Wide Receivers vs. Cornerbacks: Week 10 Matchups

This article will go game by game for the Week 10 slate looking at the top wide receivers from an offense and, based on the inside/outside and left/right splits of those receivers, identify the cornerbacks most likely to face them in man coverage. This post will have to be a little shorter and lean more on speculation/generalities than the entries to come, because teams haven't yet conclusively revealed their personnel tendencies.

Receivers rarely see the same corner every play, be it due to formation 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.
 

Carolina Panthers vs. New York Giants

CAROLINA PANTHERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Jalen Coker has shown promise but last week the Panthers mostly tried to stay in two-TE looks, and as a slot wideout to this point Coker heads to the bench in such situations. Basically, unless the Panthers bench David Moore and give his boundary snaps to Coker, Coker is stuck in a zero-sum game with tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, who tends to get the slot reps that don't go to Coker. If Coker takes Moore's snaps it would make him more interesting, but until then Xavier Legette is probably the only Panthers receiver worth the trouble in most formats. In this game Legette should mostly see some combination of Deonte Banks and Cor'Dale Flott, neither of whom is imposing.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Xavier Legette

NEW YORK GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS

With no Darius Slayton (concussion) the Giants will presumably give most of the downfield boundary reps to Jalin Hyatt, who is at risk of serving as a decoy to clear space for Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson. Nabers figures to get followed by Jaycee Horn, which at once isn't ideal but also is far from a deal-breaker for Nabers. Robinson against Troy Hill has no obvious winner – Robinson's touches are so YAC-dependent that route running barely comes into the equation at times. That Daniel Jones should have plenty of time to throw is perhaps the more important detail than the corner specifics – Nabers and to a lesser extent Robinson project for a bigger target share than usual as the Giants take on the league's worst defense.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Malik Nabers (arguable Upgrade if not shadowed by Horn), Wan'Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt

Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots

CHICAGO BEARS WIDE RECEIVERS

Shane Waldron might be the most inept offensive coordinator in the league right now, which is a real shame because he's wasting a prime year for a lot of top talents, arguably none more notable than DJ Moore. Moore withstood the lowest points of the Carolina quarterback carousels, but Waldron is of such a notable caliber that even Moore apparently is borderline hopeless against most defenses. This could very well be another one of them, because Christian Gonzalez is a very good corner and would be an imposing matchup even without accounting for how Waldron's routes are some combination of nonsensical and/or predictable to the point that opposing corners pretty much run the routes for the Bears wideouts. Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen are in a similar boat, but at least they should avoid Gonzalez and instead go against the tiny duo of Jonathan Jones (Odunze) and Marcus Jones (Allen).

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DJ Moore (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by Gonzalez), Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVERS

Kayshon Boutte is locked in as the X receiver but that means he gets stuck with a lot of clearing routes, arguably reducing him mostly to a decoy that clears room for Kendrick Bourne at flanker and DeMario Douglas in the slot. Douglas would get a tough matchup with the potential return of slot corner Kyler Gordon, who also starts on the boundary in base defense. Jaylon Johnson is probably a real problem for wideouts like Boutte and Bourne, neither of which obviously warrants the shadow treatment. This looks like a difficult matchup for the Patriots.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne (Downgrade if shadowed by Johnson), Kayshon Boutte (see Bourne)

Indianapolis Colts vs. Buffalo Bills

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS WIDE RECEIVERS

The downfield speed of Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell is the exact thing it takes to break the coverage designs of the Bills, which generally situate the big, downward-crashing duo of Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford in spots where they can attack receivers as much or more as they chase them. Flipping that dynamic requires speed to make them turn and run, so we'll see if Joe Flacco can take advantage of that. When you can't stress the Bills vertically you tend to fall into their trap, taking what seems like safer targets underneath that turn out to be jumped routes. Josh Downs is set up for great volume here but efficiency might be a struggle against Taron Johnson.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Adonai Mitchell

BUFFALO BILLS WIDE RECEIVERS

If Keon Coleman (wrist) is out then it should force the Bills to mostly go with a two-wide loadout of Khalil Shakir and Amari Cooper while Mack Hollins presumably displaces Shakir into the slot when the Bills go three-wide. The Colts corners might be able to neutralize Hollins – it doesn't take much – but it's hard to imagine the duo of Jaylon Jones and Samuel Womack holding up all game against Cooper and Shakir. Shakir would also see a fair amount of slot corner Kenny Moore, who is admittedly the best of the Colts' group, but Shakir has earned a pretty substantial benefit of the doubt at this point.

Upgrade: Amari Cooper, Khalil Shakir
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Mack Hollins

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Minnesota Vikings

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS WIDE RECEIVERS

Brian Thomas is probably the Jaguars' only prayer of moving the ball much in this game, but it's difficult to put high expectations on him given the absence of Trevor Lawrence. Even if the Jaguars did have Lawrence, this is the kind of setting where Press Taylor/Doug Pederson are almost locks to look like fools against Brian Flores. Parker Washington seems like a solid player and could get some target volume in the slot, but efficiency is probably elusive.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Brian Thomas, Parker Washington

MINNESOTA VIKINGS WIDE RECEIVERS

Tyson Campbell is a tough corner on one side, but even he can't slow down Justin Jefferson. Jordan Addison might also be capable of getting the better of Campbell, but either wideout severely outclasses Ronald Darby or Jarrian Jones (slot) otherwise. Given how easily the Vikings should be able to score in this game, they'll probably spend a lot of snaps in two-TE looks while running out the clock with an easy lead.

Upgrade: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS WIDE RECEIVERS

DeAndre Hopkins figures to see a lot of Patrick Surtain in this game, which at once is far from ideal but also might not be sufficient grounds to bench Hopkins in most formats. We've seen that when Patrick Mahomes works with high-level targets they often will the catches to occur even in the face of good coverage, and Hopkins more than any wide receiver in the league makes a living at the rim. Riley Moss outclasses Justin Watson to a major extent, while in the slot Ja'Quan McMillian is a tough matchup for whoever runs against him.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DeAndre Hopkins, Justin Watson, Xavier Worthy

DENVER BRONCOS WIDE RECEIVERS

Courtland Sutton warrants shadow treatment and Trent McDuffie would be the one to follow him if so, but it's still probably not a deal-breaker for Sutton. McDuffie is very good, but at under 6-feet and with short arms he might not want to defend Sutton in a jumpball situation. With that said, Sutton would still rather get cracks at corners like Joshua Williams or Chamarri Conner. If the Chiefs deny that option then Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin would be left to run against the likes of Williams and Conner. It's probably a situation where Vele and Franklin would win in a vacuum, but the overall stress of the Chiefs defense could be overwhelming for Bo Nix, especially at Arrowhead.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Courtland Sutton (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by McDuffie), Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin

New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS WIDE RECEIVERS

It appears the Saints will have to trot out Mason Tipton and Bub Means at wideout, assuming Chris Olave and Cedrick Wilson are out. Although the Falcons corners are not intimidating exactly, the Saints wideouts have earned less benefit of the doubt.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Mason Tipton, Bub Means

ATLANTA FALCONS WIDE RECEIVERS

Drake London (hip) should be able to beat up on corners like Kool Aid McKinstry and Shemar Jean-Charles, but the Saints are such a mess that the Falcons should be able to zip up this game even without London lifting a finger. Alontae Taylor is a good corner and as long as London or Darnell Mooney avoids him there should be an easy opening most of the time. Ray-Ray McCloud against Taylor is probably a no-go, but like he has all year McCloud could sort of go along for the ride that the Falcons offense is going to go on anyway.

Upgrade: Drake London, Darnell Mooney
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ray-Ray McCloud

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. San Francisco 49ers

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer should mostly run against a combination of Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green – a much easier matchup than if Charvarius Ward (personal) were available. Lenoir plays well in the slot when the 49ers go nickel, meaning he should see a lot of Sterling Shepard in such situations, and which means Shepard generally draws a tough matchup all game. McMillan and especially Palmer have speed that Lenoir needs to be careful about on the boundary, though, and the same is true of Isaac Yiadom as the presumed CB3 and boundary replacement for Lenoir. If McMillan (hamstring) and/or Shepard (hamstring) are out then the Buccaneers might need to give starting reps to Rakim Jarrett opposite Palmer.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer, Sterling Shepard, Rakim Jarrett

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Deebo Samuel and Ricky Pearsall should both have the advantage over the Buccaneers corners, but especially Samuel of course. Zyon McCollum is probably beatable even if Josh Hayes is more inviting yet on the other side, and in the slot Tykee Smith is begging to be targeted by Pearsall. Chris Conley could even be a threat to these corners, though he's generally on the field to serve as a vertical decoy.

Upgrade: Deebo Samuel, Ricky Pearsall, Chris Conley
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

Washington Commanders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Terry McLaurin is far too much for most NFL corner, and the case is no different with Joey Porter and Donte Jackson. The main danger for McLaurin here might be that Porter is so prone to penalty that potential catches for McLaurin might turn into penalties that go omitted in the fantasy box score. The Steelers defense will no doubt devise its overall scheme to account for McLaurin and the vertical threat he poses, but since Week 3 defenses haven't been able to get consistent vertical leverage over the Washington passing game. Something has to give here. Noah Brown has no obvious means of beating a defense but often ends up in favorable situations, so this game might be more of that theme for him despite the imposing matchup.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Terry McLaurin, Noah Brown

PITTSBURGH STEELERS WIDE RECEIVERS

George Pickens versus Marshon Lattimore would have been quite a matchup, but instead it will likely be more so Mike Sainristil that faces Pickens. Sainristil has been very good and is the top corner for Washington, but he's not built to defend the boundary against lanky targets like Pickens. As much as Pickens has the advantage over Sainristil, it would probably be easier yet to get open against Benjamin St-Juste. St-Juste is so vulnerable that even Van Jefferson might be able to get the better of him. The Commanders will probably eventually pay for playing Noah Igbinoghene in the slot but the Steelers try to stay in two-TE as much as possible, meaning Igbinoghene might not play much here.

Upgrade: George Pickens
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Van Jefferson

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Tennessee Titans

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS

DJ Chark might be able to play here, but with Quentin Johnston posting big numbers last week the Chargers might use a three-wide loadout of Johnston and Joshua Palmer on the boundary with Ladd McConkey in the slot. Chark is two steps faster than Johnston and still poses a unique speed threat for the Chargers to consider, so it will be interesting to see whether it's Palmer or Johnston whose snaps get pinched for when Chark sees reps. All of these guys are problems for the Titans boundary corners, while McConkey actually gets the toughest matchup against solid slot defender Roger McCreary.

Upgrade: Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ladd McConkey

TENNESSEE TITANS WIDE RECEIVERS

Calvin Ridley will see usage for sure and has clearly benefited from the switch to Mason Rudolph at quarterback. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has benefited similarly, to the point that he and Ridley seem like the clear starters for Tennessee at receiver. In this game they'll face a ragtag but very well-coached secondary, one that has overachieved all year despite shuffling through various personnel. You like Ridley in fantasy for the volume and the matchup is fine, but it shouldn't surprise anyone if the Chargers find a way to make this a rough game for Rudolph.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Calvin Ridley, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Arizona Cardinals vs. New York Jets

ARIZONA CARDINALS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Cardinals prefer to run a two-TE offense but have to do a better job of varying their formational tendencies – as of this point the rule is that the Cardinals are going two-TE and trying to run on you initially, and if it fails they'll have to go to a three-wide look on such a basis that you know they're always running from the one and mostly passing from the other. In both cases the Cardinals lack the talent dominance to withstand the handicap of telegraphing their playcalls. If they can get the ground game going then everything else usually does open up, but if the run game stalls so does everything else. Marvin Harrison should be able to beat even corners like Sauce Gardner, but whether he does in this setting might largely be a tautology of whether the Arizona run game gets going, in which case the downs and distances are more favorable and the offense becomes less predictable on the basis of formation and situation. In general, though, the Gardner-DJ Reed corner duo is one that deserves the benefit of the doubt over the Arizona passing game until further notice.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marvin Harrison, Michael Wilson

NEW YORK JETS WIDE RECEIVERS

Garrett Williams is probably the top Arizona corner and he mostly plays the slot, which is where Davante Adams likely runs the most between himself, Mike Williams and Garrett Wilson. This isn't to say Wilson and Williams have the easier matchup – Adams can probably just beat Williams – but the Arizona boundary corners in any case really don't want to see Wilson.

Upgrade: Garrett Wilson, Davante Adams
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Mike Williams

Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles

DALLAS COWBOYS WIDE RECEIVERS

It's tough to bench CeeDee Lamb if he's active, but this is not going to be a fun game for the Dallas offense. The Eagles defense is sound in general, especially on the interior and in the secondary, and Cooper Rush is a backup for a reason. Quinyon Mitchell (boundary) and Cooper DeJean (slot) both look like excellent picks for the Eagles, whose defense should be able to shut down any non-Lamb type figures.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Tolbert

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES WIDE RECEIVERS

A.J. Brown is way too much for almost any defense, and particularly when you have no pass rush he's going to overwhelm your corners eventually. DeVonta Smith is overqualified in his WR2 role, meanwhile, and is a similarly good candidate to obliterate Dallas' downfield coverage. The Falcons put them in a blender last week and it's probably going to look similar here.

Upgrade: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

Houston Texans vs. Detroit Lions

HOUSTON TEXANS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Texans offense is a mess almost across the board – the offensive line is bad and battered, while the wideout rotation is non-viable due to injuries. Xavier Hutchinson might be able to play at the NFL level but the Texans have tried to use him as a Nico Collins replacement, which isn't Hutchinson's game at all. If they keep using Hutchinson as the primary boundary and vertical wideout he will continue to get locked up. Tank Dell is the only realistic target between himself, Hutchinson and Robert Woods. Dell can get away from corners like Terrion Arnold and especially Carlton Davis, but the pass rush could cause trouble before that point.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods
Even: Tank Dell

DETROIT LIONS WIDE RECEIVERS

Derek Stingley is quite good and might follow around Amon-Ra St. Brown to some extent, but the Texans generally leave Stingley on one side which should leave the Lions free to get St. Brown in the slot against Jalen Pitre or even on the boundary against Kamari Lassiter. In short, this looks like a good matchup for St. Brown. Jameson Williams is a major danger to Lassiter but probably not Stingley.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams

Los Angeles Rams vs. Miami Dolphins

LOS ANGELES RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS

Jalen Ramsey has been the primary slot corner for Miami lately, meaning he's your likely primary matchup for Cooper Kupp. It might not be enough to call it a Downgrade, but it's certainly a matchup to watch. Then again, it will be interesting to see if the Dolphins move Ramsey outside if Kader Kohou (neck) can return from injury to play in the slot. If Kohou is out then the Dolphins might have Kendall Fuller follow Puka Nacua on the boundary, to unclear effect. Fuller is a good corner, but Nacua tends to rake against most matchups anyway. Demarcus Robinson is always a candidate to get forgotten in coverage.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Demarcus Robinson

MIAMI DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Miami passing game almost has to get going here. The Rams defense is accommodating enough, and so should be the weather. If Tua Tagovailoa doesn't have his assortment of venue-related excuses, then this matchup should be as simple as Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle versus a bunch of corners who can't cover either of them.

Upgrade: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A