WR vs. CB Matchups to Monitor for Week 18 (Fantasy Football)
Integrating specific WR/CB matchups into your DFS process adds another layer of analysis into the mix. While this is only a piece of the puzzle, this tool allows you to better value ceiling-type plays for elite WRs who can run circles around their opponent.
I break up this WR/CB article into several categories: Alpha WRs, Slot Mavens, Discount Target Specials, and Full-On Fades. The goal is to go from the top-tier stars to move down to bargain WRs with excellent matchups. As always, make sure you use the tools found in the DFS Pass such as the Value Comparison and Roster Percentage Report to discern which WR would be best in cash and tournament lineup builds.
This article is going to hit a little differently for Week 18. Individual matchups can be tough enough to predict under normal circumstances. For a perfect example, look at Justin Jefferson just last week. Green Bay corner Jaire Alexander has shadowed wide receivers just 46.9% of the time this season, but that jumped to 65.5% against Jefferson in Week 17. Furthermore, he completely shut Jefferson down, something even a true cheesehead like myself couldn’t have envisioned. With the chaos of benchings and backups associated with Week 18, make sure you stay in tune more than ever with the DFS pass if you’re playing this week.
With all that being said, let’s take a look at some of the most intriguing WR/CB matchups we could see in Week 18.
Alpha WRs
As noted above, Week 17 did not go as expected for Jefferson. Even so, he is still the WR1 on the season and, rightly so, is the top-priced wide receiver on both DraftKings and FanDuel this week. As Betz noted in his Week 18 Playoff Motivation article (which is a must-read for DFS this week), Minnesota is still playing for playoff seeding, meaning Jeffeson should see his typical playing time in Week 18.
He can exploit the matchup with Chicago, whose secondary has been a target in this article for weeks. He put up 154 yards on 12 catches back in Week 5, a game where he was covered most frequently by Kindle Vildor. Now he, and basically Chicago’s entire secondary is either on injured reserve or missing practice time this week. With the Bears in play for the number one overall draft pick, Jefferson should bounce back nicely this week against whoever they decide to roll out on defense.
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