Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 9

Mike Riggall's favorite WR vs. CB matchups to exploit for Week 9 of 2021 DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel. These wide receivers should be tournament and cash game targets based on matchups.

As usual, the wide receiver matchup article from last week had some solid recommendations along with a few letdowns. D.J. Moore (WR-45) could not take advantage of a great matchup as Sam Darnold continued to struggle and while Marvin Jones (WR-57) had a great matchup, he let us down once again with just five catches for 35 yards off of eight targets. On the positive side of things, Michael Pittman Jr. (WR-2) and Chris Godwin (WR-3) had massive games. Diontae Johnson (WR-20) had a decent week against the Browns, Stefon Diggs (WR-24) didn't exactly blow up because Cole Beasley, not Diggs actually dominated the targets for the Bills. Van Jefferson (WR-32) was serviceable with 88 yards and Elijah Moore (WR-33) almost had his breakout in Week 8 as he narrowly missed a long touchdown from Mike White. Now it's time to put Week 8 behind us and look forward to Week 9.

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. So far the league's top cornerbacks like Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, Casey Hayward, Jaire Alexander, and Trevon Diggs, have held receivers in check for the most part. While there are lock-down corners, there are also guys who can be exploited, some of whom will be discussed later. Up to this point in the season, the Titans, Bears, Colts, Cowboys, Dolphins, Vikings, and Washington defenses have glaring weaknesses in their secondaries that we can exploit with wide receiver matchups. Analyzing another angle, the Saints, Browns, Buccaneers, Jaguars, and Bengals defenses have given less than 4.0 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 9. 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.

Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

$7,900 FanDuel / $7,600 DraftKings - vs Greedy Williams

The Browns have a very good run defense, giving up just 3.5 yards-per-carry which means Joe Mixon will likely have a tough time on the ground this weekend. This means that the Bengals will be going with a pass-heavy game plan as they look to rebound from last week's loss to the Jets. Ja'Marr Chase is WR-3 on the season and has been killing teams with explosive receptions. The Browns have given up a healthy 17 passing touchdowns and 28 explosive plays in the passing game which means Chase could be in for a big week. Joe Burrow has also been hot lately, throwing for three touchdowns in each of his last three games.

Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens

$7,700 FanDuel / $6,000 DraftKings - vs Bashaud Breeland

The Vikings have given up the sixth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this year and they've been especially vulnerable to perimeter wide receivers. Just last week the Vikings gave up 100-yard receiving games to both Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb who had Cooper Rush playing quarterback. Marquise Brown will see Bashaud Breeland in coverage who gives up a 67% catch-rate and 1.97 yards-per-route covered, which is worst on the team. The Vikings rank towards the middle of the pack in giving up explosive plays, surrendering 24 of them on the season, but if anybody in the league was going to burn them deep it's Brown. This contest has the second-highest over/under of the week which is set at 50 points so this could be a fun one to watch.

Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans

$6,800 FanDuel / $6,100 DraftKings - vs Byron Jones

The Dolphins have injury problems in their secondary right now and have given up the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers on the year. In Week 8, the Dolphins allowed both Gabriel Davis and Stefon Diggs to score while Cole Beasley went off for 110 yards. The Dolphins have given up 15-or-more fantasy points to eight different wide receivers so far this season and Brandin Cooks will likely hit that mark this week. The Texans haven't been very competitive lately and Cooks has been coming through in garbage time with the exception of a stinker in Week 7 against the Cardinals. The Texans are also underdogs in this contest which means they will likely be throwing a lot.

Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

$6,100 FanDuel / $5,600 DraftKings - vs Tavierre Thomas

The Texans' pass defense has given up 8.6 yards-per-attempt which is third-worst in the NFL, along with 15 passing touchdowns and 31 explosive plays in the passing game. Jaylen Waddle has seen 33 targets over his last three games and with DeVante Parker out of the lineup after he had an injury-related setback in practice this week, he should be in line for a huge game. Mike Gesicki should also see an increase in targets with Parker ruled out for Week 9.

Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos

$5,800 FanDuel / $5,000 DraftKings - vs Jourdan Lewis

Jerry Jeudy returned to the lineup for the Broncos in Week 8 and had just four catches for 39 yards in a low-scoring contest that was dominated by the Broncos' defense. In Week 9, the Broncos will face a Cowboys team that is capable of putting a lot of points on the board and they likely will because they're 10-point favorites. The Broncos will likely need to lean on a pass-heavy approach to keep pace with Dak Prescott and the high-powered Cowboys offense which means Jerry Jeudy should have a solid day against a defense that's giving up the seventh-most fantasy points to receivers on the season. Trevon Diggs is banged up heading into Week 9 and if he misses the game that would be big for Jeudy's outlook because he would avoid him altogether.

Kadarius Toney, N.Y. Giants

$5,700 FanDuel / $5,200 DraftKings - vs Nate Hobbs

Nate Hobbs surrenders an 88% catch-rate which is good news for Kadarius Toney, who is capable of doing serious damage with the ball in his hands after the catch. The Giants will be without Sterling Shepard which means Toney will likely be Daniel Jones' favorite target in the passing game. The Giants should also have Kenny Golladay back which should take some attention away from Toney. The Giants will be without Saquon Barkley again this week and are three-point underdogs which means they should be throwing the ball plenty, especially given the Giants struggles to run the ball.

Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders

$5,600 FanDuel / $4,800 DraftKings - vs Darnay Holmes

The Raiders have moved on from Henry Ruggs which means Derek Carr will have to direct his passes elsewhere. Hunter Renfrow has at least eight targets in three of the Raiders' last four games and he should continue to be Derek Carr's safety valve. The Giants locked down Travis Kelce last week and they could do the same with Darren Waller which would leave Renfrow as the main passing target in the middle of the field. Renfrow is more viable on DraftKings than FanDuel because of the PPR scoring.

Pivot: Bryan Edwards, Las Vegas Raiders - $5,300 FanDuel / $4,100 DraftKings - vs James Bradberry

Bryan Edwards does not have the best matchup out of all the Raiders receivers this week but with Henry Ruggs gone, they have to start getting him the ball more. Edwards has made some incredible catches this year and he's great after the catch, he simply needs more opportunities in order to come through on a consistent basis. He should see James Bradberry in coverage for most of Week 9 which isn't a great matchup but it's not exactly prohibitive either. The Raiders offense is going to look different without Ruggs and Week 9 might be the start of a Bryan Edwards breakout. Edwards is more viable on FanDuel than DraftKings because it's not full-PPR.

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

$5,500 FanDuel / $4,100 DraftKings - vs Marco Wilson

I know it's tough to trust Brandon Aiyuk, but he should see Marco Wilson in coverage most of Week 9 who has been absolutely brutal this season. The Cardinals don't typically give up many big plays in the passing game but taking deep shots hasn't really been the 49ers style anyways. The 49ers have, however, been turning a lot of shorter passes into long gains after the catch. Brandon Aiyuk saw a season-high in targets last week with seven so hopefully he can build off of that momentum this week, especially since Deebo Samuel is dealing with a calf injury.

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