WR/CB Matchups to Target and Downgrade - Week 4 (2023)

Welcome to Week 4 of the WR/CB Matchups article. For those who are not familiar, this is a weekly series looking at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them.

During the past three seasons, I have tweaked my process to make the chart more user-friendly and predictive, but 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.

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 last year, Jahan Dotson scored a TD from the LWR spot and the right slot, but all of his points were assigned to Shaquill Griffin because Griffin played primarily LCB and Dotson was the Washington receiver with the most snaps at RWR.

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 4

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WR/CB Matchups to Target

Patrick Peterson has lost a step or five, and the Steelers have been one of the easiest matchups in the league for opposing WR1s. Nico Collins gets an upgrade.

The Colts defense gave up a ton of rushing yards to Lamar Jackson, but they had been shredded through the air the previous two weeks. It's a great spot for Rams WRs, specifically Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell. The Rams move their receivers all around the formation and use a lot of tight splits and motions to confuse defenses.

The Raiders have been an easy matchup for opposing outside WRs so far this year. Nate Hobbs is a solid corner, but he plays inside. Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer get the chart upgrades, but keep in mind that Keenan Allen plays both inside and outside.

Eli Apple didn't play last week for the Dolphins, but his replacement at RCB wasn't much better. Stefon Diggs gets an upgrade in a potential shootout.

Panthers WRs produced well with Andy Dalton at the helm last week at Seattle. This week they get an upgrade against a Vikings secondary that has been abysmal. D.J. Chark and Adam Thielen are fine plays.

The Bucs haven't been great at CB thus far this year. It's a good matchup for Michael Thomas.

The Falcons have done a terrific job limiting outside WRs so far this year. However, they've been susceptible to slot production. It's a good spot for Christian Kirk.

WR/CB Matchups to Downgrade

Lions rookie nickel Brian Branch has been a revelation. It's a tough matchup for Jayden Reed on Thursday night.

Garrett Wilson already has to deal with Zach Wilson, and this week faces a tough matchup against Trent McDuffie. McDuffie has been arguably the best cover man in the entire NFL through three weeks.

D.J. Moore should see a healthy amount of targets but his matchup is a tough one. Patrick Surtain II did give up some production to Tyreek Hill, but Moore isn't Hill. He gets a downgrade.

The Mike Evans vs. Marshon Lattimore saga has been well documented. Evans has had his moments, but Lattimore represents a tough matchup.

DeAndre Hopkins has been unable to get going as part of the Titans putrid passing attack. This week he'll take on the Bengals who have shut down opposing WR1s so far this year.

Steven Nelson has been elite as the top corner for DeMeco Ryans and the Texans. It's not a great matchup for George Pickens.

Ravens WRs disappointed last week in an easy matchup. This week they take on the Browns, whose secondary has been No. 1 in the league at limiting opposing WR groups thus far.

Thanks for reading all season and good luck this week.

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