TOP PASSING MATCHUPS
To view all of our Week 6 Matchup content, please see the links below:
Top 5 Passing Matchups Week 6
Bottom 5 Passing Matchups Week 6
Top 5 Rushing Matchups Week 6
Bottom 5 Rushing Matchups Week 6
Rushing Matchup Chart Week 6
Passing Matchup Chart Week 6
Minnesota vs Atlanta
The Vikings offense is a decidedly run-first offense, and they don’t often ask Kirk Cousins to throw much. But when game script pushes him into the spotlight, Cousins is usually at least serviceable. He’s willing to push things downfield, too, using his underrated arm to attack the soft spots between defensive zones. The best thing he does is pump the ball relentlessly to playmakers Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, the only two Vikings with more than 80 yards on the year. They’ve accounted for 50% of team targets and 65% of yardage, giving them solid floors to go with their high ceilings. Cousins hasn’t been tested by much strong defense yet, but he’s at least been efficient in his easier matchups. It’s perfectly sane to trust him when he’s facing an up-tempo game with a bad opponent.
The Falcons continue to trot out one of football’s worst pass defenses, week after week. All 5 opponents thus far have topped 300 yards through the air, with 9 different receivers posting 88 yards or more. Across the league, it’s hard to find a secondary more decimated and in dire need of a talent infusion. Prized rookie cornerback A.J. Terrell has shown well; he’s a building block for the future. But even when the Falcons had Desmond Trufant locking down one side of the field, they still couldn’t slow an entire passing game, and nothing has changed. There just isn’t any coverage help to speak of, especially with slot specialist Darqueze Dennard on the shelf. Kendall Sheffield and Isaiah Oliver have been among 2020’s most beatable cornerbacks, and the safety play remains among the league’s weakest in downfield coverage. That’s great news for Thielen and Jefferson, who have been fantastic on the deep ball of late. Cousins is unafraid to test secondaries, and those who test the Falcons often come away happy with the results.
Detroit at Jacksonville
The Lions passing attack has yet to truly take flight here in 2020. Coach Matt Patricia is dead-set on establishing the run first, and there haven’t been many fireworks through the air. It was certainly disappointing to see them struggle so in their last game, a Week 4 date with the Saints, who were missing both their starting cornerbacks. Still, a turnaround could come at any moment. Top wideout Kenny Golladay is healthy and playing a full complement of snaps; it’s only a matter of time before the downfield game shows up. Stafford has only thrown 8 deep balls (15+ yards) to Golladay and Marvin Jones thus far, a rate that’s almost certain to swing upward.
The Jaguars, decimated by injuries and a lack of viable bodies to play safety, remain a fully targetable unit for fantasy purposes. They’ve allowed 3 of their 5 opponents to top 300 yards through the air, and the other two were able to complete 82% of their throws (with 6 touchdowns). Simply put, opposing passers are able to do as they please in this matchup. Last Sunday, Deshaun Watson repeatedly tested the gaps between their downfield zones for a handful of chunk passes. The Bengals made things easy for Joe Burrow with Tee Higgins and slot man Tyler Boyd winning easily in the seams in Week 4. Before that, Ryan Tannehill picked them apart for four touchdowns in the red zone. The Jaguars could get back rookie cornerback C.J. Henderson this week, but while he’s looked promising, he’s not yet that kind of difference-maker. With Henderson and slot man D.J. Hayden out, the team has been asking a lot of Tre Herndon and Chris Claybrooks, both replacement-level talents in coverage. Claybrooks in particular was responsible for several of Watson’s easy completions last week. Burned frequently both inside and down the field, it’s always safe to project a fantasy breakout in this matchup.
Miami vs NY Jets
The Dolphins stunned the football world last Sunday by trouncing the 49ers, and much of the credit goes to Ryan Fitzpatrick. The 37-year-old lame-duck starter completed 22 of his 28 throws for 350 yards, hitting on deep connections of 70, 47, 32, 31, and 28. It was his third strong performance in five tries - he also put up a big day against Tre’Davious White and the Bills back in Week 2. Fitzpatrick will always be a volatile passer, and his receiving corps isn’t particularly consistent. But there’s dynamic talent in wideouts DeVante Parker and Preston Williams, who repeatedly made big, contested catches Sunday, and tight end Mike Gesicki, who registered that 70-yard catch-and-run. Fitzpatrick is the Dolphins’ best quarterback at the moment, and in the right matchup, he can certainly lead Miami to a potent fantasy week.
The Jets are 0-5, and they haven’t forced opponents to throw the ball much (just 33 attempts per game). But when teams do throw, they’re effective against this atrocious group of outside cornerbacks. Pierre Desir, Blessuan Austin (who should return this week), and rookie Lamar Jackson have been victimized early and often in one-on-one situations. If he can play, Austin should bring a small upgrade on Jackson’s horrendous Week 5 performance, but not enough to move the needle. Safety Marcus Maye is a budding star, but he has very little help on the back end. Kyler Murray shredded this secondary for 380 yards, his wideouts winning their matchups downfield with embarrassing ease. There was simply no answer for DeAndre Hopkins’ jump-ball skills or Christian Kirk’s quickness between the shallow and deep zones. There’s no shame in losing battles with a talent like Hopkins, but this unit looked disconnected and lost for most of the day. Even Maye gave up an easy long ball at a crucial point. With so many holes in this group, a red-hot Fitzpatrick, who’s never been afraid to test the gaps between zones, could have a field day.
Arizona at Dallas
The Cardinals’ crowded spread offense continues to press onward and upward. The high-paced, multi-wide attack always keeps pressure on the defense, and this group has the dynamism to strike hard in the right matchup. When Murray is kept clean and upright, he spreads the ball well across the field, taking advantage of all the speedy depth coach Kliff Kingsbury has accumulated. Most importantly, he’s leaning hard on DeAndre Hopkins, entrusting the four-time All-Pro with 29% of his throws. On Sunday he roasted the Jets’ patchwork defense for 380 yards, routinely throwing Hopkins, Christian Kirk, and Andy Isabella into one-on-one battles they won more often than not.
The Cowboys remain one of fantasy’s most targetable passing matchups. They’re fresh off their first strong showing of the season, though it did come against Daniel Jones and arguably the weakest attack in football. On the whole, this has been one of 2020’s worst secondaries by any measure, and opponents haven’t been shy about testing it down the field. The Cowboys put a strange amount of trust in cornerbacks Daryl Worley, Jourdain Lewis, and Anthony Brown, none of whom has offered a return. And it’s still puzzling what their plans are at safety, where Darian Thompson remains badly overmatched in coverage. They’re regularly beaten both outside and up the seams, so it’s hard to see how they’ll combat the Cardinals’ horizontal spread attack. Without a cornerback capable of shutting down Hopkins’ wide route tree, and with inadequate help over the middle, they’re at a huge disadvantage against a red-hot Murray.
Kansas City at Buffalo
The Chiefs come fresh off their first loss since mid-2019, and they’ll face the Bills without Sammy Watkins, who’s down with a hamstring issue. But this is such a deep unit, so infused with speed and dynamism up and down the depth chart, that it’s not particularly concerning when one piece goes down. If nothing else, they’ll get an extended look at Mecole Hardman, quite possibly the league’s most exciting untapped weapon. Hardman’s snap share has trended upward of late, and he’ll almost certainly draw 50+ snaps Monday night, giving Patrick Mahomes II yet another wildly explosive toy to play with. Tyreek Hill remains his typical self, a game-changer who’s all but impossible to truly contain, while Travis Kelce’s prominent role popped back up last week. Even if the Bills bounce back to full health, they’ll have their hands full with the league’s best attack.
The Bills boast a wide array of talent across their defense; it’s difficult to outright call this a favorable fantasy matchup. But through five games, they’re allowing opponents to average 274 yards through the air, and 4 of them have thrown multiple touchdowns. That’s not terrible, but it’s definitely subpar for this unit. The coaches have shaken things up a bit, benching cornerback Levi Wallace for Josh Norman in Tuesday night’s loss. But much of that damage has come from inside, where nickel back Taron Johnson has been wildly ineffective. The Bills have been steamrolled by slot specialists Jamison Crowder (115 yards), Mike Gesicki (130), Isaiah Ford (76), Cooper Kupp (107), and Darren Waller (88) to open the year. On a typical week, elite cornerback TreDavious White erases half the field from the offense’s game plan, but he’s been slowed by a back injury and didn’t even suit up Tuesday. The team also missed Matt Milano, one of the game’s best coverage linebackers, against the Titans, allowing tight end Jonnu Smith to spring open several times underneath. The Bills need their stars back healthy, and there’s a chance White and Milano can return to action by Monday. But there’s little margin for error with Mahomes and his weapons coming to town.
