2018 Fantasy Football: Week 8 Top WR/CB Matchups to Exploit

AJ Green vs Miami Dolphins 2016
These three receivers should dominate their Week 8 matchups.

Welcome to Week 8!  The fantasy playoffs are looming and if you have been following our work here at the Roto Street Journal then you are most likely dominating your leagues.  This week, the wide receiver matchups appear to be much less juicy than Week 7’s.  However, there are still a few good ones to be exploited.  Let’s get started!

Chris Godwin

Very quietly, Godwin has been a solid fantasy wide receiver this season.  Five out of his six games have gone for double digits in PPR scoring and in four of those six games he has also caught a touchdown pass.  Godwin has been a model of consistency, with his lone down week being in week four against Chicago.  On the season he has averaged just over four catches on six targets for 51 yards.

This week, Godwin is going up against a dreadful Cincinnati Bengals secondary that gives up the sixth most passing touchdowns this season.  Godwin is likely going to be matched up against William Jackson, who yields a catch on 66% of his targets and allows 0.37 fantasy points per route.  Given Godwin is not one of the top targets of quarterback Jameis Winston his ceiling is certainly capped.  However, Godwin makes for an excellent flex candidate with a high floor and a good touchdown matchup.

AJ Green

We have all been enamored by what other big name wide receivers like Michael Thomas and DeAndre Hopkins have been doing, while Green has been sliding under the radar.  Part of that could also be because of the breakout campaign of fellow Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd.  However, the target shares have rapidly begun to swing heavily in favor of Green and now might be the time to buy him before his price gets too high.  A juicy matchup against the hapless Buccaneer defense is exactly what fantasy owners need to get their seasons back on track.

Green is likely to be paired up across from Tampa Bay corner Carlton Davis.  On paper, this matchup looks to be a bit closer than some might think, but Green is such a physical specimen that Davis is going to have his hands beyond full.  Green stands 6’3″ and runs a 4.48 40 while Davis stands around 6′ and runs a 4.53 40.  Davis allows a catch on 62% of targets and has been targeted only 16% by opposing defenses.  Green is usually double-teamed and has still managed to catch 58% of his targets.  Did I mention that Green is an absolute target hog?  On the season he commands an insane 29% of targets and averages 0.56 fantasy points per route.  If Green gets the targets I expect him to, he will absolutely feast this week.

Adam Thielen

Okay, hopefully seeing Thielen’s name doesn’t take anybody by surprise.  Has there been a better receiver on the season than Adam Thielen?  No, no there hasn’t.  I see absolutely no reason to believe that there is a different result this week.  Thielen looks to do most of his damage this week at the expense of Saints cornerback P.J. Williams.  Williams has been a fantasy producing machine at corner.  So much so he garners a Pro Football Focus grade of 0.49 for the week.  For context, Thielen’s grade this week is 0.89.  This means start Thielen and smile as he likely wins you another matchup.

Williams has given up a mouthwatering 64% catch rate to opposing wide outs, while Thielen has caught 76% of his targets from quarterback Kirk Cousins.  Translation, Thielen is going to catch a lot of balls, for a lot of yards, and will produce a lot of fantasy points.

Author

  • Graduate of Regent University (2019) BA Sports Journalism Writer: Full Press Coverage, UnFiltered Sports Network Fantasy Football Enthusiast Fantasy Analyst/Writer for the Roto Street Journal

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