2024 Fantasy Football WR vs. CB Matchup Report: Wild Card Round
The NFL Playoffs kick off this afternoon and while the fantasy football regular season is a thing of the past, here at FantasyAlarm we have you covered to dominate your DFS and playoff fantasy football contests. We have six games on tap this weekend for the Wild Card Round and have the matchup breakdowns below to help you lock in your lineups. Stay on top of injury news and check in with our Discord channels throughout the weekend for any breaking news with regard to inactives. With that said, here are the matchups to upgrade and downgrade as part of the WR/CB Matchup Report for this weekend's Wild Card Round action!
Left WR vs Right CB | |||||
Wide Receiver | Team | DK / FD $ | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
Rashod Bateman | BAL | $5000 / $6100 | Joey Porter Jr | PIT | Downgrade |
Rashod Bateman will be called upon to do the heavy lifting in the Ravens’ passing game this week with Zay Flowers sidelined. Practically speaking it won’t have much impact on his individual matchup as he’s been covered by Joey Porter Jr in their 2 earlier games this year and that will be the case again in the Wild Card round. Porter hasn’t had as stellar a season as we expected but has been lights out against the Ravens, allowing 2 catches for 19 yards combined to the division rival this season. | |||||
Keon Coleman | BUF | $4800 / $5700 | Pat Surtain | DEN | Downgrade |
The Bills drafted Keon Coleman with designs on his big frame and ability to collect contested catches coming through when it mattered the most and he’ll have a chance to prove himself in a tough spot against Pat Surtain this week. The odds-on favorite to win defensive player of the year, Surtain is allowing 19.8 receiving yards on just over 2 catches per game this year. Surtain shadows at the 4th-highest rate in the league this year so Coleman projects closer to his floor in his post-season debut. | |||||
Courtland Sutton | DEN | $6400 / $7300 | Rasul Douglas | LAC | Neutral |
Courtland Sutton has been the security blanket for rookie quarterback Bo Nix this season, drawing 132 targets from Nix and converting them for 57 1st downs. Expect the Broncos to continue to look to Sutton to move the chains this week against Rasul Douglas. Douglas is allowing a catch on nearly 77% of his targets and has racked up 9 pass interference penalties this season. Those flags don’t count for much in fantasy but the additional targets go a long way in boosting Sutton’s scoring projection. | |||||
Romeo Doubs | GB | $5500 / $6000 | Quinyon Mitchell | PHI | Downgrade |
Romeo Doubs will be called to the left side of the formation with Christain Watson ruled out for their wild card game against the Eagles. Unfortunately for Doubs, that is where breakout rookie Quinyon Mitchell is waiting. Mitchell is in the midst of one of the strongest stretches of play we’ve seen for a rookie, allowing 19.5 yards per game since his bye without a single game with more than 5 yards after catch during that stretch. The Packers pass game has their work cut out for them against this secondary and that applies to nobody more so than Doubs. | |||||
Nico Collins | HOU | $7800 / $8700 | Kristian Fulton | LAC | Neutral |
A lot of things have gone wrong for the Texans this year but one thing holds true, targeting Nico Collins is crucial for their ability to win games. Nico Collins has only played 7 games this year but managed to surpass 1,000 receiving yards and C.J. Stroud boasts a 104.2 passing rating when looking his way. This week he’ll run in the coverage of Kristian Fulton, the Chargers’ perimeter corner who has struggled a bit down the stretch. All told, Fulton is firmly in the middle of the cornerback pack but has allowed 4 touchdowns in his last 8 games while averaging 42 yards per game. | |||||
Quentin Johnston | LAC | $4800 / $5900 | Derek Stingley Jr | HOU | Downgrade |
Quentin Johnston made the necessary improvement in his ability to complete catches this off-season and has emerged as a reliable down-field threat for the Chargers. This has allowed him to amass nearly 1,000 yards and 8 receiving scores in his 2nd season but he’s in a tough spot against Derek Stingley this week. Stingley is fresh off an All-Pro selection which he earned with 5 interceptions, 10 pass break ups, and a rock-bottom 47.0 passer rating when throwing into his coverage. I’d expect Justin Herbet to look elsewhere for the majority of this week’s game against Houston. | |||||
DeMarcus Robinson | LAR | $4200 / $4800 | Shaquill Griffin | MIN | Neutral |
Demarcus Robinson is one of the flag-bearers for the all-cardio team this, with a route participation hovering between 80%-90% each week but a target share under 12% for the year. This week he draws one of the more difficult matchups in the Vikings’ secondary, Shaquill Griffin. Griffin doesn’t allow many completions, with just 29 in 17 games, so his 13.4 yards per reception doesn’t hold as much weight as others. Griffin is playing about as well as you can while still falling into the “Neutral” camp. | |||||
Justin Jefferson | MIN | $8400 / $9500 | Ahkello Witherspoon | LAR | Upgrade |
Ahkello Witherspoon has been doing his best to hold water as part of the Rams cornerback rotation but he simply doesn't have the skillset to slow many starting-calliber receivers. This week he’ll be assigned to cover a receiver who’s in the conversation of the league’s best, Justin Jefferson of the Vikings. Jefferson moves around the formation a fair amount but the ~40% of his snaps in Witherspoon’s coverage have the chance to be explosive. | |||||
Jahan Dotson | PHI | $3500 / $4800 | Carrington Valentine | GB | Neutral |
Another stalwart of the all-cardio team is Jahan Dotson of Philadelphia, although he isn’t on the field quite as often as someone like Robinson. Dotson had his best game as an Eagle last week while the whole of the starting offense was getting some rest, turning in 94 yards on 7 of 11 targets. There simply isn’t any reason to expect him to suddenly have a projectable role this week, where he’ll be running in the coverage of Carrington Valentine. Valentine is a bit below average in most of the peripheral stats but has done well to keep his assignments out of the end zone this year. | |||||
George Pickens | PIT | $6300 / $6900 | Brandon Stephens | BAL | Upgrade |
After a quick stint of solid play, Brandon Stephens got back to his turnstile ways in Week 18. Stephens was rung up for 6 catches, 74 yards, and a score against a Bailey Zappe-led Browns offense; bringing him to 806 yards on 65 catches for the season. The Steelers are the biggest underdogs of the week and their game script should lead to plenty of targets for his assignment this week, George Pickens. These two faced off in Week 11, where Pickens got the better of Stephens to the tune of a 8/12 line and 89 receiving yards. This one sets up very nicely for Pickens. | |||||
Mike Evans | TB | $8000 / $8900 | Marshon Lattimore | WSH | Neutral |
Mike Evans cemented his case for the Hall of Fame last week by managing to surpass the 1,000-yard mark for an 11th-straight season. Another consistency of Mike Evans’ career is Marshon Lattimore’s ability to limit him when they face off, as they will this week. They’ve played 11 games against one other and Evans is averaging 1.4 catches and 27.8 yards per game. The version of Lattimore we’ve seen this year makes him an “Upgrade” matchup but his ability to limit Evans is undeniable. We’ll net this one out as “Neutral” | |||||
Terry McLaurin | WAS | $6800 / $7400 | Josh Hayes | TB | Upgrade |
Injury to Jamel Dean has forced Josh Hayes into the starting lineup 3 times this year, as it will this week against the Commanders. In those 3 games, Hayes given up a receiving touchdown in each and is averaging 5.6 catches and 57.6 yards per game. He’ll be assigned to cover the Commanders’ best receiver, Terry McClaurin - who will be featured prominently if they aim to keep pace with the high-flying Bucs. |
Right WR vs Left CB | |||||
Wide Receiver | Team | DraftKings/FanDuel | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
Tylan Wallace | BAL | $3100 / $4400 | Donte Jackson | PIT | Neutral |
With Zay Flowers ruled out for their Saturday game against the Texans, it projects to be Tylan Wallace seeing the biggest increase in playing time on the perimeter. Wallace hasn’t played much this year but has shown a bit of yards after the catch ability when he does get targeted. He’ll run into the coverage of Donte Jackson, who has hovered around the midpoint of cornerback play for the majority of this season. | |||||
Amari Cooper | BUF | $5000 / $5700 | Riley Moss | DEN | Upgrade |
Riley Moss, like many corners running opposite of Pat Surtain, has seen a ton of targets directed his way this year. Despite playing only 14 games, he sits 6th in the NFL with 93 targets. This week he’ll be assigned to cover Amari Cooper of the Bills. Cooper is still looking for his marquee game as a Bill and this could be the spot where he announces himself to the Buffalo faithful as he figures to see a heavy target volume while Josh Allen avoids Patrick Surtain. | |||||
Marvin Mims | DEN | $4600 / $5600 | Christain Beneford | BUF | Downgrade |
Marvin Mims finished the regular season on an absolute tear, racking up 13 catches for 154 yards and 4 touchdowns in Weeks 17 and 18. This week he’ll have his work cut out for him if he aims to stay hot as he’ll face coverage from Christian Benford of the Bills. He’s in the middle of the best season of his young career, averaging 18.6 yards per game and setting career marks for catch rate (60.8%) and yards per catch (9.0). Benford doesn’t shadow so Mims will have some opportunity to to get involved but his upside is capped based on this matchup. | |||||
Dontayvion Wicks | GB | $4400 / $5400 | Darius Slay | PHI | Downgrade |
Dontayvion Wicks has the honor of being thrust into 2-receiver sets for the Packers anytime they are man down in their corps. This week he finds him in the crosshairs of Darius Slay, the Eagles’ veteran corner who is in the midst of a career renaissance. Slay currently sits with a career-best 50% catch rate and his 12 pass break ups are tied for 2nd most in his career and 6th in the NFL this season. He’s not picking off passes like he once was but he’s doing a stellar job of limiting the production of his assignment. | |||||
Xavier Hutchinson | HOU | $3300 / $5200 | Tarheeb Still | LAC | Neutral |
Tarheeb Still has played fairly well this year when you consider that he’s a 5th-round rookie for the Chargers. There are several early picks from this year’s cornerback class that would happily take Still’s 64% catch rate and 12.9 yards per catch but the rookie has allowed his yardage to pile up recently. This week he’ll be assigned to cover Xavier Hutchinson of the Texans. Hutchinson has had no shortage of opportunities this season, as he sits just a few snaps behind Nico Collins, but has a season-high mark of just 31 receiving yards this year. | |||||
DJ Chark | LAC | $3000 / $4400 | Kamari Lassiter | HOU | Downgrade |
DJ Chark saw a season-high 37 snaps with Joshua Palmer out in Week 18 and he’ll get a similar opportunity for the Chargers’ this week with Palmer sidelined for the Wild Card round. He’ll draw coverage from Kamari Lassiter, the Texans’ rookier corner who has had his fair share of struggles this year but is doing very well at holding his catch rate to an impressive 47.8% on the season. That stellar mark is only topped by 3 corners in the league, one of which is his teammate Derrick Stingley Jr. It will be very hard to get anything done on the perimeter this week and that is where Chark projects to see the vast majority of his snaps. | |||||
Puka Nacua | LAR | $8300 / $8800 | Stephon Gilmore | MIN | Neutral |
Puka Nacua continues to be one of the most heavily-utilized receivers in the league this year. He carries a target-share of nearly 30% and gets targeted on a league-most 43.6% of the routes he runs. This week those routes will be run in the coverage of Stephon Gilmore, a steady veteran hand at corner that the Vikings brought over this past off-season. Gilmore’s peripheral stats sit right around the midpoint of the league but limiting opponents to just 15 yards after catch per game has helped to keep his yards per reception average to a tidy 9.8. A solid year for Gilmore but one that places him in the “Neutral” category as an individual matchup. | |||||
Jordan Addison | MIN | $6400 / $7100 | Darious Williams | LAR | Neutral |
I’ve been very impressed with the development of Jordan Addison in his 2nd season in the NFL. He’s become a much more polished route-runner and rounded out his game with some big improvements in the intermediate part of the field. This week he’s set to face coverage from Darious Williams of the Rams. I struggle to find anything remarkable about the journeyman’s 7th year in the league and he is largely a non-factor in this NFC Wild Card game. | |||||
A.J. Brown | PHI | $7500 / $8500 | Keisean Nixon | GB | Neutral |
We unfortunately won’t get a rematch of the Week 1 heavyweight bout between AJ Brown and Jaire Alexander, where Brown racked up 5/119/1, with Jaire having undergone surgery about a week ago. Instead it will be Keisean Nixon working to cover AJ Brown, fresh off All-Pro honors again this season. Nixon’s stats profile like the slot corner he once was, with an inflated catch rate nearing 70% but a stingy 8.9 yards per reception. | |||||
Van Jefferson | PIT | $3200 / $4800 | Nate Wiggins | BAL | Neutral |
Van Jefferson had a 3-game span without George Pickens, Weeks 14-16, to get himself onto the radar in this Steelers passing game but instead logged 4 catches for 37 yards over that span. This week, with Pickens back in the starting lineup, Jefferson will face coverage from Nate Wiggins. Wiggins is no world-beater but he is clearly the more difficult out of the Ravens’ perimeter corners and is doing well to keep his opponents to an even 50% catch rate this year. | |||||
Jalen McMillan | TB | $5100 / $6100 | Mike Sainristil | WSH | Neutral |
The Jalen McMillan breakout rolls on and it's been a fun ride. The rookie 3rd-rounder found the end zone again last week, his 7th trip in the last 5 games, and is averaging over 63 yards per game in that span. This week he’ll face another rookie in Mike Sainristil, a 2nd-round selection for the Commanders. Sainristil has had an up and down season but has struggled of late, allowing 55.4 receiving yards per game since Week 13. He was also responsible for allowing McMillan’s 1st career touchdown when these two met all the way back in Week 1. | |||||
Dyami Brown | WAS | $3600 / $4800 | Zyon McCollum | TB | Upgrade |
Noah Brown’s injury a few weeks ago paved the way for Dyami Brown to see more playing time on the right side of the formation for the Commanders. Dyami has established a nice floor during that time, averaging 4.5 targets per game down the stretch and delivering between 5-9 fantasy points. This week he’ll see coverage from Zyon McCollum, the player who has allowed the most receiving yards in the league since Week 12. Dyami’s role doesn’t offer much upside but this matchup could see him push for double digits in their Wild Card game. |
Slot WR vs Slot CB (UPGRADES) | |||||
Wide Receiver | Team | DraftKings/FanDuel | Cornerback | Opp | Matchup |
Khalil Shakir | BUF | $5300 / $6300 | Ja'Quan McMillian | DEN | Upgrade |
As the excellence of Pat Surtain II funnels targets away from his coverage it leaves teammates like Ja'Quan McMillian to pick up the slack. McMillain’s 106 targets this year are the 3rd most in the league and the 755 yards they’ve converted to is among the highest of all slot corners. This week he’ll be assigned to cover Khalil Shakir, a reliable weapon for Josh Allen who has proven to be capable when he’s on the field. I’d expect the Bills to call Shakir’s number early and often in this one and his ceiling is in range because of it. | |||||
Ladd McConkey | LAC | $6900 / $7600 | Jeff Okudah | HOU | Upgrade |
One of the major benefits, in addition to free release off the line, of running routes from the slot is often facing coverage from your opponent's least-capable cover corner. This has helped Ladd McConkey surpass 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie and stands to benefit him greatly this week. He’ll be running into the coverage of Jeff Okudah who carries one of the worst coverage grades in the league at just 29.3. Okudah hasn’t played much this year, just 52 coverage snaps, but zooming out to the whole of his career will show that these struggles are not isolated onto this season. Ladd McConkey should be considered one of the favorites to lead his position in fantasy production this week. | |||||
DeVonta Smith | PHI | $5900 / $7500 | Javon Bullard | GB | Upgrade |
The battery of injuries plaguing the Packers’ secondary have found them calling on converted Safety Javon Bullard to cover the slot recently. Bullard his carrying an 83.6% catch rate for the season and has allowed his assignment to catch 100% of their targets in 7 games this year. He’ll be working to cover DeVonta Smith this week, whose speed and ability to separate can make Bullard pay for allowing that high a catch rate. |
Player News
Bills LT Dion Dawkins (illness) did not participate in Wednesday’s practice.
Bills opened LB Baylon Spector’s 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve.
Eagles C Cam Jurgens (back) did not practice on Wednesday.
Ravens signed WR Anthony Miller to a reserve/futures contract.
A.J. Brown (knee/rest) was limited in Wednesday’s practice.
Eagles WR/PR Britain Covey (neck) was limited in Wednesday’s practice.