laughinboy_2000
Footballguy
OK guys, a few years ago I did the WR Match ups to EXPLOIT/AVOID to go along with MOP’s RB Match Ups to EXPLOIT/AVOID. I have not done this in two years simply b/c of job/family stuff. Fast forward to 2011 and I’m ready to spend the season producing this on a weekly basis. So here’s what you can expect...
Each week, I will give my insight for WR/TE match ups to Exploit/Avoid. The EXPLOITS will be GREEN and the AVOIDS will be RED. I will also provide scores and may include some extra things here and there through out the week. The point of this thread is to discuss the match ups to EXPLOT/AVOID. I’m going to try my hardest and not make this a WDIS thread. That can be difficult at times. So without any further ado… let’s discuss the Week One WR/TE Match Ups to EXPLOIT/AVOID!
N.O @ G.B:
G.B: Jennings/Driver/Finley/Nelson: Rogers is the best pure QB in the league, and I think he shows it Thursday night. You could make a case for starting all of these guys in one shape or another. I don’t see the Pack running the ball much. This is a match up to a great match up for the passing game.
N.O: Colston/Meachem/Moore/Graham: Pack Pass D was strong last year, but their secondary is a year older, and I’m not so sure they will be able to slow down the Saints on opening night. I see a balanced attack from the Saints throughout the game. One player I would watch is Saints WR Robert Meachem. He’s the Saints deep threat, and with Lance Moore OUT, I could see a deep ball for a TD in this game.
EXPLOIT: Robert Meachem – 4 catches, 90 yards, TD
Final Score: Saints 30 – Pack 27
Indy @ Houston:
Colts: Wayne, Garcon, Collie, Clark: I know a lot of people will be downgrading these players, and rightfully so. No Manning, and some drunk named Kerry as your QB... I see the Colts trying to establish the ground game, but I’m not so sure that will work for long. The only guy I see on the Colts having a somewhat decent game would be Wayne. Without Manning and injuries to Collie, (knee) Clark, (wrist) and Pierre (a case of the dropsy’s) I would avoid these three if at all possible.
AVOID: CLARK, COLLIE, GARCON
Texans: Johnson, Walter, Jones, Daniels: With the injury to Arien Foster’s hammy, I could totally see the Texans airing it out to keep him healthy. The Colts secondary is beatable, which means LOTS of targets for AJ, and Daniels. Jacoby Jones is always a threat for a deep on as well.
FINAL: Texans 28 – Colts 17
Cincinnati @ Cleveland:
Bengals: Green, Simpson: Not a strong group here for a rookie QB who has no arm, BUT surprise!!! Yes there is a player to exploit here! Green should have one of the easier match ups of his young early season.
EXPLOIT: Bengals WR AJ Green – 5 catches, 75 yards, TD
Brownies: Massoquoi, Robiski, Little, Watson: McCoy looked solid in preseason, but can he carry it over to week one? Gotta be honest, don’t like any of these guys to do much. Peyton Hillis should dominate touches for the Browns, and what’s this I smell… an upset?
Final: Bengals 17 – Brownies 13
Buffalo @ KC
Bills: Johnson, Jones: One thing is for sure about the Bills this year. They will be passing a lot, because their defense is going to be giving up a lot of points. That could mean BIG things this year for Stevie Johnson, and Fitzpatrick has no worries throwing the ball his way. A more interesting player I’m keeping my eyes on though is Donald Jones. Coaches apparently love this guy, and he may be a player you can stash away on your roster and play when the situation is right. He could start producing as soon as week one! Stevie is going to get his, but the matchup is right for Jones to do some damage.
EXPLOIT: Bills WR Donald Jones – 4 catches, 60 yards, TD
Chiefs: Bowe: Why are no other receivers listed here? Because their last names are Urban and Pope! Bowe is the only player with some type of fantasy relevance at this point.
Final Score – Chiefs 20 Bills 16
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore:
Steelers: Wallace, Ward, Sanders, Brown, Miller: Wallace is a star in the making, and you can’t bench him. BUT, temper your expectations. Last year in two games, he had 7 catches, 100 yards, and ZERO TDs. So playing on the road against a fired up Ravens D and Ed Reed, 3-4 catches for 50-60 yards sounds right. He’ll have better days ahead, but I just don’t see it happening this week. One guy I like in this game that may out produce all Steeler WR’s is Emmanual Sanders. He could have the lone TD through the air.
EXPLOIT: Emmanual Sanders – 5 catches 70 yards, TD
AVOID: Mike Wallace
Ravens: Bolden, Evans, Smith: Only one player here to even consider starting, and that is Boldin. He was solid last year in their two meetings, and I again could see him putting up 5-7 catches 80-100 yards, and a TD against the Steel Curtain.
Final Score Steelers 17 Ravens 13
Atlanta @ Chicago:
Falcons: White, Jones, Douglas, Gonzo.: If pre-season is any indication on what the Falcons are going to do this year through the air look out! The usual suspects here are White, Jones, Gonzo, but keep an eye Harry Douglas. Ryan has been spreading the ball around nicely, and he’s looked good in pre-season. There’s a good chance he takes advantage of all the attention to the “other” star players and finds a score!
EXPLOIT: Harry Douglas
Bears: Bennett, Williams, Knox: This could be a long year for the Bear WRs if the O-Line can’t keep Cutler in an upright position. This offense spreads the ball around way too much to depend on any of these WRs. I personally see a lot of Forte and a sprinkle of catches to the above named WRs. Proceed with caution!
Final Score: Falcons 24 – Bears 17
Philadelphia @ St. Louis
Eagles: DJax, Maclin, Avant, Celek: Eagles have major problems with their O-Line. Vick is having problems reading defenses. That being said, DJax and Company should have some production. But this game will be closer than most of the experts think!
Rams: Gibson, Sims-Walker, Amendola, Kendrick: Liking what the Rams are doing. They have a future Stud in the making in QB Sam Bradford and a new OC that could present some problems for the Eagle D, who lost their D Coordinator to the Panthers. I’m a believer in TE Kyle Kendrick, and he could find his way to pay dirt against the Eagles. The Rams D is underrated in my opinion, and can steal at home. This is yet another game where I see a potential upset for week one.
Final Score – Rams 28 – Eagles 24
Detroit @ Tampa Bay:
Lions: Mega-Tron, Burlson, Pettigrew: I’m officially on the band wagon for the Lions offense. Mega-Tron and Burlson should have no problems racking up yards and TDs. Pettigrew will be mixed in as well. I really like Burlson as a WR3 type play this week
EXPLOIT: Nate Burlson 5 catches 70 yards, TD
Bucs: Williams, Briscoe, Winslow: Bucs QB Josh Freeman has looked bad so far in preseason which is a bit concerning. However, these are the Lions we are talking about. I expect Williams to approach 100 yards with a possible score. Keep an eye out for Briscoe. He could be a sleeper worth stashing in deeper leagues.
Final Score – Lions 24 Bucs 20
Tennessee @ Jacksonville:
Titans: Britt, Washington, Cook: Honestly guys, my gut here for this group is telling me to stay away. New coach seems to want to pound Chris Johnson into the dirt. Nothing fancy about their plan of attack. Britt will get his 4-5 catches for 60 or so yards, but asking for anything more than that is pushing it. Jacksonville will have a hard enough time stopping the Titan running game.
AVOID: WR Kenny Britt
Jags: Thomas, Hill, Lewis: So let me get this straight, the Jags cut their starting QB a week before the season? Sheesh. I”ll pass on the Jag passing game until I see some type of production. Here’s a hint. It won’t happen this week! Low scoring snoozer folks!
Final Score - Titans 17 – Jags 10
NYG @ Washington:
GMen: Nicks, Manningham, Cruz: Eli has had a miserable preseason, but he’s got some talent around him to have a big game this weekend. Nicks, Manningham, and Cruz should be on the field quite a bit due to the Giants defense which is banged up. Keep an eye out for Cruz. He’s in a perfect situation. He’s in the slot position that Steve Smith used to have with the Giants and caught 100+ passes. Not saying he will catch that many, but that position is worth monitoring. With all the attention Nicks, and Manningham will be getting, he’s a good bet to get some passes thrown his way.
EXPLOIT: Victor Cruz – 6 catches 70 yards, TD
Skins: Moss, Gaffney, Cooley, Fred Davis: I never thought the day would come where I would recommend Rex Grossman and his WRs, but I’m doing it here. Moss and Gaffney should have no problems getting open. The only question will be how often the Skins decide to run the ball.
Final Score – GMen 24 – Skins 21
Minni @ SD:
Vikes: Harvin, Berrian; I don’t trust these guys on the road against one of the best defenses in the league. Look elsewhere if at all possible. Long day for Vikes and their offense
AVOID: WR Percy Harvin
Bolts: VJax, Floyd, Gates: Rivers to VJax and Gates all day long. Enough said…
Final Score – Bolts 28 Vikes 13
Carolina @ Zona:
Cats: Smith, Olson, Shockey: As a Panther fan it frightens me to think what Newton will look like in not only his first game of the season, but first road game as well. Look for a heavy dose of Double Trouble, and I pray to god they don’t look like they did in pre-season. Sit your Panther WRs until further notice.
Cards: Fitz, Roberts, Heap: Where do I start here? The Panther defense is going to blow hog wash this year. Anyone care to look up Fitz’s stats against the Panthers the past two games. I’m too frightened to look. If you need to see a highlight reel of Fitz, it will happen in this game. Andre Roberts should also be somewhat productive. It would just depend on how much the Cards would like to run up the score. To add salt to the wound, the Panthers HAVE NEVER covered TEs very well
Final Score – Cards 31 Panthers 13
Seattle @ San Fran:
‘Hawks: Rice, Williams, ZMiller: All you need to know here is that Tavaris Stinking Jackson is their QB. Avoid Avoid Avoid!
AVOID: Rice, Williams, ZMiller
49ers: Edwards, Morgan, Davis: Best play here by far is Vernon Davis. That’s all that you need to see here.
Final Score – 49ers 20 ‘Hawks 10
Dallas @ NYJ:
‘Boys: Bryant, Austin, Witten: Scary match up here for Romo and the Boys. We will definitely see what this team is made of within the first week. Lower your expectations for all the WRs with the exception of Bryant. Revis will be on Austin for a good portion of the game, and with Witten floating around the middle part of the field, I think Dez could get loose against Cromartie.
Jets: Holmes, Plax, Keller: Holmes and Keller are nice plays here. Ball control will be the name of the game though in this one, so Shonn Greene and LT should dominate touches.
Final Score – Jets 20 Cowboys 14
N.E. @ Miami:
Pats: Ocho, Welker, Branch, Hernandez, Gronk: Look for Brady to spray the ball around everywhere like usual. Hard to pick out which WR Brady will favor, but he does favor his TEs near the goal line. That will be where the TDs through the air come from.
Fins: Marshall, Best: With the ‘Fins more than likely playing catch up most of the game. BMarsh and Bess will be targeted heavily. The match up is right for Bess as a WR3/4.
EXPLOIT: WR Devon Bess
Final Score – Pats 27 Fins 17
Oakland @ Denver:
Raiders: Ford, DBey, Moore: Lots of people like Jacoby Ford this year. My gut tells me to wait and see what this guy is about. DBey and Moore also are talented, but again, I think there may be better options out there.
Broncos: Lloyd, Royal, Decker, Thomas: Will teams finally be able to pass against the Raiders without the best CB in the league finally gone? The one thing I know is that Brandon Lloyd has looked REAL good so far, and I know its just preseason, but he can be downright scary sometimes. My only fear with the Broncos passing game this year is that Jack Wagon of a coach John Fox likes to run the ball, and then run the ball, and then run some more.
Final Score – Broncos 21 Raiders 16
I know this is short notice, but let's get some discussion in here on what people think about the match ups this week!
Each week, I will give my insight for WR/TE match ups to Exploit/Avoid. The EXPLOITS will be GREEN and the AVOIDS will be RED. I will also provide scores and may include some extra things here and there through out the week. The point of this thread is to discuss the match ups to EXPLOT/AVOID. I’m going to try my hardest and not make this a WDIS thread. That can be difficult at times. So without any further ado… let’s discuss the Week One WR/TE Match Ups to EXPLOIT/AVOID!
N.O @ G.B:
G.B: Jennings/Driver/Finley/Nelson: Rogers is the best pure QB in the league, and I think he shows it Thursday night. You could make a case for starting all of these guys in one shape or another. I don’t see the Pack running the ball much. This is a match up to a great match up for the passing game.
N.O: Colston/Meachem/Moore/Graham: Pack Pass D was strong last year, but their secondary is a year older, and I’m not so sure they will be able to slow down the Saints on opening night. I see a balanced attack from the Saints throughout the game. One player I would watch is Saints WR Robert Meachem. He’s the Saints deep threat, and with Lance Moore OUT, I could see a deep ball for a TD in this game.
EXPLOIT: Robert Meachem – 4 catches, 90 yards, TD
Final Score: Saints 30 – Pack 27
Indy @ Houston:
Colts: Wayne, Garcon, Collie, Clark: I know a lot of people will be downgrading these players, and rightfully so. No Manning, and some drunk named Kerry as your QB... I see the Colts trying to establish the ground game, but I’m not so sure that will work for long. The only guy I see on the Colts having a somewhat decent game would be Wayne. Without Manning and injuries to Collie, (knee) Clark, (wrist) and Pierre (a case of the dropsy’s) I would avoid these three if at all possible.
AVOID: CLARK, COLLIE, GARCON
Texans: Johnson, Walter, Jones, Daniels: With the injury to Arien Foster’s hammy, I could totally see the Texans airing it out to keep him healthy. The Colts secondary is beatable, which means LOTS of targets for AJ, and Daniels. Jacoby Jones is always a threat for a deep on as well.
FINAL: Texans 28 – Colts 17
Cincinnati @ Cleveland:
Bengals: Green, Simpson: Not a strong group here for a rookie QB who has no arm, BUT surprise!!! Yes there is a player to exploit here! Green should have one of the easier match ups of his young early season.
EXPLOIT: Bengals WR AJ Green – 5 catches, 75 yards, TD
Brownies: Massoquoi, Robiski, Little, Watson: McCoy looked solid in preseason, but can he carry it over to week one? Gotta be honest, don’t like any of these guys to do much. Peyton Hillis should dominate touches for the Browns, and what’s this I smell… an upset?
Final: Bengals 17 – Brownies 13
Buffalo @ KC
Bills: Johnson, Jones: One thing is for sure about the Bills this year. They will be passing a lot, because their defense is going to be giving up a lot of points. That could mean BIG things this year for Stevie Johnson, and Fitzpatrick has no worries throwing the ball his way. A more interesting player I’m keeping my eyes on though is Donald Jones. Coaches apparently love this guy, and he may be a player you can stash away on your roster and play when the situation is right. He could start producing as soon as week one! Stevie is going to get his, but the matchup is right for Jones to do some damage.
EXPLOIT: Bills WR Donald Jones – 4 catches, 60 yards, TD
Chiefs: Bowe: Why are no other receivers listed here? Because their last names are Urban and Pope! Bowe is the only player with some type of fantasy relevance at this point.
Final Score – Chiefs 20 Bills 16
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore:
Steelers: Wallace, Ward, Sanders, Brown, Miller: Wallace is a star in the making, and you can’t bench him. BUT, temper your expectations. Last year in two games, he had 7 catches, 100 yards, and ZERO TDs. So playing on the road against a fired up Ravens D and Ed Reed, 3-4 catches for 50-60 yards sounds right. He’ll have better days ahead, but I just don’t see it happening this week. One guy I like in this game that may out produce all Steeler WR’s is Emmanual Sanders. He could have the lone TD through the air.
EXPLOIT: Emmanual Sanders – 5 catches 70 yards, TD
AVOID: Mike Wallace
Ravens: Bolden, Evans, Smith: Only one player here to even consider starting, and that is Boldin. He was solid last year in their two meetings, and I again could see him putting up 5-7 catches 80-100 yards, and a TD against the Steel Curtain.
Final Score Steelers 17 Ravens 13
Atlanta @ Chicago:
Falcons: White, Jones, Douglas, Gonzo.: If pre-season is any indication on what the Falcons are going to do this year through the air look out! The usual suspects here are White, Jones, Gonzo, but keep an eye Harry Douglas. Ryan has been spreading the ball around nicely, and he’s looked good in pre-season. There’s a good chance he takes advantage of all the attention to the “other” star players and finds a score!
EXPLOIT: Harry Douglas
Bears: Bennett, Williams, Knox: This could be a long year for the Bear WRs if the O-Line can’t keep Cutler in an upright position. This offense spreads the ball around way too much to depend on any of these WRs. I personally see a lot of Forte and a sprinkle of catches to the above named WRs. Proceed with caution!
Final Score: Falcons 24 – Bears 17
Philadelphia @ St. Louis
Eagles: DJax, Maclin, Avant, Celek: Eagles have major problems with their O-Line. Vick is having problems reading defenses. That being said, DJax and Company should have some production. But this game will be closer than most of the experts think!
Rams: Gibson, Sims-Walker, Amendola, Kendrick: Liking what the Rams are doing. They have a future Stud in the making in QB Sam Bradford and a new OC that could present some problems for the Eagle D, who lost their D Coordinator to the Panthers. I’m a believer in TE Kyle Kendrick, and he could find his way to pay dirt against the Eagles. The Rams D is underrated in my opinion, and can steal at home. This is yet another game where I see a potential upset for week one.
Final Score – Rams 28 – Eagles 24
Detroit @ Tampa Bay:
Lions: Mega-Tron, Burlson, Pettigrew: I’m officially on the band wagon for the Lions offense. Mega-Tron and Burlson should have no problems racking up yards and TDs. Pettigrew will be mixed in as well. I really like Burlson as a WR3 type play this week
EXPLOIT: Nate Burlson 5 catches 70 yards, TD
Bucs: Williams, Briscoe, Winslow: Bucs QB Josh Freeman has looked bad so far in preseason which is a bit concerning. However, these are the Lions we are talking about. I expect Williams to approach 100 yards with a possible score. Keep an eye out for Briscoe. He could be a sleeper worth stashing in deeper leagues.
Final Score – Lions 24 Bucs 20
Tennessee @ Jacksonville:
Titans: Britt, Washington, Cook: Honestly guys, my gut here for this group is telling me to stay away. New coach seems to want to pound Chris Johnson into the dirt. Nothing fancy about their plan of attack. Britt will get his 4-5 catches for 60 or so yards, but asking for anything more than that is pushing it. Jacksonville will have a hard enough time stopping the Titan running game.
AVOID: WR Kenny Britt
Jags: Thomas, Hill, Lewis: So let me get this straight, the Jags cut their starting QB a week before the season? Sheesh. I”ll pass on the Jag passing game until I see some type of production. Here’s a hint. It won’t happen this week! Low scoring snoozer folks!
Final Score - Titans 17 – Jags 10
NYG @ Washington:
GMen: Nicks, Manningham, Cruz: Eli has had a miserable preseason, but he’s got some talent around him to have a big game this weekend. Nicks, Manningham, and Cruz should be on the field quite a bit due to the Giants defense which is banged up. Keep an eye out for Cruz. He’s in a perfect situation. He’s in the slot position that Steve Smith used to have with the Giants and caught 100+ passes. Not saying he will catch that many, but that position is worth monitoring. With all the attention Nicks, and Manningham will be getting, he’s a good bet to get some passes thrown his way.
EXPLOIT: Victor Cruz – 6 catches 70 yards, TD
Skins: Moss, Gaffney, Cooley, Fred Davis: I never thought the day would come where I would recommend Rex Grossman and his WRs, but I’m doing it here. Moss and Gaffney should have no problems getting open. The only question will be how often the Skins decide to run the ball.
Final Score – GMen 24 – Skins 21
Minni @ SD:
Vikes: Harvin, Berrian; I don’t trust these guys on the road against one of the best defenses in the league. Look elsewhere if at all possible. Long day for Vikes and their offense
AVOID: WR Percy Harvin
Bolts: VJax, Floyd, Gates: Rivers to VJax and Gates all day long. Enough said…
Final Score – Bolts 28 Vikes 13
Carolina @ Zona:
Cats: Smith, Olson, Shockey: As a Panther fan it frightens me to think what Newton will look like in not only his first game of the season, but first road game as well. Look for a heavy dose of Double Trouble, and I pray to god they don’t look like they did in pre-season. Sit your Panther WRs until further notice.
Cards: Fitz, Roberts, Heap: Where do I start here? The Panther defense is going to blow hog wash this year. Anyone care to look up Fitz’s stats against the Panthers the past two games. I’m too frightened to look. If you need to see a highlight reel of Fitz, it will happen in this game. Andre Roberts should also be somewhat productive. It would just depend on how much the Cards would like to run up the score. To add salt to the wound, the Panthers HAVE NEVER covered TEs very well
Final Score – Cards 31 Panthers 13
Seattle @ San Fran:
‘Hawks: Rice, Williams, ZMiller: All you need to know here is that Tavaris Stinking Jackson is their QB. Avoid Avoid Avoid!
AVOID: Rice, Williams, ZMiller
49ers: Edwards, Morgan, Davis: Best play here by far is Vernon Davis. That’s all that you need to see here.
Final Score – 49ers 20 ‘Hawks 10
Dallas @ NYJ:
‘Boys: Bryant, Austin, Witten: Scary match up here for Romo and the Boys. We will definitely see what this team is made of within the first week. Lower your expectations for all the WRs with the exception of Bryant. Revis will be on Austin for a good portion of the game, and with Witten floating around the middle part of the field, I think Dez could get loose against Cromartie.
Jets: Holmes, Plax, Keller: Holmes and Keller are nice plays here. Ball control will be the name of the game though in this one, so Shonn Greene and LT should dominate touches.
Final Score – Jets 20 Cowboys 14
N.E. @ Miami:
Pats: Ocho, Welker, Branch, Hernandez, Gronk: Look for Brady to spray the ball around everywhere like usual. Hard to pick out which WR Brady will favor, but he does favor his TEs near the goal line. That will be where the TDs through the air come from.
Fins: Marshall, Best: With the ‘Fins more than likely playing catch up most of the game. BMarsh and Bess will be targeted heavily. The match up is right for Bess as a WR3/4.
EXPLOIT: WR Devon Bess
Final Score – Pats 27 Fins 17
Oakland @ Denver:
Raiders: Ford, DBey, Moore: Lots of people like Jacoby Ford this year. My gut tells me to wait and see what this guy is about. DBey and Moore also are talented, but again, I think there may be better options out there.
Broncos: Lloyd, Royal, Decker, Thomas: Will teams finally be able to pass against the Raiders without the best CB in the league finally gone? The one thing I know is that Brandon Lloyd has looked REAL good so far, and I know its just preseason, but he can be downright scary sometimes. My only fear with the Broncos passing game this year is that Jack Wagon of a coach John Fox likes to run the ball, and then run the ball, and then run some more.
Final Score – Broncos 21 Raiders 16
I know this is short notice, but let's get some discussion in here on what people think about the match ups this week!
Last edited by a moderator:
TE Lance Kendrick will be the man in week one for the Rams! 
That said, I understand it's a lot of work to do and appreciate whatever Laughinboy has time for. I just don't agree with your premise that it's only for borderline guys. 
