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Good Matchups
DeVante Parker, WR, MIA vs. BAL ($5,200)
Miglio: The Dolphins had a tough time getting anything going in the first half last week, but Ryan Tannehill and Co. filled up the stat sheet playing catch-up in the second. Jarvis Landry is the obvious choice in that offense -- he will eat up targets on any given Sunday -- what about
Rudnicki: Jarvis Landry should have the toughest matchup for the Dolphins this week as he figures to go against Lardarius Webb in the slot. With Rishard Matthews likely out with broken ribs, the rookie Parker should get the start and find himself with more winnable matchups against the Ravens outside corners who have struggled this year. Parker looked good in the second half last week and should be able to carry that momentum into this week’s matchup.
Kamar Aiken, WR, BAL @ MIA ($6,100)
Miglio: Matt Schaub may have been his predictable, turnover-prone self last week, but that doesn’t mean his receivers weren’t productive.
Rudnicki: Kamar Aiken has done a great job filling in for Steve Smith as the go-to receiver in the Ravens offense. Despite the loss of their feature running back and franchise quarterback, Baltimore’s offense still moved the ball well last week, and they should be able to do the same against a Dolphins defense that has given up six touchdowns to opposing wideouts the past couple of games.
Ted Ginn Jr Jr, WR, CAR @ NO ($5,800)
Devin Funchess, WR, CAR @ NO ($5,600)
Miglio: Somehow DeAndre Hopkins failed to go nuclear last week against the Saints. Heck, he failed to even get above room temperature. Perhaps the fact Brian Hoyer was at quarterback had something to do with it.
New Orleans still has a bad defense, and that means receivers going against it are liable to have huge games. This week, Carolina comes to town. Greg Olsen is going to be a chalk play at tight end, but Ted Ginn Jr Jr and Devin Funchess make for nice GPP options.
Rudnicki: The Saints defense somehow managed to shut down DeAndre Hopkins last week, but Brandon Browner remains a very inviting target for opposing quarterbacks to go after. Ted Ginn Jr figures to line up across from him most of the time, and his speed should be no match for Browner. Funchess has taken on a full-time role the past couple weeks and even though he figures to take on the tougher matchup in Delvin Breaux, he should make an inviting target in the red zone.
Kyle Rudolph, TE, MIN vs. SEA ($5,100)
Mike Wallace, WR, MIN vs. SEA ($4,900)
Miglio: Mike Wallace hasn’t caught a pass in weeks. He wasn’t even targeted last week. So why take a chance on him? Simply put, any cornerback not named Richard Sherman has been atrocious for the Seahawks this season.
Granted, there isn’t much to love about Wallace regardless of matchup, but this is the kind of GPP dart you can throw that can have a hidden warhead for your DFS lineup. Kyle Rudolph, meanwhile, has seen 19 targets over the past two games, and this is a good matchup for him.
Rudnicki: This is a good week to fade Stefon Diggs as he figures to be matched up against Sherman. While Adrian Peterson will continue to drive the Vikings offense, there should be increased opportunity for some of the other weapons in the passing game. Rudolph is heating up with 13/159/1 over the past two games and should be a solid option this week. Wallace may be worth a flier given what looks like a favorable matchup, but with just two catches in the last five weeks, it’s hard to feel very confident in him getting the targets necessary to pay off.
Brandon LaFell, WR, NE vs. PHI ($6,600)
Miglio: Brandon LaFell hasn’t caught a touchdown yet in 2015, but this is a good week to bet that he will. The Patriots are hurting at receiver, though Danny Amendola seems to be coming back from his injury this week. Rob Gronkowski is out, and his targets have to go somewhere. LaFell, meanwhile, has been inches away from big plays on several occasions this year.
Rudnicki: There probably isn’t a bad matchup for any of the Patriots receivers this week as the Eagles lost Nolan Carroll to a season-ending injury and had limited depth at the position to begin with. LaFell figures to match up primarily against rookie Eric Rowe, who gave up two touchdowns to Calvin Johnson last week. LaFell has been held back by some tough matchups the past two weeks, but this is a great opportunity for him to have a big game against an Eagles team that may be ready to give up.
Donte Moncrief, WR, IND @ PIT ($6,400)
Coby Fleener, TE, IND @ PIT ($4,900)
Miglio: Pittsburgh’s pass defense is atrocious. It has been awful at defending tight ends all year, and wide receivers have had field days in recent weeks. Though Matt Hasselbeck isn’t exactly Andrew Luck -- when Luck is healthy and playing well, at any rate -- he should have a nice week. T.Y. Hilton will be a more obvious option, but Donte Moncrief and Coby Fleener could have some big games.
Rudnicki: The Steelers pass defense has been a sore spot all year, and the main culprit is Antown Blake. I expect T.Y. Hilton to draw that matchup most of the time this week, but Moncrief should also get some chances against him and the other Steelers corners aren’t particularly intimidating anyway. Moncrief was a reliable option for Matt Hasselbeck last week as they took more chances throwing downfield, and there should be some fireworks in this matchup as the Steelers offense will likely force the Colts to try and keep up with them. Fleener has been consistently mediocre all year, but he should have a relatively high floor this week with a chance for a TD or two in what should be a high scoring matchup.
Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC vs. OAK ($6,500)
Travis Kelce, TE, KC vs. OAK ($6,200)
Miglio: The Raiders have given up 11 touchdowns to tight ends this season. Travis Kelce hasn’t gotten in on the fun yet this year, but he could be in for a monster game against that defense. The same could be said of Jeremy Maclin, who roasted Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby last week. Oakland’s cornerbacks are a far cry from those two.
Rudnicki: Alex Smith torched the Buffalo defense last week, and now gets to pick on a Raiders defense that allowed 3 passing touchdowns to Marcus Mariota. Although the Raiders benched their weakest link in cornerback D.J. Hayden, David Amerson and Neiko Thorpe shouldn’t represent much of an upgrade. Maclin is coming off a huge 9/160/1 game against a much tougher matchup, and Kelce gets to take on a defense that has allowed 11 touchdowns to opposing tight ends this year.
Delanie Walker, TE, TEN vs. JAX ($6,000)
Miglio: Delanie Walker is a target hog for the Titans, and that won’t be changing any time soon. He didn’t score against the Jaguars a few weeks back, but he got up over 100 yards receiving. If he can get into the end zone finally, Walker is in for a huge game.
Rudnicki: Walker has been the most reliable weapon for the Titans passing game all year, and he should find little resistance from the Jaguars defense this week. They have been torched by opposing tight ends in each of the past 3 weeks, including Walker who posted 8/109/0 against them just two weeks ago.
Bad Matchups
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI @ STL ($7,300)
John Brown, WR, ARI @ STL ($6,000)
Miglio: For some reason, St. Louis plays better against the NFC West than the rest of the league. That much was evident in Week 4 when the Rams handed the Cardinals their first loss of the season. St. Louis did not allow a touchdown or over 100 yards to any Cardinals receiver back then, and that was when Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown were healthy.
Granted, the Rams haven’t been playing as well defensively as of late -- they got roasted by A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert last week -- but this isn’t the best matchup based on a season’s worth of data.
Rudnicki: The Rams have allowed three touchdowns to opposing WRs over the past two weeks, but they only gave up three in the other nine games combined. So, it’s tough to know which Rams defense you are going to get, but they should be up for this divisional matchup on their home turf. Fitzgerald has an amazing 37 catches in the last four games but only one touchdown. Brown looked like he was over his hamstring problems last week, but he should find a lot less room to run here than he did against the 49ers.
Stevie Johnson, WR, SD @ DEN ($6,200)
Antonio Gates, TE, SD @ DEN ($5,900)
Miglio: Broncos safety T.J. Ward will be out this week, softening up the defense a bit as a result. But Denver is still one of the best defenses in the league even without him. At the very least, Aqib Talib and Chris Harris are going to make life difficult on the wide receivers, and Antonio Gates isn’t quite in his prime like Rob Gronkowski.
Rudnicki: The Broncos have been the toughest pass defense in the league all year as they are led by a great set of cornerbacks and a ferocious pass rush. Stevie Johnson figures to have a really tough time getting away from Chris Harris who often covers the slot receiver. Gates may find a bit more room to run without T.J. Ward at safety, but coverage was never really considered his strong suit anyway.
Brandin Cooks, WR, NO vs. CAR ($7,100)
Miglio: The Bates Motel welcomes Brandin Cooks as its next guest this week.
Rudnicki: Cooks figures to be draw the dreaded Josh Norman matchup this week, which should effectively take him out of the game. Norman has quickly emerged as one of the truly elite shutdown corners in the league, and it’s likely that Brees will try to avoid throwing in his direction.
Scott Chandler, TE, NE vs. PHI ($5,300)
Miglio: You know Scott Chandler’s ownership percentage is going to be through the roof this week. In the immortal words of the great Admiral Ackbar, however—it’s a trap!
For starters, Chandler is no Rob Gronkowski. Now that Captain Obvious has lent his thought, what else makes this a dubious DFS proposition? How about the fact the Eagles have given up the third-fewest fantasy PPG to tight ends this season?
Chandler is a chalk play, to be sure -- you don’t want to be left holding the bag in cash games, after all -- but that doesn’t mean he will hit value this week.
Rudnicki: Chandler will be a popular choice this week as he tries to fill the huge void created by the Gronkowski injury. The Eagles, however, have defended opposing tight ends very well this year -- they have allowed only two TDs allowed in 11 games -- and have been much more vulnerable at the corner spots. That should favor wideouts Brandon LaFell and Danny Amendola, and could mean a disappointing week for Chandler.
