There’s been no decisions as big as yours this week, as it’s do or die time in the fantasy playoffs. Throughout the year, we’ve hit on a lot of our matchup predictions, giving you a good idea of what to expect out of your favorite wide receiver when he matches up with a top-tier cornerback. At this point in the season, we know the matchups, it’s just picking which ones to exploit and which ones to avoid.
Expert picks for your college football bowl pool 
If this is your first time here for the wide receiver/cornerback matchup article, let me explain something. Just because a player is in the ‘Players to Worry About’ section, it doesn’t automatically mean he’s on your bench in season-long leagues. If they do belong on the bench, I’ll let you know, but this is more of a reason you should play them or fade them in your DFS lineups.
Players to Exploit
DeAndre Hopkins vs. Dontae Johnson/Ahkello Witherspoon
Wait, Hopkins is matching up against who? Exactly. This combination is starting out of necessity and not because of talent. Johnson is a former 2014 fourth-round draft pick who was left for dead, and Witherspoon is a third-round rookie. Together, this duo has allowed six touchdowns on 88 targets in coverage. There have been just three wide receivers to see 10 or more targets against the 49ers, and all of them scored at least 19.3 PPR points. This should be a monster game for Hopkins.
A.J. Green vs. Kyle Fuller
The overall numbers for Fuller don’t look terrible, but if you’ve actually watched his games, he gets spun around in coverage against wide receivers much worse than Green. The Bears have allowed six wide receivers to score 16 or more PPR points against them, and every single one of them was an opposing No. 1 wide receiver who primarily plays on the perimeter. Green can beat the best in the game, and Fuller is a below-average cornerback.
Larry Fitzgerald vs. Brice McCain
It appears that the Titans starting slot cornerback Logan Ryan is going to miss this game with a concussion, leaving Fitzgerald with the backup McCain in coverage. He’s a veteran who has been in the league since 2009, though never very good. There’s a reason he’s a backup on a team that lacks talent at the position. Fitzgerald should be targeted a ton in this matchup.
Dez Bryant vs. Ross Cockrell/Eli Apple
It’s crazy what a month can do for a matchup. This is the prime example of why cornerback matchups matter, as this was going to be a week where Bryant would have been in the ‘Players to Worry About’ section, because Janoris Jenkins shut him down every time they played. Seriously, he’s totaled just four catches for 61 yards against them the last two years… in three games COMBINED. But, Jenkins is out, and the Giants secondary is pretty much a mess. They have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per target on the year to wide receivers, and that was with Jenkins. The combination of Apple and Cockrell have allowed a 62 percent catch rate, eight touchdowns, and a 110 QB Rating when targeted.
Josh Gordon vs. Davon House
There’s a good reason why everyone is going gaga over Gordon this week, as his matchup couldn’t be better. The Packers just sent Kevin King to IR, who was one of their starting cornerbacks, and most likely the best one. Even with him in the lineup, this Packers secondary has allowed the second-most fantasy points per target to wide receivers. House is the one who will see Gordon the majority of time, and he’s a cornerback that the Jaguars benched early in 2016, so they let him walk at the end of the season. The Packers brought him in, but it’s highly unlikely they thought he’d be tasked with shutting down an opposing No. 1 wide receiver. Gordon just gave Casey Hayward some fits, who is one of the best in the game.
Notable mention: DeSean Jackson vs. Nevin Lawson
Players to Worry About
Mike Evans vs. Darius Slay
It’s been a rough stretch for Evans, who has now failed to score since way back in Week 7. That shouldn’t happen with a guy who’s 6-5 and extremely athletic. He’s also failed to generate a 100-yard game this season. It’s not going to help that he’s going to be matched up with Slay, the Lions shutdown cornerback this week, either. Slay has faced some big names throughout the season, holding Antonio Brown to 5/70/0, Michael Thomas to 3/11/0, and Stefon Diggs to 5/66/0. You don’t want to completely fade Evans, though, because if the Lions decide to go one-on-one, there’s only so much one guy can do against the physically dominant Evans. Just dial back expectations this week.
Alshon Jeffery vs. Trumaine Johnson
After scoring in four straight games, Jeffery was held to just 61 scoreless yards last week. His matchup this week doesn’t get much better, as Johnson is one of the bigger, more physical cornerbacks in the league who has allowed just one touchdown in coverage this year, despite seeing 72 targets in coverage. He’s the reason the Rams have yet to allow a perimeter wide receiver finish better than WR15, and they’ve played against DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Thomas, and Dez Bryant. Jeffery’s expectations need to be dialed back this week.
Demaryius Thomas vs. Morris Claiborne
On top of Thomas struggling to do much the last two weeks (45 yards combined), he’s going to match-up with Claiborne, who has been playing solid football this year. He’s allowed just a 56.5 percent catch rate, 12.8 yards per reception, and one touchdown on 46 targets in coverage. If you recall, Claiborne was supposed to be the Jalen Ramsey of the 2012 draft class, being selected No. 6 overall. After looking like a bust over his first few years, he’s played great football over the last two years. Knowing that quarterbacks have just a 77.5 rating when throwing at him in coverage, it’d be wise for Trevor Siemian to look elsewhere. He’s just a WR3 this week with minimal upside.
Devin Funchess vs. Xavier Rhodes
Look, I don’t care what Marvin Jones did against Xavier Rhodes on Thanksgiving. It was a glitch in the matrix, a hack of the system, whatever you want to call it. Outside of that game, Rhodes has allowed just one touchdown in his coverage over the last 22 games. Did you see Julio Jones‘ stat-line after last week’s game? 2/24/0 on six targets? While Funchess has been an excellent surprise this year, this is a week to consider benching him. Yeah, Rhodes is that good.
Josh Doctson vs. Casey Hayward
He’s no stranger to tough matchups, as Doctson has now played against Richard Sherman, Xavier Rhodes, and Marshon Lattimore over the last five weeks. Adding Hayward to that list feels right, as he’s been a top-five cornerback in each of the last two seasons. When throwing into his coverage, quarterbacks have just a 51.4 rating, which ranks second-best of cornerbacks who have seen more than 40 targets on the season, behind only Jacksonville’s A.J. Bouye. The Chargers unit as a whole has yet to allow a 100-yard receiver, and just three wide receivers have topped 80 yards.
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
