X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

WR/CB Matchups to Target and Downgrade - Week 16

Ja'Marr Chase fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

Andrew Lalama evaluates key WR/CB matchups through his cornerback ratings chart to find top wide receivers to target or avoid in Week 16 fantasy football lineups.

Welcome to Week 16 of the WR/CB Matchup chart. Congratulations to everyone who advanced in the fantasy playoffs. It's been a crazy few weeks in terms of news, so keep in mind that your biggest edge will always be making roster moves based on what's happening. Usually that means using roster spots on speculative starting RBs, but playoff heroes can also be WRs, so stay active. Another underrated factor in making lineup decisions is weather. Studies show that cold and windy weather do negatively impact passing production. Keep that in mind when making decisions.

Creating the weekly matchup chart has been more challenging than usual this year due to the fact that most teams are moving their WRs around more than they ever have. 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. 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.

While matchups do matter and every piece of information can give you an edge, it is important to understand that WR skill level and target share are more predictive than matchup in many cases. Blindly following the chart is not recommended, but it can be useful in making tough lineup decisions between two WRs close in skill level. The chart is best used to understand the context of matchups overall, not predict outcomes.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

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 the right 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. 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. WRs highlighted in bright green have an easy matchup. The chart is a useful tool, but should not be used as a start/sit cheatsheet.

 

Cornerback Ratings and Matchups Chart - Week 16

Click image for full-screen view

 

WR/CB Matchups to Target

We start on Thursday night when the 49ers travel to Tennessee to take on the Titans. Julio Jones' status is in question, but this would be a good spot if he does play. It might be hard to trust him, but Ambry Thomas has been targeted early and often and the 49ers have struggled against WR1s as well.

On the other side, I expect Brandon Aiyuk to see plenty of Kristian Fulton, which is a tough matchup. Deebo Samuel, however, should see more of Buster Skrine. Samuel is a smash play regardless due to his insane efficiency and floor/somehow ceiling as a rusher. Jauan Jennings also has a plus matchup against Elijah Molden in the slot.

Baltimore has been one of the worst teams in the league against WRs the past three weeks, understandable given how banged up their CB group is. Ja'Marr Chase was shut down by rookie standout Patrick Surtain II this week, but this is a great bounce-back opportunity. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd also get upgrades.

The Cardinals have also been an easy matchup the past few weeks for WRs. It's good news for Michael Pittman Jr., who is coming off an (undeserved) ejection and has been in a slump. I expect a bounce-back performance.

Russell Gage has been terrific as the Falcons' top target, and this week gets an easy matchup against the Lions. Gage plays all around the formation, but the most exploitable alignment is in the slot. I know this is a WR article, but Kyle Pitts is a big slot, so he is in a good spot too. Pitts has been a disappointment, but it would not shock me to see his breakout game this week.

Tyreek Hill's status is up the air for this week's matchup against the Steelers. If he does play, he should have no issue torching the Steelers CBs.

Tyler Lockett didn't play against the Rams, but if he's cleared this week, he has an easy matchup against the Bears.

Marquise Brown caught a lot of short targets with Tyler Huntley at QB, and is a good option regardless of who's at QB this week against Eli Apple and the Bengals.

A.J. Green isn't the most inspiring option, but his matchup is good against the Colts. The Cardinals' offense has been sputtering, but Green should see enough targets to be viable.

Marvin Jones Jr. has been a disappointment during Trevor Lawrence's tough rookie season. This week is another opportunity to get on track against the Jets, who funnel production to LWRs.

All three of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb have easy matchups based on the chart, but keep in mind that the Washington Football Team defense has been better against WRs in the second half of the season. Dak Prescott hasn't been himself lately, so I don't expect fireworks from everyone. A ceiling game from one Cowboy receiver is a possibility, but the matchup data doesn't heavily favor one over the others.

Amon-Ra St. Brown is coming off a breakout performance against the Cardinals, and this week gets the Falcons, who have been below average against slots all year. I have mentioned how rookie WRs typically produce better in the second half of the season multiple times in this series, but I didn't expect St. Brown to be the one to break out. Josh Reynolds has a plus matchup as well.

Fringe options with easy matchups include Donovan Peoples-Jones, Keelan Cole, Braxton Berrios, Jamison Crowder, Marquez Callaway, and Van Jefferson. They all deserve consideration in deep leagues and DFS.

Finally, Cooper Kupp has a plus matchup. Good luck if he's on your opponent's roster.

Follow me on Twitter @draft32teams for NFL Draft and fantasy sports analysis.

 

WR/CB Matchups to Downgrade

Terry McLaurin will presumably have at least his backup QB back, but this week takes on Trevon Diggs and the Cowboys. Diggs has ten interceptions and despite a lot of people calling him overrated, has spearheaded a Dallas unit that has given up the fourth-fewest FPPG to opposing WR1s.

Bryan Edwards reached the end zone last week but this week will take on Patrick Surtain II and the Broncos, who have stymied LWRs all season. Surtain would be the DROY front-runner if it weren't for the historic season Micah Parsons is having.

Kenny Golladay and Darius Slayton weren't exactly tearing it up with Mike Glennon, but this week have an exceptionally tough matchup against the Eagles. Darius Slay is very good.

DeVante Parker scored a TD last week without Jaylen Waddle in the lineup, but the rookie sensation should be back, decreasing Parker's target expectation. Parker will also have to deal with Marshon Lattimore.

Stefon Diggs should see a ton of J.C. Jackson, which gives him a downgrade for this week. Gabriel Davis is trending up, but the Pats have generally limited outside production all year. Both are still recommended plays, but I wouldn't be surprised with a dud from either.

Tim Patrick will see more of Casey Hayward than any other Broncos WR this week. It's a tough spot. Jerry Jeudy will see the tough coverage of Nate Hobbs in the slot, so he gets a downgrade also.

Chase Claypool didn't do much in an easy matchup last week and this week will take on Rashad Fenton, who's having an excellent year. Positive TD regression will likely come at some point (maybe not until next year), but this isn't an easy spot.

Kenny Moore is one of the best nickel corners in the league, which is bad news for whoever plays the most slot for the Cardinals. It's likely to be Christian Kirk based on recent trends.

Finally, Jakobi Meyers has a tough matchup against Buffalo. I would expect the Patriots to pass more than three times this week, but Meyers will have to overcome Taron Johnson and the Bills safeties to produce for fantasy managers.

Thanks for reading and good luck this week.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF