The Importance of Understanding the Wide Receiver vs Cornerback Matchups
The Importance of Understanding the Wide Receiver vs Cornerback Matchups
With the NFL becoming more of a passing league, wide receivers have become more and more important with each passing year in fantasy football. While personally, I believe in drafting running backs early, that doesn’t mean that I don’t understand the value of wide receivers, I just think there are more of them that are fantasy relevant. When you are in Round 3 and Round 4 you can still find high-quality wide receivers at that average draft position. Not only that, but more than any other position, you can help your team out during the season by filling in roster spots on the waiver wire. Teams also generally have at least a couple of decent wide receivers on their bench. Everyone knows to start their studs, but which of your second and third-tier guys have the best matchups? Or maybe this is a week to sit a guy who is going against a shutdown corner. Do you know who Jalen Ramsey is? Jaire Alexander? Casey Hayward? Trevon Diggs? This will also help you dig deeper into the defensive side of the ball and help explain why your top-flight wide receiver only had three catches for 24 yards last week.
The Wide Receiver/Cornerback Matchup Report
This will be the third season that I bring you the wide receiver/cornerback matchup article. Each week I will lay out the outside receiver for each team and the cornerback that they will likely be facing, for the most part, that week. Now, defenses shift during the game, and wide receivers will change sides of the field. But for the most part the team’s top receiver will see the other team’s top cornerback for most of the game. And the second receiver will see more of the opposition’s second corner. I will also profile my ten favorite matchups for slot receivers. Finally, there will be five DFS picks. Two at the highest salary levels, two at mid-range salary levels, and one bargain pick to help you fill out your roster with a receiver that won’t cost you a lot but can still give high-level production.
This article and the information will be analytical, but it will also be based on watching games, trends, and history against certain teams and defenders. There will be stats like average depth of the target, catch rate, targets, etc for the wide receivers and some of the same statistics from the cornerback’s point of view, as well as some deeper stats like fantasy points per route covered and others. It will be published ahead of the Thursday night game, but it will also be updated for the rest of the week if there are injury concerns or players are ruled out on both sides of the ball. There will be advice on players to pick up or drop depending on how the season is going, as well as more DFS advice beyond those top five picks.
The first piece will be published ahead of Week 1, and you can expect it before the Bills and Rams kick off the 2022 season. The WR/CB matchup is quite the combination of a start/sit piece, waiver wire help, and DFS picks all rolled into one. The FAmily will be with you every step of the way to help you bring home those fantasy championships this season. Come on the ride of the fantasy football year from a wide receiver and cornerback perspective with me and we will have you making the right choices on who to start and who to sit on a weekly basis as well as hitting those DFS picks to help make those lineups produce green each week.
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Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Beat reporter John Hendrix reports that free agent WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is among the 16 players that the Saints will host for their rookie minicamp.
Peoples-Jones last played regular season snaps with the Lions back in 2023, when he caught 13-of-24 targets for 155 yards. He is highly unlikely to return to fantasy relevance at this point but could perhaps sign on as a special teams contributor.
Titans signed fourth-round pick WR Elic Ayomanor to a four-year contract.
Ayomanor will now begin learning behind Calvin Ridley. Although Ayomanor is unlikely to find a meaningful role in year one, dynasty managers should note his status as training camp gets underway this summer. The former Stanford receiver flashed big-play ability in his two college seasons.
Buccaneers signed seventh-round pick WR Tez Johnson to a four-year contract.
Johnson will serve as a rotational deep-threat option for Baker Mayfield. His thin frame (5'10/154) simply does not lend itself to the repeated hits one incurs in a full-time role. Johnson did earn 100-plus targets in his two seasons at Oregon, though. His big-play style make him a better fit in best ball for now, pending any major on-field breakthroughs.
Giants waived DT Casey Rogers.
Rogers was a 2024 undrafted free agent and logged 33 defensive snaps for the Giants in his rookie season. He is credited with zero tackles and/or sacks. He may find his way onto another roster as a practice squad option.
Vikings signed third-round pick WR Tai Felton to a four-year contract.
Felton is quietly in play to challenge Vikings No. 3 WR Jalen Nailor in training camp. Nailor (5'11/190) caught 28-of-42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year, with the latter category buoying his fantasy productivity. Felton (6'1/183), meanwhile, caught 96-of-143 targets for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 2.32 yards per route run in his final college season. Fantasy managers should monitor Felton’s training camp reports this summer, as he could have a matchup-based WR5 role if everything falls into place.