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 & Avoid - Week 8

With six or seven games of data for each team, situations are becoming more crystalized and teams are game-planning to exploit clear-cut coverage weaknesses. Compiling this data and writing this article each week has made it clear that a WR's talent and target share are more important than his opposition. With that said, fantasy managers should be aware of how stingy certain cornerbacks and pass defenses have been thus far. Jaire Alexander, Tre’Davious White, James Bradberry, Darius Slay, and Jason Verrett are lockdown stars, while the Chiefs, Chargers, Rams, Bears, and Washington Football Team have been outstanding at limiting fantasy production to opposing WRs.

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 being 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.

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. WRs highlighted in light red have a tough matchup.

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

 

Cornerback Ratings and Matchups - Week 8

 

WR/CB Matchups to Target

You know the drill by now. Atlanta plays Carolina on Thursday night, making D.J. Moore one of the best starts of the week. Robby Anderson and Curtis Samuel are also in great spots.

Detroit has been bad against WRs all year as well. Marcus Johnson has the easiest matchup based on the chart, but the Colts move their receivers all around the formation. So T.Y. Hilton or Zach Pascal could benefit as well.

Davante Adams is fresh off eviscerating Bradley Roby and the Texans. His reward? Arguably the worst outside CB in the league in Harrison Hand. Anything less than 100 yards and a TD would be a disappointment.

Seattle’s Shaquill Griffin is dealing with a concussion, which could lead to more of Tre Flowers, one of the most burnable players in the NFL. The Seahawks’ lack of a pass rush has also helped out opposing WRs, specifically on the outside. Brandon Aiyuk has accumulated fantasy points as a runner as well as a receiver, but he has the skills to take advantage down the field this week.

Travis Fulgham has been a target-hog for the Eagles. He should do major damage against Dallas’ pitiful pass defense. Jalen Reagor and Greg Ward are also in good spots if they get enough volume.

In the slot, Julian Edelman gets a boost versus a below-average Buffalo nickel group. Hunter Renfrow gets the Browns, who just gave up a huge game to Tyler Boyd. And Boyd himself gets Tennessee, who has been gashed by slots all year. Finally, Keenan Allen should have no issue putting up stats against Essang Bassey in Denver.

 

WR/CB Matchups to Avoid

I have to start this space with a warning: just because a WR has a bad matchup does not mean you should bench him. WR talent level and target share are generally more predictive than matchup.

Diontae Johnson, Amari Cooper, Julio Jones, DeVante Parker, Kenny Golladay, and Stefon Diggs are all WR1s with tough matchups. I wouldn’t advise benching any of them, but temper expectations.

Sterling Shepard had a nice first game back against the Eagles last week, but he’s slated to face standout CB Jamel Dean and the tough Tampa Bay secondary. I would only consider playing him in deep leagues.

The outside corners for the Chiefs and Rams make it difficult to trust Breshad Perriman or Preston Williams this week. The same can be said for K.J. Hamler against the Chargers and both Marquez Callaway and Tre'Quan Smith against the Bears.

Jerry Jeudy and JuJu Smith-Schuster have difficult slot matchups and are probably better off left on benches this week.

And finally, Mike Evans. After two terrible weeks, it’s become clear that Tom Brady is willing to look elsewhere. But with Chris Godwin out, more opportunity gives him a great chance to bounce back, right? Unfortunately, Evans will likely be shadowed by shutdown CB James Bradberry on Monday night. Evans can always pop off for a big game due to his red-zone prowess, but this could be a third straight week of disappointment.

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

Quinton Byfield15 mins ago

Scores In Sixth-Straight Contest
Chase Elliott26 mins ago

May Be A Sneaky DFS Option For Las Vegas Lineups
Artemi Panarin28 mins ago

Extends Point Streak To Eight Games
Pyotr Kochetkov34 mins ago

Shuts The Door On Saturday
William Byron35 mins ago

Expect William Byron To Compete For The Win At Las Vegas
Tyler Reddick40 mins ago

Is One Of The Top DFS Options For Las Vegas
Anthony Cirelli42 mins ago

Strikes Twice On Saturday
Denny Hamlin47 mins ago

Could Denny Hamlin Be A Quality Driver For DFS At Las Vegas?
Alex Ovechkin47 mins ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Connor Dewar56 mins ago

Scores Twice On Saturday
NASCAR58 mins ago

Bubba Wallace Could Be A Solid DFS Option For Las Vegas
Brad Keselowski1 hour ago

Qualifies Deep In The Field For Las Vegas
Erik Jones1 hour ago

Is Erik Jones Worth Rostering At Las Vegas This Week?
Daniel Suarez1 hour ago

Should Fantasy Players Roster Daniel Suarez At Las Vegas?
Carson Hocevar2 hours ago

Showcases Speed And Can Be Worth Rostering At Las Vegas
Ryan Preece2 hours ago

Is Ryan Preece A DFS Fade For Las Vegas Lineups?
Joey Logano3 hours ago

Likely to Lead at Las Vegas, but Will He Lead Enough for DFS Consideration?
Michael McDowell3 hours ago

Wins Spire Motorsports's First Pole at Las Vegas
Austin Cindric3 hours ago

Qualified Third, but Almost Guaranteed to Lose Spots
Chase Briscoe3 hours ago

Las Vegas Performance Hard to Predict
Ty Gibbs3 hours ago

a Solid DFS Option in Theory, but Disastrous Recent Performance Likely Overrides That
Shane Van Gisbergen3 hours ago

Too Inexperienced at Las Vegas for DFS Consideration Despite Trackhouse Speed
Noah Gragson3 hours ago

Finished Well at Las Vegas Last Year, but Ran Worse
Austin Dillon3 hours ago

Decent at Las Vegas, but Not Worthy of DFS Play
Josh Berry3 hours ago

Poor Intermediate Record Likely to Override Strong Qualifying Result
Justin Haley3 hours ago

Spire Speed Suggests Justin Haley Is a Strong DFS Option
Cole Custer3 hours ago

Could be Valuable If Haas Has Intermediate Speed
Mitch Garver9 hours ago

Goes Hitless In Return To Cactus League Action
Austin Riley9 hours ago

Doubles In Return To Lineup On Saturday
Jordan Mason9 hours ago

Vikings Acquire Jordan Mason From 49ers, Sign Him To Two-Year Deal
RJ Barrett11 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Sunday
Immanuel Quickley11 hours ago

Won't Play On Sunday
Jerami Grant11 hours ago

Unlikely To Play On Sunday
Marcus Smart11 hours ago

Downgraded To Out
Anfernee Simons11 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Sunday
Christian Braun11 hours ago

Available On Saturday
Aaron Gordon11 hours ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Jamal Murray11 hours ago

Will Play On Saturday Night
Nikola Jokić11 hours ago

Nikola Jokic Cleared To Suit Up Versus The Wizards
Colby Thomas12 hours ago

Sustains Injury On Saturday
Dee Eskridge12 hours ago

Sticking With Dolphins
Josh Giddey12 hours ago

Officially Out On Saturday Night
Ja Morant12 hours ago

Ruled Out On Saturday Night
JuJu Smith-Schuster12 hours ago

Returning To Chiefs
Josh Rojas13 hours ago

Exits Early On Saturday
Tennessee Titans13 hours ago

Chidobe Awuzie Released By Titans
Thairo Estrada13 hours ago

Removed From Saturday's Contest
Damian Lillard13 hours ago

Available Versus Indiana
Parris Campbell13 hours ago

Headed To Dallas
Nick Kurtz13 hours ago

Exits After Hit-By-Pitch
Giannis Antetokounmpo13 hours ago

Good To Go On Saturday
Jamal Murray13 hours ago

Added To Saturday's Injury Report
Jiri Kulich13 hours ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury Saturday
Tobias Myers13 hours ago

Exits Early On Saturday
Brice Turang13 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Fatigue
Tyler Myers13 hours ago

Set To Return Against Blackhawks
Nikita Kucherov13 hours ago

Good To Go Against Bruins
Yegor Chinakhov13 hours ago

Rejoins Blue Jackets Lineup Saturday
Cole Anthony13 hours ago

Back On The Injury Report
Joel Armia13 hours ago

Expected To Return On Saturday
Brady Tkachuk14 hours ago

Available Saturday
Donovan Mitchell14 hours ago

Questionable Against Orlando
Adam Fox14 hours ago

Ready To Rejoin Rangers Lineup
Andre Drummond14 hours ago

Out Against Dallas
Ja Morant14 hours ago

Questionable On Saturday Night
P.J. Washington14 hours ago

Returning On Sunday
Philadelphia Eagles17 hours ago

Patrick Johnson Rejoins Philadelphia
Dante Exum17 hours ago

Diagnosed With A Fractured Left Hand
Los Angeles Rams17 hours ago

Larrell Murchison Back With The Rams
Amed Rosario17 hours ago

Returning On Saturday
Cam Thomas17 hours ago

Expected To Miss Rest Of The Season
Jose Trevino17 hours ago

Going For CT Scan
Kirk Cousins17 hours ago

Set To Receive Roster Bonus
Bryce Eldridge18 hours ago

Will Not Play On Saturday
Aaron Rodgers18 hours ago

Wants To Play In Minnesota
Blake Perkins18 hours ago

Cleared For Light Baseball Activities
Doug Nikhazy18 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A
Jung Hoo Lee18 hours ago

Scratched On Saturday With Back Tightness
Cody Bradford18 hours ago

Won't Throw For At Least Four Weeks
Colorado Rockies18 hours ago

Charlie Condon Out At Least Six Weeks With Broken Wrist
Bryce Miller18 hours ago

Ironing Out The Kinks In Spring Training
Logan Gilbert19 hours ago

Named Opening Day Starter
Mookie Betts19 hours ago

Missing Tokyo Exhibition Games Due To Illness
Jesús Sánchez19 hours ago

Jesus Sanchez To Miss Four Weeks With Oblique Strain
Jon Gray19 hours ago

Has A Fractured Right Wrist
Washington Commanders19 hours ago

Clelin Ferrell Returning To Washington
New York Jets19 hours ago

Kris Boyd Signs With The Jets
Los Angeles Chargers19 hours ago

Mekhi Becton Inks Deal With Chargers
Tyler Johnson20 hours ago

Links Up With Jets
Kyle Juszczyk21 hours ago

Returns To 49ers
Eeli Tolvanen1 day ago

Scores Twice In Victory
WPG1 day ago

Kyle Connor Strikes Twice On Friday
Jack Roslovic1 day ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Friday's Victory
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Leads Edmonton To Victory
Liam O'Brien1 day ago

Exits With Undisclosed Injury
Josh Manson1 day ago

Exits On Friday
Atlanta Falcons1 day ago

Falcons Agree To Terms With Morgan Fox
Indianapolis Colts1 day ago

Colts Sign Corey Ballentine To One-Year Deal On Friday
Pittsburgh Steelers1 day ago

Brandin Echols Signs Two-Year Deal With Steelers
Kenny Yeboah1 day ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Lions
Avery Williams1 day ago

Signs With Eagles
Kene Nwangwu1 day ago

Jets Re-Sign Kene Nwangwu To One-Year Deal
Simi Fehoko2 days ago

Signing With Cardinals
Karel Vejmelka2 days ago

Makes Ninth Consecutive Start Friday
Dustin Wolf2 days ago

Set To Face Avalanche Friday
Roman Dolidze2 days ago

Set For A Rematch
Marvin Vettori2 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Chidi Njokuani2 days ago

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos2 days ago

Looks For His 12th UFC Win
Kurt Holobaugh2 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 104
Alexander Hernandez2 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Cody Gibson2 days ago

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Da'Mon Blackshear2 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 104
Brendson Ribeiro2 days ago

Searching For Second UFC Win On Saturday
Diyar Nurgozhay2 days ago

Set To Make His UFC Debut
MMA2 days ago

Seung Woo Choi In Dire Need Of Victory
Kevin Vallejos2 days ago

Makes Debut At UFC Vegas 104
Jacob Bridgeman4 days ago

Use Caution For Jacob Bridgeman At TPC Sawgrass
Nicolai Hojgaard4 days ago

Looks To Stay Consistent Heading Into PLAYERS Championship
Karl Vilips4 days ago

Makes PLAYERS Championship Debut After First PGA Tour Win
Taylor Pendrith4 days ago

A Sneaky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Sahith Theegala4 days ago

Out Of Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick4 days ago

A Shaky Play Heading Into PLAYERS
Scottie Scheffler4 days ago

Eyeing Three-Peat At TPC Sawgrass
Aldrich Potgieter4 days ago

A Risky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Si Woo Kim4 days ago

Looks To Keep Building Momentum At The PLAYERS
Denny McCarthy4 days ago

Looks To Continue Solid Play At TPC Sawgrass
Collin Morikawa4 days ago

Poised For Another Strong Performance At TPC Sawgrass
Robert MacIntyre4 days ago

A Risky Play With Upside At The PLAYERS Championship
Jordan Spieth4 days ago

Looking To Change Fortunes At TPC Sawgrass
Cameron Young4 days ago

Avoid Cameron Young At The PLAYERS Championship
Michael Kim4 days ago

Continues Incredible Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Justin Thomas4 days ago

Looking For More Magic At TPC Sawgrass
Xander Schauffele4 days ago

Continues Competitive Return At The Players Championship
Rory McIlroy4 days ago

Looks To Reverse Recent History At TPC Sawgrass
PGA4 days ago

Victor Hovland Looking To Find Form At The PLAYERS Championship
Brian Harman4 days ago

A Sleeper Pick At The PLAYERS Championship
Min Woo Lee5 days ago

A Hard Name To Trust At The Players Championship
Alex Pereira6 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 313
Magomed Ankalaev6 days ago

Becomes The New UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion
Justin Gaethje6 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Rafael Fiziev6 days ago

Loses Third Fight In A Row
Ignacio Bahamondes6 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 313
Jalin Turner6 days ago

Retires After UFC 313 Loss
Iasmin Lucindo6 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 313
Amanda Lemos6 days ago

Dominates At UFC 313
King Green6 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC 313
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF