Wide Receivers vs. Cornerbacks: Week 13 Matchups

This article will go game by game for the Week 13 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.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Los Angeles Chargers

ATLANTA FALCONS WIDE RECEIVERS

Kristian Fulton and Tarheeb Still have gotten such good results this year that it seems clear they must be overachieving, but they also might be candidates to continue overachieving due to the excellent coaching of Jesse Minter and Jim Harbaugh. The absence of safety Alohi Gilman might take away some of the insulation, though, and in any case the Falcons can pose an uncommon pass-catching threat between Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts. There should be some theoretical way for the Falcons to overwhelm the meager resources the Chargers presently have in their secondary. Mooney is a deep threat to both Fulton and Still, and while London isn't much of a deep route guy he is a threat to draw a high target count here. Ray-Ray McCloud is just awful but the Falcons continue to jab a leak into their own boat by giving him big snap counts. If the Chargers get away with it then McCloud's reps can probably be blamed for the disappointment.

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

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Quentin Johnston is an awful disappointment, and by now we can probably assume he mostly won't do anything unless the defense makes some unforced error or another. At least Ladd McConkey is the real deal – McConkey did quite well against Marlon Humphrey last week, and the Falcons feature no such player in the slot. Even if the strong Atlanta safety duo pays extra attention to McConkey, it still might not be enough to bail out Dee Alford. Joshua Palmer can make plays when he has room to work with, but as we've seen this year he struggles to separate when he needs to make space on his own. Johnston is too slow to create said space, so it would make sense that Palmer would continue to struggle if the Chargers don't get DJ Chark on the field to deter the safeties. Justin Herbert finds a way even in cases where it seems improbable, but it must be noted that the idea of Palmer and Johnston getting open in this game seems slightly far fetched.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ladd McConkey, Joshua Palmer (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by AJ Terrell), Quentin Johnston (see Palmer)

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

CINCINNATI BENGALS WIDE RECEIVERS

Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins don't have an easy matchup here but they're both capable of big games even in tougher matchups, so there's no actionable concern despite the well-earned reputation of the Pittsburgh defense. The pass rush and cunning of the Steelers defense is probably more dangerous than its coverage personnel specifically, because while Joey Porter and Donte Jackson are good fits for the Steelers defense they just aren't intimidating. The pass rush is what's intimidating about this defense. Both Chase and Higgins have recent big games against Pittsburgh, so there's some precedent for optimism here.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins

PITTSBURGH STEELERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Cam Taylor-Britt has had a rough season, but he's still a talented player and since his struggles have largely been the result of mental mistakes it's possible that he'll bounce back at some point. Even if he does, though, it's possible George Pickens is of a caliber that would threaten even the best-case version of Taylor-Britt. Certainly, on the other side rookie fifth-round pick Josh Newton is less proven even after a solid showing off the bench last week. Both Newton and Taylor-Britt will need to line up outside with DJ Turner out, and Mike Hilton in the slot. All three would seem to be in some amount of trouble against Pickens. Van Jefferson hasn't been nearly as productive as Calvin Austin, but Austin only played more snaps than Jefferson last week because Jefferson missed some of the game with injury. Guessing how the playing time will split up between Jefferson, Austin and Mike Williams is difficult if not impossible.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Mike Williams

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS WIDE RECEIVERS

Brian Thomas poses some danger to any cornerback, even a Derek Stingley type, but for the last three weeks the Texans have moved Stingley on a matchup basis and in this game it's hard to see why the Texans would ever let anyone else cover Thomas. Kamari Lassiter has ability on the other side but has around 4.6 speed at 180 pounds, so matching him up with a size/speed freak like Thomas would invite needless risk. Parker Washington should be the WR2, and he's less likely to beat someone like Lassiter. Devin Duvernay can run past Lassiter or over him, but it's not clear how much he'll play or how the Jaguars would use him.

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

HOUSTON TEXANS WIDE RECEIVERS

Nico Collins and Tank Dell could both be in a good spot here, but especially Collins of course. Dell has been subject to the overall struggles of the Houston passing game in 2024, falling far short of the production he showed as a rookie, but Collins has been unaffected when active. Collins is drawing even more air yardage per snap than he did last year, and his YPT figure is nearly identical to last year anyway. In other words, Collins has almost always been productive going back to last year, and against the Jaguars secondary there should be plenty of opportunity. Tyson Campbell is good on one side, but Collins can probably beat him and the fact that the Jaguars keep Campbell on one side means the Texans can just line up Collins against Ronald Darby on the other side. In Dell's case a matchup with Campbell would be more problematic, so whereas it would be helpful for Collins to get looks at Darby and Jarrian Jones, it might be close to necessary in Dell's case.

Upgrade: Nico Collins
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Tank Dell, John Metchie

Minnesota Vikings vs. Arizona Cardinals

MINNESOTA VIKINGS WIDE RECEIVERS

Justin Jefferson is going to go off soon one way or another, and there's no obvious reason why it can't be at the expense of Arizona. Corners Sean Murphy-Bunting and Starling Thomas are toolsy but often off-rhythm, and you can't be sloppy with your footwork when you're going against Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Addison's big game last week might deter the Cardinals from focusing on Jefferson quite as much as they'd like, but if they do go to excessive extents to slow Jefferson than Addison has shown he can do major damage in response. In general, though, the Vikings don't seem to throw enough for the two receivers to eat as much as they could in an offense with more targets. Therefore, if Jefferson does go off it might somewhat necessarily be at the expense in Addison, and that's of course more likely than the vice versa.

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

ARIZONA CARDINALS WIDE RECEIVERS

Marvin Harrison has had a needlessly difficult rookie season, as offensive coordinator Drew Petzing quite literally forces defenses to double-team Harrison even when they don't specifically intend to – Harrison was supposed to be the WR1 of this offense and is more than capable for the task, but when Petzing uses Harrison as the only downfield target there will almost always be a double-team so long as the defense has at least one safety in high coverage. Harrison will always be the first player to cross the safety's zone. With all of that said, this Vikings game could actually be a decent setup for Harrison. The Vikings have a way of deterring rushing attempts and forcing teams to throw the ball instead, and meanwhile the blitz-heavy tendencies of the Vikings offense means there might be less incidental safety attention on Harrison since the safety in question might sometimes need to cover for a blitzing player, especially in the region where Trey McBride runs. If the Vikings miss with the blitz and Kyler Murray breaks the pocket, moreover, then the corner on Harrison is really in danger. Michael Wilson is less likely to burn the defense, but he's a capable intermediate wideout and could be a similar improvisation threat if Murray gets away from the blitz. Generally, though, you hurt the Vikings pass defense by getting forcing its slow corners to turn and run downfield, and Harrison is the only Cardinals wideout who can force that.

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

New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVERS

DeMario Douglas has seen 40-plus snaps in three of the last four games, and as long as he crosses that threshold he projects for around six targets. Douglas is capable of more and should have better days ahead in the Drake Maye offense, but as long as the Patriots offensive line continues to struggle it will be difficult for either player to show what they're capable of. Kenny Moore is a pretty good slot corner, moreover, so if Douglas has a good game here it should be viewed as more of a pleasant surprise than a bankable outcome. Kayshon Boutte has mostly been a decoy to this point, but the deep ball might be there against Samuel Womack and Jaylon Jones, the latter probably being better facing the quarterback than turned away. Kendrick Bourne is a competent player but doesn't have an obvious angle on Jones or Womack. Not just that, but Bourne seems more like the WR3.25 for the Patriots than a true third wideout – Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker combined to poach 32 snaps last week.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS WIDE RECEIVERS

Michael Pittman should see a good target share due to the absence of Josh Downs, but Christian Gonzalez would be a difficult matchup if the Patriots choose to assign Gonzalez to Pittman specifically. There's no guarantee they do, but the Patriots would be plainly negligent to let Pittman get cracks at the 5-foot-9 Jonathan Jones or the 5-foot-8 Marcus Jones. Not that it would be easy for either Jones to match up with Alec Pierce downfield, either, but at least Pierce isn't a realistic high-volume target threat the way Pittman is. Adonai Mitchell has been shaky this year but he has drawn targets at a high per-snap rate, so he might be able to get something going against either of the Joneses – probably Marcus.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Michael Pittman (arguable Upgrade if not shadowed by Gonzalez), Alec Pierce, Adonai Mitchell

New York Jets vs. Seattle Seahawks

NEW YORK JETS WIDE RECEIVERS

Garrett Wilson would normally be a lot for even good corners like Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon, but it's not clear whether he or Davante Adams will have a realistic chance to demonstrate their abilities with Aaron Rodgers playing so poorly and the Jets a collapsing mess in general. The Seahawks defense seems to be getting its footing at the moment, too, which is poor timing for the Jets. Then again, Rodgers is so bad right now it's possible that he'd play poorly against even the worst defense.

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

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS WIDE RECEIVERS

DK Metcalf should be set up fine here, even if he faces off against Sauce Gardner often. Gardner is a good player but his weaknesses seem to get increasingly highlighted with time, and though Gardner is big by cornerback standards he's still kind of a runt compared to Metcalf, who's two steps faster and 40 pounds heavier than Gardner. D.J. Reed is short and less than fast, so he's in even worse trouble against Metcalf. Jaxon Smith-Njigba seems locked in at this point so while there's nothing obviously advantageous about going against Michael Carter there's reason to assume JSN can find a way to make it work.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tyler Lockett

Washington Commanders vs. Tennessee Titans

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Terry McLaurin should be able to get the better of these guys, especially since Chidobe Awuzie isn't back yet and L'Jarius Sneed is on IR. Then again, it's possible neither of them would have saved Tennessee from McLaurin, anyway. Rookie Jarvis Brownlee and fringe player Darrell Baker likely can't cover McLaurin on the boundary, though Roger McCreary in the slot might be tougher to beat. McLaurin should just be able to get around McCreary if necessary, and it probably isn't even necessary. Noah Brown could probably land some punches on Brownlee and Baker, too, though Luke McCaffrey versus McCreary probably favors the Titans.

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

TENNESSEE TITANS WIDE RECEIVERS

Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) might be able to return here, which would be bad news for Calvin Ridley if so. Ridley ought to be able to beat the otherwise promising Mike Sainristil and likely can beat Michael Davis, who seemed to replace Benjamin St-Juste last week. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is less likely to create separation from any of the notable Washington corners, but Westbrook-Ikhine is a big target and has shown this year that he's a capable downfield tracker. Even Sainristil, who seems awfully good, can probably lose a jumpball against a guy like Westbrook-Ikhine. Tyler Boyd had a solid game last week and might be able to beat Noah Igbinoghene, but generally it's easy for Boyd to get crowded out of the Titans offensive game plan.

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

Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

CAROLINA PANTHERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Adam Thielen took back over as Carolina's primary slot receiver last week, and with Jalen Coker out again Thielen's snaps in the slot should remain reserved for him. David Moore was good on the boundary last week, so he'll probably remain the primary boundary wideout opposite Xavier Legette. Thielen should be in a good spot in the slot, where the Buccaneers will be without Tykee Smith. Moore and Legette seem similarly capable at the moment, but it's difficult to tell whether has an edge on Jamel Dean or Zyon McCollum.

Upgrade: Adam Thielen
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Xavier Legette, David Moore

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Mike Evans is a good candidate to get shadowed by Jaycee Horn in this one. Horn had a really rough game against Kansas City last week but generally can be expected to play fairly well, or at least a lot better than the other Carolina corners. Dane Jackson in the slot can probably be beaten, but Sterling Shepard has really fallen off lately and it's not clear if he has much left. Jalen McMillan has really struggled but seems like the clear third receiver as the flanker. If Horn is on Evans then McMillan might see the most of Mike Jackson, who is big and very athletic but also a bit heavy-footed, which can get him out of position.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Mike Evans (arguable Upgrade if not shadowed by Horn), Sterling Shepard, Jalen McMillan

New Orleans Saints vs. Los Angeles Rams

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS WIDE RECEIVERS

Cedrick Wilson might return to a starting role at the expense of Kevin Austin, because Wilson might have been still injured when he only played 10 snaps against Cleveland. Marquez Valdes-Scantling appears to be locked into a three-down role either way. MVS has had a wild few weeks and his meager target volume – seven over his last 66 snaps – screams of regression risk, but if nothing else MVS has shown that he's still tall and fast. The Rams' boundary corners (Cobie Durant and Darious Williams) are rather small, so while it's statistically improbable that MVS keeps his momentum three games in a row, the Rams cornerbacks might struggle to defend the deep ball against someone as tall as MVS. Wilson would be the steadier option if he's back in a starting role.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Cedrick Wilson, Kevin Austin

LOS ANGELES RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS

Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are both locked in such that pretty much any matchup is business as usual, but this might be one of their easier matchups in a while. Alontae Taylor might be a good overall defender but he almost seems to have a safety skill set despite possessing uncommon athleticism even for a cornerback. Kupp and Nacua can probably get the better of him, rookie Kool Aid McKinstry and slot corner Ugo Amadi. Kupp should see the most of Amadi, while Nacua should see the most of Taylor and McKinstry.

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

Baltimore Ravens vs. Philadelphia Eagles

BALTIMORE RAVENS WIDE RECEIVERS

Isaiah Rodgers might need to line up outside in nickel formations due to the absence of Darius Slay. That's the corner who will need the most safety help, even though Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are both rookies. Mitchell might already be one of the league's best corners, and DeJean at the very least has emerged as one of the league's better slot corners. Perhaps Slay's absence will leave DeJean a little more vulnerable due to playing more snaps on the boundary in base formations, and given how much Baltimore goes two-TE it's likely the Eagles will need to run a lot of base defense in this one. Zay Flowers might be the kind of receiver who DeJean would rather not see – DeJean is almost a safety tweener and more rugged than he is quick or fast. Flowers might be able to beat Mitchell, too, but it just seems a little less likely than in the DeJean hypothetical. Rashod Bateman doesn't have an obvious angle against Mitchell or DeJean – he might need a one-on-one matchup against Rodgers or a slipped zone assignment to find much space.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES WIDE RECEIVERS

DeVonta Smith (hamstring) might be back for this one, and if so it would be huge for Philadelphia. The Baltimore secondary might be rounding into some sort of viable form after getting kicked around the first three months of the season, but if Smith and A.J. Brown are both present then the Eagles have the firepower to overwhelm the Ravens a bit. Philadelphia plays enough two-TE that the Ravens might play more base defense than they're accustomed to, and if so Marlon Humphrey might play less in the slot than usual and more on the boundary than he has most games this year. In such a scenario the snap count would need to get pinched for at least one boundary corner, and given that Nate Wiggins has been solid this year it might be the veteran Brandon Stephens who sees his playing time dip a little. Then again, Stephens is the one the Eagles probably want to target. Humphrey and Wiggins can be beaten from time to time, but Stephens is clearly the third-best of the trio. If the Eagles go three-wide to keep Stephens on the field then Jahan Dotson seems to be the next man up, but frankly it just seems like something is wrong with him at this point.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: A.J. Brown (the less Humphrey the better), DeVonta Smith (see Brown)

Buffalo Bills vs. San Francisco 49ers

BUFFALO BILLS WIDE RECEIVERS

The absence of Dalton Kincaid might leave a little more slack than usual for the Buffalo receivers to pick up, and particularly given San Francisco's defensive injuries the wideouts might be able to gain the upper hand here. Deommodore Lenoir will likely miss the game with a knee injury, depriving the 49ers of their CB2 and lead slot defender. Renardo Green is a promising rookie and Isaac Yiadom has played decently at times for the 49ers on the boundary, but the 49ers might struggle to cover Khalil Shakir in the slot and there's no reason to think guys like Green and Yiadom can hold serve against Amari Cooper. The return of Charvarius Ward is big for the 49ers, but to this point they've only lined him up on one side, meaning the Bills can just line up Cooper against Yiadom instead. Then again, whoever runs against Ward has a difficult task on the play in question.

Upgrade: Khalil Shakir
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Amari Cooper (the less Ward the better), Keon Coleman (see Cooper)

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Brock Purdy shoulder injury is a more important variable in this projection than the interactions between the 49ers wideouts and the Bills cornerbacks.  With Trent Williams out again this dynamic gets only worse.

Deebo Samuel is a compelling talent who can sometimes transcend difficult situations, but if the QB and OL are compromised then there might be a suffocating amount of weight falling on him and the other 49ers receivers. It helps that Samuel has major, unconditional YAC upside – that's what's keeping his fantasy utility intact – but corners Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford are big, physical and capable in run support. Jauan Jennings is subject to the same concerns, but Ricky Pearsall is the one who really suffers if Purdy can't throw downfield. Pearsall runs the most complex routes of the three and farthest downfield – the latter fact alone all but deleting Pearsall's fantasy utility due to Allen's inability to drive the ball downfield.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Ricky Pearsall
Even: Deebo Samuel (arguable Downgrade for offense reasons), Jauan Jennings (see Samuel)

Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns

DENVER BRONCOS WIDE RECEIVERS

Courtland Sutton is rolling to the extent that it's not really worth fretting over his matchup here, even if he's shadowed by Denzel Ward. Ward might shadow Sutton and might not allow any separation, but even if Ward is right on Sutton it's unlikely Ward can defend above the rim against Sutton in single coverage. Devaughn Vele has emerged as the WR2 in this offense the last three weeks, marked by his introduction into the boundary rep rotation. Vele opened the year mostly splitting slot snaps with false WR/TE Lil'Jordan Humphrey, but now that he's getting double-digit reps on the boundary Vele has a shot to really maintain his momentum. If Ward shadows Sutton then Vele might mostly see Greg Newsome, who's a good player but probably not locked-in enough this year to be a major concern for Vele.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Courtland Sutton, Devaughn Vele, Lil'Jordan Humphrey

CLEVELAND BROWNS WIDE RECEIVERS

Jerry Jeudy is a good candidate to see extra attention from Patrick Surtain, which of course would e less than ideal for Jeudy. If Cedric Tillman (concussion) is out, though, the Browns might not have much choice but to force a decent amount of target volume toward Jeudy. Elijah Moore doesn't have an obvious angle on Ja'Quan McMillian in the slot, so any slack resulting from a Tillman absence isn't guaranteed to fall to Moore any more than Jeudy, even if Surtain is on Jeudy. It's completely possible that both Jeudy and Moore struggle such that David Njoku ends up the lead Browns target, but if Jameis Winston throws so many as 30 passes it's difficult to see how fewer than 15 or so get divvied up between Jeudy and Moore. If Riley Moss (knee) is out then replacement Levi Wallace is much easier to beat, but that's another reason why the Broncos might specifically assign Surtain to Jeudy and McMillian specifically on Moore.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jerry Jeudy (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by Surtain), Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman