In fact, he lost me a prop bet by two yards with his four catch, 56-yard game in Week 10. The Jaguars pass game has been wildly inconsistent all season long. Jake Luton has brought some improvements, but it is still hard to count on weekly. Chark does have a five inch height advantage on the Steelers corner, but Haden is still one of the better guy in the game. He was beaten a bunch by Tee Higgins last week, but he allowed just 26 yards in the previous two games combined. Chark still belongs in season long lineups, but he is an absolute DFS fade against a Steelers secondary that allows just 211 yards per game through the air. |
| Sammy Watkins KC | Damon Arnette LV | He hasn't played since Week 5 with a hamstring injury, and Watkins is always one of those guys who is really hard to gauge. He had seven catches in two different games this season and then seven total in the other three games he played. I am really worried about trusting a guy like him with his injury history in his first game back. However, if Mecole Hardman misses the game after his positive Covid test he could have some appeal against a less than stellar Raiders secondary. The rookie Arnette just came back last week from a seven game absence from injury and is likely not 100 percent. I don't love Watkins by any stretch, but I don't hate this situation. |
| Robert Woods LAR | Jamel Dean TB | He has been maddening since Week 2, and Woods remains one of the toughest players to figure out this fantasy season. In a smash spot against the lowly Seahawks secondary he came up super small with just five catches and 33 yards. He also did not have one of his cheap rushing touchdowns to save his game. The Rams pass game has looked more at Josh Reynolds lately than their star receiver. Jamel Dean has been burned for three touchdowns in the last two weeks, but he is still a top-ten cornerback that allows just a 59 percent catch rate according to Pro Football Focus. You can't sit Woods in season long leagues but he is a DFS fade for me. |
| Mike Williams LAC | Pierre Desir NYJ | Williams certainly seems to struggle against solid secondaries as he came up small against the Chiefs, Panthers, and Dolphins. The good news for Williams this week is that they are playing the Jets. They are coming off their bye, but you don’t need to even pay THAT much attention to football to know that the Jets defense is horrible. Williams is the big play guy, and Desir averages allowing 13.5 yards per reception. He is rated a pathetic 42.5 out of 100 in coverage by Pro Football Focus and is outside of the top-100 in their cornerback rankings. Williams might not be the most reliable guy in the league, but when he has good matchups he takes advantage of them more often than not. |
| Henry Ruggs LV | Bashaud Breeland KC | Ruggs tied his career high in catches last week! Whoooo hoooo! Oh wait, his career high is three? Oh. He was still targeted just four times last week against a paper thin Broncos secondary and the Raiders just ran the ball the whole game once they got ahead. He does face the one team he had a good game against this season in the Chiefs where he had 118 yards and his only touchdown, but even that was on three targets and two catches. If you want to try to catch that lightning in a bottle again be my guest, I'll be over here playing much more reliable options. |
| DeVante Parker MIA | A.J. Bouye DEN | He does have seven targets in each of the last two games, but Parker has been less than efficient since the quarterback change with eight catches on those 14 targets. Bouye came back after missing just one game with a concussion, and it has been an injury riddled one for him. Parker has been decent this year, but he has just three touchdowns in nine games and only a single 100-yard game. Until we see a better connection between he and Tua it is hard to put a lot of faith in Parker in any DFS contest but Parker remains on the WR3 radar. |
| Adam Thielen MIN | Anthony Brown DAL | We certainly are not seeing Thielen get the targets that we are used to, but they are relying extra heavy on Dalvin Cook of late and Kirk Cousins obviously has a nice connection with Justin Jefferson. Thielen did still finish Monday night's game with two touchdowns, but it was the fourth straight games with 51 yards or less that is the concern. Sure, it was cool of him to have Alex Trebek on his cleats, and his first touchdown was a thing of beauty. However, we don't get points for tribute cleats. This will be a "show me you can do it" type of game against the Cowboys who are borderline embarrassing in the secondary. Dallas has allowed 21 touchdowns in nine games so this is set up very nicely for Thielen if he can get more volume. |
| Jakobi Meyers NE | Bradley Roby HOU | From obscurity to seeming to be a league winner, Meyers has been the star of the Patriots offense over the past three weeks. He has 31 targets in the last three weeks, although he is still yet to find the end zone. The New England offense is really stuck in neutral as Cam Newton seemingly forgot how to throw the ball effectively. Roby allows just seven yards per reception and allows a 67 percent catch rate. The Houston secondary has allowed 18 touchdowns in nine games, but Roby is the best they have. Meyers continues to have great value in PPR leagues and remains a solid WR3 going into Week 11 because the Patriots don't have any other receiver you can count on. |
| Michael Thomas NO | Kendall Sheffield ATL | This is still Michael Thomas, but man something doesn't look right. He has just seven catches for 78 yards in his two games back, and now with Drew Brees likely out for several weeks that could be another strike against his fantasy value. This will be a big test for the health of Thomas and the Saints offense because they get the cupcake Falcons secondary. Given the change at quarterback and what looks like a nagging injury, Thomas is likely a DFS fade, but Thomas is at worst a WR2 for this week. |
| Breshad Perriman NYJ | Michael Davis LAC | I have often that it is important in fantasy football not to chase last week's points. Perriman had a season high five catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns in Week 9 against the Patriots. New England's secondary is a disaster and it is impossible to think that Joe freaking Flacco is going to have another game like that. Davis is a top-30 corner according to Pro Football Focus and allows just 10.8 yards per reception. The Jets offense may have played its best game against the Patriots and Perriman is average at best. |
| Travis Fulgham PHI | Denzel Ward CLE | Uh oh. I said last week that we would get the test for Fulgham with other Eagles receivers returning. That test was failed when Fulgham had just one catch on five targets for eight yards. That was coming after four straight games with 70 or more receiving yards and four touchdowns in five games since he was a starter. This week becomes even more important as they play the Browns and Fulgham should have to deal with Denzel Ward. He allows just .23 fantasy points per route covered which is a very strong number. The Browns secondary on the whole has allowed 18 passing touchdown in nine games this season. Considering they have had two straight games in terrible weather, so that number should be even higher. Faith in Carson Wentz is waning and Fulgham has a ton of competition for targets. He could still work his way into the flex spot in your roster, but it comes with plenty of risk. |
| Diontae Johnson PIT | Sidney Jones JAX | It was another great game for Johnson as he continued to be a target monster and finished with 11 looks in the game against the Bengals. I thought that the Steelers might run more with the Steelers so far ahead, but they just kept on throwing. Johnson now has four touchdowns on the year, and came out of this game healthy again. Sidney Jones is a part of a Jacksonville secondary that has allowed 19 touchdowns in nine games. Jones has allowed a touchdown in two straight games and has allowed 75+ yards in three of the last four weeks. Johnson will be a smash play in Week 11 against a soft Jaguars defense and Jones who allows over 20 yards per reception. |
| D.K. Metcalf SEA | Patrick Peterson ARZ | Metcalf has the third most receiving yards in the NFL so far, and he has had only a couple of bad games this season. One was last week against the Rams and Jalen Ramsey, and the other was against the Cardinals in Patrick Peterson. Metcalf was held to two catches for 23 yards in that game, and many are worried that he could do it again. However, Metcalf is just a stud and you know he will be extra motivated to prove he is the better player in the second meeting. Peterson hasn't been playing as well as he had in the past, and he is ranked just 77th in the cornerback rankings by Pro Football Focus and he has allowed three touchdowns in the last two weeks including what would have been the game winner against the Bills. Metcalf will probably go underowned in DFS contests this week, but I like him to redeem himself. |
| Mike Evans TB | Jalen Ramsey LAR | D.K. Metcalf. Allen Robinson. Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs and more. Ramsey has been holding the league's best receivers to less than expected all year long. He has been incredibly impressive, and is allowing just 10.6 yards per completion. He is allowing just a 53 percent catch rate and .56 yards per route covered, both of which are elite metrics. Evans is going to have to continue to deal with multiple mouths to feed with Godwin, Brown, and Gronk and adding in a matchup with Jalen Ramsey makes it a tough week to have big expectations for Evans in Week 11. |
| A.J. Brown TEN | Marlon Humphrey BAL | The entire Titans pass offense laid an egg last Thursday against the Colts, but Indianapolis is also one of the best secondaries in football. However, the Ravens are also great and have allowed just 13 pass touchdowns in nine games. Humphrey is the 12th best corner in 2020 according to Pro Football Focus and allows just 9.9 yards per reception. Humphrey has allowed under 35 yards in three of the last four games and hasn't been burned for a touchdown this season. Brown is still a dynamic talent who can take down any corner, but it is hard to have enough confidence in him to roster him in DFS contests. |
| Terry McLaurin WAS | William Jackson CIN | The Bengals secondary is a complete disaster, but Jackson is actually the one guy that isn't too bad. Now, that is not saying he is good as he has allowed 13 yards per reception, and has given up 65+ yards in each of the last two games and three touchdowns on the season. McLaurin has been burning the best corners in the game all season long and that continues with "Checkdown Charlie" Alex Smith at quarterback. McLaurin has seven catches in four straight games and 90+ yards in three straight. He should have no trouble taking Jackson to the cleaners a few times in this game. |
| Right WR | Left CB | Analysis |
| Christian Kirk ARZ | Linden Stephens SEA | We knew the streak of great games had to come to an end at some point, I just didn't think it was going to be against the Bills. The Buffalo secondary hasn't been nearly what we thought they would be but they held Kirk down for just four catches for 27 yards. Kirk didn't have great volume the first time they played with five catches for 37 yards but he was able to score two touchdowns against a Seattle secondary that has allowed over 350 yards per game through the air. Stephens is a very inexperienced corner and Kirk should be able to take advantage of that on Thursday. |
| Olamide Zaccheaus ATL | Janoris Jenkins NO | Early signs aren't looking good for Calvin Ridley, but if he is able to play he will be a great start if he is able to practice at all. Zaccheaus will likely see a lot of action as the other outside receiver if Ridley is forced out of the game. He had four catches for 103 yards and a touchdown last week, but this feels like chasing last week's points. He had one other big game against the Packers in Week 4 and then proceeded to have one catch for the next four weeks. Jenkins and the Saints secondary are far from impressive, but this feels like the risk of Zaccheaus laying a total egg doesn't equal the potential reward. |
| Devin Duvernay BAL | Breon Borders TEN | The Ravens pass game is less than stellar and even when Lamar Jackson had one of his best games Duvernay still only had three catches on three targets for 45 yards. Jackson threw to ten different receivers and five were out of the backfield and two were tight ends. This offense just doesn't priortize throwing to the wide receiver much and even Marquise Brown is barely fantasy relevant at the moment. Duvernay has some nice talent, but the opportunity just isn't there. |
| Robby Anderson CAR | Amani Oruwariye DET | He had his worst game of the season in Week 10, and Anderson's scoreless streak has now reached nine games. It isn't a surprise that he was held down by the Bucs strong secondary, but four catches for 21 yards is a real kick in the pants. He has an opportunity to right some wrongs he has done to those with Anderson on his fantasy team as the Lions secondary has been very giving to opposing offenses. Oruwariye is ranked 69th in PFF cornerbacks list and he allows a whopping 16.1 yards per reception. He has also allowed a catch of 19 or more yards in four straight games. Anderson should still be the most targeted receiver on the team and the only thing potentially holding him back is if Teddy Bridgewater doesn't play. |
| A.J. Green CIN | Kendall Fuller WAS | We were hoping that out of the bye Green would make some headway after falling flat with two catches for 19 yards in a plus matchup against the Titans. It wouldn’t be easy against the Steelers, but he was actually held catchless for the second time this season. Those two weeks of great production in Week 6 and Week 7 now seem like many moons ago and fantasy players are not ready to trust Green again. The only thing going for Green is he has a five inch height advantage on Fuller but the Washington corner is a top-25 guy and Joe Burrow has better options to throw to. |
| Donovan Peoples-Jones CLE | Avonte Maddox PHI | There just wasn't a lot of passing last week in the wicked weather conditions in Cleveland. Welcome to weather by the Great Lakes. However, this offense can't support another fantasy relevant wide receiver after Jarvis Landry and MAYBE Rashard Higgins although I think that will prove to be fruitless. Unless we see some major shift in the offense focusing on the outside or DPJ all of a sudden getting a lot of volume you can't take a chance on him. Maddox is a bad corner and Cleveland has played in two straight games with bad weather, but there is nothing to support a claim for Peoples-Jones. |
| Michael Gallup DAL | Chris Jones MIN | He continues to get a decent amount of attention as he has 19 targets in the last two weeks, but it has added up to just ten catches for 97 yards total. Gallup hasn't scored since Week 3, and this Cowboys offense is a shell of what we thought it would be. Of course, losing your franchise quarterback will do that. Chris Jones allows a ridiculous 85 percent catch rate and has allowed ten catches for 89 yards in the last two weeks. I still don't think that Gallup has been effective enough to trust with a starting spot on fantasy rosters, but if you want to bank on how bad the Vikings seconary can be, be my guest. |
| Tim Patrick DEN | Byron Jones MIA | Patrick was ejected from last week's game, but he wasn't doing bad with four catches and 61 yards beforehand. He comes into an interesting game this week against a Dolphins secondary that has been playing well as a whole and he could be without his starting quarterback. However, in the one of the games that Brett Rypien played Patrick had six catches for 113 yards against the Jets. Jones has been the weak link of the Dolphins secondary lately as he has allowed completions on 15 of the last 20 passes thrown at him for 213 yards in the last three weeks with two touchdowns. Patrick is a decent flex play in the game, but I don't see the Broncos scoring a lot of points on this defense, nor for Patrick to get near 100 yards. |
| Marvin Hall DET | Donte Jackson CAR | Hall had another game where he managed a big play, but he still isn't getting a lot of usage, even with Kenny Golladay out. He had 61 yards and a touchdown last week against Washington, but it was on just three targets. Donte Jackson is dealing with a toe issue and might not even suit up, but Matthew Stafford is dealing with an injured thumb and might not be able to heave the ball deep to Hall. This is a situation that I would 100 percent stay away from in all fantasy contests this week. |
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling GB | Rock Ya-Sin IND | As we wait for Allen Lazard to return (which could be this week), Valdes-Scantling is getting in some great production before he is sent back to fantasy irrelevance. He has 202 yards and three touchdowns in the last couple of weeks, although that was against a compromised Niners secondary and the Jaguars. This is going to get a lot harder this week as the Colts are one of the best secondaries in the league. However, Rock Ya-Sin is the weak link of the secondary. He has allowed a 68 percent catch rate and is the ranked 109th among all corners on Pro Football Focus. Valdes-Scantling is kind of an all or nothing player, and based on how the Colts secondary has been playing as a whole this is a risky proposition. |
| Brandin Cooks HOU | Jason McCourty NE | We are throwing out last week's game against the Browns given the windy conditions, even though he still did have six catches in the game. Before that he had four straight games with 60+ receiving yards and three touchdowns in those four games. The Patriots secondary in general has not been good and they have allowed solid games to Lamar Jackson, Joe Flacco, and Josh Allen in recent weeks. This one will be in Houston so there is no concern for weather and Deshaun Watson has been on fire. Cooks has been a great contributor and is definitely in play in all fantasy contests. |
| T.Y. Hilton IND | Ka'Dar Hollman GB | He returned from a groin injury and had a plus matchup against a weak Titans secondary and Hilton came up….....small. Again. Four catches for 40 yards. He had the same number of targets as Zach Pascal and less than Nyheim Hines and Michael Pittman. If you haven't dropped him yet, please do it now. He might surprise and have a good game before the season ends, but Hilton's days as a fantasy relevant wide receiver are over. |
| Chris Conley JAX | Steven Nelson PIT | The injury to Laviska Shenault has opened the door for Conley and he has been taking advantage of it…...to an extent. He has 11 catches in the last two weeks, but combined they didn't add up to 100 yards and he has just one touchdown this season. Jake Luton is adding some excitement to the offense, but it still isn't breaking any records. Nelson is a top-25 corner and he has allowed more than 23 receiving yards just once in the last month. Conley can break off a good play once in a while but isn't someone you should be counting on in Week 11. |
| Sammy Watkins KC | Trayvon Mullen LV | He hasn't played since Week 5 and it is just like him to miss five weeks with a hamstring injury. He is extremely hard to predict, and Watkins has always been an inconsistent player. The Chiefs might be without Mecole Hardman which would make Watkins a bigger part of the offense, and Mullen is not a great corner. He was targeted 13 times last week and allowed seven catches for 107 yards, and in Week 7 he was targeted ten times and allowed nine catches for 63 yards. If Mahomes looks at Watkins a decent amount he could have a solid fantasy game, but the Chiefs have been spreading the ball around so much after Hill and Kelce that he is very hard to trust. |
| Jalen Guyton LAC | Bless Austin NYJ | Guyton can break a big play from time to time, but his usage is not enough for him to be fantasy relevant. He has six catches in the last three weeks combined and they are good for only 36 yards. The Jets secondary is not good and it is possible that Guyton could have a big one, but there is no reason to think that eh will be targeted more than three or four times and won't be on the fantasy radar for Week 11. |
| Josh Reynolds LAR | Carlton Davis TB | He continues to be a big part of the pass game and was the most targeted receiver last week against the Seahawks and he had eight catches for 94 yards. Reynolds had just 16 targets in the first five weeks of the season and has had 27 in the last three weeks. Can this be sustainable? I will say no. Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp are the top receivers on this team, and while Reynolds is not facing the top corners from the other team, he will start to get more attention if he does this much longer. The Bucs secondary is one of the best in the league and allows just a 55 percent catch rate and just 11.2 yards per catch. If the Rams were playing a soft pass defense I might give Reynolds one more week, but he is a fade for me on Sunday. |
| Nelson Agholor LV | Charvarious Ward KC | He does have five touchdowns this season, but Agholor has been extremely boom or bust at this point. He has just three catches in the last three weeks, and while oen game was in bad weather he still just hasn't been very involved. Agholor has just nine targets in the last three weeks and that five catch and 107-yard game seems like a distant memory. He did have two catches for 67 yards and a touchdown the first time they played the Chiefs and the Raiders are certainly going to have to throw more this week than they have in the past few. Agholor is a emergency flex play or dart throw, but he isn't one that I have much confidence in. |
| Mack Hollins MIA | Bryce Callahan DEN | With the injuries to the Dolphins receiving group, Hollins looks to be the other starting outside receiver with Jakeem Grant lining up in the slot. He has just two catches on two targets in the last two games and should be ignored in all fantasy formats. Tua Tagovailoa is adding some fun to the offense, but it isn't an aerial powerhouse at this point. |
| Justin Jefferson MIN | Chidobe Awuzie DAL | It comes down to usage for Jefferson. When the Vikings throw to him more than four times he just produces. He had eight catches on ten targets for 135 yards on Monday night, and he gets to turnaround and have a great matchup against the Cowboys. Dallas is getting a little healthier with Awuzie being one of their best and has been out since mid-September. It is hard to imagine that he is 100 percent, and that could work in Jefferson's favor. He has just two games since Week 3 of under 50 receiving yards and Jefferson looks like a great play for Week 11. |
| Damiere Byrd NE | Vernon Hargreaves HOU | A week after having nine targets and five catches, Byrd wasn't even targeted against the Ravens. He has had one game of more than ten fantasy points in PPR leagues since Week 4, and the Patriots pass offense is just stuck in neutral. It has been a little better over the past two weeks, but I have no confidence in Cam Newton or any of the weapons other than Jakobi Meyers. Don't consider Byrd even with a pretty easy matchup against the Texans secondary. |
| Emmanuel Sanders NO | A.J. Terrell ATL | Michael Thomas might not be putting up great stats, but his return has put a huge dent in Sanders fantasy value. He has just six targets in the last two weeks and they have amounted to five catches for 43 yards. The Saints are now also dealing with a quarterback change in Jameis Winston and it remains to be seen how that will change the offense. It will still all run through Alvin Kamara which limits the opportunity for the outside receivers. Terrell is not having a good season and is allowing a 75 percent catch rate and just under 14 yards per reception. So, while some things are pointing in the right direction for Sanders there are enough things working against him that I couldn't use him in DFS personally. At this point of the season though I could see scenarios where he is someone you could use in season long leagues. |
| Denzel Mims NYJ | Casey Hayward LAC | While the Jets seemingly refuse to give La'Mical Perine more of a role running the ball, they do seem to give their rookie receiver more of a role. Mims has 18 targets in the last three weeks, although he is yet to find the end zone for the first time. Hayward is allowing just a 43 percent catch rate, but he also allows 16.6 yards per catch and has given up four touchdowns. The issue will be how effective Joe Flacco will be and how much you want to trust him in your fantasy lineups. |
| Jalen Reagor PHI | Terrance Mitchell CLE | He does have 13 targets in the last two games, but there are getting to be more healthy mouths to feed in Philadelphia by the week. He will remain in front of Alshon Jeffery but there are two tight ends and a running back that also figure prominently into the Eagles pass game. They didn't draft him in the first round for no reason and Mitchell allows nearly 13 yards per catch. The Browns defense has been given a boost by the fact that they have played in terrible weather in their last two games. He had allowed over 50 receiving yards in four of the previous five games so he is beatable. The uneven play of Carson Wentz takes him off the DFS radar, and makes him no more than a flex play in your season long leagues. |
| Chase Claypool PIT | C.J. Henderson JAX | He has three straight games of nine targets or more after that Week 7 game where he had just one target. He turned that into 17 catches and three touchdowns in those three games and has a dream matchup against fellow rookie Henderson. He has allowed surrendered 17 catches on the last 26 times he has been targeted and has allowed a touchdown in each of the last two weeks. The Steelers pass offense is on fire of late and even when they were way ahead last week against the Bengals they just continued to throw. It is hard to gauge who might have the best game for the Steelers since they have three solid receivers, but Claypool is the big play threat and Henderson is allowing over 13.5 yards per catch. He does have to deal with sharing with Juju Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson but all signs are pointing to Claypool having a big game. |
| David Moore SEA | Dre Kirkpatrick ARZ | He has a solid game here and there but there are just too many games where he completely disappears and comes with under five points a game. Dre Kirkpatrick isn't good and John Brown just crushed him last week against the Bills. However, Moore has five games out of nine where he has had under 30 receiving yards and he only has one game all season where he has more than three catches. He only has two games all season with more than 15 fantasy points and had just three catches for 54 yards the first time these teams played and that is a likely result again Thursday night. |
| Antonio Brown TB | Darious Williams LAR | We are dealing with more AB drama as a story came out this week about him destroying property before he was signed by the Buccaneers, but that is nothing that will impact this week's game. Brown showed that he hadn't lost his skills as he had seven catches on eight targets for 69 yards against the Panthers. Despite coming in halfway through the season I think it is safe to say that he will have an impact. This will be a tough one though as the Rams just came off a game where they kept Russell Wilson in check for a full game and Williams had two interceptions in that game.Williams is allowing just a 49 percent catch rate and .15 fantasy points per route covered which is one of the best marks in football. Brown likely falls off the DFS radar, but he still is worth a WR3 or flex play for Week 11. |
| Corey Davis TEN | Marcus Peters BAL | The Titans didn't have much of an offensive output last week against the Colts but Davis was the one highlight with five catches for 67 yards. I have to admit he has had more of an impact than I thought he would. Davis has five or more catches in five of seven games and over 50 yards four of seven games. It will be a tough one against a Ravens defense that has allowed just 12 passing touchdowns in nine games. Peters is allowing just a 60 percent catch rate and has played on an elite level in the past three weeks. Davis could be a flex play considering we are still near the end of bye week season. |
| Cam Sims WAS | Tony Brown CIN | He doesn't have a quarterback with a big arm which kind of negates Sims big play ability, but he does have seven catches for 164 yards in the last two games combined. The nine targets combined in those two weeks concern me a little, and the usage of Isaiah Wright and the return of Steven Sims concerns me even more. Brown was torched by the Steelers pass game all game last week and Washington should be able to throw on them plenty. It will come down to the usage of the receivers this week of who, outside of Terry McLaurin, could be fantasy relevant this week. |
Now, here are my 10 favorite matchups in the slot in Week 11.
| Slot CB | Slot WR | Analysis |
| Brian Poole NYJ | Keenan Allen LAC | It was his worst game since Week 1 when Tyrod Taylor was quarterback as Allen had just three catches for 39 yards and had a touchdown. He has now scored in three straight weeks and it was only the third time in nine games that Allen had fewer than five catches. Pro Football Focus has Brian Poole ranked as the seventh best corner so far in 2020. Poole is allowing just 10.3 yards per catch and that is right in line with Allen who averages 10.6 yards per catch. Poole is allowing 68 percent of passes to be caught and assuming that Allen continues to get a ridiculous amount of targets like he has been, this should be a big game for him. The Chargers are sure to throw plenty and Allen is the receiver with the most usage by a mile. |
| Tre Herndon JAX | Juju Smith-Schuster PIT | He now has two straight games with a touchdown and four straight with six catches or more. The Steelers pass game is playing at its highest level of the season, and Smith-Schuster has 42 targets in the last four weeks. I have to say that I feel like his production is the most tenuous of the three big receivers. Not that I don't expect him to have a big game in this one, but I feel like if someone is going to bust, it will be Juju. However, he is getting a great matchup against the Jaguars and Herndon. He is ranked outside of the top-100 cornerbacks by PFF and allows 13.8 yards per reception and a 72 percent catch rate. I expect this to be a big game for the Steelers offense and have confidence in all three of their big receivers. |
| Lamarcus Joyner LV | Tyreek Hill KC | Hill is coming off his bye and had five touchdowns in the three games before the break. He also had a surge in targets as he had 34 looks in the last three weeks after having just one game with ten targets in the first six games of the season. The team could be bringing back Sammy Watkins, but Mecole Hardman could miss the game with Covid. Hill is still the best receiver on the team by a wide margin. Joyner is far from one of the best slot corners who is targeted every six routes run, and allows a reception every eight routes, which is telling you that he is allowing catches a great deal when he is targeted. Hill had three catches for 78 yards the first time these two teams they played and I expect him to top both of those totals on Sunday. |
| Tevaughn Campbell LAC | Jamison Crowder NYJ | He had a pretty quiet game last week outside of his impressive touchdown catch, but Crowder was still very iffy with the groin injury he has been dealing with for a while. When fully healthy, Crowder has been getting double digit targets game in and game out. The offense has Joe Flacco under center, but the way Sam Darnold has played this season is that an issue? Campbell has been pressed into duty lately with the trade of Desmond King and has allowed an 82 percent catch rate and has allowed two touchdowns in the last three weeks. If the Jets offense can do anything this week, Crowder should be a big part of it. |
| Troy Hill LAR | Chris Godwin TB | The dude is a walking injury, but when he plays, Godwin keeps producing. He had six catches for 92 yards last week but he does have to deal with many mouths to feed in Tampa Bay. He is the one with the safest floor in my opinion as the slot receiver and runs intermediate routes. Hill allows a catch every 8.7 snaps that he is in coverage, which is among the worst at slot corner. The Rams secondary as a whole is strong, but he is one of the weaker links with a 75 percent catch rate. With Jalen Ramsey likely mostly on Mike Evans and maybe sprinkling on Antonio Brown, Godwin should benefit from lesser coverage. |
| Cre'Von LeBlanc PHI | Jarvis Landry CLE | The Browns have played back to back games in horrible weather conditions so we just have to be hopeful that they get one in that isn't during a windstorm/monsoon. Landry did have 11 targets in Week 8 which was the better of the two games and although it wasn't for much production we could see he will be the most targeted receiver. With more inexperienced guys on the outside he might see a little Darious Slay but not likely a lot. LeBlanc is an extremely inexperienced corner that is basically letting every target his way be caught (21 catches against on 24 targets) since Week 3. This offense will still go through the running backs and likely feature a lot of the tight end so while Landry will be the most targeted tight end it isn't like he's going to go off for 125 yards and two touchdowns. He will be a very nice WR3 for Week 11 though. |
| Jimmy Moreland WAS | Tyler Boyd CIN | He might be falling to second fiddle behind Tee Higgins, but Boyd is still a heavily targeted receiver in a pretty decent pass game. He did have six catches in the game against the Steelers and that was the third straight game he had six or more. Boyd tends to run the shorter routes so needs more volume to rack up great fantasy stats. Moreland doesn't allow long catches either, but that comes with slot corners. He is ranked 68th among all corners by PFF and allows a 69 percent catch rate while being targeted every 5.9 snaps that he is in coverage. The Washington secondary is fairly strong but Matthew Stafford just had his way with them, and Joe Burrow should be better than he was last week against the Steelers. Boyd is a must-start in your season long leagues. |
| Byron Murphy ARZ | Tyler Lockett SEA | He is dealing with an injury, but there is little doubt of his availability in this one. You really shouldn't be surprised to find him on this list considering that considering he had 15 catches for 200 yards and three touchdowns the last time they played the Cardinals. Now, in no way do we expect him to come close to those numbers again, but clearly the Cardinals have a problem against the slot and Lockett has a lot of confidence against Arizona. This one should feature a lot of scoring and is one of the higher totals on the slate. Lockett is a no brainer for your lineups for Thursday. |
| Sean Murphy-Bunting TB | Cooper Kupp LAR | While is production has been up and down this season, he has been a consistent part of the offense. He hasn't been targeted less than five times all season and has been targeted seven or more times in six of nine games. Kupp hasn't scored since Week 4, but if you are going to succeed against Tampa it can be in the slot. Murphy-Bunting is by far the weakest link in the secondary. He is ranked 88th among corners with a ridiculous 88 percent catch rate and nearly 12 yards a catch which is also high for a slot corner. Part of that is he allows a lot after the catch. Murphy-Bunting has allowed 219 yards after the catch which is ninth worst among ALL corners. This is also the strength of Kupp's game as he often catches a short pass and scampers for big gains. If someone is going to have a big game, it could be Kupp. |
| Jeff Gladney MIN | CeeDee Lamb DAL | I was tempted to use K.J. Hamler here, but the injury to Drew Lock and the Cowboys getting Andy Dalton back brings me here. Lamb got back on track before the Cowboys bye with four catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings defense looked like world beaters on Monday night, but that was just how pathetic that Nick Foles was. Gladney allows nearly 13 yards a catch and a very high 128.2 quarterback rating against him and has surrendered five touchdowns this season. Lamb and the Cowboys pass game should look better this week and the rookie should lead the way. |
Elite
Julio Jones vs Marshon Lattimore . I pretty much laid out all of the reasons to play Julio earlier in the article, but if you are still worried you can even look back to last year in the one game that Julio was healthy to play the Saints where he had nine catches and 79 yards. Vegas has this game at a total of 50.5 which is one of the higher totals on the board so we know that there will be lots of passing and scoring. Whether Calvin Ridley plays or not, the Saints secondary has allowed a whopping 20 pass touchdowns in nine games and Matt Ryan should have a field day in this one. And when Matt Ryan goes off, Julio is a huge part of it.
Terry McLaurin vs. William Jackson . He is the only real reliable receiver on the team, and although the team spread it the ball around a lot last week, Washington isn’t normally going to throw the ball 55 times. The good news for McLaurin is that his only real consistent competition for targets is J.D. McKissic . The Bengals have allowed the second most pass touchdowns in the league with 21 and the Steelers threw four touchdowns to their wide receivers last week. McLaurin’s salary still isn’t where it should be, and he is again a great option.
Affordable
Chase Claypool vs. C.J. Henderson. Yes, I know that there is a lot of competition for targets in Pittsburgh, but when they play terrible defenses there is enough to go around. The Steelers don’t seem to have a lot of confidence in James Conner lately, and they just kept passing even when they were crushing the Bengals last week. Claypool has nine total touchdowns in ten games and is averaging over 14 yards per catch. The Jaguars allow the third most pass yards in the league with 284 per game with 19 touchdowns in nine games. I would say that Roethlisberger will throw a minimum of two touchdown passes and Claypool has as many touchdowns as Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster combined. You gotta get some exposure to the Steelers in your lineups against Jacksonville and Claypool is my favorite of the three.
Tee Higgins vs Kendall Fuller . The Football Team allows the fewest pass yards per game through the air with just under 195, but they have allowed 14 pass touchdowns, which seven teams have allowed fewer aerial scores. Fuller is a very solid corner, but this is why I am including Higgins besides that he is awesome and seems to get better every week. Fuller has been prone to giving up the big play as he has allowed six receptions of over 20 yards, five receptions of over 30 yards, and three of 49 yards or more. Higgins, on the flip side, as six plays of over 20 yards and two of over 54 yards. Higgins makes big plays and Fuller gives up big plays. As long as Joe Burrow doesn’t struggle mightily against the pressure that Washington puts on him, Higgins should be able to have a couple of big plays and he has the most touchdowns on the team.
Bargain Bin
Brandin Cooks vs. Jason McCourty . This isn’t the first time I’ve picked Cooks and it worked out well last time. The Patriots pass defense has just been awful lately, and McCourty is ranked 73rd in PFFs cornerback rankings. He is also rated just 49.6 in coverage (out of 100) and has been a part of the Patriots problem. He has 47 targets in the last five games and with this game being indoors, Cooks and the Texans pass game should shine.
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus.