Wide Receiver Matchups To Target in Week 12

The Week 11 wide receiver matchups article yielded some fairly good results. Damiere Byrd had a great matchup and finished as WR-5 on the week, while Michael Thomas finished as WR-13 and Mike Williams came in at WR-18. Tyler Boyd was on his way to a big day before Joe Burrow was lost for the season early in the 3rd quarter, but he still managed to finish as WR-17. Amari Cooper had six catches for 81 yards, Steven Sims Jr. only had 13 yards but he did come through with a score and in disappointing fashion, Marquise Brown had a donut in a great matchup against the Titans.

Nothing is more important than evaluating matchups when making lineup decisions. From a yardage standpoint, the Patriots, Jaguars, Falcons, Seahawks, Jets and Lions Defenses are giving up the most yards-per-pass which means they aren't great against the pass on a per-play basis so far this season. The Falcons, Seahawks, Lions, Bengals, Panthers, Jets and Vikings Defenses have given up the most explosive pass plays in the league which means big-play wide receivers are likely to have good games against those defenses. Through the first 11 weeks of the season the Seahawks, Titans, Falcons, Vikings, Cowboys and Jets Defenses are giving up the most fantasy points to wide receivers which makes them units you want to exploit.

Now, here are the top WR vs CB matchups for Week 12. Use these to set season-long lineups, as well as gain a competitive edge in the DFS games.

DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins

$6,500 FanDuel / $5,900 DraftKings – vs Bryce Hall

DeVante Parker should see Bryce Hall in coverage this week who has just recently started to see action since the Jets moved on from Pierre Desir. Albeit a small sample size, Hall has not been burned deep but he has given up a 73% catch-rate which is one of the worst marks in the NFL. The Jets have given up the sixth-most explosive pass plays so far this season along with 19 passing touchdowns which means Parker has a good shot to come through. The Dolphins also lack of pass targets since Preston Williams went down which has resulted in Parker seeing at least seven targets in each of his last three games.

Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals

$6,900 FanDuel / $5,000 DraftKings – vs Darnay Holmes

Brandon Allen will likely be starting at quarterback for the Bengals this weekend and while he's not a world-beater by any means, he should be able to keep the Bengals offense somewhat relevant for fantasy football purposes. In limited actin for the Broncos in 2019, Brandon Allen appeared to stare down one receiver and throw them the ball. The Giants secondary has been solid as a unit, but that's mainly because of exceptional play from James Bradberry. Tyler Boyd will likely see Darnay Holmes in coverage who is the weak-link in the Giants secondary which means Allen may lock on to Boyd and feed him the ball. Many DFS players may look to fade Boyd, meaning he could come up huge in tournament play if Allen does indeed lock on to him, but there's some risk associated with that play. In season-long leagues you should not summarily bench Boyd because of the Bengals quarterback situation, but you should temper expectations and consider him a WR3.

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

$7,000 FanDuel / $6,300 DraftKings – vs Rasul Douglas

Adam Thielen has been placed on the reserve-COVID list which means he's unlikely to play this week. The Panthers have been playing a lot of zone this year which Jefferson should be able to exploit. While the Panthers have given up a respectable 6.9 yards-per-pass attempt, they have surrendered the fifth-most explosive plays in the league which means Jefferson could break loose for a long one. The over/under is set at 51.5 points so there could be some fireworks in this one.

Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

$5,700 FanDuel / $5,000 DraftKings - vs Malcolm Butler

In Week 10 against the Titans Michael Pittman hauled in seven-of-eight targets for 101 yards and he narrowly scored twice. Since returning from injury, Pittman has touched the ball 15 times, gained 244 yards and scored once. Pittman is clearly the No. 1 option in the Colts passing game and he should come through in Week 12 against a Titans Defense that's given up 21 touchdowns through the air which is seventh-most in the league.

Gabriel Davis, Buffalo Bills

$4,800 FanDuel / $3,000 DraftKings - vs Michael Davis

John Brown has been ruled out for the Bills on Sunday which means Gabriel Davis will step in and take his place on the outside. The Chargers Defense has been fairly good against the pass this season but the Bills have one of the most explosive passing games in the NFL and they have too many weapons for opposing defenses to account for. The Chargers have been fairly vulnerable against the run, giving up 4.6 yards-per-carry and the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs, but this game has an over/under set at 53 points, so if it shoots out things could get exciting through the air. Davis should see a lot of Michael Davis in coverage who gives up catches on 66% of targets in his coverage and 1.13 yards-per-route covered. Casey Hayward has also been ruled out which will open things up for the Bills passing game in general.

Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

$8,600 FanDuel / $7,800 DraftKings – vs Sean Murphy-Bunting

The Buccaneers have given up a league-best 3.2 yards-per-attempt on the ground this year which means the Chiefs likely won't have much success running the ball this week. The Buccaneers haven't been gashed through the air but they have given up the fourth-highest completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks this season. Jamel Dean is the only Buccaneers cornerback that could possibly run with Hill and he's been ruled out which creates a problem for their secondary.

Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans

$6,000 FanDuel / $4,900 DraftKings - vs Rock Ya-Sin

Rock Ya-Sin has been routinely beaten in coverage this season and has been the weak-link in the Colts secondary. Ya-Sin has allowed a 69% catch-rate and 1.74 yards-per-route covered, both of which are poor marks. Earlier this season against the Titans Corey Davis caught five passes for 67 yards and he could have had an even bigger day had the Titans been more competitive in the game and pressed deep into the fourth quarter. Another positive working in Davis' favor is that DeForest Buckner was ruled out for the Colts this week which means Ryan Tannehill should have more time to throw.

Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers

$5,900 FanDuel / $5,100 DraftKings – vs Jeff Gladney

The Vikings have given up 22 passing touchdowns so far this year which is second-most in the NFL. Since Week 8, six wide receivers have scored at least 12 fantasy points against the Vikings. In reality, with Christian McCaffrey likely out, all of the Panthers wide receivers are in play this week, it's just a matter of which one you want to roll with. Curtis Samuel has been getting the ball at least six times per game going back to Week 5, so it makes sense to get him in your lineups. In DFS, Samuel is less expensive than D.J. Moore ($7,300 FanDuel/$6,200 DraftKings) and Robby Anderson ($6,400 FanDuel/$6,100 DraftKings) who has cooled off lately and failed to score or exceed 70 yards since October 25th. As long as McCaffrey remains out of the lineup, Samuel will be involved in the Panthers offense.

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