Corner Report: Week 5

Written by

Updated on October 9, 2020 10:39PM EST

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.

ATL vs CAR

ATLANTA WIDE RECEIVERS

If Julio Jones (hamstring) can't play then Olamide Zaccheaus is apparently the main replacement. Calvin Ridley runs on the opposite side most of the time, a little more often on the right than on the left. Russell Gage is typically the slot receiver.

Gage should mostly run against Corn Elder

ATL vs CAR

ATLANTA WIDE RECEIVERS

Gage should mostly run against Corn Elder (71.0 PFF) and perhaps to a lesser extent Jeremy Chinn (49.8 PFF). There's both nothing intimidating nor obviously opportune for Gage in those matchups. Rasul Douglas (69.9 PFF) appears to be an occasional shadow corner for the Panthers, because he switched to DeAndre Hopkins' side on the defense's right after playing left corner more often in previous games. If he shadows anyone in this game it would likely be Julio, but if Julio is out then Douglas' traits as a slowish, 6-2 corner wouldn't lend much help against the more slightly-built and slashing receiver types presented by Ridley and Zaccheaus. Donte Jackson (64.9 PFF) is the other outside corner, in any case. Jackson would likely be the tougher matchup for Ridley and Zaccheaus, so you'd rather see them against the lanky, comparatively clumsy Douglas.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus

CAROLINA WIDE RECEIVERS

Curtis Samuel continues to play almost exclusively in the slot, where in this matchup he should mostly see Blidi Wreh-Wilson (40.2 PFF). Wreh-Wilson can't cover Samuel but so far the Panthers haven't made anyone actually cover Samuel – rather than run routes downfield, Samuel is mostly taking extended handoffs and it's not clear whether that will challenge Wreh-Wilson all that much. The opportunity is there if they have any interest in taking it, though. WR1 Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore both have upgrades outside otherwise, as Isaiah Oliver (57.3 PFF) isn't built for speed and Kendall Sheffield (44.6 PFF) is all tools, no skill at this point.

Upgrade: Robby Anderson, D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel

Downgrade: N/A

Even: N/A

PIT vs PHI

PITTSBURGH WIDE RECEIVERS

JuJu Smith-Schuster is still the lead slot receiver for the Steelers, and Diontae Johnson is still the lead outside receiver. James Washington and Chase Claypool appear to be rotating in as co-WR3s behind those two, on a basis that's still fluctuating. After playing as the backup slot last year, Washington is functioning more outside now, with Claypool perhaps emerging as the second slot receiver behind Smith-Schuster.

Smith-Schuster should see the most of slot corners Cre'Von LeBlanc (48.9 PFF) and Nickell Robey-Coleman (52.5 PFF). Johnson might get shadowed by Darius Slay (70.7 PFF), though the Eagles could opt to simply play Slay on the left and Jalen Mills (61.3 PFF) on the right, which is what they did against the 49ers in Week 4. If it's the latter, then Johnson would probably see a little more of Mills than Slay. If you're a Johnson investor you want him to see Mills rather than Slay.

Upgrade: JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, Chase Claypool

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Diontae Johnson (upgrade if no Slay shadow)

PHILADELPHIA WIDE RECEIVERS

Who knows who the Eagles will use at receiver, but among the options are Greg Ward and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside in the slot, and all of DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, John Hightower and Travis Fulgham outside. Basically, it's a mess.

The Pittsburgh secondary is straightforward, on the other hand. Mike Hilton (59.4 PFF) is the slot corner, one of the league's better ones despite the modest PFF coverage grade so far this year. Receivers like Ward match up especially poorly with 5-9, more-quick-than-fast corners like Hilton, while at 6-2, 225 or so Arcega-Whiteside would at least have a size mismatch. Capitalizing on either receiver is impractical given the uncertainty of this offense, though. Jackson, Jeffery, Hightower and Fulgham would split their reps against Steven Nelson (67.3 PFF) and Joe Haden (59.6 PFF), both of whom are typically at least competent in the Steelers' scheme.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: Greg Ward

Even: DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, John Hightower, Travis Fulgham

BAL vs CIN

BALTIMORE WIDE RECEIVERS

Marquise Brown is the main draw here, and he tends to line up on the right about 2/3 of the time. The left corner for Cincinnati so far is Darius Phillips (55.0 PFF), though he played the slot last week while Mackensie Alexander (65.9 PFF) was injured. Alexander should be back for the slot snaps this week, though, while the standout William Jackson (71.3 PFF) plays right corner. For Brown to see most of his snaps against Phillips probably constitutes an upgrade. Miles Boykin and Devin Duvernay look likely to run most of the reps against Jackson, while Willie Snead gets the tough draw against Alexander in the slot.

Upgrade: Marquise Brown

Downgrade: Miles Boykin, Devin Duvernay, Willie Snead

Even: N/A

CINCINNATI WIDE RECEIVERS

Slot receiver Tyler Boyd draws a tough matchup against Marlon Humphrey (75.0 PFF), but it's not hopeless for Boyd – he caught six of eight targets for 62 yards the last time he ran against Humphrey. Still, tough draw. Left corner Marcus Peters (49.7 PFF) has a thigh injury potentially complicating things, but if healthy he's a formidable assignment. He should see both Tee Higgins and A.J. Green, though a little more of Higgins than Green. Green, meanwhile, should see a bit more of Jimmy Smith (70.1 PFF), who appears to be playing through a knee issue. Particularly if Peters or Smith is playing at less than 100 percent, you might say Higgins and Green have the easier matchups by a trivial amount.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: Tyler Boyd

Even: Tee Higgins, A.J. Green

HOU vs JAC

HOUSTON WIDE RECEIVERS

Who knows what the deal is with Brandin Cooks, but maybe he'll be among the main beneficiaries if the Texans enjoy a fired-coach bounce heading into this game. Cooks' foundational talent is beyond any doubt, so the question is whether he's simply damaged goods at this point. If he's due for a resurgence, then he'll probably need to get the better of C.J. Henderson (65.3 PFF) and to a lesser extent Tre Herndon (51.7 PFF). Will Fuller should see both corners as well, but Herndon a little more than Henderson. Fuller can definitely beat both corners, and Cooks can too if he's still Brandin Cooks and not some lesser version of himself at this point. Slot corner DJ Hayden is out, leaving Randall Cobb to run against Chris Claybrooks (65.9 PFF) or Sidney Jones, both of whom are wildcards. Cobb probably should have the advantage over the two skinny Jacksonville slot candidates.

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

JACKSONVILLE WIDE RECEIVERS

DJ Chark is back and as good as ever, which isn't what the Texans want to hear heading into this one. Chark's clear WR1 status makes him a reasonable shadow candidate for corner Bradley Roby (60.8 PFF) but (A) Roby is merely a 'good' corner rather than a truly shutdown corner and (B) Chark is so good even shutdown corners are at risk of losing to him. On the other hand, Chark generally struggled against the Texans last year. Let's call it a draw. If the Texans don't shadow Chark with Roby, then better yet for Chark. If they do shadow Chark with Roby, then Laviska Shenault should get an appetizing matchup against whichever remaining corners, be it Vernon Hargreaves (40.7 PFF), Phillip Gaines (56.6 PFF), or John Reid (50.6 PFF). Shenault should also see a bit of slot safety Eric Murray (58.6 PFF), though he mostly played safety last week. Keelan Cole is the main slot receiver and should have a favorable matchup regardless of who ends up playing slot corner for Houston this week.

Upgrade: Laviska Shenault, Keelan Cole

Downgrade: N/A

Even: DJ Chark (upgrade if no Roby shadow)

KC vs LV

KANSAS CITY WIDE RECEIVERS

Tyreek Hill lines up everywhere with almost perfectly even right/left splits, but he so far has played more in the slot than last year, leaving Sammy Watkins to line up outside more often than in previous seasons. Maybe their usage reverts to pre-2019 form as the sample size increases, though for this matchup it's probably an immaterial question. None of the Raiders corners can match up with any of Hill, Watkins, or Mecole Hardman, whose playing time appears to be on the rise at the expense of the comically bad Demarcus Robinson. Then again, Robinson is a Raiders killer, with both of his two non-awful NFL games occurring against the Raiders.

Upgrade: Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson

Downgrade: N/A

Even: N/A

LAS VEGAS WIDE RECEIVERS

Henry Ruggs appears likely to return from injury, which probably isn't great for slot specialist Hunter Renfrow. Zay Jones and Nelson Agholor have played outside more consistently than Ruggs, who steals some of Renfrow's slot snaps, so it's possible that Ruggs hurts Renfrow about as much as he hurts the other two. The thing about this matchup is that Ruggs would probably be better served by running outside, where he can avoid killer slot corner Tyrann Mathieu. Mathieu is a big problem for Renfrow generally, and Ruggs' slot snaps against Mathieu project for lesser returns than his slot snaps in other weeks. When outside Ruggs should see an even amount of Charvarius Ward (66.6 PFF) and Rashad Fenton (76.5 PFF), both of them concerning matchups but both of them more manageable than Mathieu. Plus, Fenton in particular isn't built to run with a player like Ruggs. Jones and Agholor project more poorly against Ward and Fenton.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: Hunter Renfrow, Nelson Agholor, Zay Jones

Even: Henry Ruggs

NYJ vs ARI

JETS WIDE RECEIVERS

Left corner Patrick Peterson (48.7 PFF) isn't what he used to be, and right corner Dre Kirkpatrick (35.8 PFF) isn't getting any better with age, either. They should see relatively even time both against Chris Hogan and Jeff Smith. Slot corner Byron Murphy (52.5 PFF) might yet come through on his promise as a prospect, but for now he's struggling and probably ill-suited to stopping Jamison Crowder.

Upgrade: Jamison Crowder, Jeff Smith

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Chris Hogan

ARIZONA WIDE RECEIVERS

Blessuan Austin (35.8 PFF) seems ready to return at right corner, though he's had a rough go of it this year. Left corner Pierre Desir (53.5 PFF) has been so bad he might find the bench, in which case undrafted Nebraska rookie Lamar Jackson (56.1 PFF) would probably be next in line. Brian Poole (75.8 PFF) is strong in the slot, making that much more of a funnel toward the weak outside corners. That's a good-looking setup for DeAndre Hopkins, who should almost entirely run against Austin. Christian Kirk gets a green light against Desir/Jackson on the other side, and Andy Isabella can burn either outside corner deep. Larry Fitzgerald has the worst draw of the group with Poole on the other side.

Upgrade: DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, Andy Isabella

Downgrade: Larry Fitzgerald

Even: N/A

WAS vs LAR

WASHINGTON WIDE RECEIVERS

Terry McLaurin is a remarkable player and maybe the toughest matchup Jalen Ramsey (71.6 PFF) sees all year, but it's still a very tough matchup for McLaurin, whose quarterback play isn't likely to improve with the addition of Kyle Allen. Dontrelle Inman is still running opposite McLaurin, and he at least has a big frame advantage over Darious Williams (70.1 PFF), but Williams looks like one of the league's best young corners. Troy Hill (56.7 PFF) is struggling in his transition to slot corner, but if he sticks there he'll be the one to see the most of Isaiah Wright.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: Terry McLaurin, Darious Williams

Even: Isaiah Wright

RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS

Cooper Kupp is the main slot receiver for the Rams but Robert Woods gets plenty of looks there, too, generally playing on the right more than the left. Josh Reynolds tends to play the left receiver role in three-wide sets. Kendall Fuller (83.7 PFF) has done a good job at right corner for Washington, which is concerning for Reynolds. Woods gets a comparatively easy draw against mostly Ronald Darby (64.1 PFF). The slot coverage against Kupp might mostly come from safety Kamren Curl (70.1 PFF), who's evidently doing well so far but almost certainly has to be presumed at a disadvantage to Kupp.

Upgrade: Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods

Downgrade: Josh Reynolds

Even: N/A

SF vs MIA

SAN FRANCISCO WIDE RECEIVERS

Brandon Aiyuk has mostly played on the left so far which would almost necessarily mean Deebo Samuel should line up on the right more often than the left. Byron Jones and Xavien Howard don't have a clear assignment, but they'll be playing outside and might somewhat evenly split their reps against Samuel and Aiyuk. The Dolphins defense has been trash this year, but Jones returning healthy could help them gain their footing a bit. The slot corner is Noah Igbinoghene (32.7 PFF), and he's been lit up all year. Aiyuk and Samuel might get a couple cracks at Igbinoghene, but otherwise one of Kendrick Bourne or Trent Taylor should see the most of him. Bourne seems to be ahead of Taylor at the moment.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Kendrick Bourne

MIAMI WIDE RECEIVERS

DeVante Parker is looking great, which isn't what the 49ers need with all of their cornerback injuries. If Emmanuel Moseley (concussion) and backup Dontae Jackson (groin) are out then it would seemingly leave Jason Verrett (61.3 PFF) and maybe Ahkello Witherspoon (45.2 PFF) at outside corner, though even Witherspoon is questionable with a groin issue. Slot corner K'Waun Williams is likely out, so safety Jimmie Ward might need to play the emergency slot corner role. It's a mess. Preston Williams and Isaiah Ford don't exactly look like world beaters right now, but this matchup is a lot easier than it looked like before the injuries hit the 49ers secondary.

Upgrade: DeVante Parker

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Preston Williams, Isaiah Ford

CLE vs IND

CLEVELAND WIDE RECEIVERS

It's tricky to grade the matchups for receivers who play the Colts, because it's not often that the corners use simple man-to-man coverage. As much as we would normally declare Odell Beckham the clear favorite over a corner like Xavier Rhodes (81.7 PFF), the Colts system has a way of protecting its outside corners, as you can tell from Rhodes' current PFF grade. The other corner is Rock Ya-Sin (56.2 PFF), who appears more vulnerable than Rhodes at the moment. Beckham should see a fairly even split of both players. Donovan Peoples-Jones is tentatively expected to run against whichever outside corner Beckham doesn't run against in any given three-wide play. Jarvis Landry gets the other outside corner in two-wide sets, meanwhile, and in three-wide sets he gets the standout slot corner Kenny Moore (65.6 PFF).

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Donovan Peoples-Jones

INDIANAPOLIS WIDE RECEIVERS

Left corner Denzel Ward (77.4 PFF) has turned into the standout corner he was supposed to, which presents a potential dead end to whichever Colts receiver runs from the right side of the offense. Be it T.Y. Hilton, Zach Pascal or Marcus Johnson running against Ward, it's a bad spot for the receiver in question. Right corner Terrance Mitchell (60.0 PFF) is more beatable, on the other hand, especially against speedsters like Hilton and Johnson. Pascal might offset his sub-optimal Ward matchups with reps in the slot, where he should see the beatable Tavierre Thomas (49.3 PFF) and M.J. Stewart (30.0 PFF).

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: T.Y. Hilton, Marcus Johnson

Even: Zach Pascal

DAL vs NYG

DALLAS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Giants might choose to shadow Amari Cooper with James Bradberry (84.3 PFF), but then again the prospect of Michael Gallup running against Ryan Lewis (58.9 PFF) might make them less eager to do so. It's also unclear whether Bradberry, as a bigger corner, is well-suited to mirroring a highly advanced route runner like Cooper. Slot receiver CeeDee Lamb poses maybe the clearest threat of any of the Dallas receivers as he runs against struggling rookie Darnay Holmes (42.0 PFF).

Upgrade: CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Amari Cooper (upgrade if no Bradberry shadow)

GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS

Darius Slayton lines up almost always on the outside, and on the left about 2/3 of the time. The right corner for Dallas is apparently Daryl Worley (55.3 PFF), and he can't cover Slayton. Left corner Trevon Diggs (46.2 PFF) probably can't either. Damion Ratley seems like the outside wideout opposite Slayton, and if he can hold off fellow receiver C.J. Board then Ratley might be a surprisingly good dart play against these vulnerable Dallas corners. Ratley has the frame and speed to pose a threat vertically and on the sideline. Golden Tate should see the slot work, where Jourdan Lewis (54.8 PFF) is the best remaining Dallas corner.