X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

WR/CB Matchups to Target and Downgrade - Conference Championship

Ja'Marr Chase - Fantasy Football Rankings NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Welcome to the Conference Championship edition of WR/CB Matchup chart. Most season-long fantasy leagues are over, but there are still plenty of opportunities to play other types of contests in the playoffs. Conference Championship games are extremely important in most fantasy playoff formats and drafts. This article can help you identify advantageous matchups and make decisions accordingly.

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, 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.

Keep in mind that 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. For example, in Week 1, A.J. Brown played 27 snaps in the slot and 21 snaps at LWR. However, Quez Watkins played more snaps in the slot and no Eagles WR played more snaps at LWR than Brown, which explains the chart.

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 - Conference Championship Games

Click the image for a full-screen view

 

WR/CB Matchups to Target

Late-season trends are just as important as full-season data, and while the 49ers' defense has been great overall, they have recently struggled to stop WR1s. CeeDee Lamb popped off for a big game last week, and although he's listed as a primary slot, a lot of his production came on the outside. It's a great spot for A.J. Brown.

The 49ers have also been victimized by slot receivers all year. Quez Watkins is listed as the primary slot on the chart, but he doesn't play that many more snaps inside than Brown, DeVonta Smith, or Dallas Goedert. The Eagles' top three weapons are viable and will likely be necessary for Philly to win the game. However, it wouldn't shock me to see Watkins make a big play or two.

Mecole Hardman's injury is something worth monitoring throughout the week. He returned to a limited practice Wednesday, but his status for the game is still up in the air. The Chiefs move their WRs all around the formation and their WR1 in terms of target share is actually a tight end. The Bengals have done an excellent job limiting WR1s all year, so I expect their game plan to revolve around stopping Travis Kelce. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marques Valdez-Scantling get upgrades, while Justin Watson and Skyy Moore are viable large-field tournament dart throws. If Hardman plays, he's a big-play possibility as well. This is a good matchup for Chiefs receivers.

On the other side of that game, the chart shows the Chiefs as an easy matchup for opposing WR1s. Early in the season, they were torched by WR1s, but since Trent McDuffie came back and Joshua Williams was benched, they've been much stouter on the outside. Ja'Marr Chase is obviously a fine play regardless of matchup, but the chart is heavily skewed by early-season results.

 

WR/CB Matchups to Downgrade

The Eagles have arguably the best outside CB duo in the NFL, and it's fair to wonder how rookie Brock Purdy will perform in his first road playoff game in a tough environment. Both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel have low floors.

The Chiefs have been tough against primary RWRs all year. Tee Higgins gets a downgrade but is obviously a fine play due to talent and target share.

Overall, there aren't any glaring downgrades for WRs this week. These four teams have outstanding receiver rooms and will make plenty of plays on Sunday.

I'll close out with my general thoughts on this two-game slate, and the stands I'll be taking in tournaments. A.J. Brown and Quez Watkins will be my favorite plays in the NFC Championship, and I'll cycle through KC receivers depending on Mecole Hardman's health. If he's out, I'll play longshot Skyy Moore in large-field contests. On the Cincinnati side, I'll be underweight to Tee Higgins and play a decent amount of Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd.

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!




Win Big With RotoBaller

Be sure to also check out all of our other daily fantasy football articles and analysis to help you set those winning lineups, including this new RotoBaller YouTube video:

More Fantasy Football Analysis




LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

ROTOBALLER PLAYER NEWS

Pierce Johnson8 mins ago

Earns Save On Friday
Camilo Doval14 mins ago

Picks Up Save On Saturday
Emmanuel Clase23 mins ago

Nails Down First Save Saturday
Erik Jones3 hours ago

Hoping Not To Go Backwards At Richmond
Ricky Stenhouse Jr4 hours ago

. Begins Eighth At Richmond
Tyler Reddick4 hours ago

Tries To Keep Rolling At Richmond
Joey Logano4 hours ago

Starts Back In 18th At Richmond
Kyle Larson4 hours ago

Benefits From Appeal For Richmond Race
Denny Hamlin4 hours ago

Trying For Spring Magic At Richmond Again
NASCAR4 hours ago

A.J. Allmendinger Trying To Improve At Richmond
Austin Cindric4 hours ago

Keeps Improving At Richmond
Ty Dillon4 hours ago

Begins Back In 36th At Richmond
Harrison Burton4 hours ago

Begins Richmond From 26th Position
Corey Lajoie4 hours ago

Corey LaJoie Could Slide Back Some Spots Sunday
Ty Gibbs5 hours ago

A Slight Question Mark On Sunday
NASCAR5 hours ago

J.J. Yeley Facing A Long Afternoon At Richmond
Cody Ware5 hours ago

Starts 31st Sunday For Toyota Owners 400
Todd Gilliland5 hours ago

May Not Have Easy Time At Richmond
Josh Berry5 hours ago

Gets DFS Boost For Sunday At Richmond
Ryan Preece5 hours ago

Looking For Another Top 20 At Richmond
Anthony Alfredo5 hours ago

Starts 35th On Sunday At Richmond
Shintaro Fujinami6 hours ago

Gets Rocked In MLB Debut
Taylor Ward6 hours ago

Collects Four RBI In Win Over Oakland
Luis Arraez7 hours ago

Picks Up Four Hits Against The Mets
Francisco Lindor7 hours ago

Strikes Out Twice Against Miami
Tylor Megill7 hours ago

Picks Up A Win On Saturday
Terry Rozier8 hours ago

Out Again Versus The Raptors
P.J. Washington9 hours ago

Uncertain For Sunday
Gordon Hayward9 hours ago

Doubtful Again On Sunday
C.J. Stroud9 hours ago

Betting Favorite To Go No. 1
Bryce Young9 hours ago

Continues To Impress
Joey Bart10 hours ago

Will Undergo Scan On Sunday
Ryan Helsley10 hours ago

Bounces Back Saturday, Secures First Save In 2023
Devin Williams10 hours ago

Picks Up First Save Of The Season
Anthony Rendon11 hours ago

Could Get Day Off Sunday
Kyle Wright11 hours ago

Scheduled To Make Rehab Start Wednesday
Héctor Neris11 hours ago

Hector Neris Notches First Save Saturday
Jorge López12 hours ago

Jorge Lopez Gets Save Saturday
Eric Gordon13 hours ago

Officially Out On Saturday
Lauri Markkanen13 hours ago

Could Miss Sunday's Game
Myles Turner13 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Sunday
LeBron James13 hours ago

Could Sit Against Rockets
Anthony Edwards13 hours ago

Uncertain For Sunday
De'Andre Hunter14 hours ago

Considered Day-To-Day
Kyle Lowry14 hours ago

Available On Saturday
Brandon Lowe14 hours ago

Exits Saturday's Game
Ryan Pressly14 hours ago

"Under The Weather"
Josh Morrissey14 hours ago

Expected Back Sunday
Tommy La Stella14 hours ago

Back In The Lineup On Saturday
Kevin Fiala15 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Saturday
Pavel Dorofeyev15 hours ago

Won't Play On Saturday
Tom Murphy15 hours ago

Starting On Saturday
Travis Konecny15 hours ago

Available Again For Flyers
Jack Roslovic15 hours ago

Ruled Out On Saturday
Trevor Zegras15 hours ago

Set To Return Against Edmonton
Kyle Bradish15 hours ago

To Make Season Debut On Monday
Rafael Harvey-Pinard15 hours ago

Misses Saturday's Game
Gary Trent15 hours ago

Jr. Questionable Versus Charlotte
Max Fried15 hours ago

Will Be Placed On Injured List
Eric Gordon15 hours ago

Questionable On Saturday
Kyle Lowry16 hours ago

Remains Questionable
Bam Adebayo16 hours ago

Won't Suit Up Versus Dallas
Kevin Harvick17 hours ago

Should Contend For Win At Richmond
Christopher Bell17 hours ago

Looking To Continue “Young Gun” Winning Ways
Ryan Blaney17 hours ago

Can Ryan Blaney Get His First Ever Top 5 Finish At Richmond, His Worst Track?
Darrynton Evans18 hours ago

Signs With The Colts
Alex Lyon18 hours ago

Gets The Nod Saturday
Rachaad White18 hours ago

Projected To Be A Three-Down Back
Jake Oettinger19 hours ago

Confirmed Starter Against Colorado
Brock Purdy19 hours ago

Rehab Going Well For Brock Purdy
Alex Stalock19 hours ago

Tends Twine Saturday Against Devils
Ivan Prosvetov19 hours ago

Set To Start Against San Jose
Marc-Andre Fleury19 hours ago

Protects The Crease Versus Vegas
Donovan Mitchell21 hours ago

Goes For 40-Plus Points Again
Jalen Brunson21 hours ago

Has A Career Night With 48 Points
Mikal Bridges21 hours ago

Drops 42 Points On Atlanta
Talen Horton-Tucker21 hours ago

Has Another Productive Outing
Paolo Banchero21 hours ago

Shines Against Washington
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander22 hours ago

Piles Up 39 Points Friday
Anthony Davis22 hours ago

Battles Through Injury For A Big Double-Double
Jonathan Toews22 hours ago

Returns To Action Saturday
Tyler Toffoli22 hours ago

Nets Two Goals Against Vancouver
Clayton Keller22 hours ago

Keeps Point Streak Going Friday
Jason Robertson22 hours ago

Sets New Stars Scoring Record
Adam Fox23 hours ago

Continues Hot Spell With A Goal
Casey Mittelstadt23 hours ago

Hands Out Two Assists
Tee Higgins1 day ago

Not Concerned About Contract Situation
Jeff Skinner1 day ago

Scores Game-Winning Goal In Overtime
Devon Levi1 day ago

Earns Victory In NHL Debut
Seattle Seahawks2 days ago

Ryan Neal Becomes Free Agent
Pharaoh Brown2 days ago

Joins Colts
Darrynton Evans2 days ago

To Meet With Colts
Laquon Treadwell2 days ago

Working Out For Cowboys
Trayveon Williams2 days ago

Bengals Have High Hopes For Trayveon Williams
Joe Burrow2 days ago

Bengals Begin Extension Discussions With Joe Burrow
Mac Jones2 days ago

Bill Belichick Still Non-Committal On Mac Jones
Sammy Blais2 days ago

Extends Point Streak To Six Games
Baltimore Ravens3 days ago

Ravens Have Been Active In Receiver Market
Baker Mayfield3 days ago

Kyle Trask To Compete In Training Camp
Courtland Sutton3 days ago

Broncos Could Still Trade Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton
DeAndre Hopkins3 days ago

To Stay With Cardinals?
Odell Beckham Jr.3 days ago

Jets The Most Likely Landing Spot For Odell Beckham Jr.
Carolina Panthers3 days ago

Panthers Not Settled On One QB For No. 1 Pick
Lamar Jackson3 days ago

Not Seeking Fully Guaranteed Deal
Nathan Peterman3 days ago

Re-Signs With Bears
Brendon Todd4 days ago

Has Success At TPC San Antonio
Ben Martin4 days ago

Has Value At TPC San Antonio
Nick Taylor4 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At Valero
Taylor Pendrith4 days ago

A Sleeper Option At TPC San Antonio
Chris Kirk4 days ago

A Good Option At The Valero Texas Open
Matt Kuchar4 days ago

Loves Playing TPC San Antonio
Will Gordon4 days ago

Offers A Wild-Card Option At Valero
Cam Davis4 days ago

Can Keep His Current Form At TPC San Antonio
Mark Hubbard4 days ago

A Low-Risk Value Option At Valero
Tyler Duncan4 days ago

Start Tyler Duncan At TPC San Antonio
Emiliano Grillo4 days ago

Not Recommended At Valero
Patrick Rodgers5 days ago

Don't Give Patrick Rodgers A Shot At Valero
Adam Schenk5 days ago

Wants To Keep Momentum Rolling At Valero
Ryan Moore5 days ago

Cannot Get Past The Cut Lately
Stephan Jaeger5 days ago

Could Warm Things Up At Valero
Si Woo Kim5 days ago

A Possible Contender At Valero
Taylor Montgomery5 days ago

Attempting To Find Weekend Consistency
Corey Conners5 days ago

Trying To Recreate A Little Magic
Thomas Detry5 days ago

Continues To Impress In Rookie Season
Aaron Rai5 days ago

Brings Positive Momentum To Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia5 days ago

Looks To Stay Hot In Texas
Marlon Vera6 days ago

Has Four-Fight Winning Streak Snapped
Cory Sandhagen6 days ago

Dominates Striking Department
Yana Santos6 days ago

Dominated In Decision Loss
Holly Holm6 days ago

Dominates In Co-Main Event
Austin Lingo6 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss
Nate Landwehr6 days ago

Shines With Second-Round Submission Win
Andrea Lee6 days ago

Suffers Defeat In Close Matchup Saturday
Maycee Barber6 days ago

Takes Close Matchup On Saturday
Chidi Njokuani6 days ago

Takes Close Loss In Split-Decision Showing
Albert Duraev6 days ago

Holds Off Opponent In Tight Split Decision
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF