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          Best, worst wide receiver matchups for Week 3

          • Mike ClaySep 22, 2016, 08:00 AM ET
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              Mike Clay is a senior writer for fantasy football and the NFL at ESPN. Mike is a member of the FSWA Hall of Fame. His projections power the ESPN Fantasy Football game, and he also appears on "Fantasy Football Now" and the Fantasy Focus Football podcast.
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          By utilizing our play-by-play data, we're now able to identify where each wide receiver and cornerback lines up on each play. By tracking matchups between the two positions, including potential shadow situations, we can offer the best projections, rankings and fantasy advice each week.

          What follows are the receivers with the best and worst Week 3 matchups, as well as some additional notes.

          To view the primary defenders the top three wide receivers for each team will see this weekend, be sure to check out our weekly WR vs. CB cheat sheet:

          Downloadable cheat sheet PDF

          Advantageous matchups

          Cowboys WR Dez Bryant vs. Bears CB Tracy Porter

          Porter shadowed DeAndre Hopkins in Week 1 and actually did a decent job, holding him to three receptions for 31 yards and a score on six targets. Chicago also used Porter as a shadow cornerback last season, including showdowns with Calvin Johnson, Mike Evans, Stefon Diggs, DeSean Jackson, Demaryius Thomas and Amari Cooper. Considering the circumstances, Porter did fine, but he's simply overmatched against top-end wide receivers. Porter didn't shadow against Philadelphia last week, but was fleeced for eight receptions and 83 yards on 11 targets. Especially with Kyle Fuller and Bryce Callahan listed as questionable, shadow coverage from Porter is actually Bryant's worst-case scenario. He's in for a big Week 3 against Chicago's beat-up and underwhelming defense.

          Jaguars WR Allen Robinson vs. Ravens CB Jimmy Smith

          Smith didn't shadow, but ended up on Robinson on 27 pass routes when these teams met last season. He limited Robinson to two catches for 18 yards on five targets. Robinson did, however, add three receptions, 33 yards and a score against Shareece Wright and Lardarius Webb. Smith was brutal when asked to shadow the likes of Demaryius Thomas, Amari Cooper and A.J. Green early last season, but he has mostly played his side of the field and has been solid since that point. He did shadow Sammy Watkins in Week 1, but mostly played his side against Cleveland in Week 2. So while it's possible Smith follows Robinson this week, Robinson is the much better player. As is the case with Bryant and Porter, shadow coverage from Smith is actually the worst-case scenario for Robinson. He's sitting pretty for a breakout game here in 2016.

          Colts WR T.Y. Hilton vs. Chargers CB Brandon Flowers

          After Jason Verrett shut down Allen Robinson last week, you might suspect that a similar outcome is on tap for T.Y. Hilton. A look at each player's usage tells us that there's little reason for concern. Hilton has moved inside this season, working from the slot on 59 percent of his pass routes. Verrett, meanwhile, has lined up in the slot only 4 percent of the time this season and was at 12 percent in 2015. Verrett is a shadow corner and very well could follow Hilton when he lines up on the perimeter, but he simply does not follow top receivers to the slot. Verrett shadowed Jeremy Maclin in Week 1 and Robinson last week, but of the 30 routes they ran from the slot, Verrett covered them a total of four times. His usage was similar when he shadowed the likes of Maclin, Antonio Brown and A.J. Green last season. Verrett's presence figures to keep Hilton's DFS usage in check this week, so he's a solid contrarian play.

          Tough matchups

          Bills WR Sammy Watkins vs. Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson

          Peterson is arguably the game's top cover corner and shadows quite a bit, so he'll show up in the tough-matchups section quite a bit this season. Peterson didn't shadow against New England in Week 1, but chased Mike Evans around in Week 2. Evans posted a solid 4-49-1 line against Peterson, but the production came on nine targets and 30 pass routes. Peterson rarely covers the slot, but did work against Evans inside twice last week. This is notable, because Watkins has run 24 percent of his routes from the slot this season. Watkins is not fully healthy and is a good bet to run at least three-quarters of his routes against Peterson this week. He should obviously be downgraded and avoided in DFS cash games.

          49ers WR Torrey Smith vs. Seahawks CB Richard Sherman

          Sherman shadowed Smith in both meetings between these teams last season. In Week 7, Sherman shadowed on 20 of Smith's 27 routes. Smith failed to catch his only target. In the Week 11 meeting, Sherman blanketed Smith on 30 of his 32 routes. Smith caught one of his three targets for 16 yards. Even if Seattle decides not to shadow this week, Smith has lined up wide to Blaine Gabbert's right 89 percent of the time this season. That's the spot Sherman has lined up -- you guessed it -- 89 percent of the time this season. Smith shouldn't be anywhere close to your lineup this week.

          Saints WR Brandin Cooks vs. Falcons CB Desmond Trufant

          Trufant shadowed Cooks in Week 17 last season and limited him to five receptions for 22 yards on six targets. Cooks wasn't shadowed in the Week 6 meeting but was limited to a 5-4-41 line, including 1-1-8 against Trufant. Trufant is one of the game's top cover corners but didn't shadow until Week 15 last season. Since then, he has shadowed four times in five games, including showdowns with Cooks, Allen Robinson, Ted Ginn and Amari Cooper. Trufant limited Cooper to three completions for 30 yards on six targets last week. It's not a lock, but Trufant is a pretty good bet to shadow Cooks this week. It obviously means downgrading Drew Brees' top target a bit.

          Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Redskins CB Josh Norman

          In the infamous Week 15 meeting between these two last season, Norman, then with Carolina, covered Beckham on 31 of his 44 routes. Beckham caught five of eight targets for 36 yards and one touchdown. Beckham added an additional 40 yards on a catch against Cortland Finnegan. Norman did not cover Beckham on any of the 12 routes he had ran from the slot in that game. In fact, Norman lined up in the slot 10 times all of last season, but already has done so eight times in two games this season. Beckham, meanwhile, has lined up in the slot on 7 percent of his 73 pass routes in 2016, down considerably from his 26 percent mark last year.

          After shadowing Dez Bryant down the stretch last week, Norman is a good bet to follow Beckham around this week. It's possible the Giants put Beckham in the slot more often in order to avoid Norman, but I'd argue that it's unlikely. Sterling Shepard is the Giants' clear-cut slot man and figures to benefit from Beckham having his hands full on the perimeter. At the end of the day, I expect Beckham and Norman to match up roughly 90 percent of the time in Week 3. Norman is definitely a tough matchup, but 2015 showed us that Beckham has the ability to beat him occasionally. Beckham should be downgraded, but not by a big margin.

          Bengals WR Tyler Boyd vs. Broncos CB Chris Harris Jr.

          To no one's surprise, Boyd has settled in as the Bengals' slot receiver. He has worked inside on 92 percent of his 75 pass routes this season. He has played competent ball so far, but hasn't generated much fantasy production. Harris, meanwhile, has not shadowed yet this season, instead focusing on shutting down the slot when the offense has three wide receivers on the field. Harris, as usual, has been terrific, which is bad news for Boyd. It's worth noting that Harris was moved to the perimeter but didn't shadow when these teams met last year. Of course, at that point, Denver was more interested in slowing Marvin Jones than they were Mohamed Sanu. It's possible they go that route again this year, but I wouldn't bet in favor of it. If you're wondering about A.J. Green, he will do most of his work against Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby. Boyd is well off the fantasy radar this week.

          Other projected shadow situations

          • Packers WR Jordy Nelson vs. Lions CB Darius Slay and Packers WR Davante Adams vs. Lions CB Nevin Lawson. Adams was targeted 28 times in two games against Detroit last year. Lawson shadowed him in both and allowed 11 receptions, 78 yards and one touchdown on 23 targets.

          • Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins vs. Patriots CB Logan Ryan, Texans WR Will Fuller vs. Patriots CB Malcolm Butler and Texans WR Jaelen Strong vs. Patriots CB Justin Coleman. Ryan shadowed Hopkins in Week 14 last year. He held him to two receptions for 45 yards and no touchdowns on six targets.

          • Falcons WR Julio Jones vs. Saints CB Sterling Moore. Moore shadowed Jones in Week 3 last season and limited him to three receptions for 42 yards and no touchdowns on 11 targets.

          • Redskins WR DeSean Jackson vs. Giants CB Janoris Jenkins. This one isn't clear-cut. Jenkins shadowed Dez Bryant in Week 1, but did not follow Brandin Cooks in Week 2.

          Sneaky good matchups