WR/CB Matchups to Target and Downgrade - Week 13

December 4, 2022

Andrew analyzes key fantasy football WR/CB matchups through his cornerback ratings chart to find top wide receivers to target or avoid in Week 13 (2022).

Welcome to Week 13 of the WR/CB Matchup chart. The chart typically becomes more predictive as the season goes on, and late season trends can impact matchups as non-contending teams look toward player evaluation and draft slot. Another huge factor in WR/CB Matchups is health, as injured CB groups can be taken advantage of.

As a reminder, the process for assigning points to a specific matchup has to do with how the entire defense defends the player who lines up at one of the three spots (LWR, RWR, slot) the most. For example, in Week 1, Jahan Dotson scored a TD from the LWR spot and the right slot, but all of his points were assigned to Shaquil Griffin because Griffin played primarily LCB and Dotson was the Washington receiver with the most snaps at RWR.

Keep in mind that NFL teams are moving receivers around more than ever in today's game. It is difficult to pinpoint which CB each WR will be matched up against. The chart is designed to give a 1-vs-1 matchup for each player, but the reality is that most NFL WRs will see a mix of all the DBs they face each week. For example, in Week 1, A.J. Brown played 27 snaps in the slot and 21 snaps at LWR. However, Quez Watkins played more snaps in the slot and no Eagles' WR played more snaps at LWR than Brown, which explains the chart.

The chart is best used to understand how teams are defending outside versus inside receivers if teams are shadowing, and how much emphasis they put on slowing down the opposing WR1.

WR vs. CB Chart Details

The CB Matchup Chart below is a snapshot of each team's cornerback group as it relates to allowing fantasy points. There are inherent flaws within the data compilation of cornerback play. The first is the fact that quantifying a 1-on-1 matchup in an NFL game is unfair because of zone coverages, mental errors, certain passing concepts, and a million other things. Assigning fantasy points against a cornerback isn't a perfect science.

The purpose of this chart is to give more of a general sense of how defenses are handling opposing WR groups rather than identifying exactly where, when, and how every single encounter happened. Another factor to consider is that players are listed based on where they line up the majority of the time. Most receivers do not line up on one side on every single snap, so they won't be matched up with the same CB on every snap.

The "Rtng" column is the rating of each cornerback based on film study and analytics. The lower a player is graded, the easier the matchup for the WR, so low ratings are green and high ratings are red. The "PPGA" is the number of fantasy points per game that the player has given up on average this year. Keep in mind that team scheme is a huge factor in points assigned to specific players. A name in blue means the corner could possibly shadow the WR1. A name in red means that the player is dealing with an injury.

Cornerback Ratings and Matchups Chart - Week 13

Click the image for a full-screen view

WR/CB Matchups to Target

Amari Cooper has been terrific this season, and this week gets one of the easiest matchups in the league against Houston. There may not be an adjustment period with his new QB.

Jalen Ramsey's performance has declined this year, and the Rams have been torched by opposing WR1s all season. It's a good matchup for D.K. Metcalf.

Garrett Wilson thoroughly enjoyed his QB upgrade last week, and this week gets a cake matchup against Duke Shelley and the Vikings in a dome. If Mike White is for real, Wilson could be a league winner.

Michael Pittman Jr. was the latest WR1 to torch the Steelers on Monday night, as Pittsburgh has been the second-easiest matchup for opposing WR1s this season. Drake London hasn't done much recently, but this is a great matchup.

The Titans are a pass-funnel defense, so it will be interesting to see how much success the Eagles have running the ball this week. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith get upgrades and have high ceilings.

The Lions have given up huge production to opposing WRs all year, and have been particularly terrible against opposing slots. It's great news for Christian Kirk.

Curtis Samuel didn't do much in an easy matchup last week and his weekly floor is low due to a low-volume passing offense. However, this week he gets another good matchup against the Giants, who funnel production to opposing slots.

Keenan Allen came back and scored a touchdown for the Chargers last week. This week he has an easy matchup against the Raiders, who give up the fifth-most FPPG to opposing slots.

WR/CB Matchups to Downgrade

Justin Jefferson vs. Sauce Gardner will be must-see TV this week. The more difficult matchup for the Vikings is Adam Thielen's. The Jets have been stout against opposing WRs all year.

Michael Pittman Jr. had a big game against Pittsburgh's league-worst secondary but this week has to deal with Trevon Diggs and the Cowboys. Dallas has been stellar against opposing WR1s, in large part due to a ferocious pass rush.

On the other side of that game, Michael Gallup will see a lot of Stephon Gillmore, one of the better cover corners in the NFL. CeeDee Lamb also gets a downgrade based on the numbers, but he's not an advised sit as the game seems to be slowing down for him.

Chris Olave will always have a nice target share, but the Bucs are a difficult matchup. I wouldn't sit him in most leagues but he does get a downgrade.

Robert Woods will have to deal with Darius Slay in Week 13. There are better streaming options at WR.

Finally, three studs with tough matchups include Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Chris Godwin. You aren't benching any of them, and all three are still very viable in DFS. Just keep in mind that these are potential letdown spots where an off game wouldn't be that surprising.

Thanks for reading and good luck this week.

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