RADIO
In Week 3, several of the wide receivers that were recommended in this column went off which helped to make up for a lesser showing in Week 2. The highlight of Week 2 was the three-touchdown performance from Mike Evans where he absolutely scorched the Giants secondary for 190 yards. Tyler Boyd had a modest performance against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, but if you went with the pivot, Tyler Lockett, you likely dominated your contest. Marvin Jones came through with over 100 yards and a score, and although Randall Cobb had a bad day, it's worth noting that he was involved in the game, and had a 74-yard touchdown wiped off the board because of holding. Here is a complete statistical recap of the Week 3 recommendations:
- Sammy Watkins - 8 targets, 5 catches, 64 yards
- Marvin Jones - 9 targets, 6 catches, 101 yards, 1 TD
- Pivot: Randall Cobb - 4 targets, 2 catches, 23 yards
- Tyler Boyd - 11 targets, 6 catches, 67 yards
- Pivot: Tyler Lockett - 14 targets, 11 catches, 154 yards, 1 TD
- Mike Evans - 15 targets, 8 catches, 190 yards, 3 TD
- Nelson Agholor - 12 targets, 8 catches, 50 yards, 2 TD
The Kansas City Chiefs continue to roll on offense, but with Tyreek Hill out of the lineup, Sammy Watkins has been drawing attention from the opposition's top cover corner. Although Watkins has been a serviceable wide receiver option, he has come up a little small for DFS purposes. For the most part, the Week 3 picks were a success.
Now, we will try to ride the momentum from last week and identify some advantageous wide receiver matchups to help you win your season-long and DFS contests in Week 4.
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Week 4 WR/CB Matchups to Exploit
Terry McLaurin ($6,300 FanDuel / $4,500 DraftKings) vs Janoris Jenkins
The Giants secondary has surrendered 262-receiving yards-per-game (NFL worst) and 51.43 fantasy points-per-game (2nd most) to opposing wide receivers through the first three weeks of the season. The Giants also give up two receiving touchdowns a game. The Redskins have four players with 19 or more passing targets on the season, but Terry McLaurin seems to be the guy that Case Keenum favors in the endzone, throwing a touchdown to him in each of his first three games. This game has one of the highest over/unders of the week at 49 points, and McLaurin should be heavily involved regardless of who covers him. McLaurin popped up on the injury report on Thursday with a hamstring injury, and he didn't participate in practice on Friday. Redskins beat reporter JP Finlay reported that McLaurin should play on Sunday, and was only held out of practice on Friday as a precaution, but you need to be prepared to roll with a different option if he can't play. You need to decide if you are comfortable with this risk, or if you want to completely avoid it. If you are risk averse and opt to avoid it, then go with the pivot.
*** UPDATE - Sunday 9/29 at 11:30 ET: McLaurin has officially been ruled out for Week 4. ***
Pivot: Sterling Shepard ($6,500 FanDuel / $5,800 DraftKings) vs Jimmy Moreland
The Redskins give up 16 catches and 196 yards receiving and 52.07 fantasy points-per-game (NFL worst) to opposing wide receivers through the first three weeks of the season. Shepard has a cornerback matchup that he can exploit, and should be heavily targeted by Daniel Jones. If McLaurin cannot go on Sunday, make the switch to Sterling Shepard in Fanduel. Making that same pivot to Shepard may be a little more difficult on DK, so if you need to make a last minute change and don't have extra salary to spend, swap in Washington Redskins wide receiver Paul Richardson ($4,700 FanDuel / $3,700 DraftKings) vs DeAndre Baker, who should see an increase in targets if McLaurin misses.
D.J. Moore ($6,400 FanDuel / $5,600 DraftKings) vs Lonnie Johnson
In Week 3, the Panthers controlled the game against the Cardinals and therefore, Kyle Allen only needed to put the ball in the air 26 times. As a result, DJ Moore only saw two targets, but at least he took his one catch to the house. In Week 4, the Panthers aren't likely to control the high-octane Texans offense the way they handled the Cardinals, and Kyle Moore will likely need to put the ball int he air more in this one. DJ Moore has a favorable matchup with Lonnie Johnson in what should be a high scoring contest (over/under 46.5).
Larry Fitzgerald ($5,900 FanDuel / $5,600 DraftKings) vs Jamar Taylor
Quietly, Larry Fitzgerald has been the 7th most targeted wide receiver through the first three weeks of the season. This game has a fairly high over/under at 48 points, and Larry Fitzgerald should be a big part of Cardinals offensive game-plan as the Seahawks have struggled against opposing slot receivers. In Week 1, Tyler Boyd had 8 catches for 60 yards and in Week 2, with Mason Rudolph throwing him the ball, JuJu Smith-Schuster had fives catches for 84 yards. In Week 3, the Saints only put the ball in the air 27 times, 17 of those throws were directed towards Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, so their slot receiver wasn't involved. Kyler Murray, on the other hand, targets his slot wide receivers heavily. Through the first three games of the season, the most targeted wide receivers for Arizona are Christian Kirk (32), Larry Fitzgerald (31) and Damiere Byrd (18). The matchup and the usage both look good for Larry Fitzgerald in this one.
Pivot: Dede Westbrook ($5,300 FanDuel / $5,500 DraftKings) vs Kareem Jackson
DJ Chark is going to line up across from Chris Harris Jr. for a majority of the day which means Dede Westbrook will draw a more favorable matchup against Kareem Jackson. In Week 3, Harris covered Devante Adams almost exclusively, and as a result Adams came up small with four catches for 56 yards. The same thing is likely to happen to Chark in Week 4, and if that happens, Westbrook will be the beneficiary. Surprisingly, Westbrook is tied for the most passing targets on the Jaguars with Leonard Fournette (20), but his catch rate has only been 55% and his ADOT (average depth of target) has been 5.89 which is extremely low. Look for Westbrook to rebound in Week 4 against the Broncos.
Cooper Kupp ($7,000 FanDuel / $6,500 DraftKings) vs MJ Stewart
Through the first three games of the 2019 season the Buccaneers secondary has been playing better than it did in 2018, but MJ Stewart is still a liability in coverage. Cooper Kupp is tied with Larry Fitzgerald as the 7th most targeted receiver in the league with 31, and leads the Rams in targets over Robert Woods (23) and Brandin Cooks (22). Jared Goff hasn't been looking to Kupp down the field, with an ADOT of just 6.07 yards, but Kupp averages 6.26 yards after the catch, which is top-20 in the league. The over/under in this game is 49.5 points and this one might be tough sledding for Todd Gurley as the Buccaneers only give up 3.0 yards-per-carry and a stingy 69.7-rushing yards per game, which means this matchup is setting up well for Cooper Kupp.
Kenny Golladay ($6,700 FanDuel / $5,900 DraftKings) vs Charvarius Ward
In Week 1, DJ Chark, who was covered primarily by Charvarius Ward, exploded onto the scene with four catches, 146 yards and 1 TD. The following week, Tyrell Williams had a decent day against Ward with 5 catches, 46 yards and a TD. In Week 3, none of the Ravens wide receivers did much against the Chiefs as Lamar Jackson struggled with his accuracy. The over/under in this game is 54, and without a doubt, the Lions are going to need to throw the ball early and often to keep pace with the Chiefs in this one. Between all of the Lions receivers, Golladay has the best matchup against Ward, who is the 18th most-targeted cornerback in the league (20) and has given up the 15th most receiving yards while in coverage (186) according to PFF.
Deeper Sleeper Alert
Preston Williams ($5,200 FanDuel / $3,900 DraftKings) vs Brandon Facyson
This analysis is simple. Devante Parker should be shadowed by Casey Hayward, meaning Josh Rosen will look elsewhere with the football. The over/under is 44 and the Chargers favored by 16, so Miami should be throwing a lot in this one.
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