Sorry for the delay folks, crazy injury week.
This article will go game by game for the Week 7 slate looking at the top wide receivers from an offense and, based on the inside/outside and left/right splits of those receivers, identify the WR vs. CB matchups likely to occur.
Receivers rarely see the same corner every play, be it due to formation quirks or zone coverage calls by the defense, so a receiver's fortunes depend on much more than just the quality of the corner they're likely to see the most in a given game. Even against a bad corner, a good receiver can be denied the opportunity if the pass rush or something else outside his control complicates things. But it's part of the puzzle, and it's worth keeping track of.
Receivers are left with an Upgrade, Downgrade, or Even verdict based on their projected wide receiver vs. cornerback matchup. This shouldn't be read as 'good' or 'bad' but rather a measured tweak from the receiver's baseline projection.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Los Angeles Rams
JAGUARS WIDE RECEIVERS
The Jaguars rotate their corners a lot but seem to have settled on the short, light duo of Cobie Durant and Darious Williams as their primary boundary corners, with safety Quentin Lake in the slot. None of them is imposing in man coverage.
Brian Thomas is much bigger than Williams and Durant, so he has no excuse for struggling against them. Travis Hunter in the slot ought to be able to beat
Sorry for the delay folks, crazy injury week.
This article will go game by game for the Week 7 slate looking at the top wide receivers from an offense and, based on the inside/outside and left/right splits of those receivers, identify the WR vs. CB matchups likely to occur.
Receivers rarely see the same corner every play, be it due to formation quirks or zone coverage calls by the defense, so a receiver's fortunes depend on much more than just the quality of the corner they're likely to see the most in a given game. Even against a bad corner, a good receiver can be denied the opportunity if the pass rush or something else outside his control complicates things. But it's part of the puzzle, and it's worth keeping track of.
Receivers are left with an Upgrade, Downgrade, or Even verdict based on their projected wide receiver vs. cornerback matchup. This shouldn't be read as 'good' or 'bad' but rather a measured tweak from the receiver's baseline projection.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Los Angeles Rams
JAGUARS WIDE RECEIVERS
The Jaguars rotate their corners a lot but seem to have settled on the short, light duo of Cobie Durant and Darious Williams as their primary boundary corners, with safety Quentin Lake in the slot. None of them is imposing in man coverage.
Brian Thomas is much bigger than Williams and Durant, so he has no excuse for struggling against them. Travis Hunter in the slot ought to be able to beat Lake, so if the Jaguars are serious about getting Hunter more targets they can prove it here. Dyami Brown and Parker Washington probably don't deserve the benefit of the doubt, on the other hand.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Brian Thomas, Travis Hunter, Dyami Brown, Parker Washington
RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jordan Whittington will likely be the primary replacement for Puka Nacua but Nacua's absence might lead the Rams to reallocate some of his usage to subpackages that highlight Tutu Atwell. Jourdan Lewis has been good in the slot for the Jaguars, but he can't run with Atwell downfield.
In three-wide sets you might see Atwell in the slot with Whittington and Davante Adams set up on the boundary. Adams should be too much for Lewis, and while Greg Newsome still is working his way into the Jaguars' rotation Montaric Brown is likely overmatched by Adams. If the Jags don't counter Adams with Travis Hunter they're asking for trouble.
Upgrade: Davante Adams
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington
Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints
BEARS WIDE RECEIVERS
Rome Odunze won't stay quiet for long, especially if DJ Moore fails to make more noise. The Saints corners are probably among the worst in the league – Kool Aid McKinstry might be good, but Alontae Taylor probably needs to move to safety and rookie fifth-round pick Quincy Riley is unproven at best.
Olamide Zaccheaus will likely be the WR3 still – Luther Burden has yet to earn slot reps and with Moore/Odunze on the boundary he is normally blocked for snaps there.
Upgrade: Rome Odunze, DJ Moore
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Olamide Zaccheaus
SAINTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed can definitely get open deep against Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson. Working underneath might not be as easy for the thin duo, and Spencer Rattler is loathe to throw the ball downfield, so who knows what gives first.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed
Cleveland Browns vs. Miami Dolphins
BROWNS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jerry Jeudy and Isaiah Bond can both get open against the likes of Storm Duck, Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas. Zero question about that.
There is a great deal of question, however, about Dillon Gabriel's abilities in general and especially against a dangerous Miami pass rush.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jerry Jeudy (Upgrade if not for pass rush reasons), Isaiah Bond (see Jeudy)
DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jaylen Waddle can probably cross up Tyson Campbell a bit, but if the Browns shadow Waddle with Denzel Ward it would be a tougher matchup for Waddle.
If Waddle can overrule Ward/Campbell and the Cleveland pass rush it would likely be due to the lack of target competition. Malik Washington is a sinkhole in the slot and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine hasn't been any better on the boundary. Darren Waller is the real WR2 on this team.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jaylen Waddle (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by Ward), Malik Washington, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders
CHIEFS WIDE RECEIVERS
I would wager Rashee Rice almost immediately locks in as the WR1 in Kansas City. After operating only in the slot his rookie year, Rice posted scorching numbers from the boundary before getting hurt last year. Then again, rust is often real, so Xavier Worthy might remain the WR1 in this matchup.
Raiders corners like Kyu Blu Kelly and Eric Stokes basically cannot cover – they need to jam at the line of scrimmage and hope the pass rush arrives in time. If they can't jam Worthy then they can't run with him, either. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Hollywood Brown and Tyquan Thornton will need to split the remainders in some way that isn't yet clear.
Upgrade: Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice
Downgrade: N/A
Even: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Hollywood Brown, Tyquan Thornton
RAIDERS WIDE RECEIVERS
If Jakobi Meyers (toe/groin) is out then it leaves Jack Bech as your likely primary slot receiver. Against Chamarri Conner either wideout can win.
Tre Tucker will likely continue functioning on the boundary, and a taller corner like Jaylen Watson probably needs to be careful around Tucker's start/stop ability. Trent McDuffie has less reason to worry. If Meyers is out it might result in Dont'e Thornton moving back into the starting lineup, though purely as a decoy.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Jack Bech (arguable Upgrade if Meyers is out)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles
VIKINGS WIDE RECEIVERS
Justin Jefferson might or might not get shadowed by Quinyon Mitchell here. If the Eagles decline to it would be out of respect for Jordan Addison running against Kelee Ringo or Adoree' Jackson – two corners who need much more help than Mitchell. Jalen Nailor might see the most of Cooper DeJean in the slot, which probably isn't great.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison (arguable Upgrade if Mitchell shadows Jefferson), Jalen Nailor
EAGLES WIDE RECEIVERS
I have no idea what to make of the situation with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Very few corners can cover either player, and the only one on the Vikings who comes close is Byron Murphy, yet this and all other matchups still seem potentially problematic with Jalen Hurts struggling so badly as a passer.
If Hurts can get his rhythm together and if the Eagles offensive line can manage the Minnesota pass rush, then Brown can get the better of Murphy and otherwise bully Isaiah Rodgers. Rodgers is very fast and might well prove to be an effective counter to Smith, but the odds are that Rodgers can't mirror a route runner as well as he can run in a straight line.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: A.J. Brown (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by Murphy), DeVonta Smith
New York Jets vs. Carolina Panthers
JETS WIDE RECEIVERS
Josh Reynolds (hip) and Tyler Johnson can't get open, and Arian Smith can't catch. The Jets are not a serious team.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Josh Reynolds (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by Jaycee Horn), Arian Smith, Tyler Johnson
PANTHERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Tetairoa McMillan is a candidate to see Sauce Gardner in this one, which is probably a matchup where you give Gardner the benefit of the doubt. Even if McMillan plays reasonably well against Gardner, it might be easier for Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker to get open against the likes of Brandon Stephens (boundary) and Isaiah Oliver (slot).
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Tetairoa McMillan (Downgrade if shadowed by Gardner), Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker
Tennessee Titans vs. New England Patriots
TITANS WIDE RECEIVERS
Elic Ayomanor and Van Jefferson will be your starters. Christian Gonzalez is probably blanking whoever he sees, and Carlton Davis gets the benefit of the doubt against receivers this week, too. The only reason this isn't a clear Downgrade for the Titans wideouts is the garbage time potential.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Elic Ayomanor, Van Jefferson
PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Stefon Diggs (chest) is not needed here. The best Tennessee corner is Roger McCreary, yet he is liable to sit half of the game because the Titans refuse to line up McCreary on the boundary, using the beatable L'Jarius Sneed and the extremely beatable Jalyn Armour-Davis instead.
The boundary should be open for the Patriots, but if they want to rest Diggs they can probably do sufficient damage with Kayshon Boutte and the tight ends. DeMario Douglas is the one who sees McCreary the most – not an ideal matchup, but Douglas might see his playing time bounce back after catching a touchdown last week. Mack Hollins is hanging around in case the defense forgets to cover him (they might).
Upgrade: Kayshon Boutte
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins
Denver Broncos vs. New York Giants
BRONCOS WIDE RECEIVERS
Courtland Sutton should get going here. The Giants pass rush can be ferocious at times, but these Giants corners can't grapple with Sutton for four quarters. Paulson Adebo is a gambler at one boundary rep, and at the other Cor'Dale Flott is competent but small. Sutton can get the first out of position and bully the second. Marvin Mims has less of an obvious angle – Flott can mirror Mims' shiftiness and Adebo can mostly match stride downfield.
In the slot Dru Phillips is likely competent – perhaps enough that you give him the benefit of the doubt over Troy Franklin – especially with Pat Bryant stealing snaps from Franklin and Mims lately.
Upgrade: Courtland Sutton
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant
GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Wan'Dale Robinson and to a lesser extent Lil'Jordan Humphrey might have volume in their favor here – the Giants have no one else to throw to – but this matchup is otherwise brutal for obvious reasons. Both Patrick Surtain and Riley Moss get the benefit of the doubt over these two, especially Humphrey.
Robinson might be able to survive the matchup, though, for the previously stated volume reasons. Ja'Quan McMillian is a tough slot corner, though, so running away from Surtain can only help so much.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Lil'Jordan Humphrey
Even: Wan'Dale Robinson
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts
CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Quentin Johnston could get going here especially if Charvarius Ward (concussion) is out. Ward would normally be a nightmare matchup for a wideout like Johnston, but no Ward means a green light against the remaining likes of Mekhi Blackmon and especially Johnathan Edwards.
Ladd McConkey should mostly see Kenny Moore, who isn't built to run in coverage with guys like McConkey, especially while returning from an Achilles injury. Keenan Allen is quietly killing the Chargers offense lately with horrifically inefficient play, which could lead the Chargers to continue utilizing Oronde Gadsden in a way that encroaches upon Allen's early-season usage.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston (arguable Upgrade if Ward is out), Keenan Allen
COLTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Michael Pittman might play more in the slot with Josh Downs out, but it would only be due to Alec Pierce and Ashton Dulin being poor fits for the role rather than Pittman being a great fit himself. As a result of Downs' absence, the Colts might try to stick in two-TE as much as possible, basically using Tyler Warren as the slot receiver replacement while Mo Alie-Cox does the rest of the tight end work.
The Chargers don't have corners capable of covering Pittman effectively, but what they do have is a well-coached zone-heavy defense that does a good job of hiding the limitations of its corners. Still, only Cam Hart can match Pittman's physicality. Donte Jackson might get ragdolled if he has to grapple with Pittman. Pierce can beat Hart deep but probably not Jackson.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, Ashton Dulin
Arizona Cardinals vs. Green Bay Packers
CARDINALS WIDE RECEIVERS
The Cardinals seem to have settled on Michael Wilson as their primary slot receiver, which is definitely an upgrade over Greg Dortch. If Marvin Harrison (concussion) is out then you'd have Wilson and Zay Jones as your boundary starters, assuming Jones (knee) can play).
If Harrison and Jones are both out then you'll have some combination of Simi Fehoko and Xavier Weaver on the boundary with Dortch in the slot. None of these players deserves the benefit of the doubt here.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marvin Harrison, Michael Wilson, Zay Jones
PACKERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Romeo Doubs and Matthew Golden are good enough that Matt LaFleur would be smart to feature them as clear startes, but LaFleur will hear nothing of it. Fewer snaps for the best players is what makes the most sense, evidently. The matchup here is tough enough that Doubs and Golden get sketchy projections if you have to worry about their playing time additionally. Max Melton and Will Johnson are a promising boundary corner duo.
Jalen Thompson in the slot is probably more beatable, and Golden should split those looks with Dontayvion Wicks.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden
Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders
COWBOYS WIDE RECEIVERS
CeeDee Lamb is back and along with George Pickens the two likely pose too much firepower for a struggling Washington defense. Marshon Lattimore might be toast while Mike Sainristil in the slot and Trey Amos at the other boundary rep are probably nothing to worry about.
Jalen Tolbert had been a complete zero as Dallas' primary slot receiver in recent weeks, but Ryan Flournoy looks more deserving of the WR3 role.
Upgrade: CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jalen Tolbert, Ryan Flournoy
COMMANDERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Deebo Samuel is evidently limited by his heel injury and Terry McLaurin is out yet again with his quadriceps injury. It would seemingly be Chris Moore that the Commanders turn to next as a vertical threat. Moore lacks the speed to conventionally threaten vertically, but he was excellent as a downfield specialist in college.
Luke McCaffrey seems to be building some momentum, too, so while it would be bad for Washington to lack Samuel or/and McLaurin they seem to have something in Moore and McCaffrey. McCaffrey's fantasy utility might be limited by rotating with gadget man Jaylin Lane, however.
In any case, the Cowboys corners are not a concern.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Deebo Samuel, Chris Moore, Luke McCaffrey
San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons
49ERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Kendrick Bourne sure seems like The Guy for Kyle Shanahan while everyone else is injured, and with two 140-yard games in a row it Bourne probably deserves the benefit of the doubt even if A.J. Terrell shadows him here. That, and Bourne should regularly get into the slot with Ricky Pearsall and Marquez Valdes-Scantling out.
The other 49ers receivers are not as easily rationalized. Jauan Jennings is playing through multiple broken ribs and might be little more than a decoy at the moment. Demarcus Robinson should see more snaps than Skyy Moore otherwise.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Kendrick Bourne, Jauan Jennings, Demarcus Robinson
FALCONS WIDE RECEIVERS
Drake London figures to get lots of attention from the 49ers, but he's rolling right now and as long as the quarterback play cooperates you definitely give London the benefit of the doubt against even decent corners like Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green. Slot rookie Upton Stout would likely be completely overmatched. The loss of Fred Warner might hurt the 49ers' coverage, too.
Darnell Mooney (hamstring) can probably beat these guys, too, if only downfield, though it's not as easy to give him the benefit of the doubt off the injury. Thankfully, the Falcons have finally stopped wasting everyone's time giving snaps to Ray-Ray McCloud…although now they just waste the snaps on Casey Washington and David Sills instead.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Drake London
Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
LIONS WIDE RECEIVERS
Amon-Ra St. Brown gets the benefit of the doubt anyway, but he could see a fairly challenging slot corner matchup against the rookie Jacob Parrish. St. Brown often proves close to matchup-proof and Parrish is still a rookie, but Parrish has held up well in the slot so far and might even soon establish himself as a permanent starter over Zyon McCollum.
St. Brown might rather see McCollum and even the otherwise distinguished Jamel Dean than Parrish – McCollum and Dean are huge and fast, but in start/stop situations their massiveness sometimes works against them. Jameson Williams might be able to create some lateral or double-move vertical separation for similar reasons – Williams' ability to stop then start is tough to mirror in general. Isaac TeSlaa has seemingly overtaken Kalif Raymond but might see little more than decoy utility for the foreseeable future.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa
BUCCANEERS WIDE RECEIVERS
If Mike Evans (hamstring) could return then it would do a lot to ease the stress if Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) is out. If Evans is active he'll be a major mismatch for the likes of Rock Ya-Sin and Amik Robertson.
Sterling Shepard curiously only played 26 snaps in Week 6 – Tez Johnson (38) and even Kameron Johnson (26) matched or exceeded that number – perhaps because the Buccaneers view Shepard as an underneath, chain-moving specialist with minimal explosiveness. Tez and Kameron are more 4.5 types than true burners, but they both offer more downfield than Shepard. It seems like Kameron's only chance of playing much is if both Egbuka and Evans are out, however.
The Johnsons and Shepard probably don't deserve the full benefit of the doubt against the Lions corners, but neither do the Lions corners against Shepard and the Johnsons.
Upgrade: Mike Evans
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Tez Johnson, Sterling Shepard, Kameron Johnson
Seattle Seahawks vs. Houston Texans
SEAHAWKS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is still a must-start in fantasy but if he can get the better of the Texans defense it would be impressive. Derek Stingley might shadow Smith-Njigba in this one and even if he doesn't, Kamari Lassiter also has extensive good results covering in the parts of the field where Smith-Njigba does his most damage. Cooper Kupp seemingly has a challenging matchup against Jalen Pitre, who is at once a safety tweener yet one probably prepared to cover a receiver with Kupp's lack of speed.
One reason the Texans might not shadow Smith-Njigba with Stingley is that it would leave Lassiter on Tory Horton, and Horton might be even more dangerous to Lassiter than JSN. More specifically, Lassiter's main weakness is downfield speed and Horton has both the wheels (4.41) and 6-foot-3 reach to cause downfield problems for Houston if they don't keep a safety over the top or/and benefit from the timely arrival of the pass rush.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by Stingley), Cooper Kupp, Tory Horton
TEXANS WIDE RECEIVERS
Nico Collins doesn't fear these corners at all. In fact, it would seem that Josh Jobe and Shaquill Griffin are green lights and good reasons to hope for a big game from Collins here.
Christian Kirk played less than Xavier Hutchinson and Jayden Higgins before the bye but that was likely because Houston had a huge lead against Baltimore. In this game Kirk should go back to the WR2 role, albeit one that often lands in the slot against Devon Witherspoon. Witherspoon isn't unbeatable, but you'd much rather run against Jobe and especially Griffin.
Hutchinson has played more than Higgins but the Texans would be wise to end that now – Higgins is likely too much for Jobe and Griffin but Hutchinson doesn't warrant the same benefit of the doubt.
Upgrade: Nico Collins
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Christian Kirk, Xavier Hutchinson
