After a couple of weeks, the matchups to exploit and avoid are becoming more and more clear. There are a lot of juicy wide receiver vs cornerback matchups in Week 3, with the three below as my top three to take advantage of from a fantasy perspective.
Antonio Brown (MNF $8,600)
It feels like this goes without saying, but Brown has the most juicy matchup to exploit this week against the Bucs vulnerable secondary. After five years of utter dominance in both PPR and standard formats, Brown’s pedigree speaks for itself. Add in the fact that Ryan Smith, the corner likely linking up across from Brown for most of the game, gives up .38 fantasy points per route and allows a staggering 67% catch rate according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Not to mention that Brown averages 9.55 fantasy points per route and and catches 63 percent of his passes in 2018. Brown gets absolutely peppered while on the field, as he’s already been targeted 32 times through two games.
This matchup just screams a big bounceback game for AB. Brown could be under-owned in DFS due to his sideline and mid-week meltdown, but it might be a good time to “buy-low” this week in a matchup that he’ll likely dominate. If anyone is silly enough to shop Brown after the drama, target him without any hesitation.
AJ Green ($7,500)
AJ Green is a freakish talent that is often plagued with boom or bust weeks due to a lackluster offense and an inconsistent Andy Dalton throwing him the rock. Coming off a big Week 2, Green is a strong play against a vulnerable Carolina secondary. Green is likely going to be shadowed by James Bradberry, who gives up 0.36 fantasy points per route and allows 61% of his targets to be completed.
Physically, Bradberry does size up decently well with Green. Green is 6’4″ and weighs around 210 lbs. while Bradberry is a bigger corner, standing at 6’1″ and 212 lbs. Green is just a physical freak and is outstanding at catching contested passes. Green is the main straw that stirs the Bengals’ offensive drink, getting targeted on 25 percent of his routes. Of those targets, Green catches around 57 percent of those passes. Last week, Green flashed his boom-bust potential when he caught three touchdowns in the first half on only three catches. He was much quieter the rest of the game, catching only two passes. Green is a must start in all formats and this week is going to be a fun week for Green owners.
Emmanuel Sanders ($6,400)
With Emmanuel Sanders running 61% of his routes from the slot, he’s going to get a lot of Tavon Young. The Ravens’ top corner, Brandon Carr, is going to mostly shadow and put the locks down on the vegan, Demaryius Thomas, leaving Case Keenum’s No. 1 target free to eat.
Young, a converted safety, got roasted on Thursday Night Football against the Bengals to the tune of 6 receptions on 6 targets for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns. Young is allowing a whopping catch percentage of 70 percent, while Sanders is catching 93.3 percent (14 rec on 15 tgt) of balls thrown his way. Sanders’ efficiency has made him one of PFF’s highest ranked wide receivers, grading out at 83.6 — Keenum and him have quite the rapport. Expect the slot maven to put in work on Sunday and dominate this matchup.
Which matchups are you looking to exploit? Sound off below!
