WR/CB Matchups to Target and Downgrade - Week 8 (2023)

Andrew analyzes key fantasy football WR/CB matchups through his cornerback ratings chart to find the top wide receivers to target or avoid in Week 8 (2023).

Welcome to Week 8 of the WR/CB Matchups article. For those who are not familiar, this is a weekly series looking at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them.

During the past three seasons, I have tweaked my process to make the chart more user-friendly and predictive, but 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.

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 last year, 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.

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 - Week 8

Click the image for a full-screen view

WR/CB Matchups to Target

Calvin Ridley has been a disappointment since his big Week 1 performance. This week he gets the Steelers, who have given up by far the most FPPG to opposing WR1s this season. Ridley is in as good a get-right spot as there is. If he fails in this spot, I'd be very concerned about his outlook going forward.

A.J. Brown is a big reason Emmanuel Forbes and the Commanders have appealing matchup metrics. Brown will look to repeat against a very burnable secondary.

Mike Evans continues to be one of the most underrated receivers in the league and this week gets a Tre'Davious White-less Bills secondary that just gave up some production to Mac Jones. Evans gets an upgrade.

Odell Beckham Jr. hasn't done much, even with Lamar Jackson balling out. He does play more snaps at LWR than any other Ravens WR, so his matchup this week is advantageous. He could be worth a play in large-field contests and super-deep leagues.

Rashid Shaheed has been a solid WR2 for the Saints, and this week gets a matchup upgrade against the Colts' burnable secondary.

Romeo Doubs and Jahan Dotson are sketchy WR2s with plus matchups. They both deserve consideration depending on your other options.

Tee Higgins has an easy matchup against the 49ers. Jordan Addison torched San Francisco's secondary on Monday night. It could be a Higgins smash week.

Josh Downs has been revelation as the new slot in Indianapolis. This week he gets another good matchup against the Saints, who have been shredded by slots this season.

WR/CB Matchups to Downgrade

DeAndre Hopkins will be dealing with a backup QB or two this week and also gets a tough matchup against the Falcons. A.J. Terrell gave up a touchdown to Mike Evans last week but has otherwise been awesome all year.

The Ravens' pass defense has been much improved after some rough patches over the past two seasons. It's not a great matchup for Marquise Brown.

Brandon Aiyuk had a relatively disappointing game against the Vikings last week and this week gets a Bengals secondary that has been stout so far this week.

Colts receivers went off against the Browns in Week 7, but Cleveland's corners had been stingy all year prior to that game. All three Seahawks wideouts get matchup downgrades.

Marshon Lattimore has been stellar for the Saints this year. It's not an easy matchup for Michael Pittman Jr.

Robert Woods has had his moments as the Texans' primary slot. This week he has a tough matchup against Troy Hill and the Panthers.

Wan'Dale Robinson was a popular play last week as the Giants' top target-earner. This week he gets a Jets pass defense that has been extremely tough for opposing passing games.

Thanks for reading all season and good luck this week.

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