Wide Receiver Matchups To Target In Week 15

In Week 14, DeAndre Hopkins and Michael Thomas were the high-end options that came through with solid performances, both finishing in the top-five even though they had fairly tough matchups. A.J. Brown finished as the No. 1 receiver on the week, scoring two touchdowns off of just seven targets, while Darius Slayton and Emmanuel Sanders took advantage of their matchups to round out the top-three in scoring. The wide receivers recommended in his column last week had pedestrian performances for the most part. Robby Anderson finished as the No. 8 receiver on the week, so if you played him you were pleased, but he was the only receiver recommended in this column that scored a touchdown. Neither Tyler Boyd nor John Ross saw heavy volume as the Bengals deployed six offensive linemen on many of their plays to get their running game going, and in a game where Drew Lock threw for over 300 yards, Courtland Sutton was only responsible for 34 scoreless yards. Devante Parker was on his way to a solid day at the office against the Jets before he exited the game with a concussion which was a huge letdown. Here is a complete statistical recap of the Week 14 recommendations:

• Courtland Sutton - 7 targets, 5 catches, 34 yards
• Devante Parker - 2 targets, 2 catches, 28 yards
• D.J. Moore - 6 targets, 4 catches, 81 yards
• Robby Anderson - 11 targets, 7 catches, 117 yards, 1 TD
• Tyler Boyd - 6 targets, 5 catches, 75 yards
• Pivot: John Ross - 3 targets, 2 catches, 28 yards

DeAndre Hopkins ($8,600 Fanduel / $8,000 DraftKings) has a great matchup against the Titans who have been giving up 259.9 yards-per-game through the air. The Texans have been fairly good running the ball this year but the Titans give up just 4.0 yards-per-carry which is top 10 in the league, so Hopkins should be in for a decent amount of volume in the passing game. On the season the Broncos have given up the seventh-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers, but since Week 11 they have surrendered 100-yard games to Stefon Diggs, Mike Williams, and DeAndre Hopkins. This week the Broncos will face Tyreek Hill ($7,900 Fanduel / $7,500 DraftKings), and although Hill will see coverage from Chris Harris for most of the game, he should still be able to come through.

On the season, the Cardinals Defense has given up the most passing touchdowns (32), the second-highest yards-per-attempt (8.4) and 294.2 yards-per-game through the air which is the worst mark in the NFL. That being said, it's a good week to fire up the Browns wide receivers. Jarvis Landry ($7,400 Fanduel / $6,700 DraftKings) will see Kevin Peterson in coverage and on the low-end Rashard Higgins ($4,500 Fanduel / $3,000 DraftKings) will see Byron Murphy who has been exploited all year. Odell Beckham Jr. ($7,200 Fanduel / $6,400 DraftKings) has been disappointing all season, but even he could pop a big play in Week 15 against the Cardinals. As detailed below, this weekend's main slate has some wide receivers in questionable situations that have great matchups, and in some cases, I am going right back to the guys who let us down in Week 14.

Week 15 WR/CB Matchups to Exploit

Devante Parker ($6,900 Fanduel / $6,400 DraftKings) vs Sam Beal

The New York Giants give up 8.2 yards-per-pass which is fourth-worst in the league and have surrendered 53 plays of 20+ yards which is the sixth-most in the NFL. Devante Parker has been targeted an average of 14.51 yards down the field which is a very good mark and has 22 red-zone targets on the season, many of those targets coming since Preston Williams went down for the season with a knee injury. The Giants give up the fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers and their secondary is very vulnerable down the field. It should be 46 degrees in the New York City area on Sunday and the forecast isn't calling for wind, so Parker should have a big game if he plays. It's also worth noting that the Giants released their best cornerback Janoris Jenkins on Friday due to a controversial social media post, which only makes the Giants Defense more vulnerable to downfield attacks.

Pivot: Isaiah Ford ($5,500 Fanduel / $3,700 DraftKings) vs DeAndre Baker

Devante Parker practiced in full on Friday but he still hasn't cleared the concussion protocol. Barring a setback, Parker should be cleared to play, but if he can't suit up, Ford will see heavy volume in his place. Even if Parker does play, Ford may be a sneaky play given the fact that the status of both Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns are up in the air due to injury. Ford will draw DeAndre Baker in coverage this week who is one of the worst cornerbacks in the league and has surrendered the sixth-most yards in coverage this season.

Terry McLaurin ($6,000 Fanduel / $5,300 DraftKings) vs Ronald Darby

The Redskins love to run the football and without a doubt, they will go into this matchup against the Eagles planning to pound the rock 20+ times with Adrian Peterson. Dwayne Haskins is still struggling but the Eagles cornerbacks have been terrible, giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers on the season. The Eagles cornerbacks have also demonstrated they can be exposed in play-action, biting on some routes. If the Redskins are able to get Adrian Peterson going early and work the play-action, Terry McLaurin could pop off a few long plays. Given how bad the Eagles are in the secondary, McLaurin has a decent shot at coming through regardless of the quarterback play.

Keelan Cole ($4,900 Fanduel / $3,000 DraftKings) vs Daryl Worley

The Raiders have given up the 13th-most fantasy points to wide receivers on the season but that number is somewhat skewed by the fact that the Chiefs didn't really need to throw much against them in Week 13 and they've recently played the Bengals who had Ryan Finley playing quarterback. Last week A.J. Brown went off against the Raiders Defense and in Week 12 Robby Anderson went for 86 yards and a touchdown. D.J. Chark is officially listed as out for Sunday which means Cole will start in his place along with Chris Conley and Dede Westbrook (Westbrook is also hurt) and will likely see a fair number of targets in the red zone. Cole has been targeted 25 times on the season with nine of those targets coming in the red zone, while Chark has been targeted 102 times this season with 31 coming in the red zone. Chark has more than double the red zone targets as any other Jaguars receiver and those red-zone targets need to be replaced.

D.J. Moore ($6,900 Fanduel / $6,600 DraftKings)  vs Tre Flowers

The Seahawks Defense gives up the fourth-most yards-per-game through the air (271.2) but they only surrender 7.3 yards-per-pass. The Seahawks have also surrendered just 43 plays of 20+ yards and five plays of 40+ yards which demonstrates that they give up intermediate throws and not many deep pass plays. This game is set up well for D.J. Moore to have a high-volume game as he is more of a possession receiver that can run after the catch, while Curtis Samuel is more of a deep threat for the Panthers.

Courtland Sutton ($7,000 Fanduel / $5,900 DraftKings) vs Bashaud Breeland

Sutton has a five-inch height advantage over Breeland and he was able to gain 87-scoreless yards against the Chiefs in their first matchup. Although the Chiefs Defense has been good against the pass as of late, they did give up a big play to Mike Williams in Week 11. If the Chiefs get out to an early lead in this one, Drew Lock will likely be throwing the ball up to Sutton quite a bit.

Pivot: Mike Williams ($6,200 Fanduel / $4,600 DraftKings) vs Trae Waynes

If the weather is terrible in Kansas City this weekend, I may pivot away from Courtland Sutton and over to Mike Williams. Williams has a four-inch height advantage over Trae Waynes but even if he finds himself covered by Xavier Rhodes, he won't have a problem running by him. The Vikings are very good against the run giving up just five rushing touchdowns and just 4.2 yards-per-carry, so if the Chargers are going to move the ball this week, it's likely going to be through the air.

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