WR/CB Matchups to Target and Downgrade - Week 9 (2023)

Welcome to Week 9 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 9

Click the image for a full-screen view

WR/CB Matchups to Target

DeAndre Hopkins turned back the clock last week against the Falcons, and this week he'll take on the Steelers who have given up the most FPPG to opposing WR1s this season. Will Levis had an unbelievable debut last week. If he proves to be legit, Hopkins could have a sparkling second half of the season.

The Bucs have been susceptible in the secondary so far this season. This week they'll be tasked with trying to slow down C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and the Texans passing attack. It's a good spot for the rookie and his pass catchers.

Bryce Young has been playing incrementally better football over the past few weeks, and this week gets a great matchup against a below average Colts defense. Jonathan Mingo gets the easiest on-paper matchup, but keep that D.J. Chark plays both sides and Adam Thielen will also play snaps out wide.

CeeDee Lamb torched the Rams last week, and this week he and Brandin Cooks get plus matchups against an Eagles secondary that has given up a ton of fantasy points all year. It's a good spot for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys passing game.

Jahan Dotson showed signs of life last week against the Eagles. He has another good matchup this week against the Patriots.

The Patriots receiver group is dealing with injuries, so Demario Douglas may turn out to be the top target-earner for Mac Jones going forward. The Commanders have been terrible against outside receivers and solid against slots. If Douglas plays more outside, he has a good matchup.

Cooper Kupp has been a letdown the last two weeks, and now has to deal with an injured Matthew Stafford. The good news is that the Packers have been terrible against slot receivers so far this season. Keep an eye out for news on Stafford's health.

WR/CB Matchups to Downgrade

D.J. Moore has had his moments this year, but his QB1 is still out. This week he'll also be dealing with the stingy coverage of Marshon Lattimore. It's a matchup downgrade.

The Jets pass defense has been elite all year, even before the numbers skewed due to Tommy Devito last week. The Chargers WRs get matchup downgrades but you obviously aren't sitting Keenan Allen.

Cleveland's pass defense has also been stout for the majority of the season. It's a tough matchup for Marquise Brown, Michael Wilson, and Rondale Moore.

Josh Downs has been awesome as the Colts top slot receiver. Unfortunately this is not a great spot against Troy Hill and the Panthers.

The Seahawks pass defense was banged up to start the year and gave up a bunch of big games to opposing WRs. Since Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon have returned, they've been much better. It's not a great spot for the Ravens WRs.

Buffalo has not been a tough matchup for opposing WRs this season, but they just traded for Rasul Douglas. It's not a great spot for Tee Higgins.

Thanks for reading all season and good luck this week.

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