RADIO
In Week 12, several of the wide receivers recommended in last week's column came through with solid performances. However, if you went with Julio Jones as a high-end option at wide receiver you were very disappointed as the Falcons didn't play well and Jones struggled to make it through the game after suffering a shoulder injury. Odell Beckham Jr. had a decent game but Week 12 was Jarvis Landry's time to shine against the Miami Dolphins. Before Week 12, I said that the Buccaneers wide receivers had great matchups but they were hard to trust because the Atlanta Falcons had been surging lately. As a result, Chris Godwin finished as the No. 1 receiver on the week while Mike Evans came up extremely small, catching just four balls for 50 yards, finishing as the No. 41 receiver on the week.
Most of the Week 12 recommendations were solid, but there were a few dud performances. The Raiders were absolutely dominated by the Jets. As a result, Tyrell Williams did nearly nothing, not even in garbage time. In Philadelphia, stiff winds limited D.K. Metcalf and the entire Seahawks passing game. Although there were some duds, as a whole Week 12 was a success as four of the recommended receivers finished inside the top-10 at the position. Here is a complete statistical recap of the Week 12 recommendations:
- D.J. Moore - 9 targets, 6 catches, 126 yards, 2 TD
- D.J. Chark - 6 targets, 5 catches, 38 yards
- Jarvis Landry - 13 targets, 10 catches, 148 yards, 2 TD
- Pivot: Calvin Ridley - 14 targets, 6 catches, 85 yards, 1 TD
- Golden Tate - 7 targets, 3 catches, 33 yards, 1 TD
- Pivot: D.K. Metcalf - 6 targets, 3 catches, 35 yards
- Allen Robinson - 10 targets, 6 catches, 131 yards, 1 TD
- Pivot: Tyrell Williams - 6 targets, 2 catches, 18 yards
Now, let's move onto the current week and find the best matchups to exploit for DFS tournaments and cash games. On the high-end, Tyreek Hill ($8,300 FanDuel / $8,900 DraftKings) has a great matchup against Trayvon Mullen. The Raiders Defense has been decent against the run this year but their secondary has been exploited, especially against speedy receivers. Hill seems to be fine after tweaking his hamstring in Week 11 and you should play him with confidence. Davante Adams ($8,000 FanDuel / $7,000 DraftKings) will see a lot of Janoris Jenkins this weekend, but Jenkins hasn't been shadowing lately. Jenkins and the entire Giants secondary has been abused on its way to yielding the second-most fantasy points to receivers on the season. As detailed below, this weekend's main slate seems to be littered with boom-or-bust wide receivers that have great matchups.
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Week 13 WR/CB Matchups to Exploit
Devante Parker ($6,000 FanDuel / $5,700 DraftKings) vs Jalen Mills
On the season the Eagles Defense has given up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, but their cornerbacks have gotten healthy as of late. While the Eagles secondary has gotten healthy, the jury is still out on their overall ability to shut down wide receivers because windy conditions greatly impacted their last game. Devante Parker is clearly the No. 1 wide receiver for the Dolphins, seeing at least 10 targets in each of his last three games and he has a significant speed advantage over Jalen Mills which makes him viable.
D.J. Chark ($6,900 FanDuel / $6,600 DraftKings) vs Sean Murphy-Bunting
The Buccaneers Defense has surrendered the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers on the season and they have given us no reason to think that will change anytime in the near future. The Buccaneers have also given up 26 passing touchdowns this season which is tied for second-worst in the NFL. To make things even better for D.J. Chark and the Jaguars passing game, the Buccaneers have the second-best rushing defense in the NFL giving up just 3.5 yards-per-carry and 78.7 yards-per-game. If the Jaguars are going to keep pace with the Buccaneers in this game it will be through their passing game and not behind the legs of Leonard Fournette.
Auden Tate ($5,200 FanDuel / $3,800 DraftKings) vs Arthur Maulet
The Jets rush defense is the best in the NFL giving up just 3.0 yards-per-carry and 78.1 yards-per-game on the ground. The Bengals offensive line has struggled to open up holes in the running game this season and this matchup won't help the prospects of Joe Mixon running the ball. Brian Poole is the Jets' best cornerback and plays in the slot which is problematic for Tyler Boyd. Auden Tate has a seven-inch height advantage over Arthur Maulet which means Andy Dalton may be throwing up a few jump balls for Tate in this one if Mixon and Boyd are shut down.
D.J. Moore ($6,800 FanDuel / $6,800 DraftKings) vs Quinton Dunbar
D.J. Moore has been on absolute fire as of late and has been targeted at least eight times in each game dating back to October 8th. In that same span, Moore has only failed to reach 14 PPR points once and that was against the 49ers Defense where he recorded five catches for just 38 yards. The Redskins Defense is in the midst of shuffling around the secondary and they will be without their best pass rusher Ryan Kerrigan this week which makes the matchup even better for Moore.
Pivot: Brandin Cooks ($6,700 FanDuel / $5,200 DraftKings) vs Byron Murphy
The Cardinals Defense has given up a league-worst 297.5 yards-per-game passing and 29 touchdowns through the air. Brandin Cooks is the deep threat in the Rams passing game and the Cardinals have surrendered 50 pass plays of 20+ yards which is the third-most in the NFL. It's been hard to trust Brandin Cooks this year, but if you were ever going to give him a shot it's this week against the Cardinals.
Robby Anderson ($6,100 FanDuel / $4,800 DraftKings) vs William Jackson
Robby Anderson has been nearly impossible to trust this season but in Week 12 he did show some signs of life posting four catches for 86 yards and a touchdown against a struggling Raiders secondary. While the Bengals Defense is known for getting dominated in the running game in 2019, their pass defense is quietly giving up an NFL-worst 9.0 yards-per-attempt. To make matters worse for the Bengals they have given up 49 pass plays of 20+ yards which is the fourth-most in the league. By the numbers, the Bengals are actually worse than the Raiders in the secondary which means Anderson should come through for the second week in a row.
Pivot: Dede Westbrook ($5,700 FanDuel / $5,000 DraftKings) vs Mike Edwards
If you simply cannot stomach the thought of putting Robby Anderson into your lineup, then pivot to Dede Westbrook. In the last two weeks, Westbrook has played at least 85% of the Jaguars' offensive snaps. In Week 12 the Buccaneers defense surrendered eight catches for 76 yards to the Falcons slot receiver Russell Gage and they are giving up more than enough yardage through the air for two Jaguars receivers to come through.
Deep Sleeper: Marcus Johnson ($4,900 FanDuel / $3,100 DraftKings) vs Adoree Jackson
T.Y. Hilton is out this weekend against the Tennessee Titans which means the Colts will need to turn to their other wide receivers to get it done against a tough Titans Defense. In Weeks 10 and 11, which are the last two games that Hilton missed, Marcus Johnson played 80% and 92.4% of the snaps. Against the Dolphins in Week 10 Johnson was targeted just three times and was only able to haul in one ball for nine yards, but that was playing with Brian Hoyer. In Week 11 against the Jaguars, he was able to catch all four of his targets for 38 yards and a touchdown. The Titans have been very good against the run on the season, giving up just 4.0 yards-per-attempt. They are ranked towards the middle of the pack giving up 7.1 yards-per-attempt through the air due to the fact they have suffered injuries in the secondary as of late, causing their play to fall off a little. Johnson has 4.38-wheels and if he finds himself guarded by anybody other than Adoree Jackson it could mean trouble for the Titans.
