Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 8: Chris Olave, Christian Kirk, Zay Flowers, Nico Collins, Rashee Rice

Welcome to Week 8 in DFS. Week 7 was full of wild performances, with Injuries and bye weeks bringing unlikely performers to the forefront. This included five receivers finishing in the top ten at the position for the first time this season, including rookies Jordan Addison and Josh Downs. 

Week 8 will bring more stability to DFS with no teams on bye and 12 games back on the main slate. As we move towards the halfway point of the season, unlikely stars like Puka Nacua, DJ Moore, and Adam Thielen are establishing themselves as top weekly plays alongside mainstays like Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, and A.J. Brown.

Each week we use matchup data from PFF to determine wide receivers to target based on who they will be primarily lining up against that week. Below are five of the top WR vs. CB matchups for this week’s DFS main slate. Use these to set season-long lineups, make player prop picks, and gain an edge in DFS.

Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

$6,400 on DraftKings, $7,300 on FanDuel; vs. Darrell Baker Jr.

Olave has yet to live up to fantasy expectations so far this year, with only one top-12 WR performance in PPR. That could change this week in a stellar matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. The 23-year-old has a 99.0 matchup advantage grade this week according to PFF lining up predominantly opposite Colts CB Darrell Baker Jr.

Olave is eighth among NFL receivers in targets despite ranking as the WR25 this year. The upside is there, as evidenced by his double-digit targets in five of seven games and 29.5 DraftKings points under-expected this year (most in the league among receivers). 

The Saints offense has lacked downfield opportunities this year with QB Derek Carr under center, but that could change this week against a Colts defense allowing the sixth most downfield passes to opposing wide receivers (15 air yards or more). There is no better time for Olave’s breakout game than this week.

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Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars

$5,900 on DraftKings, $7,000 on FanDuel; vs. Chandon Sullivan

Kirk stands out this week in PFF’s WR/CB matchup model with an 87.6 matchup grade in his primary matchup against Pittsburgh Steelers CB Chandon Sullivan, who has a paltry 40.4 coverage grade so far this season.

The six-year veteran has been productive for the Jaguars so far this year, leading his team in targets, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns through seven games. Jacksonville gets the ninth-best matchup for receivers this week against a Steelers team that has given up three 150+ yard performances to receivers already this season.

Kirk is the 18th-most expensive receiver on DraftKings this Sunday. He should remain the lead receiver for Trevor Lawrence, making him a steal for DFS lineups in Week 8.

Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

$5,600 on DraftKings, $6,500 on FanDuel; vs. Kei'Trel Clark, Marco Wilson

Flowers had a moderate performance last week, catching four passes for 75 yards. He leads all Ravens pass catchers in targets, receptions, and yards as the clear number-one receiver for a Baltimore team scoring the 10th most points per game in the NFL.

The rookie has a juicy matchup with the Cardinals in Week 8, whose main coverage corners all have sub-60 coverage grades according to PFF. Arizona deploys zone coverage at a top-five rate while ranking as the worst zone coverage team with a 43.3 team coverage grade. Flowers has thrived against zone coverage so far this year, earning the 18th-best fantasy points per route run against zone among receivers (0.47).

Flowers is still too cheap this week (the 22nd most expensive WR on DraftKings’ main slate, 31st most expensive on FanDuel), making him a great option in both cash and tournament contests.

Nico Collins, Houston Texans

$5,500 on DraftKings, $7,200 on FanDuel; vs. CJ Henderson

Collins is as close as it gets to a free square in DFS this week, particularly with his bargain price on DK. He ranks as the WR13 in fantasy points per game and already has two top-5 weekly performances at the position despite being 25th among receivers in DK price on Sunday's main slate. 

Week 8 brings his best matchup of the season as the Texans travel to Carolina on Sunday in the number-one top matchup for receivers according to PFF’s Strength of Schedule metric. Collins will match up primarily with Panthers CB CJ Henderson in PFF’s second-best individual matchup of the week. 

Carolina limps into this week with significant injuries to their secondary. Defensive backs Jaycee Horn and Jeremy Chinn remain on IR while FS Xavier Woods and SS Vonn Bell also enter the week with question marks. The heavy dosage of zone coverage that the Panthers deploy (third-most in the NFL) bodes well for both Collins and rookie Tank Dell, who each rank among the top 30 receivers in fantasy points per route run against zone coverage this season. Start Collins in a smash matchup this week.

Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs

$5,000 on DraftKings, $6,000 on FanDuel; vs. Ja'Quan McMillian

Rice has seen a steady rise in playing time as his rookie season has progressed, reaching a season-high 59% of snaps last week. He has also been incredibly efficient with the playing time he’s received so far, delivering the second-most fantasy points per route run among all receivers in 2023. 

Chiefs receivers will enjoy the fifth-best matchup of the week this Sunday against the Broncos according to PFF’s Strength of Schedule. The rookie has lined up in the slot 58% of the time, meaning he will mostly avoid Denver’s lone bright spot on defense in CB Patrick Surtain II. 

The Broncos have deployed zone coverage 76.4% of the time so far this season. Rice enjoys a 90.4 PFF receiving grade against zone coverage, third-best in the NFL. Rice is a high-upside tournament play this week.

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your DFS contests!

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