Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 3: Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins, Garrett Wilson

Last week was a big week for the Wide Receiver Matchups series, as there were quite a few hits. Greg Dortch had four receptions, 55 yards, and one touchdown against the Raiders. Christian Kirk had six receptions, 78 yards, and two touchdowns against the Colts. Amon-Ra St. Brown had a massive game against the Commanders where he finished with nine receptions, 116 yards, and two touchdowns.

Tyreek Hill had 11 receptions, 190 yards, and two touchdowns in the Dolphins' incredible comeback win against the Ravens. Brandon Aiyuk had a modest five receptions & 63 yards, while Terry McLaurin had four receptions for 75 yards. Unfortunately, Jerry Jeudy was in a smash spot but had to leave the game early due to an injury.

Matchups for the wide receiver position aren't always as black and white as they can be for other positions. Receivers sometimes move around the formation or may face shadow coverage, meaning these matchups need to be broken down deeper based on that data. Now, here are the top WR vs CB matchups for Week 3. Use these to set season-long lineups, as well as gain a competitive edge in the DFS games. The matchup data used in this article is from PFF.

Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders

DraftKings $5100 / FanDuel $6300 vs. Avonte Maddox

Curtis Samuel has been a bit of a surprise this season, as most people had Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson ahead of him on the depth chart. Over the past two weeks, Curtis is currently the fantasy WR7, ahead of players like Ja’Marr Chase, Davante Adams, and A.J. Brown.

So far this season, Samuel has garnered 20 targets which he has converted into 15 receptions, 133 yards, and two touchdowns. Avonte Maddox will likely be the primary defender and has been a bit of a liability on the current Eagles secondary.

Maddox gave up seven receptions and 64 yards over the first couple of games. Carson Wentz will likely throw the ball more towards Samuel, with lockdown defender Darius Slay covering Terry McLaurin. Samuel will look to continue his surprise hot streak and will probably be in some winning DFS lineups.

Garrett Wilson, New York Jets

DraftKings $5400 / FanDuel $6100 vs. Mike Hilton

Garrett Wilson has had some elite usage as of late and should be a consistent contributor while Joe Flacco is the quarterback, with whom he has built a strong rapport. Wilson has garnered 22 targets over the past two weeks, converting them into 12 receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns.

Wilson has emerged as the alpha on the Jets, whom most thought Elijah Moore would assume that role and could be in a great spot against the Bengals. The Bengals allowed 235 yards to backup quarterback Cooper Rush last week and seemed to have a vulnerable secondary.

Mike Hilton, Wilson’s likely primary defender, has given up eight receptions for 72 yards over the first two weeks, with an average of 9 yards per reception. Wilson should again be in for a big week, especially considering the Jets will likely be playing in a negative game script for most of the game.

Mack Hollins, Las Vegas Raiders

DraftKings $3300 / FanDuel $5300 vs. Roger McCreary

Mack Hollins could be in a great spot this week against a weak Titans secondary. He led the Raiders in receiving yards last week (66), coming off eight targets. Hunter Renfrow led the team in targets last week (10) but will be missing Week 3 with a concussion. This could be an excellent spot for Hollins – especially with such a low cost on DraftKings.

His primary defender will likely be Roger McCreary, who gave up six receptions and 49 yards last week to Jake Kumerow. With so many talented players on the Raiders' receiving corps (Adams and Waller), Tennessee will likely give them much more defensive attention leaving Hollins open. Quarterback Derek Carr threw 252 yards and two touchdowns last week against the Cardinals.

Carr could be in for another big game, especially with the news that starting running back Josh Jacobs is not traveling with the team (currently questionable for Week 3). Confidently fire up Hollins as a great roster filler, and take advantage of his low DraftKings cost ($3300).

DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

DraftKings $5200 / FanDuel $6000 vs. William Jackson III

Devonta Smith was nowhere to be found in Week 1 but made a huge splash last week, finishing with seven receptions for 80 yards. Smith showed huge flashes of upside last year as a rookie, and A.J. Brown coming into town seemed to put a pause on any kind of breakout.

Nevertheless, Smith is a great talent who should be able to have some big games, especially when teams try to shut down Brown. William Jackson III will likely be the primary defender on Smith in Week 3. So far this year, Jackson has allowed ten receptions for 94 yards and will be a bit of a liability against this strong Philadelphia pass attack.

Jackson allows an average of 9.4 yards per reception and 12.7 fantasy points per game to the receivers he has defended. Last week, the Commanders gave up 256 yards and four touchdowns to Jared Goff and the Lions, so an elite Eagles offense should be set for a field day this week. Smith should be a solid value for DFS lineups this Sunday.

Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

DraftKings $5800 / FanDuel $6600 vs. Erik Harris

Tyler Lockett has been one of the most consistent players in football. He has gone for over 1,000 yards in each of the last three years (2019-2021) but was moved down the rankings as Russell Wilson was traded. Lockett has played admirably with Geno Smith, starting slow in the first week but then going off for nine receptions and 107 yards against the stout 49ers defense.

Erik Harris will likely be the primary defender on Lockett and currently has a shallow 43.6 PFF coverage grade. The Falcons' defense as a whole has been pretty weak this year, allowing 272 yards and three touchdowns to the Rams' passing attack last week. This could be a smash spot for Lockett, who will likely look to rip off some of his signature big plays.

Atlanta has a very underrated offense at the moment and could take the lead early. If Atlanta takes the lead in the game, Lockett should see a steady stream of targets, as last week the Seahawks completely abandoned the run when the 49ers got ahead. Lockett should be a solid DFS option for Week 3.

Greg Dortch, Arizona Cardinals

DraftKings $4300 / Fanduel $5100 vs. Cobie Durant

Greg Dortch was also in the article last week and had a solid game where he finished with four receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. Dortch has been playing the Rondale Moore role in the offense while Moore is out with injury and has been reported to be missing Week 3, putting Dortch in another great spot.

Cobie Durant currently has a low 42.2 coverage grade on PFF and is on a Rams defense that allowed 196 yards and two touchdowns to the Falcons' pass attack. Arizona has found themselves playing from behind most of the time this year, and Kyler Murray will look to air it out. With Jalen Ramsey likely covering Marquise Brown, Greg Dortch should be able to create a solid fantasy line again.

Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens

DraftKings $5700 / FanDuel $6800 vs. Jonathan Jones

Rashod Bateman has put together a big first two games of the season. In Week 1, he finished with 59 yards and a touchdown, while finishing with 108 yards and a touchdown in Week 2. Bateman has been the clear WR1 on the Ravens and will continue to shine this week against the Patriots. Bateman is a speedy receiver and should be able to put together some big plays, as he has every game.

Jonathan Jones will be his primary defender, who gave up four receptions and 50 yards when covering the speedster Tyreek Hill in Week 1. With the New England defenders likely focusing the defense on star tight end Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman is in a great spot this week and could be a good value at his current cost.

All data is from PFF, FantasyData and Player Profiler. Thanks for reading and good luck in your DFS contests!

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