5 fantasy matchups to exploit in Week 16

Welcome to the Matchups Machine, which narrows down ideal matchups from around the league on a weekly basis using the tools we have available at PFF, the Las Vegas odds, and insight from yours truly.

PFF has all the tools to break down each individual matchup. Do you want to know how your wide receiver is going to do? Well, if he lines up as a split end on 90 percent of his snaps, we can pinpoint which cornerback he will be matching up with for those snaps. We can also tell you how that cornerback has performed.

Of course, as was the case in the past, this column will become more accurate as the season goes on and we compile more grades for the players and get a feel for the tendencies and overall strengths/weaknesses of the 32 teams.

The goal of this column is to help you with those tricky decisions in year-long leagues, but also to help you narrow down your best options in daily fantasy leagues. You will see a mix of big-name players and fringe starters. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Blake Bortles at Saints

The Saints’ pass defense made Matthew Stafford look like Drew Brees in Week 15, allowing just as many touchdowns as incomplete passes. This is nothing new, and you can expect Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles to have no trouble moving the football and putting up points in Week 16. Everyone is going to be all over Bortles — his ownership percentage will be through the roof. However, if you own him in season-long leagues gearing up for your championship game, or if you want to optimize your cash game lineups, it’s impossible to bypass Bortles.

After showing some signs of improvement under recently promoted defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, in Week 15 the Saints’ pass defense looked more like it had under Rob Ryan. On the season, the Saints own PFF’s 31st-”best” pass rush and the 31st-”best” pass coverage grades overall. When you consider that breakout cornerback Delvin Breaux’s positive grade factors into the overall grade, it’s hard to comprehend just how bad this pass defense has been.

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Dan Schneier is a staff writer at PFF Fantasy and he covers the NFL for FOX Sports. You can find him on Twitter @DanSchneierNFL. You can also add him to your network on Google+ to find all of his past material.