WR/CB Matchups to Target and Downgrade - Week 6 (2023)

Welcome to Week 6 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 6

Click the image for a full-screen view

WR/CB Matchups to Target

The Commanders' pass defense struggled mightily against D.J. Moore last week. Drake London hasn't been overly productive in a run-first offense, but this is a dream matchup. If he doesn't produce in this spot, it will be tough to trust him as a fantasy option moving forward.

The Rams move their WRs all around the formation, so all three of Tutu Atwell, Puka Nacua, and Cooper Kupp should get favorable matchups throughout the game. The Cardinals are fresh off giving up a monster game to Ja'Marr Chase. All three Rams WRs are solid plays with huge upside.

Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones played well against the Bills defense last week and this week get an easier matchup against the Colts, who have very burnable outside corners. I would advise everyone to bet on Ridley this week aside from Ridley himself.

The Chiefs play a bunch of WRs in different alignments, but based on projected splits, Rashee Rice should see a lot of Damarri Mathis for Denver. The Broncos have given up a ton of points to opposing RWRs this season.

Zay Flowers tripped over his own two feet instead of scoring a long TD last week, but he's commanding targets as the top WR option in Baltimore. If he can play better, the Titans pass defense is a matchup to exploit.

Three slots with intriguing matchups include Robert Woods against the Saints, Curtis+Samuel" data-id="18928">Curtis Samuel against the Falcons, and Darnell Mooney against a very burnable Vikings secondary. Woods should be in for an uptick in targets with Tank Dell not expected to play.

WR/CB Matchups to Downgrade

DeVonta Smith has been inconsistent as the clear-cut WR2 in Philly, and this week will see a ton of Sauce Gardner. A.J. Brown is obviously a weekly must-start but this is not a good matchup for Philadelphia's receivers.

Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson failed to put up big games in an easy matchup against the Bears, and this week have to take on an Atlanta CB duo that has been stingy against outside receivers all year. Target share and game script make McLaurin and Dotson viable options, but their best matchups will come when lined up in the slot.

The 49ers have been an offensive machine, but this week Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel will face their toughest CB test yet. The Browns have been solid against the pass all year.

Houston has been a tough matchup for opposing WRs this season and this week take on the Saints, who haven't been the most explosive aerial attack with Derek Carr under center. Michael Thomas and Chris Olave get matchup downgrades.

Finally, I want to shout out Seahawks rookie CB Devon Witherspoon, who dominated the Giants two weeks ago. Witherspoon played exclusively nickel corner in that contest and if he continues to play that position, it's not a good matchup for Tyler Boyd.

Thanks for reading all season and good luck this week.

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