Knowing if your fantasy football player has a good or bad matchup can make or break your week. Here are five players with matchups you need to be aware of.
Good: TB WR Mike Evans vs. NYG CB Deonte Banks
Evans is set to return this week after almost working himself back into the lineup in Week 10. If Evans was that close in Week 10, the bye week gave him an extra week of rest. I would imagine Evans will take on a full workload, unlike Nico Collins, who was limited in his return last week. The Giants have all but thrown in the towel, but the Buccaneers are firmly in the hunt for a division title. The Giants have been decent against the pass this season, but Mike Evans is a cheat code. Baker Mayfield is ready to have his top guy back on the field. Fire up Evans.
Good: SEA WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs. ARI CB Starling Thomas V
This will be the first of two matchups for these teams this season. Arizona has been playing good football, and they enjoyed a bye week last week. Meanwhile, Seattle got a huge win over the Niners in dramatic fashion last week. Both teams still have a lot to play for, and this is a chance for the stars to come out and play. Smith-Njigba is having an awesome season so far, and he has all but cemented himself as the WR2 on this team. He has seen six-plus targets in all games since Week 3. Smith-Njigba is a great flex play this week against a weaker Arizona secondary.
Bad: DAL WR CeeDee Lamb vs. WSH CB Benjamin St. Juste
Lamb lands on this list once again in a divisional matchup, this time against the Commanders. Lamb was fairly productive in the blowout loss against the Texans last week, but Washington has improved defensively as the season has progressed. It is unclear if newly acquired corner Marshon Lattimore will finally make his debut for Washington this week, but regardless, the Commanders are only allowing around 184 passing yards a game. Cooper Rush is simply not the guy to get things done in Dallas in relief of Dak Prescott.
Bad: GB WR Jayden Reed vs. SF CB Charvarius Ward
Reed was only targeted twice in the Packers’ last game against the Bears. He did catch both of his targets for a whopping 23 yards, but one of those catches resulted in a touchdown. Reed could be in for another long day against the Niners secondary. Seattle was able to eek out a last-second win against San Francisco last week, so the Niners will want to get back on track against a good Packer team. In their last three games, San Francisco has held the opposing team to around 178 passing yards a game. Ward is a talented corner who is highly compensated already, but he is playing for a new contract as his current one expires. Consider other options before plugging in Reed.
Good: DEN WR Courtland Sutton vs. LV CB Jack Jones
QB Bo Nix is starting to really settle into playing quarterback in the NFL. Denver is in the wild-card mix after dismantling the Falcons last week. The last four weeks have been outstanding for Sutton accumulating 28 catches for 370 yards and a touchdown. For the Raiders, all three of their starting corners are dealing with injury. Over the last three games for Vegas, they have given up around 255 passing yards a game. Sutton should have plenty of opportunities to make plays.
