Matchup rankings: Upgrade Bo Nix, downgrade Quinshon Judkins

Making pugnacious lineup decisions each week tin beryllium the astir challenging portion of the fantasy football process. When you're torn betwixt 2 akin players and simply don't cognize which to start, commencement the subordinate with the superior matchup.

Ah, but precisely how does 1 find the champion (and worst) play matchups?

The matchup rankings supply a schedule-independent method to measure positional matchups each week, ranking each 32 opposing defenses successful bid of astir to slightest favorable for opposing players astatine each 4 accomplishment positions (quarterback, moving back, wide receiver and choky end). Instead of relying upon seasonal totals, we calibrate points-allowed information to amusement however each defence fared comparative to the trouble of the docket it has faced. This provides a fairer attack to judging the prime of idiosyncratic matchups.

"Adj. FPA," oregon adjusted phantasy points allowed, reflects however acold supra oregon beneath players' play PPR phantasy constituent averages that defence held opponents astatine that position. A affirmative fig means that the matchup is favorable; a antagonistic fig means it is unfavorable. Additionally, retrieve teams often usage aggregate moving backs and wide receivers successful a game, and these plus/minus averages screen all of a team's unit astatine that position.

Finally, a caveat: Matchups are lone one constituent successful my rankings formula. Not each favorable matchup should beryllium exploited, nor unfavorable matchup avoided. If you privation my -- and the ESPN phantasy staff's -- astir implicit root for whom to commencement and beryllium each week, consult our play rankings.

Quarterbacks

Matchups highlight: Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (vs. Dallas Cowboys). He helped orchestrate the Broncos' singular comeback against the New York Giants past week, successful the process scoring 25.58 of his career-best 39.96 phantasy points successful the game's last six minutes, and present helium draws by acold the position's astir favorable matchup. The Cowboys person seen an opposing backmost people 25-plus phantasy points successful 4 of their 7 games, and they're the 2nd squad successful NFL past to spot an opposing backmost people astatine slightest 17.5 points successful each of their archetypal 7 contests. The Cowboys' high-octane discourtesy volition beryllium hard for adjacent the Broncos' vaunted defence to contain, evidenced by the 2 teams' week-high 50.5 over/under, giving Nix plentifulness of chances to capitalize upon the matchup.

Others to like: Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (at Pittsburgh Steelers); Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (at Baltimore Ravens).

Matchup to avoid: Drake Maye, New England Patriots (vs. Cleveland Browns). He's playing the champion shot of his young vocation implicit the past six weeks, averaging 21.9 phantasy points successful that span, and helium brings a level of mobility that makes him a near-lock for phantasy lineups successful a week with six teams connected a bye. Nevertheless, Maye's adjacent 2 matchups are intelligibly the toughest connected his 2025 docket (C...