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After two weeks, NFL defenses are starting to round into form. This article will take a look at each team's cornerback group in an effort to find the best matchups to attack in fantasy.
The following chart is a snapshot of each team's cornerback group as it relates to allowing fantasy points. There are inherent flaws within data compilation of cornerback play. The first being 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.
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 amount of fantasy points per game that player has given up. A name in blue means the corner could possibly shadow the WR1. A name in red means that player is dealing with an injury. The analysis below will help contextualize the chart, as in many cases a receiver did not score 100% of his points against the same player. However, the chart is a useful tool in getting a sense of the weakest links among corners.
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Cornerback Ratings - Week 3
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WR/CB Matchups to Target or Avoid
Miami's secondary was torched by Buffalo in Week 2 after Byron Jones went down. The Jaguars WRs all have easy matchups in Week 3.
The most intriguing matchup of Week 3 is Bears standout rookie Jaylon Johnson versus Falcons WR Calvin Ridley. Both have been stellar through two games. It would not shock me to see Ridley have a down game.
In that same game, Allen Robinson should get the squeaky wheel treatment against Atlanta's terrible corners. Anthony Miller burned fantasy players last week, but whoever plays the slot will have a hilariously easy matchup as well.
Another pressure point is the Bills talented receiving corps versus the solid cornerback group of the Los Angeles Rams. Darious Williams has been terrific so far and is becoming a problem for opposing WRs. John Brown might be in for a letdown.
Jerry Jeudy has a tough matchup with Tampa Bay's Sean Murphy-Bunting. K.J. Hamler gets a boost dealing with the weakest link in the Bucs secondary.
Jeff Okudah struggled in his debut, but the Lions chose to be gashed via the run rather than the pass. DeAndre Hopkins is obviously matchup-proof but it will be interesting to see if the rookie looks more comfortable in his second game.
Speaking of rookies struggling, both Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler have been exposed in Minnesota. Whoever the Titans give targets to at WR should be in for a big game in Week 3.
Baltimore's secondary took a hit in losing Tavon Young for the season. The Chiefs mix and match with their WR alignments, but Tyreek Hill plays the slot most frequently. Look for them to attack Young's replacement, Anthony Averrett.
One of the curious two-week trends has been the performance of slot receivers against the Bills. Cooper Kupp could have a breakout game.
Carolina's receivers get the stingy Chargers defensive backs in Week 3. I would give a slight downgrade to both D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson. Curtis Samuel may see more work out of the backfield, but in the slot versus Chris Harris Jr. will be tough. CHJ's numbers are skewed because Tyreek Hill scored a long touchdown last week.
The following WRs are borderline Week 3 plays that get a boost based on matchup:
- Laviska Shenault Jr. and Keelan Cole vs Miami
- A.J. Brown, Corey Davis, and Adam Humphries at Minnesota
- Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb vs Seattle
- Chase Claypool and James Washington at Houston
- Steven Sims vs Cleveland
- Damiere Byrd vs Las Vegas
- K.J. Hamler vs Tampa Bay
- Bucs WR2 (Scotty Miller or Justin Watson) at Denver
Thanks for reading and good luck this week.
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