Fantasy football is a weekly game, so knowing the matchups can also help you make the best waiver wire pickups. 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.
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
Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins vs. Ravens' Chris Westry, Tavon Young and Anthony Averett
When the Bengals played the Ravens back in Week 7, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow had one of his best games, throwing for 416 yards and three touchdowns. Chase went for 201 yards and a score on 10 targets despite being shadowed by Marlon Humphrey. Tight end C.J. Uzomah produced 91 yards and two touchdowns on three targets, Higgins turned 14 targets into 62 yards and Boyd was relatively quiet with 39 yards on seven targets. The Ravens obviously had major struggles slowing the Cincinnati passing game, and they'll also be undermanned this time around. Humphrey is out for the season and Westry (COVID-19 list), Young (concussion) and Jimmy Smith (COVID-19 list) are questionable after missing all or most of Week 15. Even if all three of those corners are back, it's still a major plus matchup for the Bengals. The Ravens have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers over the past eight weeks (fifth most over expected). They've also allowed the third-most points to the perimeter this season, as well as the second most over the past eight weeks. Chase (82% perimeter) and Higgins (79%) get the biggest boost, but Boyd (90% slot) is also in a decent spot with Young certain to, at least, miss practice time.
Chargers' Mike Williams and Jalen Guyton vs. Texans' Desmond King II and Terrance Mitchell/Lonnie Johnson Jr.
Houston continues to struggle to solidify its perimeter corner situation. For most of the season, Vernon Hargreaves and King rotated in and out of the right perimeter position, with Hargreaves eventually cut. Since that point, Mitchell has been benched and has missed time (including last week) on the COVID-19 list, which has forced safety/corner Johnson into regular snaps. Houston has allowed the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers over the past eight weeks, as well as the fourth most to the perimeter during the span. Williams (83% perimeter) will see King and either Mitchell or Johnson on most of his routes and can be upgraded. The same goes for Guyton, though rookie Josh Palmer got more run last week, so neither can be considered for lineups. Keenan Allen, by the way, aligns in the slot 65% of the time, and Houston has allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to that spot this season. He shouldn't be upgraded against Tavierre Thomas.
Lions' Kalif Raymond, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds vs. Falcons' Fabian Moreau, Darren Hall and A.J. Terrell
The Falcons have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season and are among the top five in the category over the past eight weeks and past four weeks. They've also allowed the most fantasy points to the perimeter this season. Terrell has been terrific at left corner, but the struggles of Moreau at right corner and Hall in the slot have led to substantial fantasy production for opposing receivers. Enter red-hot rookie St. Brown, who has been targeted at least 11 times in three consecutive games, averaging 21.2 fantasy PPG during the span. St. Brown primarily aligns in the slot (79%), so he'll work against heavily targeted Hall throughout this week's game and can be upgraded. Reynolds (86% perimeter) and Raymond (68%) will see a bit of all three corners and can be upgraded, though only Reynolds is close to deep-league flex consideration.
Rams' Van Jefferson, Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Vikings' Patrick Peterson, Mackensie Alexander and Cameron Dantzler
The Vikings have allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers this season and over the past eight weeks. They've struggled against the perimeter (ninth most allowed this season and second most over the past eight weeks) and the slot (ninth most allowed this season). Peterson has been solid when healthy on one side of the field, but Alexander has struggled in the slot and Dantzler is in the lineup only because Bashaud Breeland was cut. Kupp (67% slot) has the best matchup here, as he'll see Alexander inside during most of this game. As usual, he's an elite play. Beckham (82% perimeter) and Jefferson (69%) will work against Peterson and Dantzler and get a moderate upgrade in value.
Other notable upgrades:
Titans' A.J. Brown (if activated from IR) vs. 49ers' Josh Norman and Ambry Thomas
Seahawks' Tyler Lockett vs. Bears' Artie Burns and Xavier Crawford
Jets' Keelan Cole, Jamison Crowder and Denzel Mims vs. Jaguars' Tyson Campbell, Rudy Ford and Shaquill Griffin
Browns' Jarvis Landry vs. Packers' Chandon Sullivan (Slot)
Colts' T.Y. Hilton, Zach Pascal and Michael Pittman Jr. vs. Cardinals' Marco Wilson, Antonio Hamilton and Byron Murphy Jr.
Tough matchups
Dolphins' DeVante Parker vs. Saints' Marshon Lattimore (Shadow)
The New Orleans' defense is coming off a shocking shutout of the explosive and pass-heavy Buccaneers. Top corner Lattimore was a big part of the effort, as usual. He has played well this season and has had success in shadow situations against Davante Adams (5-56-0 receiving line in the game), Terry McLaurin (4-46-0), DK Metcalf (2-96-1), DeVonta Smith (4-61-0) and Mike Evans twice (2-48-1, 1-14-0). Evans missed most of the second meeting between the two but was quiet early and, even if we exclude that game, the aforementioned receivers averaged 11.9 fantasy points in the games against Lattimore. This week, we should expect Lattimore to shadow Parker. Parker aligns outside 86% of the time and Lattimore almost never travels to the slot, which is why he's likely to follow Parker and not Jaylen Waddle (61% slot). Though Lattimore has played well, the Saints' man-heavy scheme has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, including the seventh most to the perimeter and eighth most to the slot. That said, while we're downgrading Parker, we can upgrade Waddle. He'll see Chauncey Gardner-Johnson most often this week.
Bills' Stefon Diggs vs. Patriots' J.C. Jackson (Shadow)
One week after being slowed by former Patriots' No. 1 corner Stephon Gilmore, Diggs will face off with current Patriots' No. 1 corner Jackson for the second time in three games. When these teams met in Week 13, Jackson shadowed Diggs on 24 of his 31 routes, including 22-of-27 on the perimeter and two of four in the slot. Granted, the windy conditions made life tough on Buffalo's pass game, but Diggs was limited to a 4-51-0 receiving line on seven targets. Since that game, Diggs has been shadowed by Carlton Davis (7-74-0 receiving line on 13 targets in that game) and Gilmore (4-35-1 on six targets). New England has allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season, including the fewest over the past eight and four weeks. The unit has been terrific against both the perimeter (fifth fewest allowed) and slot (second fewest allowed). Diggs (80% perimeter) will have his hands full with Jackson, and while Jalen Mills and slot corner Myles Bryant aren't too intimidating on paper, New England's defensive dominance suggests we should be wary of both Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders (or Gabriel Davis if Sanders remains out).
Panthers' DJ Moore vs. Buccaneers' Carlton Davis (Shadow)
Carolina and Tampa Bay are set to face off for the first time this season in Week 16. In 2020, Tampa Bay did not shadow in the Week 2 meeting, but Davis shadowed Moore in Week 10, leaving Jamel Dean to work against Robby Anderson on the other side. Though he did most of his damage away from Davis, Moore showed well in both games, posting receiving lines of 8-120-0 in Week 2 and 4-96-1 in Week 10. Davis has missed a lot of action due to injury this season, but he has shadowed in two games, both of which have come during Tampa Bay's past two games. He showed well in Week 14, holding Stefon Diggs to 35 yards on 10 targets while covering him on 30 pass plays. On Sunday night, he allowed 40 yards on four targets while covering Marquez Callaway on 17 of his 25 routes. Davis is a good corner and a good bet to follow Moore this week, so we should lower expectations slightly. Of course, there's no reason for major panic considering his past success against Tampa Bay, his heavy usage and the fact that the Bucs are middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed overall and, as of late, to the perimeter (Moore aligns outside 82% of the time).
Eagles' DeVonta Smith vs. Giants' James Bradberry (Shadow)
These teams met back in Week 12 and, while New York did not shadow early in the game, it did once Adoree' Jackson left the game with an injury. Bradberry ended up covering Smith on 23 of Smith's 30 routes, including 20 straight pass plays to end the game. Smith caught a 14-yard pass against Jackson early in the game and then totaled one additional catch (for 8 yards) the rest of the game. Jackson hasn't played since that game, and though he very well could return in Week 16, this is nonetheless a tough matchup for Smith. Either he'll again be shadowed against a corner who shut him down less than a month ago, or he'll see a fairly even share of both Bradberry and Jackson, who has been very good in his own right. Bradberry, by the way, has already shadowed, at least part time, several times this season, with those meetings coming against Terry McLaurin (11-107-1 receiving line in the game), Calvin Ridley (8-61-0), Marquez Callaway (2-74-0), Mike Evans (6-73-1) and Mike Williams (6-61-0). There are some pretty respectable numbers there, and the Giants have also allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to receivers this season (12th most to the perimeter). Smith (89% perimeter) should be downgraded a bit, but this is not a must-avoid situation.
WFT's Terry McLaurin vs. Cowboys' Trevon Diggs (Shadow)
Diggs has shadowed only occasionally since entering the league, but two of the times he has were against McLaurin. One of those games was Week 14 earlier this season. Diggs shadowed McLaurin on 17 of McLaurin's 18 routes, including all 13 on the perimeter, and Washington's top receiver was held without a catch on four targets in the game before leaving injured. The other game was Week 7 last season. Diggs shadowed McLaurin on all 18 of his perimeter routes, but zero of eight in the slot. McLaurin posted a 7-90-1 receiving line on 11 targets in the game (2-57-1 on four targets against Diggs). Diggs missed the Week 12 game between the teams, and McLaurin had another good game (7-92-0 on nine targets). Of course, McLaurin hasn't been too productive as of late and Diggs, while inconsistent in coverage, is playing well overall. Considering McLaurin's struggles in Week 14, we should lower expectations.
Other notable downgrades:
Giants' Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney and Darius Slayton vs. Eagles' Steven Nelson, Avonte Maddox and Darius Slay
Saints' Marquez Callaway, Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Tre'Quan Smith vs. Dolphins' Byron Jones, Justin Coleman and Xavien Howard
Patriots' Nelson Agholor, Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne vs. Bills' Levi Wallace, Taron Johnson and Dane Jackson
Cardinals' Christian Kirk vs. Colts' Kenny Moore II (slot)
Bears' Allen Robinson II and Darnell Mooney vs. Seahawks' D.J. Reed and Sidney Jones IV
Broncos' Jerry Jeudy vs. Raiders' Nate Hobbs (slot)
Raiders' Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow and Zay Jones vs. Broncos' Ronald Darby, Bryce Callahan and Pat Surtain II
Other potential shadow situations
Ravens' Marquise Brown vs. Bengals' Chidobe Awuzie (Shadow)
When these teams met back in Week 7, Awuzie shadowed Brown on 24 of his 31 perimeter routes prior to leaving injured, which left Eli Apple to cover Rashod Bateman on 22 of his 29 routes. Brown was targeted on 14 of 45 routes in the game and, while he caught only five of them, they went for a healthy 80 yards and a score. Most of that damage came against Awuzie. Awuzie has shadowed Justin Jefferson (5-71-0 receiving line in the game), Allen Robinson (2-24-1), Davante Adams (11-206-1), Marquise Brown (5-80-1) and Diontae Johnson (9-95-0) this season. Those receivers have obviously put up good numbers (same as Brown in Week 7), so there's not much room for alarm here despite Awuzie playing well overall this season. The Bengals are middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed overall, to the perimeter and to the slot this season.