One way I look at matchups each week is through the lens of an entire team’s offense against their opponent’s defense. Overly strong or weak positional matchups can lead to a specific game script or fantasy outcome as a result. When looking at non-stud options, matchups have a way of leading to value.
How to read the chart:
Teams are paired up by game, two per article, with the tema defense on the left half of the chart and the opposing offense on the right half. Each category represents the positional efficiency for or against, with the overall score merely an average of the positional marks for the team.
The Bengals are all about the run game, which meshes well with the Texans defense. Houston is stingy across the board, but closest to neutral against running backs. Jermaine Gresham? Better luck next week. Any Dalton has been inefficient and this week should be middling as well.
The Texans are not an efficient offense overall. The lone weak spot for the Bengals defense is against running backs. Arian Foster may play, but Alfred Blue is an auto-start in his absence if Foster is out. Look for this game to be a slugfest on the ground with the occasion splash play through the air.
The Jets-Bills game will not be in North Pole, so the matchup data is back in play. The Bills struggle on offense, but the Jets allow for any team to get well for one week. Scott Chandler is a matchup option at tight end (cannot believe I just typed that), Kyle Orton is a matchup QB2, and Sammy Watkins is affordable in DFS.
The Jets want to run the game to death, but the Bills’ weak spot is against wide receivers. Eric Decker and Percy Harvin are WR3 types with upside this week. Hopefully the good Michael Vick shows up again.
