This is always a popular question – or series of questions – during my Friday Live Streams on NFL on NBC YouTube Channel: Which slot receivers have the best games? And which external enlargements (borders) are in good places?
While it shouldn’t be the deciding factor in how you make your weekly roster decisions, knowing whether a pass catcher is having a particularly good or bad game is valuable information that can sometimes serve as a tiebreaker for your more vexing starting decisions.
This season, I’ll use this space to break down the best (and worst) matchups between pass catchers operating from the slot and those who primarily line up on the boundary. Some pass catchers, as you know, divide their time between the boundary and the slot, which makes this little exercise more complicated. I’ll do my best to identify the most attractive (and least attractive) weekly matchups, and what they might mean for your weekly early session decisions.
I pass adjusted yards per attempt to target share as the primary metric to evaluate location and boundary matchups. AY/A can be very skewed by one or two big plays, leaving us chasing big (unpredictable) plays. I’ll still use AY/A — as well as the above-expected completion rate — in my analysis here. But location and boundary target sharing will benefit from graphics processing in the future.
Slots Matches
Jaguars vs. Eagles
We’ll start, as always, with how Philadelphia’s secondary might be attacked this week. A bunch of slots targets could be the ideal solution to save Parker Washington of another deception, functioning as the No. 1 nominal target in a Liam Coen an offense seemingly designed to drive fantasy people crazy.
Washington leads the Jaguars with a 45 percent route rate and has done much of its damage this season on slot targets. Trevor Lawrence. The Eagles aren’t necessarily bad at defending the slot: They rank 19th in adjusted yards per target on slot appearance and 20th in accuracy on such throws. But that’s where the ball goes against the Eagles’ opponents, and that’s where Washington lives (usually).
Brenton strangewho runs 41 percent of his pass routes from the slot, could also benefit. Strange’s 0.46 fantasy points per run are better than those like Sam LaPorta And Juwan Johnson.
A warning here: the Eagles are a pretty clear running funnel defense. This could, unfortunately, limit the volume for Washington, Strange and the rest of the Jags’ pass catchers.
Bills vs. Rams
Dalton KincaidThe trombone’s sorry situation may finally, thankfully, end this week against a Los Angeles coverage unit allowing the second-highest target rate in the league.
Kincaid has run 33 percent of his routes from the slot this season (and 20 percent from the boundary). In Week 5, he benefited from a Rams defense that locked down opposing boundaries, forcing teams to funnel targets inside.
This should also be a nice little boost for Khalil Shakirwho leads the Bills offense with a 57 percent slot rate through four games. Shakir would be a must-see this week if DJ Moore (the shoulder) is pushed aside. Shakir’s 26 percent target per route rate trails only Moore among Buffalo pass catchers.
Steelers vs. Colts
I was abnormally Romain Wilson-curious this season. I wrote about Wilson a some times in regression files because the Steelers offense produces a ton of junk volume and prayer yards. The idea is that one day, perhaps, these prayer classes will magically transform into real reception classes. Let’s pray (sorry to get religious).
Indy’s secondary has been miserable against slot pass receivers in 2026. They are allowing the highest completion rate relative to expectations and the third-most adjusted yards per attempt on slot throws. With Michael Pittman, Jr. and with the Steelers all but abandoning the run, Wilson — operating from the slot on 63 percent of his routes — has a real chance to cook here.
Pat Freiermuthrunning from the slot at a team-high 65 percent rate, is also interesting this week as a streaming option if you’re bad at tight end. Tight ends saw a 25 percent target rate against the Colts in 2026. The Muth may well be lost.
Boundary matches
Giants vs. Commanders
Malik Nabers will (probably) continue cooking until morale improves. Not only are border expansions targeted at a high rate against commanders, but they have also been effective. Only five teams have allowed a higher adjusted yards per attempt than Washington through Week 4. Only three defenses have allowed a higher-than-expected completion rate on boundary targets.
Nabers, meanwhile, has been targeted on 27 percent of his routes since James Winston took over as the Giants’ starter. At worst, he should have a real opportunity to destroy Washington’s borders this weekend.
Lions vs. Cardinals
Both Jameson Williams and favorite regression files Isaac TeSlaa have impeccable matchups this week against an Arizona coverage unit, giving up the third-most adjusted yards per attempt to the Border Brothers. Only six defenses have allowed more receiving yards on borderline targets this season.
TeSlaa – which operates 66 percent of its routes from the border – is slowly overtaking Williams as the Lions’ air yard eater – a much more efficient one, at that. The pieces seem to fit here for TeSlaa as a flex in Week 5: he’s playing in a high-scoring game, his route rate has increased in recent weeks, and cards are being burned by boundary guys.
Bears vs. Packers
Rome Odunze dominates aerial yards in Chicago’s offense, whatever that might be worth to you. So far, he’s accounted for 38 percent of the team’s air yards, and last week against the Jets, he accounted for 44 percent of the air yards en route to six catches for 94 yards. Tyson Bagent seems to like to throw the ball Rome’s way.
Odunze should be in play here as a potential flex play. Green Bay’s defense for a second straight season was vulnerable to borderline players. They gave up the tenth highest in the NFL in adjusted yards per attempt on outside targets. Although it will still be a high-variance game, Odunze has the right matchup in Week 5.
Gn sports
