Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 3

Through the first two weeks of the season, the league's top cornerbacks have held receivers in check for the most part and some cornerbacks have emerged as guys opposing quarterbacks will likely target on a weekly basis. The wide receiver matchup article from last week was a little better than Week 1 but some of the lower-end receivers really didn't do much. Allen Robinson II (WR-47) dropped a long touchdown throw from Justin Fields that would have made a big difference in his final stat line and while Robert Woods (WR-46) was targeted nine times, Cooper Kupp shined for the Rams once again. CeeDee Lamb (WR-25) had a decent game for the Cowboys. Marquez Callaway was an absolute dud. Keenan Allen (WR-34) had a nice game with four catches for 108 yards. Tyler Boyd (WR-44) was targeted nine times and Mike Williams (WR-10) was extremely active in the Chargers passing game for the second week in a row.

On the lower end, DeVonta Smith (WR-90) was targeted seven times, but only snagged two of them as the Eagles really looked to open things up in the passing game by pushing the ball down the field and Jaylen Waddle (WR-63) caught six passes but fumbled while playing with Jacoby Brissett after Tua Tagovailoa (ribs) went down. Now it's time to put Week 2 in the rearview mirror and take a look at Week 3.

Nothing is more important than matchup analysis when it comes to fantasy football. Playing your team's best players on a regular basis is important, but picking apart the top matchups on a week-to-week basis can win you a championship, or even better, some cold hard cash in DFS. After one week of play, it looks like the 49ers, Colts, Cowboys, Vikings, Titans and Buccaneers have weaknesses in their secondaries and you should look to target those units with wide receiver matchups. Analyzing another angle, the Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers, Browns, Bengals and Bears defenses have given up less than 3.5 yards-per-carry, which means teams may look to pass on them given their ability to stop the run. 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.

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

$7,400 FanDuel / $7,200 DraftKings - vs Tre Flowers

The Seahawks have given up the 12th-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers so far this season but that statistic is a little misleading because the Titans fed the ball to Derrick Henry 35 times in Week 2 and in Week 1, the Colts struggled on offense. This game has an over/under set at 55.5 points so there should be some fireworks. I understand that Derrick Henry ripped apart the Seahawks defense last week, but much of that came on long runs at the end of the game. Dalvin Cook (ankle) is unlikely to play and if he indeed sits, the Vikings will lean heavily on the passing game.

D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

$7,200 FanDuel / $7,300 DraftKings - vs Patrick Peterson

Tyler Lockett has been on an absolute tear lately, hauling in a few deep-balls for scores from Russell Wilson. While D.K. Metcalf has underwhelmed compared to Lockett early on, he is tied with Lockett for the team-lead in targets with 16. Metcalf will be matched up against Patrick Peterson for most of this contest and while Peterson is still a very good cornerback, he is not the same athlete he was in his prime. In Week 1, Ja'Marr Chase, who is not known for his speed, ran right by Peterson for a 50-yard touchdown. If Chase can smoke Patrick Peterson deep, so can D.K. Metcalf.

Sterling Shepard, N.Y. Giants

$6,400 FanDuel / $5,900 DraftKings - vs A.J. Terrell

The Falcons have given up the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season and haven't really been able to stop anybody on defense. DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have all scored touchdowns against the Falcons and registered double-digit fantasy points against them. Sterling Shepard is leading all Giants receivers in targets with 19 and is clearly Daniel Jones' go-to guy early on this season. Shepard is likely to see 10 targets in this matchup and is an appealing option, especially on DraftKings.

Pivot: Kenny Golladay - $5,600 FanDuel / $5,600 DK – vs Fabian Moreau

UPDATE: Giants are going to limit Golladay’s snaps today - pivot to Darius Slayton instead

Kenny Golladay came up small in Week 2 against Washington but he is still the second-most targeted wide receiver on the Giants. Darius Slayton did catch that long touchdown last week which makes him an appealing option, but Kenny Golladay has played over 80% of the Giants offensive snaps compared to Slayton who has played just over 50%. Golladay is the safer bet to catch a deep-ball in this matchup based on snap-counts. Golladay was also visibly upset on the sidelines at times in Week 2, seemingly over his lack of involvement in the offense, which means he may see some early targets to get him going but that's purely speculation on my part.

A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

$6,800 FanDuel / $6,500 DraftKings - vs Rock Ya-Sin

The Colts have given up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers so far this season. Xavier Rhodes continues to miss time and their defense simply isn't the same without a solid cornerback on the perimeter. Rhodes did get in a limited practice on Thursday but his status for the game is still up in the air. Four wide receivers have gained at least 60 yards against the Colts secondary so far this season and they surrendered a 24-point game to Tyler Lockett and a 32.3-point game to Cooper Kupp. In two games against the Colts in 2020, Brown recorded one dud performance and blew up in the other for 98 yards, a touchdown and added another score on a kick return.

Cooper Kupp, L.A. Rams

$7,900 FanDuel / $6,800 DraftKings - vs Ross Cockrell

Sometimes it's a little scary trusting a guy who is coming off consecutive big games because there's a fear that the streak will come to an end. Cooper Kupp has a great matchup against Ross Cockrell and a Buccaneers secondary that's given up the third-most fantasy points to wide receivers on the year. The Rams are underdogs in a game that currently has an over/under set at 55 points so all things point to a big day from Matthew Stafford's favorite target in the passing game. One more thing: the Buccaneers rush defense has been absolutely dominant this season giving up just 3.0 yards-per-carry and with Darrell Henderson (ribs) banged up and potentially out, the Rams may lean even more on the pass. Robert Woods is looking good this week as well.

Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears

$5,600 FanDuel / $4,300 DraftKings - vs Greg Newsome II

The Browns defense has surrendered big games to Tyreek Hill and Brandin Cooks so far this season, both of which are speedy wide receivers. Justin Fields saw extended action in Week 2 after Andy Dalton made an early exit against the Bengals due to injury and in that game, Darnell Mooney out-targeted Allen Robinson eight to four. Mooney is the Bears' big-play threat and he was clearly the favorite target for Fields last week. Look for Mooney to have a big game in this contest against the Browns who have given up eight pass plays of 20+ yards. I understand there may be some skepticism rolling Mooney out there in Justin Fields' first career start but I am confident in this one because as I said before, Fields has looked to get Mooney the ball down the field in early action so far.

Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills

$5,200 FanDuel / $4,200 DraftKings - vs Benjamin St.-Juste

Through the first two weeks of the season, Emmanuel Sanders has played 86% of the Bills offensive snaps and is third amongst Bills receivers in targets with 14, behind Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley. While Sanders may be the third option in the Bills passing game, he may see a heavy dose of targets in Week 3 because he will see coverage from Benjamin St.-Juste who has struggled so far this season. St.-Juste appears to be the weak-link in the Washington secondary and should be targeted heavily in this contest. Stefon Diggs should see a lot of William Jackson III and Cole Beasley will see Kendall Fuller in the slot. While Diggs' and Beasley's matchups aren't completely prohibitive, Sanders definitely has the easiest one.

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