By using our play-by-play data, we're able to identify defensive schemes and where each wide receiver and cornerback lines up on each play. By tracking these WR/CB matchups, including potential shadow situations, we can offer the best projections, rankings, sit/start decisions and fantasy advice each week. Fantasy football is a weekly game, so knowing the matchups can also help you make the best waiver wire pickups.
Below are the receivers with the best and worst matchups this week, as well as the corresponding fantasy impact.
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.
Unless otherwise noted, references to where teams rank in statistical categories adjust to a per-game basis to avoid distortion due to bye weeks.
Advantageous matchups
Cardinals' Christian Kirk, Rondale Moore and A.J. Green vs. Lions' Amani Oruwariye, Will Harris and Ifeatu Melifonwu
Detroit is in a tough spot at corner, as starter Jerry Jacobs went down for the season and joins top slot corner AJ Parker on injured reserve. With Jacobs out, Oruwariye is the team's clear No. 1 perimeter corner with one of rookie Melifonwu (out last week), Nickell Robey-Coleman (played 91% of the snaps last week after being called up from the practice squad) or Jalen Elliott (88 coverage snaps off the bench this season) handling the other side of the field. Parker is eligible to return from IR this week, but the undrafted rookie had been struggling regardless, as has replacement Will Harris. Detroit is simply short on talent and health, which sets them up for disaster against an Arizona offense that has had four wide receivers on the field for a league-high 19% of its pass plays. Detroit hasn't faced a ton of pass volume as a product of trailing often but still ranks around middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed to receivers. This is obviously a major mismatch, so upgrade Arizona's receivers across the board.
Packers' Davante Adams, Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling vs. Ravens' Chris Westry, Tavon Young and Anthony Averett
The Ravens are currently without top corners Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey, and they also made presumed replacement starter Jimmy Smith a healthy scratch against Cleveland. That left Averett and 2019 UDFA Westry as the team's perimeter starters with Young in the slot against Cleveland last week. It's a rough spot for Baltimore, and opposing teams know it, as Westry has been targeted on a massive 28% of his coverage snaps and is allowing a brutal 0.66 fantasy points per play. Baltimore has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to outside receivers this season, including the most to both the left and right perimeter over the past eight weeks. Adams aligns all over the field, but he's at left perimeter receiver most often (38%), which is where Westry set up shop in Week 14. It's about as good as it gets in terms of matchup, so Adams should obviously be upgraded. Valdes-Scantling (62% perimeter) and Lazard (the primary slot with Randall Cobb out) are also in a good spot and make for strong flex fliers.
Bears' Darnell Mooney and Allen Robinson II vs. Vikings' Mackensie Alexander and Bashaud Breeland
All due respect to Patrick Peterson, who has played solid ball as the team's top corner, but the Vikings have simply been terrible at slowing opposing wide receivers this season. Minnesota has allowed the most fantasy points to wideouts this season, including over the past eight weeks and four weeks. If we adjust for volume, Minnesota has allowed the second-most points over expected this season and the most over the past month. The Vikings have struggled against the perimeter (ninth-most points allowed) and the slot (sixth most) and have been even worse as of late. Mooney has aligned on Peterson's side of the field only 28% of the time, and Robinson has on 31% of his coverage snaps this season. The two will see Breeland and slot man Alexander on roughly two-thirds of their coverage snaps and should obviously be upgraded.
49ers' Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings vs. Falcons' Fabian Moreau, Darren Hall and A.J. Terrell
The Falcons have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season (sixth most over expected), as well as the second-most points to the perimeter. They're among the four worst defenses in each of those categories over the past eight weeks and have also allowed the 10th-most points to the slot during the span. What's shocking about this is it's happening despite 2020 first-round pick Terrell locking down the left corner spot. Terrell is PFF's highest-graded corner both overall and in coverage. The problem has obviously been away from him, as Moreau and slot man Hall have been heavily targeted and have struggled in coverage. San Francisco moves its receivers all over the formation, so while Samuel and Aiyuk will see Terrell roughly 30-40% of the time, they'll also see Moreau and Hall on upward of two-thirds of their routes. Upgrade them, especially Aiyuk, who has been San Francisco's top receiver as of late with Samuel getting most of his touches at running back.
Other notable upgrades:
Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb vs. Giants' Jarren Williams (slot)
Rams' Cooper Kupp vs. Seahawks' Ugo Amadi (slot)
Jaguars' Marvin Jones Jr. and Laquon Treadwell vs. Texans' Desmond King II and Terrance Mitchell/Lonnie Johnson Jr.
Tough matchups
Buccaneers' Mike Evans vs. Saints' Marshon Lattimore (shadow)
Evans and Lattimore have a lengthy history, as their teams have faced off at least twice per season since Lattimore was drafted in 2017. Lattimore shadowed Evans once as a rookie, twice in 2018, once in 2019 (Lattimore missed the other game), three times in 2020 and once earlier this season. Evans' stat lines in the games Lattimore shadowed him are as follows (in chronological order starting with 2017): 5-55-0, 7-147-1, 4-86-0, 0-0-0, 1-2-1, 4-64-0, 1-3-1 and 2-48-1. The 2-48-1 line came on four targets back in Week 8. Lattimore was on Evans on 30 of his 41 routes and, aside of the touchdown catch, did a nice job. Sure, Evans has mixed in the occasional big game, but it's no secret that Lattimore has had his number. Lattimore has played well this season and has had success in other shadow situations against Davante Adams (5-56-0 receiving line in the game), Terry McLaurin (4-46-0), DK Metcalf (2-96-1) and DeVonta Smith (4-61-0). That works out to 11.9 fantasy points per game. You're not benching Evans, but he obviously needs to be downgraded this week. Despite Lattimore's success, the Saints' man-heavy scheme has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. That said, Chris Godwin (8-140-1 in the Week 8 game) can be upgraded against Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Tyler Johnson had a 5-65-0 receiving line in Week 8, but he has been sharing No. 3 duties with Breshad Perriman, so while the matchup against Paulson Adebo is good, he's too risky to start.
Colts' Michael Pittman Jr. vs. Patriots' J.C. Jackson (shadow)
New England exits its bye having allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers, including the fifth fewest to the perimeter and the second fewest to the slot. No defense has allowed fewer fantasy points to opposing receivers than New England over the past four weeks. Jackson has shadowed Mike Evans (7-75-0 receiving line in the game), Brandin Cooks (3-23-0), Donovan Peoples-Jones (1-16-0), DeVante Parker (4-81-0) and Kyle Pitts (3-29-0) either full or part time this season. In turn, he's a strong bet to travel with Pittman -- Indianapolis' clear top receiver -- here in Week 15. Pittman aligns out wide 80% of the time, so these two will see plenty of each other, and Jackson also dabbles in the slot, so it could very well be a full-on shadow scenario. Downgrade Pittman, as well as T.Y. Hilton and Zach Pascal, considering how dominant New England's pass defense has been as of late.
Giants' Kenny Golladay vs. Cowboys' Trevon Diggs (shadow)
These teams met back in Week 5, and Diggs shadowed Golladay on nearly every play when the two were on the field together (which wasn't often because both missed time due to injury). Golladay failed to catch any of his three targets in the game. In addition to Golladay, Diggs has shadowed four other times this season. They included showdowns with Mike Evans (3-24-0 receiving line in the game), Keenan Allen (4-108-0), DJ Moore (8-113-2) and Terry McLaurin (0-0-0). Some context is needed for some of those matchups, as he full-time shadowed Allen only on the perimeter, Moore's two TDs weren't on him and McLaurin missed half of last week's game with an injury. Regardless, Diggs has been elite in forcing turnovers and, while he has had mixed results in coverage, he's certainly an impact corner. Golladay hasn't been a reliable fantasy option, and this will be a tough week to count on him. Sterling Shepard will also have his hands full against Jourdan Lewis in the slot, as Dallas has allowed the fewest fantasy points to the slot this season. Kadarius Toney can be upgraded if he returns from injury/the COVID-19 list this week, as he'll likely see plenty of Anthony Brown. Toney had his best game against Dallas back in Week 5 (10-189-0 on 13 targets). If he's out, Darius Slayton gets the bump.
WFTs' Terry McLaurin vs. Eagles' Darius Slay (shadow)
These teams met twice last season, and Slay shadowed McLaurin in both. In Week 1, McLaurin posted a 5-61-0 receiving line on seven targets (37 routes) with about half of that production coming on 27 routes against Slay. In Week 17, McLaurin posted a 7-41-0 receiving line on eight targets (34 routes), though he was limited to two targets and 14 yards on 20 routes against Slay. McLaurin was contained fairly well, and that was while the Eagles were struggling in a man-heavy scheme. They've been much more dominant in Jonathan Gannon's zone-based defense this season. In fact, the Eagles exit their bye having allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers (fourth fewest over expected), as well as the second-fewest to the perimeter and seventh-fewest to the slot. Slay and fellow perimeter corner Steven Nelson have shadowed when the matchups have called for it this season. Granted, it's on only perimeter routes, as neither travels to the slot, but Slay has shadowed DJ Moore (5-42-0 receiving line in the game), Mike Evans (2-27-0), Henry Ruggs (4-24-0), Mike Williams (2-58-0) and Elijah Moore (6-77-1), and Steven Nelson has traveled with Robby Anderson (2-30-0), Antonio Brown (9-93-1), Bryan Edwards (3-43-1) and Keenan Allen (12-104-0). Slay's success tells us we should downgrade McLaurin (71% perimeter), whereas DeAndre Carter is a deep sleeper against Nelson on the other side.
Bills' Stefon Diggs vs. Panthers' Stephon Gilmore (shadow)
Gilmore has been in coverage for only 90 snaps since making his Carolina debut, but he has played very well, having been targeted on only 14% of his coverage snaps, allowing 0.15 fantasy points per route and ranking among the highest-graded corners at PFF. He has shadowed, at least part time, in multiple games, against Kyle Pitts, Terry McLaurin and Russell Gage. Gilmore played an every-down role for the first time in Week 14 and seems set up to shadow Diggs this week. Diggs lines up out wide 80% of the time and Gilmore has the versatility to align in the slot, so these two might see plenty of each other in this game. Carolina has allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season, including the seventh fewest to the perimeter. They haven't faced much volume and have been rotating corners behind Gilmore and in the slot, so we don't need to be too worried about Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis (Emmanuel Sanders is out), but Diggs should be downgraded.
Seahawks' DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett vs. Rams' Jalen Ramsey and Darious Williams
Ramsey has aligned in the slot 43% of the time this season, but he was out wide on 23 of his 30 coverage snaps (77%) when the Rams and Seahawks faced off earlier this season. This was an obvious attempt to keep Ramsey and Williams aligned against Seattle's standout wide receiver duo. Ramsey ended up on Metcalf 12 times and on Lockett on five plays. Williams covered Lockett on 10 of his 24 coverage snaps and was on Metcalf three times. Metcalf was targeted only five times in the game but posted a 5-98-2 receiving line, with one of the scores against Ramsey and the other against Robert Rochell. Lockett racked up 10 targets but was held to a 5-57-0 receiving line. Adding some history to the discussion, Ramsey shadowed Metcalf in all three games between the teams last season. Metcalf posted receiving lines of 2-28-0 (four targets) and 6-59-0 (eight targets) in the two regular-season games. He went off for a 5-96-2 line (11 targets) in the playoff game, though one of the scores was on a broken play and the other in garbage time. At the end of the day, Ramsey is one of the league's best corners and Williams has been a solid perimeter option. Assuming Ramsey is activated from the COVID-19 list, this will be a tougher matchup than usual for Metcalf and Lockett, so expectations should be reduced.
Other notable downgrades:
Panthers' Robby Anderson, Brandon Zylstra and DJ Moore vs. Bills' Levi Wallace, Taron Johnson and Dane Jackson
Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins vs. Broncos' Ronald Darby, Kyle Fuller and Pat Surtain II
Chargers' Mike Williams and Jalen Guyton vs. Chiefs' Rashad Fenton and Charvarius Ward
Browns' Jarvis Landry vs. Raiders' Nate Hobbs (slot)
Patriots' Jakobi Meyers vs. Colts' Kenny Moore II (slot)
Other potential shadow situations
Texans' Brandin Cooks vs. Jaguars' Shaquill Griffin (shadow)
Griffin has shadowed several times this season, including in four of his past five games, so it makes sense that he'd travel with Cooks this week. That said, we saw something new from Houston last week, which makes this situation less clear. Seemingly aware that they were facing a zone-heavy Seattle scheme that has held perimeter receivers in check this season, Cooks was aligned in the slot on a season-high 28 (64%) of his 44 routes. It worked, as he posted an 8-101-0 receiving line on 11 targets. In total, Cooks has lined up out wide 65% of the time this season, so it's unclear what his primary alignment will be moving forward. Regardless, Griffin figures to shadow Cook when he aligns out wide. We won't need to move the needle much, as results have varied when Griffin has shadowed: AJ Brown (3-38-0 receiving line in the game), DK Metcalf (6-43-2), Stefon Diggs (6-85-0), Michael Pittman Jr. (5-71-0) and Deebo Samuel (1-15-0). Also, the Jaguars have allowed the most fantasy points over expected to wide receivers this season (10th-most straight up).
Vikings' Justin Jefferson vs. Bears' Jaylon Johnson (shadow)
Johnson shadowed Davante Adams on his perimeter routes last week, so we should expect the same treatment for Jefferson this week, especially with Adam Thielen expected to sit out. Jefferson has aligned out wide 69% of the time and can plan on seeing Johnson on those plays. Johnson did not shadow Jefferson when these teams met last season, covering him on only 13 of his 72 routes. Jefferson had no trouble whatsoever, posting a 5-91-0 receiving line on six targets against Johnson and a 16-239-0 total receiving line on 21 targets in the two games. Johnson, who has also shadowed Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans, Kalif Raymond and DeAndre Hopkins at least part time this season, has flashed at times and has generally been a cornerback opposing quarterbacks have avoided. In fact, Johnson has aligned at right corner 84% of the time this season and Chicago has allowed the fewest fantasy points to that spot. However, Chicago has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points overall to receivers (third-most over expected), Jefferson aligns inside roughly 30% of the time and will avoid Johnson on those plays, and Adams absolutely crushed in this same spot on Sunday night (10-121-2 receiving line on 13 targets). Jefferson doesn't need to be downgraded, and K.J. Osborn can be upgraded against Artie Burns.