Making those tough lineup decisions, week over week, can be the most challenging part of the fantasy football process. When you're torn between two similar players, and simply don't know which of them to start, my advice is to start the player with the superior matchup.
Ah, but exactly how does one determine the best (and worst) weekly matchups?
The "Matchups Map" each week provides a schedule-independent method to evaluate positional matchups, ranking all 32 opposing defenses in order of most to least favorable for opposing players at all four skill positions (quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end). Instead of relying upon seasonal totals, in this space we calibrate points-allowed data to show how each defense fared relative to the difficulty of the schedule that it has faced. This provides a fairer approach to judging the quality of individual matchups.
"Adj. FPA," or Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed, reflects how far above or below players' weekly PPR fantasy point averages that defense has held opponents at that position. A positive number means that the matchup is favorable; a negative number means it is unfavorable. Additionally, remember that teams often use multiple running backs and wide receivers in a game, and these plus/minus averages cover all of a team's personnel at that position.
All data is from the past five weeks' NFL action.
Finally, a caveat: Matchups are only one ingredient in my rankings formula. Not every favorable matchup should be exploited, nor unfavorable matchup avoided. If you want my -- and ESPN fantasy staff's -- most complete source for whom to start and sit each week, consult our weekly rankings.
Quarterbacks
Matchups highlight
Justin Fields, Bears (against Lions)
Fresh off his setting a single-game NFL record with 178 rushing yards, Fields draws one of the most favorable matchups at the position. The Lions have struggled especially against mobile quarterbacks. Jalen Hurts (24.72 fantasy points in Week 1) and Geno Smith (31.70 in Week 4) delivered big scores against them, while Tua Tagovailoa tallied 29.18 fantasy points against this defense in Week 8. Fields brings that tough-to-contain dimension to his offensive game, and this outcome might not be far off Hurts' 17-90-1 rushing line, considering his skill set and willingness to make things happen with his legs. He's a top-five positional choice for the week.
Others to like
Geno Smith, Seahawks (at Buccaneers)
Smith continues to deliver reliable stat lines, averaging 18.2 fantasy points through nine starts. He now faces a Buccaneers defense that hasn't had an interception since Week 4 despite facing an extremely easy schedule.
Jacoby Brissett, Browns (at Dolphins)
Brissett is a worthwhile streamer for those in a bye-week or injury-related pinch. The Dolphins allowed Josh Allen (26.70 in Week 1), Lamar Jackson (42.62 in Week 2) and Fields (42.72 in Week 9) to score least 26.70 fantasy point this season.
Matchup to avoid
Dak Prescott, Cowboys (at Packers)
Prescott has averaged 20.8 fantasy points with only 14 interceptions and nine lost fumbles in his past 24 games, but this isn't one of the better remaining matchups for a quarterback who has peaks and valleys in his game log. The Packers have yet to allow a 20-point game to a quarterback this season and are one of five defenses that can claim that held Josh Allen to 17.62 points in Week 8 and Jared Goff to 11.38 in Week 8.
Running backs
Matchups highlight
Cordarrelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons (at Panthers)
Patterson's return to the field in Week 9 couldn't have gone much better than it did. Patterson had a team-leading 14 touches and turned them into 18.3 PPR fantasy points. Expect a larger share from Patterson this week in what is one of the most favorable matchups at running back. He faces a Panthers team that just surrendered the season's highest individual PPR fantasy point score to Joe Mixon (55.1). Defensively, the Panthers have been getting worn down by opponents facing the third-most rushing attempt total in the league (92 over the past three weeks). Additionally, the Falcons squeezed 29.3 points from Allgeier, Caleb Huntley and Avery Williams against this defense just two weeks ago.
Others to like
Jamaal Williams Detroit Lions, at Bears
Williams received a larger share of the rushing workload than expected since De'Andre Swift returned in Week 8. He's played 51% of the offensive snaps while totaling 37 touches. This bodes well against a Bears defense that has allowed over 16 PPR fantasy points to running backs the past three weeks.
Jeff Wilson Jr. Miami Dolphins, against Browns
Wilson Jr. also received a larger-than-expected workload in Week 9, playing 51% of the Dolphins' offensive snaps with a team-leading 12 touches. He'll now face a Browns defense allowed opposing running backs to score a touchdown once every 16.4 rushing attempts, the highest rate in the league.
Matchup to avoid
Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills against Vikings
Most of the toughest defenses against running backs are on bye this week (Patriots, Ravens, Bengals), but among those playing, the Vikings might cause Singletary and the Bills headaches. The Vikings haven't allowed a running back to reach over 15 PPR points against them since Week 5 and over 20 points since Week 3. They've held running backs to the fourth-fewest PPR fantasy points per target for the season (1.26). While the Bills are extremely pass-oriented -- they've run the football 38% of the time, and 62 of their 195 total rushing attempts belong to Josh Allen. Singletary has only averaged 9.9 rushing attempts per game, and is not a big factor in scoring position. He has four red zone rushing attempts and five red-zone targets.
Wide receivers
Matchups highlight
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chiefs (versus Jaguars).
Tight end Travis Kelce might be Patrick Mahomes' go-to option these days, but Smith-Schuster has emerged as Mahomes' best target from the Chiefs' wide receiver group. Smith-Schuster's 19.2% target share is easily second on the team (Marquez Valdes-Scantling's 11.9% is a distant third), and his 11 red-zone targets also rank second. That's significant in a week like this, against a struggling Jaguars' secondary that surrendered 26.4 PPR fantasy points to Michael Pittman Jr. in Week 6 and 36.6 points to Davante Adams in Week 9. What those two have in common is that they are largely perimeter receivers, running 74% and 73% of their routes on the outside in those weeks, which is generally where Smith-Schuster lines up in the slot.
Others to like
Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints at Steelers
Olave draws a matchup against a Steelers defense that has allowed a league-high 50.9 PPR fantasy points per game to wide receivers over the past five weeks.
DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers against Falcons
Moore battles a Falcons defense that has surrendered 49.4 PPR fantasy points per game to wide receivers over the past five weeks, second-most in the league. He scored a season-best 27.5 points when the Panthers faced the Falcons in Week 8.
Matchup to avoid
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders (at Eagles)
McLaurin has been Taylor Heinicke's go-to receiver, totaling 45.5 PPR fantasy points on 25 targets to recapture his WR2 status entering the season. That's not necessarily a good thing considering he faces an Eagles defense that has allowed the second-fewest PPR fantasy points per target to the position. Cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry will certainly be focused on McLaurin. However he did score 16.2 PPR fantasy points in their Week 3 meeting but has averaged 12.9 PPR fantasy points over his past five games against the Eagles.
Tight ends
Matchups highlight
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers against Seahawks
Otton's involvement in the receiving game has spiked over the past five weeks. He leads the team with eight red-zone targets, has averaged 37.8 routes run and has totaled 46.3 PPR fantasy points over that time span. That's good news for this week, considering the Seahawks have surrendered 6.7 Adjusted Fantasy Points Added this season, and are tied for the most 10-point PPR performances allowed to tight ends (8). Lesser-known names like Adam Trautman (11.2 PPR fantasy points in Week 5) and Gerald Everett (11.3, Week 7) made that list over the past five weeks alone. Consider plugging in Otton if you're thin at tight end this week.
Others to like
The Cardinals defense has also allowed eight different tight ends to score over 10 PPR fantasy points against them this season. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams (against Cardinals) should rebound after an extremely quiet past three games.
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars, at Chiefs
Engram has seen a respectable 15.9% target share and the Chiefs have allowed the most PPR fantasy points per target to opposing tight ends over the past five weeks (2.38).
Matchup to avoid
Taysom Hill, Saints (at Steelers)
Hill is an unpredictable fellow for fantasy purposes. With a pair of games worth 15-plus PPR fantasy points (Weeks 1 and 5), and another pair of games scoring less than two points (Weeks 2 and 9), it's generally anyone's guess when he's going to contribute. This week however, represents one of the few truly poor matchups Hill could draw. The Steelers have limited tight ends to the third-fewest PPR fantasy points per target this season (1.36), and are one of the toughest defenses against rushing quarterbacks. Pittsburgh has allowed only 4.3 yards per rushing attempt with zero touchdowns to quarterbacks, and held two of the league's best, Josh Allen (Week 5) and Jalen Hurts (Week 8) to a combined 52 yards on seven attempts.