| WR CB Matchup Report |
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| Left WR vs Right CB |
| Wide Receiver | Team | DK / FD $ | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
| Marvin Harrison | ARI | $7200 / $6600 | Rasul Douglas | BUF | Upgrade |
| The Arizona Cardinals have high hopes for their rookie 1st-rounder, Marvin Harrison, and his ability to move the needle for this offense. He’ll have an opportunity to make a good first impression this week as he matches up with Rasul Douglas for the majority of his snaps. Despite a 6-year career in the NFL, Douglas has played precious few snaps at corner. In the 2019 season, where he saw his career-high coverage snaps, Douglas allowed a 77.8% catch rate and nearly 20 yards per reception. |
| Drake London | ATL | $6000 / $6700 | Donte Jackson | PIT | Upgrade |
| Drake London has the opportunity to kick off the Kirk Cousins era with a bang this week, thanks in large part to his matchup with Donte Jackson. Jackson has seen limited coverage snaps over the course of his 5 years in the league. His 11.6 yards per reception allowed is respectable for an outside corner but the 75% catch rate he allows is what opens the door for London. Not only should we see London make plenty of grabs, but the YAC potential is very high as he stands 6 inches taller and has over 30lbs on the Steelers’ RCB. |
| Rashod Bateman | BAL | $3600 / $4600 | Jaylen Watson | KC | Neutral |
| If I had to grade this matchup, I’d give it an “Incomplete.” Bateman doesn’t match up favorably against many starting corners in the league. This week, however, Bateman gets to line up against Jaylen Watson; a 2022 7th rounder who is making is regular-season debut. We make our hay targeting rookie corners and this situation is no different. Given the limitations Bateman has shown in his young career, however, we should still proceed with caution. |
| Keon Coleman | BUF | $5000 / $6000 | Starling Thomas V | ARI | Upgrade |
| The way in which the Bills deploy their pass catchers is one of the biggest questions heading into Week 1. What we do know is that rookie Keon Coleman is likely to see the highest percentage of his snaps in the coverage of Starling Thomas V; given that Sean Murphy-Bunting almost exclusively plays the left and Garrett Williams is the Cardinals dedicated slot corner. In limited run last season, Thomas gave up an 80.4% catch rate but kept his opponents in front of him (mostly) with just 11.9 yards per reception allowed. That type of catch rate should create a nice on-ramp for Coleman, who enters the NFL with legitimate questions about his ability to separate. |
| Jonathan Mingo | CAR | $3400 / $4400 | Marshon Lattimore | NO | Downgrade |
| Jonathan Mingo enters this season after a lack-luster rookie campaign and will have his work cut out for him in Week 1; where he’ll run most of his routes in the coverage of Pro-Bowl corner Marshon Lattimore. Last year Lattimore allowed just 58.7% of targets directed his way to be caught and help QBs to a 77.9 passer rating when throwing into his coverage. Bryce Young would be wise to target a different matchup and that should have Mingo on the all-cardio team this week. |
| DJ Moore | CHI | $6500 / $6900 | Chidobe Awuzie | TEN | Neutral |
| DJ Moore will have a chance to show the true potential of his partnership with Caleb Williams as he gets ready to face off against Chidobe Awuzie in Week 1. Awuzie is a typical “middle-of-the-road” type corner who doesn’t have any stats that jump off the page but has been known to end up on the wrong side of a receiver's highlight reel touchdown. Moore will certainly have the advantage over him but the same could be said for many of the corners in the NFL. |
| Ja'Marr Chase | CIN | $7800 / $9100 | Christian Gonzalez | NE | Neutral |
| Ja'Marr Chase’s matchup in Week 1 is one of the more compelling across the entire slate. He’ll be primarily squaring off against Christian Gonzalez, who was starting to put together a breakout campaign as a rookie before injury derailed his season. Gonzalez’s 66.7% catch rate is near league-average but 9.8 yards per catch allowed quickly puts him in elite company. More impressive is that he posted these numbers while covering Tyreek Hill, AJ Brown, and Garrett Wilson in 3 of his 4 games. Gonzalez looks like he will be a tough out for wide receivers in this league but I’m marking this matchup as “Neutral” given the small sample size. |
| Amari Cooper | CLE | $6400 / $6600 | Trevon Diggs | DAL | Downgrade |
| Running the majority of your routes in the coverage of Trevon Diggs is not a great way to start the season and that is exactly what’s in store for Amari Cooper this week. Diggs is back after missing most of the 2023 season due to an ACL tear suffered last September. Despite the short stint on the field, he was already accumulating gaudy numbers; including a 25% catch rate, 2 pass breakups and 1 interception on just 8 balls thrown into his coverage. I fully expect Diggs to return to form and that means a long day at the office for Cooper this week. |
| Brandin Cooks | DAL | $5400 / $5300 | Martin Emerson Jr | CLE | Downgrade |
| Brandin Cooks is back and lining up on the outside again this year for the Dallas Cowboys. Their Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns means one of the tougher secondaries in the league is awaiting Bradin Cooks; who will see Martin Emerson Jr on most of his routes. Emerson Jr has been a nice find for the Browns, who drafted him in the 3rd round back in 2022. Last year Emerson allowed the 2nd-lowest catch rate among qualifying corners at just 47.1% and is growing into quite the ball hawk; breaking up 9 passes, intercepting 4 others, and narrowly missing on 2 additional picks. Cooks is a clear downgrade in this situation. |
| Courtland Sutton | DEN | $5600 / $5500 | Tariq Woolen | SEA | Downgrade |
| Courtland Sutton is essentially the last man standing in this Broncos’ wide receiver corps and enters the season as their clear #1 option. Unfortunately for him that means he’ll often be facing an opponent’s best corner and this week its the Seahawks’ Tariq Woolen. The UTSA product is pretty pedestrian in terms of the catch rate he allows but keeping everything underneath is where he shines. Allowing less than 10 yards per catch as an outside corner is incredibly hard to do and works to severely limit Sutton’s upside this week. |
| Jameson Williams | DET | $4500 / $5800 | Tre'Davious White | LAR | Neutral |
| Lions faithful and fantasy managers alike are hoping this can be the year we see something out of Jameson Williams. He is reportedly coming into the year as healthy and prepared as he’s been at this level and the Lions’ offense is poised to be dangerous yet again. In Week 1, Williams will square off against Tre'Davious White of the LA Rams. White’s most notable state is a stingy 6.7 yards per reception allowed but a relatively small sample size begs the question of whether or not White can repeat this type of performance. Both of these players enter the 2024 season at an inflection point. |
| Romeo Doubs | GB | $5600 / $4600 | Kelee Ringo | PHI | Neutral |
The Green Bay Packers will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on the First Friday of football this season, meaning that Romeo Doubs will be facing off against Kelee Ringo. Doubs has shown to be a reliable option for Jordan Love and gets plenty of looks in high-leverage situations for the Packers. Ringo, however, is a bit more of an open question. He played just 116 coverage snaps as a rookie last year and most of his statistics fall into the “unremarkable” category. Doubs should have an incremental advantage against Ringo but nothing that would effect his ranking in a meaningful way.
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| Nico Collins | HOU | $7000 / $7100 | Jaylon Jones | IND | Upgrade |
| The Week 1 matchup between the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts should be one of the more electric games on the slate and much of that has to do with the passing environment that the Colts’ secondary creates. In the case of Nico Collins, he’ll be in position to exploit a very juicy matchup against Jaylon Jones. Jones was a 7th round selection last season who saw 475 coverage snaps and turned in pretty solid numbers in terms of catch rate and yards per catch. What has him sitting near the bottom of the list in PFF’s coverage grade is his tendency to give up touchdowns; where he surrendered 6 on the season. Jones is easily the most favorable matchup in the Colts’ secondary so I’d expect to see a lot of passes thrown his way, opening the door for a big day for Nico. |
| Alec Pierce | IND | $4000 / $5100 | Kamari Lassiter | HOU | Upgrade |
| On the other side of this matchup, the Colts will have their work cut out for them against a stout defensive secondary for the Houston Texans. Perhaps the most favorable of the matchups, however, is the one that Alec Pierce will see; running his routes in the coverage of 2nd round rookie Kamari Lassiter. Lassiter looks to be a very solid prospect in his own right but I’d still expect a learning curve moving up to the pro level. Given the alternatives of throwing into the coverage of Derek Stingley and Jalen Pitre, I’d expect an above-average target volume for Pierce this week. Still not quite enough to put him on the fantasy radar in anything but the deepest of leagues or as a DFS dart throw. |
| Gabe Davis | JAC | $4500 / $6100 | Jalen Ramsey | MIA | Downgrade |
| Gabe Davis isn’t exactly getting the nicest of housewarming gifts has he’ll make his Jaguars debut running the majority of his routes in Jalen Ramsey’s coverage. Ramsey is no-longer in the conversation for “best corner in the league” but he is still a tough out for opposing receivers. Last year Ramsey allowed a respectable 55.6% catch rate and led the Dolphins with 3 interceptions, all while surrendering only a single touchdown. Davis has the ability to get behind anyone and post a big score but realistically I’m expecting a fairly quiet Week 1 for the Buffalo import. |
| Xavier Worthy | KC | $5500 / $6000 | Brandon Stephens | BAL | Neutral |
| Xavier Worthy stole the show at this year’s NFL combine; breaking the 40-yard dash record with a blazing 4.21 effort. Add that type of speed to the Kansas City offense and fantasy managers are drooling. Worthy will be introduced to NFL coverage by the Ravens’ Brandon Stephens. Stephens’ stat sheet is fairly unremarkable other than allowing 10.7 yards per reception last year. This makes sense given the tight brand of coverage he plays but it also creates opportunity in this specific instance. The margin for error gets incredibly thin when pressing and one misstep against a speedster like Worthy and it could be a house call. This will be a fun one to watch! |
| Davante Adams | LV | $7600 / $7500 | Kristan Fulton | LAC | Upgrade |
| Davante Adams walks into Week 1 with a new quarterback and an absolute DREAM matchup against the Chargers’ Kristian Fulton. The 2023 Chargers were a team known for being exposed in their secondary, allowing nearly 250 passing yards per game, and they decided to address that issue by bringing in the guy who (among qualifying corners) had PFF’s 10th worst coverage grade. Adams will be squaring off against a corner who allowed a 72.5% catch rate, 15.6 yards per reception, and who missed a tackle more than 14% of the time. This should be a banner day for Adams, especially given Gardner Minshew’s propensity for locking in on his best target. |
| Joshua Palmer | LAC | $5200 / $5000 | Jakorian Bennett | LV | Upgrade |
| Things look pretty good on the other side of this game as well; specifically for Joshua Palmer and his matchup against Jakorian Bennett. Bennett would be near the bottom of most lists had he played enough snaps to qualify but his 223 are enough of a sample to understand that he can be exploited. He allowed a catch on nearly 66% of the targets thrown his direction and is another player who is known for miss more than his fair share of tackles. Conventional wisdom is that the Chargers won’t be throwing a ton but this matchup is enough to place Palmer on the edge of the fantasy radar. |
| Demarcus Robinson | LAR | $3900 / $4200 | Terrion Arnold | DET | Neutral |
| It’s hard to judge how this will week’s matchup will play out for Demarcus Robinson as he is set to face off against the Lions’ rookie Corner, Terrion Arnold. Arnold was the 2nd corner back off the board in this year’s draft, the Lions’ 1st round selection, so there is no shortage of excitement about his prospects at the next level. We have however, seen even the most hyped of cornerback prospects take a bit of time to adjust to the NFL level. I’ll mark this one as “Neutral” giving Arnold the benefit of the doubt but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him struggle. |
| Jaylen Waddle | MIA | $6300 / $7200 | Tyson Campbell | JAC | Upgrade |
Jaylen Waddle is another player walking into a very favorable spot in Week 1. He’ll be the primary coverage responsibility of Tyson Campbell, a 2021 2nd round draft selection who has struggled to keep his head above water at the NFL level. Last year specifically, Campbell allowed 70% catch rate but held receivers to a modest 11.9 yards per catch. The biggest issue in his game is the frequency at which he’s giving up touchdowns. Campbell surrendered 8 scores, the most of any Jaguars defender, on just 42 receptions allowed. If Waddle is scoring a touchdown every 5 catches, he’s in line for a big Week 1.
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| Justin Jefferson | MIN | $8400 / $9000 | Deonte Banks | NYG | Neutral |
This week Justin Jefferson will be the primary assignment of 2nd-year corner Deonte Banks. Targeting players facing Banks last year was almost like stealing money but I have to give credit where its due. Banks managed to get his footing under him as the Giants went down the stretch run; turning in a 62 or higher coverage grade on PFF in 4 of his final 5 games. Thats still nothing to right home about but at least he wasn’t the turnstile that we saw to start the season. While he likely won’t be able to offer much resistance against a player of Jefferson’s caliber, I don’t think he is a liability in this backfield any longer.
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| Tyquan Thornton | NE | $3000 / $4000 | Dax Hll | CIN | Upgrade |
| The defensive secondary for the Cincinnati Bengals is generally regarded as being around the midpoint of the league. If you had to pinpoint a soft spot, however, it’s Dax Hill. Hill is a converted Safety who struggled mightily in his 2nd season last year, allowing over 71% of opponent’s targets to be caught for a sizable 14.3 yards per. He was also on the wrong side of a lot of highlight reels, being tied for a team-high 4 touchdowns allowed. Thornton, or this entire Patriots’ offense for that matter, doesn’t have much in the way of expectations this week but its undeniable that he’s in a favorable spot against Hill. |
| Cedrick Wilson | NO | $3700 / $4300 | Mike Jackson | CAR | Downgrade |
| Last year’s injury to Jaycee Horn not only tanked the Panthers’ ability to slow opposing offenses but it also exposed how thin they were at corner. To help remedy that situation, they traded for Mike Jackson from the Seattle Seahawks. Jackson let a decent amount of targets get hauled in, 68.8%, but did a stellar job of clamping down once that catch was made. He gave up just 2.3 yards after catch on average and did not allow a single trip to the endzone by a player in his coverage. The journeyman Cedrick Wilson will have his work cut out for him as he makes his Saints debut. |
| Malik Nabers | NYG | $5900 / $6300 | Stephon Gilmore | MIN | Downgrade |
| There is a lot to be excited about with the Giant’s 6th overall pick Malik Nabers. Unfortunately his Week 1 matchup against Stephon Gilmore isn’t on that list. The Vikings signed Gilmore to a $10 Million deal to help sure up a secondary that was an absolute liability last season. Gilmore is no spring chicken as he heads into year number 12 in the NFL but he can still stifle opposing wide receivers with the best of them. He kept opponents to under 55% catch rate and his nose for the ball is still keen; as shown by his 2 interceptions and 9 pass break ups. I wouldn’t throw much into Gilmore’s coverage if I was Daniel Jones and that leaves Nabers being downgraded to start his NFL career. |
| Mike Williams | NYJ | $5700 / $5900 | Isaac Yiadom | SF | Downgrade |
| Monday Night Football will cap off Week 1 with two of the better top-to-bottom defenses facing off as the 49ers host the New York Jets. All of the Niner’s corners grade out well from last year but the addition of Isaac Yiadom quietly puts this unit into the “best in the league” conversation. Yiadom allowed an impressive 50% catch rate and was near the top of the league with 13 forced incompletions and 11 pass break ups. I expect Yiadom to maintain his form and that sets up Mike Williams for a very tough Week 1 |
| DeVonta Smith | PHI | $6700 / $7300 | Jaire Alexander | GB | Neutral |
This one is a bit of a toss up. The story of the Packers’ secondary in 2023 was one that allowed a lot of catches but did a great job of ending the play at the point of the catch. Their best corner, and DeVonta Smith’s primary matchup, Jaire Alexander fit this mold perfectly. He allowed nearly 73% of balls thrown his way to be hauled in but only gave up 82 yards after the catch on the entire season. We’ll see if new Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley has a material change to their approach over the coming weeks but for now I’m calling this one a wash.
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| George Pickens | PIT | $5700 / $6500 | A.J. Terrell | ATL | Downgrade |
| The Atlanta Falcons secondary funneled much of their opponents’ throws over the middle last season, thanks in large part to AJ Terrell patrolling the perimeter. This week that puts George Pickens squarely in his sights and creates a tough spot for the Steelers’ WR1. Pickens has the athleticism to get by almost anyone in the league but it will be easier said than done when facing Terrell; who allowed a 58% catch rate and was tied for 6th in the league in forced incompletions. |
| Brandon Aiyuk | SF | $6800 / $7400 | Sauce Gardner | NYJ | Downgrade |
| I’m as big a Brandon Aiyuk fan as anyone but its objectively going to be a very tough matchup for him in Week 1 as he faces PFF’s 2nd rated corner in coverage, Sauce Gardner. 8.7 yards allowed per catch is otherworldly for an outside corner and you’d be hard pressed to find a category where Gardner isn’t near the top of the league. Because of this, opposing QBs only threw into his coverage on about 10% of plays; severely limiting Aiyuk’s volume as well. Benching him would be an overcorrection but this is a call to temper expectations for him in Week 1. |
| DK Metcalf | SEA | $6200 / $6900 | Pat Surtain | DEN | Neutral |
| Normally a matchup against Pat Surtain is an auto-downgrade in this report but I think we should take a closer look. In 2023 we say him take a bit of a step back, from “Elite” to something closer to “Very Good” and I think that’s notable. 62.9% catch rate, 12.5 yards allowed per reception, just over 200 yards after catch allowed; there are fine stats for the season but not quite up to Surtain’s lofty standards. I’ll mark this matchup as “Neutral” and take note to keep an eye out for a rebound over the course of the season. |
| Mike Evans | TB | $7300 / $7900 | Michael Davis | WAS | Upgrade |
The Commanders’ secondary was a laughingstock last season and I don’t know if there’s much optimism that changes this year. The brought in former UDFA and 7-year Charger Michael Davis in an attempt to stop the bleeding but that might be a bit out of scope for the veteran. He brings a 54.3 coverage grade with him from last year and his efforts to make plays on the ball often left him exposed; contributing to a league-high 9 touchdowns allowed. Mike Evans should have a nice start to his 2024 season running in Davis’ coverage.
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| DeAndre Hopkins | TEN | $5700 / $5900 | Jaylon Johnson | CHI | Downgrade |
DeAndre Hopkins is expected to make the season opener after suffering an injury in the preseason but he’ll have his work cut out for him facing Jaylon Johson as his primary matchup in Week 1. Johnson took a huge step forward for the Bears last season, finishing with the 4th-best coverage grade according to PFF while snatching 4 interceptions. The most gaudy of his stats is a 7.8 yards allowed per catch that puts him in some very elite company. The start to this season won’t be pretty for Hopkins.
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| Terry McLaurin | WAS | $5600 / $6200 | Jamel Dean | TB | Neutral |
| Facing off against Jamel Dean was once a bad omen for a wide receiver but last year brought a bit of a decline for the 5th year man out of Auburn. We would see him flash from time to time but his bad weeks were very bad. HIs number on the whole were hovering around league average and it appears he was taking advantage of poor quarterback play when he did spike. Considering this game is the debut of rookie Jayden Daniels, a solid game from Dean shouldn’t be ruled out but overall I don’t think this matchup is one to fear the way it once was. |
