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 and Downgrade - Week 10

DK Metcalf - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Andrew Lalama evaluates key WR/CB matchups through his cornerback ratings chart to find top wide receivers to target or avoid in Week 10 fantasy football lineups.

Welcome to Week 10 of the WR/CB Matchup chart. As the season progresses, the chart becomes more predictive. Last week the chart was particularly effective in terms of downgrading WRs who would go on to disappoint. Amari Cooper was a chalky play in DFS, but the chart did not like his matchup. He had a rough game, as did Mike Williams, A.J. Brown, Kadarius Toney, Bryan Edwards, Marvin Jones Jr., Tyler Boyd, and of course Robby Anderson. The one downgrade the chart got "wrong" was DeVonta Smith, but anyone paying attention to the injury report would have adjusted with both starting outside corners out for the Chargers. Another interesting piece of context from last week was the Jets RWR situation. Before researching snap count data in depth, I originally wrote about Elijah Moore's inevitable boom game as a possibility against Indy. After looking at snap counts from the week prior, I was forced to put Denzel Mims in that spot. Moore ended up playing more snaps and obviously dominating. It's a reminder that the chart is best used in conjunction with understanding context and anticipating reasonable real-life coaching strategies.

Creating the weekly matchup chart has been more challenging than usual this year due to the fact that most teams are moving their WRs around more than they ever have. It is difficult to pinpoint which CB each WR will be matched up against. The chart is designed to give a 1-v-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. 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.

While matchups do matter and every piece of information can give you an edge, it is important to understand that WR skill level and target share are more predictive than matchup in many cases. Blindly following the chart is not recommended, but it can be useful in making tough lineup decisions between two WRs close in skill level. The chart is best used to understand the context of matchups overall, not predict outcomes.

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

 

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 the right 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. 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. The chart is a useful tool, but should not be used as a start/sit cheatsheet.

 

Cornerback Ratings and Matchups Chart - Week 10

 

Click image for full-screen view

 

WR/CB Matchups to Target

We start on Thursday night when the disappointing Dolphins host the Ravens. Rashod Bateman hasn't had a huge game yet without Sammy Watkins, but he has unsurprisingly looked good. The Dolphins give up the second-most fantasy PPG to opposing LWRs, so this could be his coming-out party. Keep in mind that Sammy Watkins was limited in practice this week. Even if Watkins plays, Bateman is viable.

The aforementioned Amari Cooper struggled against Denver's stout secondary last week, but this week gets one of the easiest matchups in the league in Atlanta's Fabian Moreau. It's a good bounce-back spot.

D.J. Moore has cooled off considerably after a hot start. P.J. Walker will be in at QB for the Panthers which makes him a risky bet in a plus matchup against Arizona.

D.K. Metcalf will presumably get his franchise QB back, and will also see one of the most advantageous matchups of any WR1 in the league against Kevin King and the Packers. Green Bay has drastic WR1/WR2 splits and has funneled production to WR1s all year.

The Patriots also funnel production to opposing WR1s, which for Cleveland appears to be Donovan Peoples-Jones based on alignment trends without Odell Beckham Jr. DPJ has projected target share and matchup in his favor this week against the Pats. I doubt the Pats shadow DPJ with J.C. Jackson, but that possibility obviously wouldn't be ideal.

Van Jefferson didn't do much against an improved Titans pass D last week, but he could bounce back in an easy matchup against the 49ers.

Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have easy matchups against the Washington Football Team's leaky pass defense. Tom Brady should have no issue dissecting one of the most disappointing units in the league.  Keep in mind that Godwin is dealing with an injury.  Tyler Johnson, Scotty Miller, and Jaelon Darden all become more interesting if Godwin sits. Even with Godwin in, Johnson is viable in super deep leagues and large field DFS tournaments.

Marvin Jones Jr. has been underwhelming in a weak Jaguars passing attack, but this week gets by far the easiest RWR matchup in the league against the Colts. Trevor Lawrence hasn't been much of a fantasy factor at all, but it wouldn't be surprising if the first overall pick started to play better down the stretch.

A.J. Brown should get a matchup upgrade as the primary RWR against the Saints. However, Marshon Lattimore shadowing him is a possibility. The Saints keeping Lattimore on Julio Jones is also a possibility as I'm sure New Orleans still respects Jones, but it's a situation to monitor.

The Titans have been much better against the pass in recent weeks, but the season-long data still likes the matchup for the Saints' WRs. Tre'Quan Smith played the most slot last week, so he should see the worst of the Titans corners in slot man Elijah Molden.

There are a handful of unexciting slot WRs with easy matchups including Devin Duvernay vs. Miami, Zach Pascal vs. Jacksonville, Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. Pittsburgh, and one of the biggest revenge games of all time with Adam Humphries vs. Tampa Bay.

Finally, Jerry Jeudy gets the Eagles secondary, which has funneled production to slot WRs all year.

 

WR/CB Matchups to Downgrade

Jaylen Waddle will be the Dolphins' top target on Thursday night against the Ravens and should receive plenty of opportunities as Miami's best receiver. Unfortunately, that will probably lead to seeing plenty of Marlon Humphrey, who can play both inside and outside.

Elijah Moore is coming off his first big week, but all Jets WRs get downgrades against the toughest matchup in the league in the Bills.

The Panthers have also been a tough matchup for opposing WRs. If DeAndre Hopkins plays, it might be a good idea to temper expectations. If he doesn't, Christian Kirk becomes viable as the projected alpha receiver, but keep in mind that his matchup is tough as well.

The Browns have been stout against slots all year. Jakobi Meyers has to luck into a TD at some point (right?) but this is a tough matchup.

DeVonta Smith is coming off his best game as a pro, but this week gets a Broncos secondary that has been stingy against WR1s all year. Standout rookie Patrick Surtain II will be out, but Smith should see a lot of Ronald Darby, who's been solid at limiting production.

The Eagles have been the best team in the league at limiting opposing outside WR production. It's bad news for the Broncos outside WRs, especially Courtland Sutton. Tim Patrick gets a downgrade as well but he's been somehow overcoming bad matchups all year.

I've mentioned this before, but one of the reasons I like doing this research and writing this article is to give exposure to CBs having big years. A.J. Terrell has been fantastic for the Falcons and this week has a marquee matchup against CeeDee Lamb. Lamb can obviously still produce, especially given how much he moves around the formation, but Terrell could give him some trouble when he lines up outside.

Tyreek Hill is obviously matchup-proof, but with a tough matchup and a sputtering Chiefs offense, this just isn't the best spot. The same goes for Mecole Hardman. Casey Hayward and Nate Hobbs have been exceptional for the Raiders.

Emmanuel Sanders draws the tough matchup with Bryce Hall and gets a downgrade. The Bills will have to adjust to all the two-deep looks teams are giving them. It might mean more running the ball which isn't great for any Buffalo receivers.

The 49ers have been tough against RWRs so Robert Woods gets a slight downgrade.

Finally, while Cooper Kupp is obviously an elite must-start, he does have a tough matchup against San Francisco, who have given up the 6th-fewest points to opposing slots this year.

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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sitting Out With Foot Issue
Isaiah Neyor

Impresses at Minicamp
Houston Rockets

Jock Landale Waived by Rockets
Bo Bichette

Back in Blue Jays Lineup
Jonas Valančiūnas

Jonas Valanciunas Considering Returning to Europe
Miles Sanders

Works With Starters During Mandatory Minicamp
Jabari Walker

Signs Two-Way Deal With Sixers
Chimere Dike

Titans Could Move Chimere Dike Inside
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith not Guaranteed Roster Spot
Anthony Bradford

Working Hard to Win Back Starting Job
Byron Young

Still Improving?
Cody Simon

Jonathan Gannon has Been Impressed With Cody Simon
SirVocea Dennis

has Impressive Offseason
Trevor Penning

Could Still Have a Role in New Orleans
Jonathan Kuminga

Warriors Decline Recent Offer for Jonathan Kuminga
Orlando Magic

Moritz Wagner, Magic Agree to One-Year Deal
Clarke Schmidt

Placed on Injured List
José Soriano

Jose Soriano Throws Gem Against Braves
Robbie Ray

Earns Ninth Win in Complete Game
T.J. Watt

Likely to Reset the Edge-Rush Market
George Springer

Blasts Two Homers, Drives in Four
James Wood

Goes Yard in Five-Hit Night
Bradley Beal

Suns Discussing Potential Buyout
Los Angeles Lakers

Jaxson Hayes Staying with the Lakers
NBA

Damian Lillard "Open" to Signing With a Team This Offseason
Max Muncy

Out at Least Six Weeks
Clarke Schmidt

Leaves Start with Forearm Tightness
Colson Montgomery

Promoted to the Major Leagues
Pittsburgh Steelers

Omar Khan, Steelers Agree to Three-Year Contract
Max Muncy

Goes on Injured List With Knee Bruise
Max Muncy

Out of Thursday's Lineup
James Wood

Joining Home Run Derby
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
Max Scherzer

Cleared to Start on Saturday
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
Kodai Senga

Could be "in Play" to Return Before All-Star Break
Ha-Seong Kim

Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim From Injured List
Christian Moore

Placed on Injured List With Thumb Sprain
Luis L. Ortiz

the Subject of Gambling Investigation
Jordan Lawlar

to Miss Multiple Weeks With Hamstring Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Receives Encouraging News on his Hand
Chau Smith-Wade

Having Stellar Offseason
Ace Bailey

Inks Rookie Contract With Jazz
Divine Deablo

Could be the Quarterback of the Defense
Isaiah Rodgers

a Likely Starter for the Vikings
Jacob Monk

Sees Plenty of Work With Starters
Avonte Maddox

has Impressed Dan Campbell
Boston Celtics

Josh Minott Inks Deal With Celtics
Chicago Bears

Ruben Hyppolite Shows Notable Improvement
Sandro Mamukelashvili

Heading to Toronto
Daron Payne

Commanders Coaches Impressed With Daron Payne
Danny Gray

Makes Impression During Offseason Workouts
Jared McCain

Not on 76ers Summer League Roster
Dane Belton

Should Have a Role in 2025
Kaiir Elam

Flashes During Offseason Workouts
Dylan Harper

Unavailable for California Classic
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins
Riley Greene

Homers Twice, Drives in Six on Wednesday
Cleveland Cavaliers

Larry Nance Jr. Headed Back to Cavaliers
Eric Gordon

Remaining with 76ers
Los Angeles Lakers

Deandre Ayton Joining Lakers
Emil Heineman

Signs Two-Year Deal with Islanders
Simon Holmstrom

Re-Signs with Islanders for Two Years
UTA

Nate Schmidt Signs Three-Year Deal with Mammoth
UTA

Brandon Tanev Moves to Utah on Three-Year Contract
NJ

Evgenii Dadonov Joins Devils on One-Year Deal
BUF

Sabres Snap Up Alex Lyon on Two-Year Contract
Dallas Mavericks

Dante Exum Returning to Dallas
Ryan McLeod

Inks Four-Year Extension with Sabres
NAS

Predators Bring in Nick Perbix on Two-Year Deal
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Has Surgery to Repair a Turf Toe Injury
LA

Cody Ceci Moves to Los Angeles
DET

James van Riemsdyk Joins Red Wings on One-Year Contract
Viktor Arvidsson

Traded to Boston
Charlotte Hornets

Spencer Dinwiddie Lands With Charlotte
Bud Cauley

in Great Form Ahead of John Deere Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

a Player to Avoid at John Deere Classic
Jake Knapp

Riding Momentum Ahead of John Deere Classic
PGA

Sungjae Im Looking for Consistency at John Deere Classic
Ryan Gerard

a Solid Option at John Deere Classic
Rickie Fowler

Looking to Rebound at John Deere Classic
Cameron Champ

a Volatile Option at John Deere Classic
Jackson Suber

Staying Below 70 is Key to Success for Jackson Suber
Kevin Roy

Playing Better Heading into John Deere Classic
Justin Lower

Hoping for Something Positive in Illinois
Ben Kohles

a Long Shot at John Deere Classic
Stephan Jaeger

Attempts to Stop Roller-Coaster Ride
Beau Hossler

Needs a Challenge in Illinois
Harry Higgs

Has Potential at John Deere Classic
Nick Dunlap

Keeps Plugging Through Tough 2025 Season
PHI

Dan Vladar Links Up With Flyers on Two-Year Deal
Milwaukee Bucks

Taurean Prince Staying in Milwaukee
Jeff Green

Signs One-Year Deal to Remain in Houston
Kevin Yu

a Near Must-Play at TPC Deere Run
PGA

J.T. Poston Returns to John Deere Classic Looking for Another High Finish
Thriston Lawrence

a Decent Fit For John Deere Classic
Tom Kim

Not Finding Much to be Happy About Ahead of John Deere Classic
Si Woo Kim

is a Prohibitive Fade at John Deere Classic
Ben Griffin

is the Appropriate Favorite at TPC Deere Run
Daniel Suarez

and Trackhouse Racing Parting Ways After 2025 Season
Ilia Topuria

Becomes The New Lightweight Champion
Charles Oliveira

Knocked Out At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Alexandre Pantoja Submits Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France

Submitted At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Extends His Win Streak
Brandon Royval

Drops Decision
Renato Moicano

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Beneil Dariush

Gets Back In The Win Column
Felipe Lima

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Payton Talbott

Bounces Back
Alex Bowman

Competitive Run Ends With Third-Place Finish at Atlanta
Erik Jones

Secures A Top-Five Finish After Adversity In Atlanta
Tyler Reddick

Collects A New Career-Best Finish At Atlanta
Chase Elliott

Ends Winless Skid With Atlanta Victory
Brad Keselowski

Falls Short of Atlanta Victory
Carson Hocevar

Recovers From Big One to Finish 10th at Atlanta
William Byron

Caught up in Atlanta Big One but Retains Points Lead
Denny Hamlin

Top In-Season Challenge Seed Denny Hamlin Eliminated in Lap 70 Crash
Ty Dillon

Bottom Seed Ty Dillon Upsets Denny Hamlin to Advance in In-Season Challenge
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF