Week 14 Rankings: Standard | PPR

We talk about matchups in Fantasy Football a lot, but too often we look at it on the macro level. We think if a team is good or bad against the pass then that affects all receivers the same.

That couldn't be further from the truth.

Thankfully, our friends at ProFootballFocus provide data on the coverage skills of individual players, which gives us a much more reliable starting point. Each week in this column I'll focus on some of my favorite matchups for wide receivers, and at least one matchup you should try to avoid.

I look at PFF's individual coverage grades. This helps sort out some of the noise and give us an idea of how each cornerback has performed, where they generally line up and who they'll cover most often.

I've included the PFF grade of each corner we're targeting this week. This grade is on a scale of 0 to 100, making it easily digestible.

Golden Tate vs. Tracy Porter (PFF Grade: 68.9)

Golden Tate NYG • WR • 15 Week 13 vs. NO REC 8 YDS 145 TD 1 View Profile

The Bears defense has been surprisingly average this season and performed extremely well in the snow against Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers last week. That doesn't change the fact that Tracy Porter has been toast for the better part of the past month. In his past four games, opposing quarterbacks have gone 10 of 14 for 166 yards when targeting the Bears corner.

Tate has been Matthew Stafford's best receiver since the start of the season and has been the best in the league after the catch. Whether Marvin Jones returns this week or not is of no consequence, Tate is a must-start regardless.

Brandon LaFell vs. Joe Haden (PFF Grade: 50.5)

Brandon LaFell LV • WR • 19 Week 13 vs. PHI REC 5 YDS 95 TD 1 View Profile

Joe Haden was once a corner we ran from, but that's not been the case at all in 2016. Haden has given up 1.53 yards per coverage snap this season and 8.41 Y/A. He's made a few big plays, but it appears he may be selling out for big plays. That exposes him to getting beat, and that has happened plenty.

LaFell is coming off his highest yardage total of the season and has seen at least seven targets in each of the past three games. LaFell won't see Haden exclusively, but there's no one else in this Browns secondary who should scare you either. If A.J. Green returns, that would change everything, but for now I'm viewing LaFell as a borderline No. 2 wide receiver with No. 1 upside.

Jamison Crowder vs. Malcolm Jenkins (PFF Grade: 78.7)

Jamison Crowder NYJ • WR • 82 2016 stats REC 58 YDS 767 TD 7 View Profile

The narrative about the Eagles defense is that it is elite at home and terrible on the road. While it is a generally true narrative with most defenses, the Eagles are better at home, but you shouldn't get the impression that you should bench someone like Crowder just because he's playing at Philadelphia.

Jenkins has given up a 137.9 passer rating while playing in the slot this season, the worst mark in the NFL for any corner that has played at least half of his snaps in the slot. Crowder runs a majority of his routes out of the slot and has been on quite the heater with at least 13 PPR Fantasy points for seven straight weeks.

One to avoid

Sterling Shepard vs. Orlando Scandrick (PFF Grade: 78.9)

Sterling Shepard NYG • WR • 87 2016 stats REC 48 YDS 497 TD 6 View Profile

OK, so I'm not saying you have to avoid Shepard if he's really you're best option but I also don't believe you should elevate him too high because of the Cowboys alleged weakness against the slot. Since Orlando Scandrick started playing predominantly in the slot, they've allowed 41-366-3 in six games to receivers that are generally viewed as the "slot" receiver. But even that number is deceiving.

Steve Smith had the best game against the Cowboys, but three of his receptions including his touchdown came against an outside cornerback. Jordan Matthews also scored his touchdown against the outside corner. No receiver plays exclusively in the slot, but when receivers have lined up against Orlando Scandrick, they've often struggled. I wouldn't give Shepard a boost or a significant downgrade in this matchup.