Passing Matchups Week 11

Photo: George Walker IV, USA Today Sports

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Go here for this week's Rushing Matchups.

Top 5 Passing Matchups

LA Chargers vs Kansas City

The Chargers are hurting badly at receiver, but it hasn’t cost them all of their fantasy appeal. Justin Herbert has shown that, even in the absence of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and tight end Gerald Everett, he’s more than willing to push the pace. Herbert posted the worst line of his career last Sunday (12 of 35, 196 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception) and has put up a pitiful 5.5 yards per throw since Week 6. But he’s thrown the ball 44 times a game over that span, and all three of those difference-makers could bounce back on any given week. In the meantime, it’s DeAndre Carter and deep threat Josh Palmer leading the charge at wideout, and both have flashed with the volume they’ve been given. Carter caught all 4 targets for 64 yards and a touchdown last week, while Palmer has posted days of 99 and 106 yards in relief. And running back Austin Ekeler remains central the pass game – he’s averaged 9 catches and 52 yards over the past month.

The Chiefs still possess one of the league’s most dynamic offenses, resulting in more than their share of shootouts. And that doesn’t even factor in opponents simply having to throw in catch-up mode. So it’s no surprise that only the snake-bitten Titans have faced more attempts than their 38.6 a game, or that only 5 times have given up more than their 269 yards. It’s not all game flow, though: these Chiefs are still built to sniff out big defensive plays, often leaving coverage holes on the back end. They appear to have put together a strong cornerback duo of LJarius Sneed and rookie Trent McDuffie, but the supporting roles are lacking. Safeties Juan Thornhill and Justin Reid continue to underperform; the team definitely misses Tyrann Mathieu. It’s a big reason they’ve already allowed 11 opposing receivers to post 65+ yards, and it hasn’t just been WR1s producing. Even supporting pieces like Zay Jones, Gerald Everett, and Ray-Ray McCloud have succeeded in this high-octane matchup.

Green Bay vs Tennessee

The Packers' air attack may have woken up in Sunday’s rallying win, if only just enough to exploit the vulnerable Titans this weekend. If nothing else, it was wildly exciting to see rookie Christian Watson, who’s missed tons of time and had averaged just 15 yards a game, enjoy his NFL breakout. Watson was far and away the most dynamic Packer on the field Sunday, turning his 7 targets into 107 yards and finding the end zone three times (from 7, 38, and 59 yards out). The rookie remains a major work in progress, disappearing for stretches and dropping more than his share of balls. But if Rodgers has any interest in dynamism, he’ll keep creating air yardage by putting the 6-foot-4, 4.36 Watson in position to win deep. Across the field, five-year veteran Allen Lazard remains the best bet for weekly volume, having drawn 7+ targets in five of his last six games.

The Titans continue to trot out a badly overmatched pass defense. They’re giving up 295 yards a game through the air, “good” for the most in football, with 5 of their 9 opponents throwing multiple touchdowns. With so many premium picks burned on mediocre cornerbacks, this remains one of the league’s shakiest secondaries, still badly in need of a talent upgrade. Their opponents know it, too, of course: the Titans have faced a league-high 40.6 attempts a game. Last Sunday, they got a bit of a breather against Russell Wilson and the nosediving Broncos, and they kept them mostly under wraps. But Wilson was still able to exploit guys like Roger McCreary and Terrance Mitchell downfield for big gains. With no stud coverage men on board, huge gaps tend to spring open between the zones. Last week it was Broncos like Jalen Virgin and Kendall Hinton (a combined 5-128-1) winning on deep balls, but we’ve all seen it from the likes of Mack Hollins (8-158-1) and Dyami Brown (2-105-2) in this matchup. In other words, just about anyone with athleticism and/or footspeed can find holes here to work through. It’s a tantalizing matchup for Week 10’s breakout Packer, Christian Watson, who’s more than capable of flashing through zones.

NY Giants vs Detroit

The Giants continue to extract solid, if unspectacular, quarterback play from Daniel Jones. They’re not asking much of their game manager, throwing just 27 times a game (29^th) for just 179 yards (29^th). But his surprisingly steady hand has helped keep their jaw-dropping 7-2 run alive. His completion and yardage rates sit at career highs, and he hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 3. It’s hard to bank much on this group in a vacuum, but it’s efficient enough to ring up season-highs in a matchup as generous as this one. It’s anyone’s guess as to who would benefit most (besides Jones, of course), as the receiving corps is built almost entirely of reserves and practice-squadders. Since Darius Slayton stepped into the WR1 role, he’s gathered a modest 20% of team targets but put up double-digit PPR points in 4 of 5 games.

The Lions got a bit of a breather last week, with Justin Fields and the run-centric Bears throwing only 20 times. But most of their opponents have breezed by this barely-there unit, which remains one of fantasy’s easiest targets. It’s bad enough that they’re giving up 266 yards a game, good for seventh-most in football. But they sit dead last on a per-throw basis (7.8), telling us that everyone who needs to throw against the 3-6 Lions can. Despite a number of premium-round picks over the past few drafts, they’ve put together nothing of note around occasionally great cornerback Jeff Okudah. The third-year Okudah continues to flash All-Pro talent, though even he isn’t immune to the burnable nature of this secondary. Jerry Jacobs and Mike Hughes have been inconsistent at best, and the safety play remains shoddy behind them. It’s no surprise that a whopping 9.5% of their opponents’ completions have gone for 20+ yards. The Giants don’t feature any obvious stud receivers, but their whole arsenal gets an upgrade against this still-rebuilding group.