Welcome to Going Deep! This weekly article will make use of charting data, advanced metrics, and other RotoViz tools — specifically the Passing Game Matchup Rater — to help readers better understand the challenges facing wide receivers and tight ends in the coming week. As my process makes heavy use of the Matchup Rater, I’d highly recommend that you set aside half an hour to watch the tutorial/walkthrough and take a spin through the tool. (Note that for 2024, the “Target Explorer” tab has been removed from the tool.)
Please note, in general, this article will only discuss players averaging 6.0 or more PPR.
Please refer to Part 1 for matchup graphics.
Texans at Packers
This will be one of the most fun matchups of the week. Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs score matchup ratings of 60 and 57 in a matchup with a Green Bay defense that is allowing WRs to approximate points per game (PPG). In recent weeks, the Vikings and Eagles both had two receivers record 15.0 plus performances against the defense. While the Packers aren’t a more favorable matchup for either WR alignment, TEs have scored significant fantasy points when operating from traditional alignments and have scored 119% of PPG. As a result, Dalton Schultz is a candidate for a TE1 week.
| Player | GMs | Tgt | Rec | Yards | TD | YPR | Tgt Shr | AirYards | AY/Tgt | Team % | WOPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nico Collins | 5 | 9 | 6.4 | 113.4 | 0.6 | 17.7 | 0.24 | 108 | 12 | 0.4 | 0.65 |
| Stefon Diggs | 6 | 8 | 6.2 | 65.3 | 0.5 | 10.6 | 0.22 | 64.5 | 8.1 | 0.24 | 0.5 |
| Tank Dell | 5 | 6 | 4 | 38.8 | 0.2 | 9.7 | 0.17 | 57.4 | 9.6 | 0.22 | 0.41 |
| Dalton Schultz | 6 | 5.3 | 3 | 23.8 | 0 | 7.9 | 0.15 | 38.2 | 7.2 | 0.14 | 0.32 |
| Joe Mixon | 3 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 24.7 | 0.3 | 9.2 | 0.11 | -2.3 | -0.6 | -0.01 | 0.16 |
| Dare Ogunbowale | 6 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 25.8 | 0.2 | 10.3 | 0.07 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 0.01 | 0.12 |
For the Packers, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Christian Watson draw matchup ratings in the high 50s and Romeo Doubs draws a 51. The Texans haven’t been an easy matchup for opposing WRs but this shouldn’t prevent Reed and another of Jordan Love’s weapons from finding success. On the other hand, Tucker Kraft matches up very poorly with Houston’s defense and should be avoided if possible.
| Player | GMs | Tgt | Rec | Yards | TD | YPR | Tgt Shr | AirYards | AY/Tgt | Team % | WOPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayden Reed | 6 | 5.7 | 4.5 | 73.7 | 0.5 | 16.4 | 0.2 | 41.7 | 7.4 | 0.16 | 0.41 |
| Dontayvion Wicks | 6 | 5.3 | 1.8 | 22.2 | 0.5 | 12.1 | 0.18 | 74.3 | 13.9 | 0.29 | 0.48 |
| Romeo Doubs | 5 | 4.8 | 3 | 43.6 | 0.4 | 14.5 | 0.16 | 63 | 13.1 | 0.24 | 0.41 |
| Tucker Kraft | 6 | 4.3 | 3 | 38.5 | 0.5 | 12.8 | 0.15 | 19.5 | 4.5 | 0.08 | 0.28 |
| Christian Watson | 5 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 29.6 | 0.4 | 18.5 | 0.08 | 36.6 | 15.2 | 0.14 | 0.22 |
| Josh Jacobs | 6 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 16.8 | 0 | 9.2 | 0.07 | -0.3 | -0.2 | 0 | 0.11 |
