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
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

WR/CB Matchups to Target and Downgrade - Super Bowl LVII

AJ Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Welcome to the Super Bowl LVII 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 for the big game. The Super Bowl is the final round for 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 - Super Bowl LVII

Click the image for a full-screen view

 

WR/CB Matchups to Target

The Chiefs move their receivers around the formation a lot. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Justin Watson, and Skyy Moore have all played a significant number of slot snaps this season. When out wide, their splits are generally close to even in terms of left and right. Also, keep in mind that Travis Kelce plays the slot 44.4% of the time as well.

Philadelphia's corners have much more defined alignments. In most games, James Bradberry plays the right side and Darius Slay plays the left side. Avonte Maddox, if healthy, will be the slot corner in nickel packages, while safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson will also play some slot corner in certain looks.

The Eagles' primary cover men are all above average skill-wise. Philly has been susceptible to slot production more than outside production, in part because their outside corners are so good. Expect Travis Kelce to get the biggest upgrade as the No. 1 target who gets the most looks inside. Whoever else plays the most slot for the Chiefs also gets a boost. I expect that to be Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs' deployment of corners will come down to the health of L'Jarius Sneed. Sneed and rookie standout Trent McDuffie play RCB and slot corner depending on the matchup. For example, in KC's divisional-round win over the Jaguars, Sneed played slot corner to match up with Jacksonville's best receiver, Christian Kirk. In this matchup, I fully expect Sneed to play outside to match up with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, while McDuffie plays the slot.

Based on season-long data, the chart shows the easiest matchup for the Eagles' primary LWR. That's A.J. Brown. However, keep in mind that a lot of that production came earlier in the season when Sneed was playing the slot and McDuffie was injured. The Chiefs have been much better against opposing WR1s in recent weeks.

It's also important to note that A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith switch sides a lot. They'll also play the slot for a handful of snaps each game. The bottom line is that Brown gets a boost, but the Eagles could very easily gameplan for Smith to have the more advantageous matchup on any given snap.

The Chiefs are also exploitable inside. I wouldn't rule out a big play from a slot route for either of the Eagles studs or Quez Watkins. In large-field DFS tournaments, Zach Pascal is also viable.

 

WR/CB Matchups to Downgrade

Both secondaries are above-average, but there's a reason both of these offenses made it to the Super Bowl. Philadelphia has stifled outside receivers all year, so it's not a great matchup for JuJu Smith-Schuster or whoever plays the most outside snaps for the Chiefs. However, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are still an elite duo in game with a 50.5 total.

On the other side, Kansas City has been solid against primary RWRs, and DeVonta Smith has played more snaps at RWR than any other Eagles' WR. Just to put that in perspective, that's still only 42% of his snaps. Smith will not have a disadvantageous matchup on more than half of his routes. As helpful as this data can be, the edge in this game is small because of the deployment and skills of these receivers.

Thanks for reading all season and good luck this week. I will be back next week with NFL Draft content.



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 More 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




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

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

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

David Fry10 mins ago

To Miss 6-8 Months After Having Elbow Surgery
Steven Adams11 mins ago

Considered Questionable For Monday
Gerrit Cole14 mins ago

Yankees Agree To Stick Together
Aaron Gordon22 mins ago

Probable For Monday
Goga Bitadze30 mins ago

Set To Play On Monday
Wendell Carter Jr.36 mins ago

Not Playing On Monday
Zion Williamson42 mins ago

Questionable For Monday
De'Aaron Fox51 mins ago

Playing Through Hand Injury
Pat Connaughton58 mins ago

Probable For Monday
Drake London1 hour ago

Considered Day-To-Day
Samuel Ersson2 hours ago

Misses Monday Practice
Carolina Panthers2 hours ago

Panthers Haven't Decided Starting QB For Week 10
Connor McDavid2 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule In Recovery
Jonathon Brooks2 hours ago

Panthers Optimistic Jonathon Brooks Will Debut In Week 10
Philip Broberg2 hours ago

Will Miss Several Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
Derek Carr2 hours ago

To Start In Week 10 For Saints
Valeri Nichushkin2 hours ago

Will Return When First Eligible
Nico Collins2 hours ago

Texans Non-Committal On Nico Collins For Week 10
Erick All Jr.2 hours ago

Officially Out For The Year With Knee Injury
DK Metcalf2 hours ago

Mike Macdonald "Optimistic" DK Metcalf Returns In Week 11
CeeDee Lamb3 hours ago

Tagged As Week-To-Week, Optimism He Can Play In Week 10
Tyler Reddick3 hours ago

Not A Factor At Martinsville And Looks Ahead To Phoenix
Kyle Larson3 hours ago

Misses Advancing Through Playoffs Despite Top-Three Finish
Brad Keselowski3 hours ago

Has A Solid Top-10 Performance At Martinsville
Chase Elliott3 hours ago

Loses Out On Winning At Martinsville
Christian McCaffrey3 hours ago

49ers Open Christian McCaffrey's Practice Window
Zack Moss3 hours ago

No Timetable On Zack Moss' Return
Dak Prescott3 hours ago

Expected To Miss Multiple Weeks, IR Trip A Possibility
Nathan Eovaldi4 hours ago

Declines His Player Option
Devin Williams4 hours ago

Brewers Decline Option On Devin Williams
Michael Wacha4 hours ago

Royals Agree To Three-Year Deal
Reynaldo López4 hours ago

Braves Sign Reynaldo Lopez To Three-Year Deal
Daniel Jones4 hours ago

Remains Giants' Starting QB
Khris Middleton4 hours ago

Remains Sidelined Against Cavaliers
Josh Giddey4 hours ago

Added To Injury Report On Monday
Kevin Huerter4 hours ago

Leaves Shootaround Early, Remains Questionable
Immanuel Quickley5 hours ago

Draws Another Doubtful Status On Monday
Lauri Markkanen5 hours ago

Questionable To Face Bulls
Jakobi Meyers5 hours ago

Has Huge Day In Week 9
D'Angelo Russell5 hours ago

Listed As Probable On Monday
Austin Reaves5 hours ago

Deemed Probable On Monday
Drake London5 hours ago

Likely Dealing With Hip Pointer, Going For More Tests
Las Vegas Raiders5 hours ago

Antonio Pierce Hasn't Decided On Starting QB
De'Anthony Melton5 hours ago

Won't Suit Up On Monday
Caris LeVert5 hours ago

Questionable Against Bucks On Monday
A.J. Brown5 hours ago

Going For MRI Exam On Monday
Kyle Kuzma5 hours ago

Ruled Out Again With Groin Strain
Bucky Irving5 hours ago

Expected To Play On Monday Night
Andrew Wiggins5 hours ago

Probable On Monday Against Wizards
San Antonio Spurs6 hours ago

Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich Out With Health Issue
Keon Coleman7 hours ago

Undergoing Tests On His Wrist Monday
New Orleans Saints7 hours ago

Saints Fire Head Coach Dennis Allen
Rose Namajunas7 hours ago

Drops Decision Matchup
Erin Blanchfield8 hours ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Dustin Stoltzfus8 hours ago

Gets First-Round Knockout At UFC Edmonton
Dak Prescott8 hours ago

Will Undergo MRI On His Hamstring
A.J. Brown8 hours ago

Avoids Major Injury On Sunday
Zach Hyman8 hours ago

Records Two Points In Battle Of Alberta Win
Marc-Andre Barriault8 hours ago

Knocked Out At UFC Edmonton
Matt Boldy9 hours ago

Hits Overtime Winner Versus Toronto
Jared Spurgeon9 hours ago

Delivers Two Assists In Sunday's Win
Trevin Giles9 hours ago

Losses Third Fight In A Row
Alex Ovechkin9 hours ago

Extends Goal Streak To Four Games
Dmitry Orlov9 hours ago

Nets Two Goals Against Capitals
Jeremy Swayman9 hours ago

Collects First Shutout Of The Season
Connor Bedard9 hours ago

Records Three Assists In Sunday's Win
Mike Malott10 hours ago

Wins Decision At UFC Edmonton
Jamal Murray18 hours ago

Listed As Out On Monday Against Toronto
Bradley Beal18 hours ago

Questionable Going Into Monday Night's Matchup Against Philadelphia
NASCAR18 hours ago

Speeding Penalty Foils Martin Truex Jr.'s Last Realistic Shot At Winning
Denny Hamlin18 hours ago

Fails To Advance To Championship 4 But Runs Well
Shane Van Gisbergen18 hours ago

Shane van Gisbergen Earns Best Oval Finish at Martinsville
William Byron18 hours ago

Tentatively In Championship 4 Pending Ruling On Manufacturer Orders
MMA22 hours ago

Ariane Lipski Submitted At UFC Edmonton
Jasmine Jasudavicius22 hours ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado22 hours ago

Still Winless In The UFC
Brendson Ribeiro22 hours ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC Edmonton
Amir Albazi22 hours ago

Falls Short At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Moreno22 hours ago

Dominates At UFC Edmonton
Artturi Lehkonen24 hours ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
NJ24 hours ago

Nathan Bastian To Miss "Several Weeks"
Brayden Point24 hours ago

Exits With Injury Sunday
Dan Vladar1 day ago

Set For Second Consecutive Start Sunday
Nicholas Robertson1 day ago

Re-Enters Maple Leafs Lineup Sunday
Jakub Vrana1 day ago

Scratched On Sunday
Austin Barnes1 day ago

Returning To Los Angeles
1 day ago

David Robertson To Test Free Agency
Wilmer Flores1 day ago

Giants Exercise Club Option On Wilmer Flores
Owen Miller1 day ago

Shipped To Colorado
Merrill Kelly1 day ago

Staying In Arizona
1 day ago

Eloy Jimenez Headed To Free Agency
Daniel Suarez1 day ago

Will Start 20th At Martinsville
Zane Smith1 day ago

Might Be An Underrated Value Play For Martinsville
Tyler Reddick1 day ago

Is A Top DFS Recommendation For Martinsville Lineups
Joey Logano1 day ago

Will Be One To Watch At Martinsville
Brad Keselowski1 day ago

Should DFS Players Rely On Brad Keselowski For Martinsville Lineups?
Carson Hocevar1 day ago

Is A Great DFS Option For All Martinsville DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs1 day ago

Is Ty Gibbs Worth Rostering At Martinsville This Week For DFS?
Austin Cindric1 day ago

Could Have A Top-20 Performance At Martinsville
William Byron1 day ago

Might Be Usable Only In DFS Tournaments At Martinsville
Chris Buescher1 day ago

Should DFS Players Roster Chris Buescher At Martinsville?
Alex Bowman1 day ago

Expect A Solid Top-10 Performance From Alex Bowman At Martinsville
Josh Berry1 day ago

May Be Set For Long-Run Struggles At Martinsville
Dylan Larkin1 day ago

Scores Twice On Saturday
Cam Talbot1 day ago

Stops 31 Shots In Saturday's Victory
Cale Makar1 day ago

Tallies Goal, Assist On Saturday
Anton Forsberg1 day ago

Records Shutout Victory On Saturday
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Will Be Tough To Beat At Martinsville
2 days ago

Joc Pederson To Test Free Agency
2 days ago

Anthony Rizzo Headed To Free Agency
Freddy Peralta2 days ago

Milwaukee Picking Up Option On Freddy Peralta
2 days ago

Ha-Seong Kim Headed To Free Agency
Robbie Ray2 days ago

Doesn't Opt Out Of Contract, Stays With Giants
2 days ago

Yankees Could Make Play For Pete Alonso This Offseason
2 days ago

Sean Manaea Opts Out Of Contract, Becomes Free Agent
Cody Bellinger2 days ago

Picks Up $27.5 Million Player Option With Cubs
Gerrit Cole2 days ago

Opts Out Of Contract With Yankees
Rose Namajunas3 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
Erin Blanchfield3 days ago

Returns At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault3 days ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Set To Face Marc-Andre Barriault At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault3 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Edmonton
Trevin Giles3 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mike Malott3 days ago

Opens Up UFC Edmonton Main Card
Brendson Ribeiro4 days ago

Searching For 1st UFC Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado4 days ago

Drops Down To Light Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Jhonata Diniz4 days ago

Gets Big Step-Up At UFC Edmonton

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 

Video: MUST ADD Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 10! Fantasy Football 2024

Our top 2024 fantasy football Week 10 waiver wire pickups for RB, WR, TE, and QB. This week's must-add fantasy football free agents -- potential waiver wire winners heading into Week 9 for running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and quarterbacks. Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) - every […]


Rachaad White - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 9 MNF? Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, Baker Mayfield, Jalen McMillan, Kareem Hunt, Xavier Worthy, Patrick Mahomes, DeAndre Hopkins, Sterling Shepard, more

Who Should I Start for MNF? Who Should I Sit for MNF? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions for Monday Night Football are regarding players like Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, Baker Mayfield, Jalen McMillan, Kareem Hunt, Xavier Worthy, Patrick Mahomes, DeAndre Hopkins, Sterling Shepard, more. But not to worry, we […]


Marvin Harrison Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, WR, Waiver Wire, NFL DFS, Rookies

Biggest Fantasy Football Busts Of The Week - Fantasy Outlooks For C.J. Stroud, Tank Bigsby, Marvin Harrison, Brian Thomas, Kyle Pitts, Nick Chubb, more

The ninth Sunday of the 2024 NFL season has come and gone. Hopefully, you woke up on Monday morning feeling very good about how your matchup went. However, this week's slate of games was certainly stress-inducing for many fantasy football managers. Part of that stress was caused by a group of players who drastically underachieved […]


Quentin Johnston - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups (QB, RB, WR, TE): Free Agent Adds Include Justin Herbert, Isaac Guerendo, Quentin Johnston, Demarcus Robinson, Taysom Hill

RotoBaller's Week 10 fantasy football waiver wire pickups article for 2024 will cover everyone you need to know that could help your team find replacements for injured players, fill in for players you want to drop, or even help you win a championship. Every week, new players are breaking out. From bench stashes in the […]


Ray Davis - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Waiver Wire Express - Week 10 Lightning Round Including Quentin Johnston, Xavier Legette, Ray-Ray McCloud III, Ray Davis, Jauan Jennings, Cedric Tillman, Bo Nix

October is in the past and many of you are here with shifted clocks, seeking help at wide receiver. Amidst the usual chaos of Sunday's football, we absorbed several high-profile losses at wideout. We're all doing our best to stay hot in November with our fantasy football waiver wire pickups lightning round heading into Week […]


Tyler Allgeier - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 10 Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Football Pickups Include Quentin Johnston, Jalen Tolbert, Ricky Pearsall, Ray Davis, Tyler Allgeier, Mike Gesicki

Week 10 will be here in a few days, and it's time to start bolstering those rosters for the fantasy football playoff push. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with more waiver wire advice to help build those fantasy rosters with our Week 10 fantasy football waiver wire rankings for 2024. There were more crucial […]


Justin Herbert - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Top Week 10 Quarterback Pickups - Best Fantasy QB Adds, Streamers Include Russell Wilson, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and more

It was not a banner week for the quarterback position in fantasy football. There wasn’t a single quarterback that surpassed 300 passing yards between Thursday and the main Sunday slate. We did get a five passing touchdown performance (Joe Burrow) and three quarterbacks with three passing touchdowns, but that was it. Four teams have a […]


DeVon Achane - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Injury News

Top 10 Running Back Studs - Best Fantasy Football RB Performances Including Saquon Barkley, De'Von Achane, Alvin Kamara And More

The running back renaissance is truly upon us in 2024. While rushing touchdowns were down this week, matching the lowest number of the season thus far (23), the top-10 RBs had their best week yet. Week 9 was the first time all season that each athlete to be featured on this list all hit 21 […]


Mike Gesicki - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Unexpected Boom Performances: Fantasy Football Risers Include Mike Gesicki, Quentin Johnston, Ray Davis, Demarcus Robinson, Josh Oliver

Week 9 of the NFL regular season provided fans with some exciting action. The Bills defeated the Dolphins in an AFC East clash thanks to Tyler Bass' game-winning 61-yard FG in the final moments. The Titans and Rams also contributed a pair of overtime victories that enthralled audiences. Many big names showed out for fantasy […]


Ray Davis - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Running Back Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 10: Top Free Agent Adds Include Ray Davis, Jaylen Warren, Tyler Allgeier, Justice Hill

As you read this week’s recommendations from the waiver wire, the planning process for Week 10 roster construction has begun. You have already navigated a collection of obstacles that have emerged through the first nine weeks of the regular season, and should now sustain your efforts to minimize the impact of additional injuries, underwhelming production, […]


AJ Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Top Fantasy Football Injuries From Sunday's Games: Chris Olave, Drake London, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, More

The Week 9 injury report was pretty light compared to the rest of the season. Even still, some big names went down, and they will definitely affect fantasy rosters everywhere. We saw several wide receivers leave games early and had another injury to a starting quarterback. Let’s get into the injury report from yesterday's games […]


Patrick Mahomes - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Buccaneers vs. Chiefs MNF Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, DeAndre Hopkins, Kareem Hunt, Rachaad White, Jalen McMillan, Cade Otton

Week 9 is already here, and setting optimal lineups has never been more crucial as the fantasy football playoffs near. Read our Monday Night Football matchups analysis article for the Buccaneers vs. Chiefs game to help make any fantasy football lineup decisions for both season-long and DFS. This week's MNF contest sees the undefeated Kansas […]


Travis Kelce - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Buccaneers vs. Chiefs MNF Showdown (Week 9)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We have a matchup between a pair of banged-up teams in this one, as Baker Mayfield and the shorthanded Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) head up to Kansas City to take on the final remaining undefeated team in the league in the Chiefs (7-0). Both teams are missing key offensive pieces, and let's […]