WR/CB Matchups to Target and Downgrade - Week 7 (2023)

Welcome to Week 7 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 7

Click the image for a full-screen view

WR/CB Matchups to Target

We start on Thursday Night Football, where the Jaguars will be down their top corner, Tyson Campbell. Chris Olave and Michael Thomas have good matchups against a backup RCB.

The Steelers are fresh off a bye, but Patrick Peterson is a two weeks older. All three Rams receivers have dream matchups. As an aside, Tutu Atwell is a sharp speculative bench stash going forward. If you have an extra roster spot, consider adding him, as he has a lot of contingent value in case Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua miss time.

The Cardinals pass defense was shredded by Cooper Kupp and Ja'Marr Chase the past two weeks. D.K. Metcalf hasn't been great so far this season, but he gets an easy matchup in Week 7.

Amari Cooper is still one of the best route-runners in the NFL, and this week gets a Colts secondary that has struggled against opposing WR1s. Expectations can be tempered if P.J. Walker gets another start, but it's a good spot for Cooper.

A.J. Brown has distanced himself from DeVonta Smith as the clear-cut alpha in Philadelphia's passing attack. This week he gets a Jalen Ramsey-less Dolphins secondary that has given up a lot of production to opposing WRs. The game total is 52, which also impacts Brown's high projection.

On the other side of that game, the Dolphins offense will look to keep it rolling against a Philadelphia pass defense that has given up its fair share of production this season. Both Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill are smash plays.

The Vikings defense did well to limit the Justin Fields-less Bears, but they still don't have great personnel in the back end. It's a good spot for Brandon Aiyuk, especially if Deebo Samuel is banged up or out.

Drake London is playing well and this week gets a Buccaneers secondary that just gave up a huge game to Amon-Ra St. Brown. It's a good spot for the clear-cut No. 1 in Atlanta.

Romeo Doubs and Gabe Davis are two WR2s with easy matchups. They are worth a look in deeper leagues.

Geno Smith missed Jaxon Smith-Njigba on an easy TD last week, and JSN's route participation has increased. The Cardinals have struggled against slots all year, so this could be his breakout week.

Other slots with solid matchups include Chris Godwin, Christian Kirk, and Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy will look to bounce back after failing to respond to Steve Smith against the Chiefs. Jeudy is talented, but its fair to wonder if he's anything more than a role player in the NFL.

WR/CB Matchups to Downgrade

Mike Evans has been one of the most underrated players of his era, but this week he gets a tough matchup. The Falcons have been a nightmare for opposing outside WRs all year.

Speaking of ferocious pass defenses, the Browns secondary is playing lights out. It's not good news for Michael Pittman Jr. or Josh Downs.

Jaire Alexander is back for the Packers, and while there's a chance he shadows Jerry Jeudy, most of the data points to him playing the majority of snaps matched up on Courtland Sutton. It's a tough spot for the Broncos primary LWR.

Quentin Johnston has had a brutal start to his pro career, doing basically nothing even with Mike Williams out. This week he takes on a Chiefs defense that has limited opposing LWRs all year.

Marshon Lattimore has had a solid season as one of the better cover men in the NFL. It's a tough matchup for Calvin Ridley.

Wan'Dale Robinson looks to be solidifying himself as the top volume-earner in the Giants WR room, but this week he gets a tough matchup based on early-season data. The Commanders have been awful against outside WRs, and have funneled production away from low aDOT slots like Robinson.

Thanks for reading all season and good luck this week.

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