This article is part of our On Target series.
What a week for WR/CB matchups last week was! Michael Thomas had his best game of the season against supposed shutdown corner Marcus Peters, while on the other side, Cooper Kupp seemed entirely unbothered by the presence of P.J. Williams. Corey Davis again led the Titans in targets but was unable to score against Byron Jones, Courtland Sutton ceded targets against backup corners to Jeff Heuerman, and Davante Adams only got 40 yards against Stephon Gilmore. Now it's on to the good, bad and interesting WR/CB matchups of Week 10.
Corey Davis vs. Stephon Gilmore
Gilmore and the Patriots are one of the few teams in the NFL that still use a shadow corner. Offensive coordinators are moving their No. 1 wide receivers around before the snap so often that it has become a difficult task to have one corner responsible for one WR. However, New England has done so with Gilmore and had massive success doing so. Davis is a very popular DFS pick this week, but he will shadowed by Gilmore who has one of the best coverage grades in the PFF database, allowing only 0.22 fantasy points per route run against. I am still full steam ahead on CD in cash, but may trim back in GPP.
The Chicago WR trio of Gabriel, Anthony Miller and Allen Robinson is a matchup nightmare for any defensive coordinator because all three of these players are good at different things.
What a week for WR/CB matchups last week was! Michael Thomas had his best game of the season against supposed shutdown corner Marcus Peters, while on the other side, Cooper Kupp seemed entirely unbothered by the presence of P.J. Williams. Corey Davis again led the Titans in targets but was unable to score against Byron Jones, Courtland Sutton ceded targets against backup corners to Jeff Heuerman, and Davante Adams only got 40 yards against Stephon Gilmore. Now it's on to the good, bad and interesting WR/CB matchups of Week 10.
Corey Davis vs. Stephon Gilmore
Gilmore and the Patriots are one of the few teams in the NFL that still use a shadow corner. Offensive coordinators are moving their No. 1 wide receivers around before the snap so often that it has become a difficult task to have one corner responsible for one WR. However, New England has done so with Gilmore and had massive success doing so. Davis is a very popular DFS pick this week, but he will shadowed by Gilmore who has one of the best coverage grades in the PFF database, allowing only 0.22 fantasy points per route run against. I am still full steam ahead on CD in cash, but may trim back in GPP.
The Chicago WR trio of Gabriel, Anthony Miller and Allen Robinson is a matchup nightmare for any defensive coordinator because all three of these players are good at different things. What most coordinators do is stick their best corner on an island against Robinson, which in this case would mean Darius Slay will be spending his time there. Tabor is one of the weakest outside corners in the NFL and Gabriel has flashed big-play ability his entire career.
DeVante Parker vs. Bashaud Breeland
Breeland Island appears to be a thing of the past for Green Bay; in limited snaps so far, Breeland has been targeted on 26 percent of his routes in coverage. I am unsure if this is due to a lingering injury or a system integration thing, and it will be very interesting to see if the Dolphins want to test this matchup. I have always had a high opinion of Breeland's game and a low opinion of Parker's, so this will be game film that I am interested in watching Monday morning.
Josh Gordon vs. Malcolm Butler
If we know anything about Bill Belichick, it is that he has a bit of a vengeful side. Butler left the Patriots in acrimonious fashion after the Super Bowl debacle, and now he will have the task of guarding Gordon on most his routes in coverage. Gordon is fitting in superbly with the Patriots offense and has provided a real outlet on the perimiter that, frankly, Tom Brady has not had since Randy Moss. The list of outside Patriots receivers is long and it is ugly, whereas Gordon has superior athleticism and earned the trust of Brady (getting deep targets on fourth and short proves that point). I am expecting double-digit targets for Gordon in this game and I don't think Butler is up to the task.
It is looking like Sammy Watkins is not going to play Sunday against the Cardinals due to a foot injury, which will sub Conley into his spot. Patrick Peterson is likely to spend most of his time defending Tyreek Hill with over the top safety help. Baker is allowing a catch 83 percent of the time when he is targeted, which should be a boon to Conley who has never been an incredibly efficient WR with his targets. Conley is a great target in DFS if Watkins indeed misses this game.
