Good Matchups
A.J. Green, WR, CIN vs. PIT ($8,500)
Marvin Jones, WR, CIN vs. PIT ($6,200)
Miglio: The Pittsburgh Steelers cannot stop the pass, at least not against quality opponents. The last time A.J. Green faced this defense he posted 11 receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown. He makes for an excellent cash game option, while Marvin Jones can be a sneaky good GPP play.
Rudnicki: The Steelers improved their pass defense by benching struggling corner Antwon Blake, but it wasn’t just one player causing all their problems so they are certainly still vulnerable. Despite a strong game against the Colts last week, they were also torched for 5 pass TDs to Seahawks WRs a week prior. With a Vegas total of 50 points, this game should be high scoring so it’s probably not a bad idea to target several WRs in this matchup and Green and Jones are both strong threats to find the endzone.
Danny Amendola, WR, NE vs. HOU ($7,000)
Miglio: Apparently coming off a sprained MCL did nothing to slow Danny Amendola down. He nearly single-handedly brought the Patriots back from the dead last week, though he dropped a would-be second touchdown that ultimately sunk New England.
No matter -- Amendola will be redeemed this week, and the Patriots will get back to their winning ways.
Rudnicki: Brandon LaFell just can’t seem to get anything going even when he has a great matchup, and the Patriots tight ends are banged up. That should leave the very reliable Amendola as Brady’s go-to target once again. Working primarily out of the slot, he should be able to avoid the Texans #1 corner Johnathan Joseph who is having a great season.
Mike Evans, WR, TB vs. NO ($8,000)
Vincent Jackson, WR, TB vs. NO ($6,800)
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, TB vs. NO ($5,500
Miglio: Start all your Tampa Bay pass-catchers! This is slated to be a high-scoring game, after all.
Rudnicki: The Saints defensive struggles are widely known, but they went to a new level last week when they coughed up five touchdowns to the likes of Ted Ginn Jr, Jerricho Cotchery, and Devin Funchess. The only risk here is that Tampa pulls way ahead early and runs out the clock with Doug Martin in the second half, but if Brees can score some points then all 3 Tampa receivers are worth strong consideration here.
Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA @ NYG ($7,100)
Jordan Cameron, TE, MIA @ NYG ($5,000)
Miglio: Last week was an utter disappointment for Jarvis Landry and anyone who rostered him in a good matchup. The Dolphins simply didn’t throw the ball, an over-correction for former offensive coordinator Bill Lazor’s pass-happy ways.
All that does is scare off potential buyers this week as Landry faces a soft Giants defense. Miami’s pass-catchers should all have good opportunity this week, as a matter of fact. We might even get a rare Jordan Cameron touchdown if you are in the mood to spice things up in GPPs.
Rudnicki: The Giants are in better shape now that Prince Amukamara is back at corner, but Jarvis Landry should have a big edge over slot corner Trevin Wade. As for Cameron, the Giants have been terrible against opposing tight ends all year. Unfortunately, Cameron has been a non-factor in recent weeks so you have to be somewhat brave to trust him here but it is a great matchup.
Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN vs. OAK ($7,700)
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN vs. OAK ($7,100)
Miglio: Oakland’s defense has either been pretty good or downright awful against opposing wide receivers. Case in point, the Raiders gave up 284 yards to Antonio Brown in Week 9 but allowed zero 100-yard receivers or touchdowns to the position in Weeks 10 or 11. Hopefully that isn’t a pattern as Jeremy Maclin just got done roasting that unit for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It looks like Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders might finally have a big game at the same time.
Rudnicki: The Raiders biggest weak spot in the secondary this year has been D.J. Hayden, who returned to action after a 1-week benching. The other Raiders corners have played better, but still are not very good so there is a great opportunity for both Broncos WRs to have strong games. The injuries at the RB position for Denver should also force them to rely a bit more heavily on their passing game than they have shown thus far under Osweiler.
Travis Kelce, TE, KC vs. SD ($6,000)
Miglio: Last week didn’t quite work out for Travis Kelce in a great matchup -- Jeremy Maclin stole the show. That doesn’t preclude Kelce from having a big week in another nice matchup against the lowly Chargers, though.
Rudnicki: The Chargers should be able to slow down Jeremy Maclin with their strong corners, which should result in more targets for Kelce. This defense has been beaten up pretty badly by opposing TEs all year, so this is another great chance for Kelce to fulfill his tremendous potential.
Anquan Boldin, WR, SF @ CLE ($5,900)
Miglio: There isn’t much to love about the 49ers offense, but Blaine Gabbert has done some good things lately. With the Browns reeling in all facets of the game, Anquan Boldin makes for a nice GPP play.
Rudnicki: The Browns secondary has given up six touchdowns to opposing receivers over the past three weeks, so they aren’t really slowing anybody down right now. Blaine Gabbert has surprisingly provided a spark to the 49ers passing game and Boldin has been the primary beneficiary. He’s got 24 targets over the past two games and should remain very active.
Bad Matchups
Charles Clay, TE, BUF @ PHI ($5,100)
Miglio: The Eagles gave up a touchdown to Scott Chandler last week, but those have come few and far between for opposing tight ends. Charles Clay isn’t exactly the most consistent tight end in the league, either.
Rudnicki: The Eagles have proven to be a tough defense against opposing tight ends this year, despite significant struggles elsewhere. Clay has shown flashes of his ability with some big games, but he has also had an inconsistent role in the Bills offense. The Eagles pass rush seemed to heat up last week, and Clay could be kept in to block quite a bit given some key injuries to the Bills offensive line.
Julio Jones, WR, ATL @ CAR ($8,8$00)
Miglio: If anyone can escape The Bates Motel, it’s Julio Jones. He hasn’t gone up against Josh Norman yet this season, but the latter has foiled the likes of Dez Bryant, Mike Evans, Allen Robinson and DeAndre Hopkins this season, among others.
Rudnicki: Jones gets enough targets that he can still produce against any matchup, but Josh Norman is not going to make things easy for him here. Given the high price point, do you really want him having to fight and claw for everything he gets? There are likely much better options out there.
Gary Barnidge, TE, CLE vs. SF ($6,200)
Miglio: No more Josh McCown, no more production for Gary Barnidge.
Alright, that’s a bit extreme, but Johnny Manziel has proven to be an impediment to Barnidge’s fantasy scoring this season. Add to that a matchup against an improving 49ers defense and you have a recipe for severe disappointment from the big tight end.
Rudnicki: The 49ers have not done a whole lot of good things on defense this year, but they are holding up very well against opposing tight ends. They haven’t allowed a touchdown to the position since week 5. Meanwhile, the Browns are giving the keys back to Johnny Manziel. He’s struggled with accuracy and didn’t really seem to focus on Barnidge the same way that Josh McCown did. The one factor in his favor is that Travis Benjamin is banged up and the Browns don’t have a lot of other options.
Amari Cooper, WR, OAK @ DEN ($6,900)
Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK @ DEN ($6,700)
Miglio: Eight receptions for 101 yards. That’s the combined production for Oakland receivers the last time they faced Denver’s vaunted defense. The Broncos have allowed one touchdown to receivers all season long. Betting on the Raiders to score against that unit is a losing proposition.
Rudnicki: It’s never a bad idea to avoid receivers going against the Broncos defense. They boast the strongest group of corners one to three in the league, and also have the league’s best pass rush. If the Raiders are going to have much success on offense this week, it’s likely to come from somewhere other than these two WRs.
Antonio Gates, TE, SD @ KC ($5,700)
Miglio: The last time Antonio Gates faced the Kansas City Chiefs he posted one catch for six yards, and that was before the Chargers offense completely imploded. These teams are headed in opposite directions, and there isn’t much to like about San Diego’s offense at Arrowhead Stadium this week.
Rudnicki: Thanks primarily to the play of players like Eric Berry, Ron Parker, and Derrick Johnson, the Chiefs are rarely beaten by opposing tight ends. They’ve only given up three touchdowns to the position all year and they only gave up two catches for 15 yards to Gates and Lardarius Green combined when the two teams met a few weeks ago.
