Matchups to Attack
Willie Snead vs Nick Nelson
Willie Snead has quietly been enjoying a solid season, as he’s averaging 5.0 receptions for 49.9 yards and 0.1 touchdowns on 7.7 targets per game. He ranks second on the team in targets, recording a 19.4% target share through 10 games. He also saw a ridiculous 42.1% target share in Lamar Jackson’s first start of the season last week. Snead has scored double digit DK points in eight of his 10 games this season, and he has been a consistent option throughout the season.
He has played 83% of his snaps as the Baltimore Ravens slot receiver this season. He’ll get a matchup against Nick Nelson, who is a fill-in slot corner, playing 92% of his limited snaps as the Oakland Raiders slot corner in 2018. While he has seen only limited snaps throughout the season, he has allowed a 60% catch rate, while being targeted on 21% of his routes covered. He has graded out as Pro Football Focus’ second worst cornerback in the NFL, making this an attackable matchup for Snead.
Julian Edelman vs Buster Skrine
Julian Edelman has only played in six games this season because of a four-game suspension. In those six games, he has totaled 40 receptions for 426 yards and two touchdowns on 56 targets. He has seen double digit targets in each of his last three games, and he’s averaging 8.0 receptions for 93.0 yards (21.24 DK points) per game over that span. He could potentially see his target dip a bit this week with Rob Gronkowski expected to return, but Edelman has seen seven or more targets in every game this season.
Edelman gets a great matchup against Buster Skrine this week. Through six games, Edelman has played 71% of his snaps as the New England Patriots slot receiver. Skrine, on the other hand, has played 98% of his snaps as the New York Jets slot corner. He has struggled a bit, allowing a 69% catch rate, while being targeted on 22% of his routes covered. He also ranks in the bottom-10 of the NFL in fantasy points (0.46) and yards (2.18) allowed per route covered. Overall, Skrine has graded out as the eighth worst cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. The Patriots could look to attack Skrine, and Edelman would benefit in a major way in this game.
D.J. Moore vs Shaquill Griffin
D.J. Moore was always expected to take over as the top receiver for the Carolina Panthers, and we may have seen that last week. He saw a season-high eight targets, turning that into seven receptions for 157 yards and one touchdown. He should see a similar role this season, even with Torrey Smith practicing. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Smith sit out once again this week, though, as Carolina Head Coach Ron Rivera was noncommittal on his return. Regardless, Moore has earned more snaps, and will play a large role in the offense once again, regardless of who is healthy.
He has played the majority of his snaps (40%) as the Carolina slot receiver, but he’s expected to play as the right outside receiver this week. That won’t be new for Moore, as 32% of his snaps this season have been in that position. He’ll matchup against Shaquill Griffin, who has played 95% of his snaps as the Seattle Seahawks left outside cornerback. Griffin has graded out as a bottom-10 cornerback in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. He has allowed a 70% catch rate, while being targeted on 17% of his routes covered this season. Moore comes with quite a bit of risk because of his unknown role, but he also comes with tremendous upside for a reasonable price tag this week.
Matchups to Avoid
Larry Fitzgerald vs Desmond King
Larry Fitzgerald has struggled for the most part this season, but he has looked outstanding over his last four games. Over that span, he’s averaging 5.0 receptions for 54.0 yards and 1.0 touchdown (17.6 DK points) on 8.5 targets per game. This is important because it was only recently that Arizona made a switch at offensive coordinator. For comparison, Fitzgerald averaged 3.7 receptions for 35.8 yards (7.3 DK points) per game over the first six weeks of the season.
He has played 76% of his snaps as the Arizona Cardinals slot receiver this season. He’ll matchup against Desmond King, who has played 95% of his snaps as the Los Angeles Chargers slot corner. King has allowed a 70% catch rate this season, but he has only been targeted on 11% of his routes covered. He’s also allowing only 0.22 fantasy points and 1.15 yards per route covered this season, as well. Overall, he has graded out as Pro Football Focus’ best cornerback in the NFL this season, and there’s very little reason to attack him any weekend.
Quincy Enunwa vs Stephon Gilmore
Quincy Enunwa looked outstanding through the first four weeks, but he has struggled over his last four games. On the season, he’s averaging 3.6 receptions for 43.1 yards and 0.1 touchdown on 6.8 targets per game. Since Week 5, Enunwa has totaled eight receptions for 67 yards on 18 targets in four games. He has also played two games since returning from an ankle injury, but has still struggled to find success. While he’ll be locked into big snaps for the New York Jets, his production still remains a major concern.
Enunwa has played all over the Jets formation this season, but that likely won’t matter this week. He’s expected to be shadowed by Stephon Gilmore, who has matched up against some of the best receivers in the NFL this season. Even against tough competition, Gilmore has graded out as Pro Football Focus’ third best cornerback in the NFL. He has held his opponents to a 55% catch rate, while being targeted on 18% of his routes covered. He has also held his opponents to 0.25 fantasy points and 1.14 yards per routes covered this season. Enunwa has struggled to take advantage of plus matchups this season, and he’ll likely struggle against one of the best corners in the league this week.
Emmanuel Sanders vs Mike Hilton
Emmanuel Sanders has looked outstanding this season, averaging 6.0 receptions for 76.3 yards and 0.3 touchdowns on 8.0 targets per game. He has struggled a bit recently, though, scoring less than 11.0 DK points in each of his last three games. Over that span, he’s averaging 4.7 receptions for 53.3 yards on 6.3 targets per game. He has only seen double digit targets in three games this season, and it’s no surprise that his efficiency and production has taken a hit recently.
Sanders has played 63% of his snaps as the Denver Broncos slot receiver in 2018. He’ll face off against Mike Hilton, who has played 98% of his snaps as the Pittsburgh Steelers slot corner. He has allowed a 65% catch rate, while being targeted on 20% of his routes covered this season. Still, he has graded out as a top-12 cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Sanders will likely struggle with efficiency in this matchup, and he doesn’t see the volume to produce well when getting limited opportunities.
