Corner Report: Week 11

This article will go game by game for the Sunday main slate looking at the top wide receivers from an offense and, based on the inside/outside and left/right splits in the alignment data of those receivers, identify the cornerbacks most likely to face them in man coverage. The corners named will parenthetically cite the rank of their coverage grade from Pro Football Focus from the 2020 season, though sometimes with reference to prior years when noted.

Receivers very rarely see the same corner every play, be it due to formational quirks or zone coverage calls by the defense, so a receiver's fortunes depend on much more than just the quality of the corner they're likely to see the most in a given game. Even against a bad corner, a good receiver can be denied the opportunity if the pass rush or something else outside his control complicates things. But it's part of the puzzle, and it's worth keeping track of.

Receivers are left with an Upgrade, Downgrade, or Even verdict based on their projected matchup. This shouldn't be read as 'good' or 'bad' but rather a measured tweak from the receiver's baseline projection.

CIN vs WAS

CINCINNATI WIDE RECEIVERS

Keep in mind that the Cincinnati offensive line is still very much a concern, and the Washington front four is as talented as any in the league. Beyond the CB-WR matchups here, the showdown in the trenches will hold a lot of sway over what sort of production we might find in this game. With that said, Tyler Boyd has an excellent matchup against Jimmy Moreland (54.2 PFF), and with the shortest ADOT you could probably reason that Boyd is the Bengals receiver least likely to be affected by the Washington pass rush. Tee Higgins should mostly see Kendall Fuller (68.4 PFF), meanwhile, and A.J. Green should mostly see Ronald Darby (71.2 PFF). While neither Higgins nor Green can run away from those corners, they are also much bigger than both and don't necessarily need to get open.

Upgrade: Tyler Boyd
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Tee Higgins, A.J. Green

WASHINGTON WIDE RECEIVERS

Isaiah Wright is questionable with an illness. If he's out then Steven Sims should take up a full-time role as the team's slot receiver, though Mackensie Alexander (54.9 PFF) is far from a pushover there. Terry McLaurin gets a tough draw if he sees William Jackson (70.5 PFF) most of the game, but McLaurin is too good to fear any corner in particular. Cam Sims will get a chance to keep his hot streak going against the weak coverage of Tony Brown (40.3 PFF), but Cam probably isn't very good and Brown is at least big and fast for a corner.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Terry McLaurin, Steven Sims, Cam Sims

NO vs ATL

NEW ORLEANS WIDE RECEIVERS

A.J. Terrell (72.6 PFF) looks good on one side and Darqueze Dennard (68.2 PFF) looks promising on the other side in his abbreviated action, so the outside corner play in Atlanta might improve over the second half of the year. It's hard to find much hope for Isaiah Oliver (56.1 PFF) in the slot but he is still new to the position and could conceivably improve with reps.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Michael Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Tre'Quan Smith

ATLANTA WIDE RECEIVERS

It's tough to make the call on a corner like Marshon Lattimore (52.8 PFF), who at once is very talented but also has played poorly this year. Perhaps the spotlight that comes with a Julio Jones matchup will bring out the better in Lattimore, but if not then Julio will obviously hurt him for it. Janoris Jenkins (65.8 PFF) has been better than Lattimore this year but doesn't have the size or speed to match up with Julio. Jenkins would be a more effective counter to the traits of Calvin Ridley, though Ridley probably has the skill advantage. It's not clear whether Russell Gage has the skills to capitalize on a matchup with Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (54.2 PFF).

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage

JAC vs PIT

JACKSONVILLE WIDE RECEIVERS

Each of the top three active Jacksonville receivers is capable of beating their coverage assignments in this game. That's especially true of DJ Chark, who is much bigger and much more athletic than any Pittsburgh corner. But like most matchups with the Steelers defense, these on-paper plans can get derailed by their pass rush, which is especially concerning when you're talking about a lanky rookie quarterback like Jake Luton. Chark, Keelan Cole and Chris Conley may well get open, but Luton might not see them, or he might get hit while throwing. There's a way for it all to work for these Jacksonville receivers, but it's a delicate hypothetical.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DJ Chark, Keelan Cole, Chris Conley
 

 
PITTSBURGH WIDE RECEIVERS

Sidney Jones and C.J. Henderson are the best Jaguars corners, and both are out. DJ Hayden is the main slot corner in Jones' place, and he'll likely mostly cover JuJu Smith-Schuster and then Chase Claypool. The outside corners will be Chris Claybrooks (61.3 PFF) and Tre Herndon (45.8 PFF), who all of Diontae Johnson, Claypool and Smith-Schuster can probably beat easily.

Upgrade: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

CLE vs PHI

CLEVELAND WIDE RECEIVERS

Rashard Higgins might see the shadow coverage of Darius Slay (64.8 PFF), which is a tough but manageable assignment if so. Even if Higgins is composed against Slay, though, slot receiver Jarvis Landry should be able to find easier coverage against the Philadelphia slot corner, be it Nickell Robey-Coleman or Cre'Von LeBlanc.

Upgrade: Jarvis Landry
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Rashard Higgins

PHILADELPHIA WIDE RECEIVERS

The huge disparity in talent between left corner Denzel Ward (73.4 PFF) and right corner Terrance Mitchell (64.9 PFF) might eventually lead the Browns to use Ward as a shadow corner against opposing teams' top receivers, but it's not clear whether the Eagles' wide receiver loadout gives them a good opportunity to do so. Travis Fulgham is doubtlessly the top Philadelphia receiver, and yet if Ward were to shadow him then it would leave Mitchell in profound danger against the speed of Jalen Reagor. The Browns could choose to leave Ward on one side as a result, but they could also use Ward to shadow Reagor to keep Mitchell on the slower Fulgham. The Eagles might target whoever is on Mitchell, but given his 4.6 speed it's probably Reagor who can hurt him the most. Slot receiver Greg Ward in any case gets a manageable matchup against slot corner Kevin Johnson (53.3 PFF).

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Travis Fulgham, Jalen Reagor (lower to 'downgrade' if shadowed by Denzel Ward, raise to 'upgrade' if Ward shadows Fulgham), Greg Ward

CAR vs DET

CAROLINA WIDE RECEIVERS

With Teddy Bridgewater (knee) uncertain, this might be a case where the surrounding circumstances overrule the effect of the specific WR-CB matchups. That would be unfortunate if so, because the Panthers receivers look capable of doing major damage to the Detroit secondary. If a quarterback can get them the ball, then they should be open. It's just not clear whether P.J. Walker or a hobbled Bridgewater can capitalize.

Upgrade: Robby Anderson, DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

DETROIT WIDE RECEIVERS

The Marvins Jones and Hall will likely start at receiver again with Kenny Golladay out. Against the Panthers the matchups are difficult to identify – defensive coordinator Phil Snow is liable to change things from week to week and might opt for more zone coverages than man to man, especially with Rasul Douglas (60.8 PFF) dealing with an ankle injury and Donte Jackson injured. Douglas should play, but he matches up poorly to both Marvins – Hall for speed reasons and Jones for quickness reasons. Douglas is a big, slow corner who does well against bigger receivers but probably is at a disadvantage over gnat wideouts like these. Troy Pride (31.4 PFF) matches up better with the Marvins trait-wise but hasn't shown any skill to this point. Slot corner Corn Elder (70.8 PFF) might be the best Panthers corner in this one, which wouldn't be good news for Danny Amendola if so.

Upgrade: Marvin Jones, Marvin Hall
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Danny Amendola

BAL vs TEN

BALTIMORE WIDE RECEIVERS

Right corner Malcolm Butler (67.5 PFF) isn't built to run with speed like that of Marquise Brown and Devin Duvernay. Butler is scrappy, though, and for what it's worth he should see more of Duvernay than Brown. Brown should see more of Breon Borders (82.2 PFF), who has received high PFF grades but will likely be hard-pressed to maintain them as an undrafted player out of Duke. Borders has roughly 4.5 speed and can't match the strides of Brown or Duvernay for long. Desmond King (73.5 PFF) is a tough slot matchup for Willie Snead, meanwhile.

Upgrade: Marquise Brown
Downgrade: Willie Snead
Even: Devin Duvernay

TENNESSEE WIDE RECEIVERS

Marlon Humphrey (74.1 PFF) is a strong candidate to shadow A.J. Brown, the results of which would be anyone's guess. Humphrey is likely a top-three corner, but Brown might be the best receiver in the NFL. Hard road or not, Brown is built for it. Corey Davis would in that case probably see the most of Marcus Peters (61.2 PFF), a mercurial player but one capable of strong play. It's not clear where Jimmy Smith would line up in this scenario if healthy, but he's questionable with an ankle issue.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: A.J. Brown, Corey Davis, Cameron Batson

HOU vs NE

HOUSTON WIDE RECEIVERS

Stephon Gilmore (60.2 PFF) might return from his knee injury in this one, and if he does it would probably help stabilize a New England corner rotation that has struggled in his absence. What's less clear is whether Gilmore would serve as New England's shadow corner in this event, or if he would instead either play just one side or cede the shadow role toward the standout J.C. Jackson (76.3 PFF). If you're an investor in Will Fuller or Brandin Cooks you'd probably prefer that they run against Gilmore than Jackson – a surprising twist. Slot corner Jonathan Jones (63.0 PFF) is a formidable matchup for Randall Cobb.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Will Fuller, Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb

 
 
NEW ENGLAND WIDE RECEIVERS

Jakobi Meyers has been excellent lately, so it's only natural that he see more attention from defenses as a result. That should materialize in the form of shadow coverage from Bradley Roby (71.0 PFF). Roby is a good but not great corner, so it's not a red flag for Meyers, but it's also still possible that Meyers is more of a 'decent' starting receiver rather than a truly good one, so Roby is probably the more skilled of the two. N'Keal Harry and Damiere Byrd are difficult to trust but have comparatively easy matchups against the likes of Vernon Hargreaves (31.1 PFF) and Phillip Gaines (52.6 PFF).

Upgrade: Damiere Byrd, N'Keal Harry
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jakobi Meyers

LAC vs NYJ

CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Keenan Allen is great and a tough matchup like slot corner Brian Poole (79.5 PFF) shouldn't sway you away from him, but it is indeed a tough matchup. Allen will also get some cracks at the outside Jets cornerbacks, though, and they're all bad. Even if he only sees 15 or 20 snaps outside, Allen can do a day's worth of damage there. When he's in the slot, though, Allen might not get open as quickly as Mike Williams and Jalen Guyton can against the Jets' busted outside coverage.

Upgrade: Mike Williams, Jalen Guyton, Keenan Allen
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A
 

 
JETS WIDE RECEIVERS

Te'Vaughn Campbell (48.9 PFF) isn't really working at slot corner for the Chargers, which is bad when you have to cover Jamison Crowder. Skilled as he might be, Casey Hayward (65.2 PFF) can't run with speed like that of Breshad Perriman or Denzel Mims. Michael Davis (68.3 PFF) probably can a little bit, though.

Upgrade: Jamison Crowder
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Denzel Mims, Breshad Perriman

DEN vs MIA

DENVER WIDE RECEIVERS

Miami's outside corners (Byron Jones and Xavien Howard) are formidable to the point that it's difficult to get excited about Tim Patrick or KJ Hamler against them, especially with Denver's questions at QB. Jerry Jeudy has a comparatively easy slot matchup against Nik Needham, though again, who knows whether the quarterback can capitalize.

Upgrade: Jerry Jeudy
Downgrade: Tim Patrick, KJ Hamler
Even: N/A

MIAMI WIDE RECEIVERS

Jakeem Grant has been promising for the Dolphins this year, showing an underneath game after mostly playing a field-stretching role prior to 2020, but he gets a potentially tough matchup here. It's not clear how exactly the Broncos will play WR1 DeVante Parker – they might shadow him with CB1 Bryce Callahan (88.2 PFF), but at 5-9 with a nickel corner build Callahan's talents might yield diminishing returns against a 6-3 blue chip talent like Parker. If Callahan shadows Parker, on the other hand, Grant can burn past whoever is left on him in coverage. There's some sort of opportunity here, but it's hazy upon approach.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Jakeem Grant (raise to 'even' if Callahan shadows Parker), Malcolm Perry
Even: DeVante Parker

MIN vs DAL

MINNESOTA WIDE RECEIVERS

Chidobe Awuzie is back from injury and gives Dallas a significant upgrade at outside corner. If Awuzie plays decent outside it should help a player like Jourdan Lewis (46.5 PFF) regain his form after struggling to start this year. Still, even the 'good' versions of Awuzie and Lewis would be at an on-paper disadvantage against Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson.

Upgrade: Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

DALLAS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Vikings corners are young, beat up, and potentially short on talent. If Cam Dantzler (52.4 PFF) or Jeff Gladney (52.3 PFF) ever 'get there' then it seems unlikely to occur this year. There's a ton of risk here due to Andy Dalton playing horribly against the Cardinals before his injury and bout with COVID, but understand that these corners can't cover Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb or Michael Gallup.

Upgrade: Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

IND vs GB

INDIANAPOLIS WIDE RECEIVERS

Michael Pittman had a breakout game in Week 10 and might be the top receiver threat for the Colts, but it's not clear how the Packers will assess Pittman relative to T.Y. Hilton. The question is important for determining the coverage assignment of the feared Jaire Alexander, who could shadow Pittman if Green Bay deems him the greatest threat, but they also might make the matchup on the basis of traits, in which case Alexander is a better counter to the smallish, speedy Hilton than the hulking Pittman. Kevin King (58.7 PFF) is a better traits counter to Pittman, though King lacks skill and Pittman would be liable to beat him in that scenario. Zach Pascal in any case should see competent coverage from Chandon Sullivan in the slot.

Upgrade: Michael Pittman (lower to 'downgrade' if shadowed by Alexander)
Downgrade: T.Y. Hilton (raise to 'even' if Alexander does not shadow)
Even: Zach Pascal
 

 
GREEN BAY WIDE RECEIVERS

Davante Adams lines up all over and should see all parts of the Indianapolis secondary at various points. Defining his specific matchup is made tougher yet by the fact that Indianapolis utilizes zone coverage more often than most teams, making it ambiguous who's responsible for Adams on a given play. We should assume this coverage will be 'good' more or less – Matt Eberflus is a standout defensive coordinator – but it just doesn't really matter for Adams. He had a 'bad' game last week (eight catches for 66 yards on 12 targets) and it still resulted in 20.6 PPR points. Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling both project questionably against Indianapolis' big outside corners, though MVS at least has the speed to run past the safeties if they don't turn to run quick enough.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard

LV vs KC

LAS VEGAS WIDE RECEIVERS

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Henry Ruggs, Hunter Renfrow, Nelson Agholor
 

KANSAS CITY WIDE RECEIVERS

Upgrade: Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

TB vs LAR

TAMPA BAY WIDE RECEIVERS

Upgrade: Chris Godwin
Downgrade: Mike Evans
Even: Antonio Brown
 

 
RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Josh Reynolds
Even: Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods