Welcome to my NFL Championship Weekend WR/CB Matchups to Attack and Avoid! In this article, I will be analyzing three matchups that we should be looking to exploit and three matchups that we should be looking to shy away from this weekend. Use these plays to better build your DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel!
Matchups to Attack
A.J. Brown vs Bashaud Breeland
A.J. Brown has looked outstanding through 18 games his rookie season. He owns 54 receptions for 1,064 yards and 9 touchdowns on only 88 targets. He has only posted 2 receptions for 13 yards in the playoffs, though. Still, Brown saw 1,107 air yards with a 13.2 aDOT in the regular season. He has turned a team-high 8 red zone targets into 5 receptions for 51 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2019.
Brown played 55% of his snaps as the Tennessee Titans left outside receiver this season. He gets a matchup against Bashaud Breeland, who has only played 8% of his snaps as the Kansas City Chiefs right outside cornerback. That’s the position he’s expected to play this weekend, though. Breeland held his opponents to a 56% catch rate, while being targeted on only 12% of his routes covered. He allowed them to average 0.21 fantasy points and 1.14 yards per route covered in 2019, as well. With that being said, Breeland has graded out as the Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) worst cornerback on the slate. Brown’s struggles are a bit concerning, but he’s an elite option on this slate.
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Tyreek Hill vs Logan Ryan
Tyreek Hill has only played in 13 games this season. He saw 93 targets, posting 61 receptions for 901 yards and 7 touchdowns. Hill recorded 1,149 air yards with a 12.9 aDOT throughout the regular season, as well. He posted 4 receptions for 24 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 7 red zone targets this season.
Hill played 54% of his snaps as the Kansas City Chiefs slot receiver throughout the 2019 season. If that continues, he’ll face off against Logan Ryan. He has played 82% of his snaps as the Tennessee Titans slot corner. Ryan has been targeted on 16% of his routes covered, allowing a 68% catch rate. He has also given up 0.31 fantasy points and 1.50 yards per route covered to his opponents. Overall, Ryan has graded out as the third worst cornerback on the slate, per PFF. Hill isn’t going to come cheap, and he has struggled quite a bit this season. With that being said, he comes with tremendous upside on a weekly basis, and is in one of the best matchups on this short slate.
Matchups to Avoid
Allen Lazard vs Richard Sherman
Allen Lazard has seen the field in 17 games this season. He has only seen targets in 11 games, though. In those contests, he posted 35 receptions for 477 yards and 3 touchdowns on 52 targets. Lazard saw 736 air yards in those 11 games to go along with a 14.2 aDOT. He has only seen three red zone targets in 2019. He has turned those into 2 receptions for 11 yards, although he hasn’t found the end zone inside the red zone.
Lazard has played 34% of his snaps as the Green Bay Packers right outside receiver this season. He’s expected to see the majority of his snaps across from Richard Sherman this week. Sherman played 98% of his snaps as the San Francisco 49ers left outside cornerback this season. He has held his opponents to a 63% catch rate, while being targeted on 17% of his routes covered. Sherman has also held his opponents to 0.23 fantasy points and 0.91 yards per route covered in 2019. He has graded out as the best cornerback on the slate, according to PFF. Lazard was injured in Green Bay’s first playoff game, but he’s expected to play full snaps this weekend. He can be avoided in this matchup, though.
Emmanuel Sanders vs Jaire Alexander
Emmanuel Sanders has seen mixed results throughout the 2019 season. He posted 68 receptions for 902 yards and 6 touchdowns on 99 targets over 18 games. Sanders has seen 53 targets with the San Francisco 49ers, recording 607 air yards and an 11.5 aDOT. He has turned five red zone targets with San Francisco into two receptions for five yards and two touchdowns.
Sanders played the majority of his snaps (39%) as a right outside receiver in 2019, and there’s where he’s expected to play this weekend. He’ll face off against Jaire Alexander, who has played 77% of his snaps as the Green Bay Packers left outside cornerback this season. Alexander has been targeted on 19% of his route covering, holding his opponents to a 51% catch rate. He has also held his opponents to 0.28 fantasy points and 1.31 yards per route covered in 2019. Alexander has graded out as PFF’s third best cornerback on this slate. Sanders certainly comes with upside, but he can be avoided on this slate.
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