All grading, route position %, etc is per ProFootballFocus.com.
Golden Tate (DET) vs. Kenny Vaccaro (NO)
- Tate hasn't eclipsed 60 receiving yards since Week 1 despite seeing 7 targets/game in the four weeks following.
- Detroit plays a Saints defense ranked 31st in yards per attempt to opposing QBs (8.6) and 27th in passing yards allowed per game (265.2). The over/under in this game is 50, in New Orleans, on the turf.
- In the 2 (of 111) career games Tate has played on the NO turf, he's totaled 14 catches, 190 receiving yards & 3 TOUCHDOWNS.. 7-95-1.5 per...
- Kenny Vaccaro is the 84th (of 84) graded CB per PFF on the szn. He ranks 82nd in yards allowed per route covered (2.02) and 81st in fantasy points allowed per route covered (0.44), allowing the 11th worst catch percentage (71%).
- Vaccaro's 40-yard dash speed (4.63) is tied for 2nd slowest among those 84 CBs, while Tate flies with an impressive 4.42 speed.
- I'm not saying Tate is a must start, but he better be in ya goddamn lineups for Week 6.
DeSean Jackson (TB) @ Justin Bethel (ARZ)
- It's no secret that Justin Bethel has been bad. It's no secret that having Mike Evans lining up across from you means you get easier matchups against the defenses secondary. This is a classic case in Week 6 for D-Jax.
- While Mike Evans will be shadowed by Patrick Peterson (the only CB that has shadowed the opponent in all 5 weeks), Jackson should run free on Justin Bethel and this Cardinals secondary. Very similar to what we see in Week 3 @ MIN when Xavier Rhodes shadowed Evans allowing D-Jax to pile on a 4-84-1 line.
- This Cardinals pass d isn't what its been in previous years, ranking bottom-12 in passing yards allowed per game, 5th worst in passing touchdowns allowed on the year (10) and t-4th most pass plays of 40+ yards allowed (4), and I can tell you that shit didn't come from Peterson's mans.
- Bethel is PFF's 65th graded CB on the szn and ranks 78th in yards allowed per route covered (1.93). What I found interesting here was that his catch % ranks among the better portion of the CBs (59%), but his fantasy points allowed per route (0.43) is 6th worst. That tells me he's susceptible to the deep ball....
- In 2017, Jameis Winston ranks 5th in deep ball attempts, 4th in air yards, 4th in pass attempt distance and, what I actually think works to D-Jax's advantage in Week 6, 4th in "danger plays" - defined as "Any play in which the quarterback took an unnecessary risk and could have resulted in a turnover" - all per playerprofiler.com.
- I like Winston and Jackson to link up for at least one big play, if not more on Sunday.
Cooper Kupp (& LAR WRs) vs. Aaron Colvin (& JAX CBs)
- I mean, zamn, I ain't really tryng to play any WR against this insane Jaguars secondary, but the Rams WRs have all graded well this year, all inside PFF's top-35 (Kupp - 22, Woods - 24, Watkins - 34). Same can be said about the Jaguars CBs (Ramsey - 2, Bouye - 8, Colvin - 35).
- Putting Watkins or Woods into my starting fantasy lineup this week is about as enticing as kissing your girl after getting topped off, but hey, to each his own. Now I ain't exactly on rawdog level of excitement for Kupp's Week 6 matchup with Colvin, but I'd stick it in. Stick him into my fantasy lineup smh... He's been a key part of the pass offense in LA and Colvin is a defender you can at worst throw at without praying not to have an interception. I'd expect Goff and the Rams to look this way when they do pass.
- It's nothing crazy but the Jags did allow 5 catches to NYJ slot receiver Jeremy Kerley in Week 4 and a 4-58 line to rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster last week.
- Don't play Watkins or Woods, but Kupp is a good enough WR3 in PPR this week for me.
Adam Thielen (MIN) @ Morgan Burnett (GB)
- Thielen's sitting at WR20 in fantasy despite sitting on a goose egg in the TD department. It's probably because he's had 4 straight weeks with 5 catches and a Week 1, 9-catch game, leaving him tied for the 6th most receptions (29) in the NFL through 5 weeks.
- As a safety, Morgan Burnett doesn't always man the slot but for all intents and purposes he basically does. Of the 84-PFF-graded coverage defenders in Week 6, Burnett ranks dead last in both fantasy points allowed per route covered (0.55) and overall yards allowed per route covered (2.34), and it's not close for either of those categories. Thielen should eat him alive on what should be close to 50-60% of his routes.
- On top of that, Diggs was in-and-out of the Vikings Week 5 game with a groin issue and he hasn't practiced yet this week. He insists he'll play, but it's a short week for him considering they played on MNF, so it's closer to 50/50 if I had to guess. And you've never heard a player say they're going to sit mid-week. Rumor has it OBJ is ready to roll against Denver.
- In games where Diggs sits, Thielen has averaged an extra 1.25 targets, an extra reception and a slight boost to his TD totals.
- Also worth mentioning, Theilen's monster (shoutout white monsta for giving me the energy to rewrite this whole article after my laptop crashed and I didn't save it smh) 12-206-2 game in Week 16 of last szn was at Lambeau.
WRs expecting Shadow Coverage
Take these rankings with a McDonalds-sized grain of salt.
- Michael Thomas (NO) vs. Darius Slay (DET) [27th ranked CB]
- Mike Evans (TB) vs. Patrick Peterson (ARZ) [32nd ranked CB.. how tho??]
- Jordy Nelson (GB) vs. Xavier Rhodes (MIN) [45th ranked CB...also how tho]
- Alshon Jeffery (PHI) vs. James Bradberry (CAR) [47th ranked CB] ~ CAR didn't shadow Weeks 1-3, but did in Weeks 4 and 5.
Other Notes
- Patrick Peterson (ARZ) is the only CB that has shadowed an opposing WR every week.
- The top five (5) rated PFF WRs (that are playing in Week 6) in order are Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill and Pierre Garcon... they may be onto something here with their grading system.
- The top five (5) rated PFF CBs (that are playing in Week 6) in order are Patrick Robinson, Jalen Ramsey, Jason McCourtey, Ken Crawley, Aqib Talib.
- Amari Cooper, Breshad Perriman, Kenny Stills, Kenny Britt & Markus Wheaton are the lowest graded WRs.
- Kenny Vaccaro, Eric Rowe, Vontae Davis, Phillip Gaines and Kareem Jackson are the lowest graded coverage defenders.
- The highest % of routes run from the slot in 2017 (min. 120 routes run) - Rashard Higgins (95%), Seth Roberts (89%), Danny Amendola (87%), Sterling Shepard (86%) and Nelson Agholor (86%). Randall Cobb, Adam Humphries and Golden Tate right behind.
- Only 4 teams have utilized shadow coverage in more than 2 games this year (ARZ, DET, NO, MIN).
- 18 teams have yet to utilize shadow coverage with their top CB/s in 2017.