This article is part of our Corner Report series.
This article will go game by game for the Sunday main slate looking at the top wide receivers from an offense and, based on the inside/outside and left/right splits in the alignment data of those receivers, identify the cornerbacks most likely to face them in man coverage.
Receivers very rarely see the same corner every play, be it due to formational quirks or zone coverage calls by the defense, so a receiver's fortunes depend on much more than just the quality of the corner they're likely to see the most in a given game. Even against a bad corner, a good receiver can be denied the opportunity if the pass rush or something else outside his control complicates things. But it's part of the puzzle, and it's worth keeping track of.
Receivers are left with an Upgrade, Downgrade, or Even verdict based on their projected matchup. This shouldn't be read as 'good' or 'bad' but rather a measured tweak from the receiver's baseline projection.
New England vs Jets
NEW ENGLAND WIDE RECEIVERS
Left corner Bryce Hall and right corner Brandin Echols might be pretty good, but Hall is still only his second season and Echols is still a rookie. Perhaps they'll match route stride effectively with Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, but rookies are generally more likely to mess up assignments than veterans, and both Agholor and Bourne are capable route runners. So is Jakobi Meyers, who is apparently not allowed in the end zone but otherwise
This article will go game by game for the Sunday main slate looking at the top wide receivers from an offense and, based on the inside/outside and left/right splits in the alignment data of those receivers, identify the cornerbacks most likely to face them in man coverage.
Receivers very rarely see the same corner every play, be it due to formational quirks or zone coverage calls by the defense, so a receiver's fortunes depend on much more than just the quality of the corner they're likely to see the most in a given game. Even against a bad corner, a good receiver can be denied the opportunity if the pass rush or something else outside his control complicates things. But it's part of the puzzle, and it's worth keeping track of.
Receivers are left with an Upgrade, Downgrade, or Even verdict based on their projected matchup. This shouldn't be read as 'good' or 'bad' but rather a measured tweak from the receiver's baseline projection.
New England vs Jets
NEW ENGLAND WIDE RECEIVERS
Left corner Bryce Hall and right corner Brandin Echols might be pretty good, but Hall is still only his second season and Echols is still a rookie. Perhaps they'll match route stride effectively with Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, but rookies are generally more likely to mess up assignments than veterans, and both Agholor and Bourne are capable route runners. So is Jakobi Meyers, who is apparently not allowed in the end zone but otherwise projects well against the smallish slot corner duo of Javelin Guidry and Michael Carter.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne
JETS WIDE RECEIVERS
Corey Davis figures to see the shadow coverage of J.C. Jackson, and that's probably a downgrade for Davis even though it's a matchup he is capable of winning occasionally. Jamison Crowder might find it easier to draw targets, especially if Jonathan Jones (shoulder) is out. Jones is one of the league's better slot corners, and if the Patriots can even name a replacement that player would almost certainly be a significant downgrade. Elijah Moore would likely see a lot of Jalen Mills if Jackson shadows Davis, and that could be a winnable matchup for the rookie despite his disappointing season to this point.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Corey Davis
Even: Jamison Crowder, Elijah Moore
Baltimore vs Cincinnati
BALTIMORE WIDE RECEIVERS
Rashod Bateman was finally able to debut last week, and he should stay involved going forward, especially as long as Sammy Watkins is out. Bateman lined up on the left more than the right, and Marquise Brown will run on the right in such cases. Against Cincinnati that should mostly leave Bateman against Chidobe Awuzie and Brown mostly against Eli Apple, though the Bengals might elect to shadow Brown with Awuzie, who's better than Apple. Brown should also see a lot of slot corner Mike Hilton – a matchup he'll split with Devin Duvernay, who moves inside when Brown is outside and vice versa. It's Hilton and especially Apple who are most vulnerable.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marquise Brown (upgrade if not shadowed by Awuzie), Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay
CINCINNATI WIDE RECEIVERS
The Ravens finally started using Marlon Humphrey in a shadow capacity last week, and it's something they might want to consider here with Ja'Marr Chase, too. Tee Higgins is still a beast and Tyler Boyd is of course threatening from the slot, but the Bengals won't use Higgins downfield to this point in the year and until they do it'd be a waste to have Humphrey sitting on five-yard curls over and over, especially if it leaves Chase to run against Anthony Averett downfield. The Ravens defense somehow got its act together against the Chargers last week, but they've more so struggled this year and they're at risk of relapse against this wideout trio if they're not careful.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd
Miami vs Atlanta
MIAMI WIDE RECEIVERS
DeVante Parker and Preston Williams should be back here, and if so that could be a major boost to a Dolphins offense that badly needs it. A.J. Terrell is tough at left corner but Fabian Moreau is a should-be backup on the other side. Whoever is against Moreau has a green light on the play. The slot corner is a question with Isaiah Oliver hurt, but whoever it is doesn't really want to cover Jaylen Waddle.
Upgrade: Jaylen Waddle
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DeVante Parker, Preston Williams
ATLANTA WIDE RECEIVERS
Xavien Howard and Byron Jones are very good outside corners, but the Dolphins defense more broadly is a mess and the play structures don't hold well enough for the one-on-one matchups to dictate much. At the very least, while Howard and Jones are still capable of good play, in the meantime they're liable for severely diminished returns relative to their talent. Calvin Ridley is the kind of receiver who warrants caution from the defense, so they'll no doubt be focused on him. It remains to be seen what gives in that matchup, but Ridley has mostly struggled in Atlanta's sluggish offense to this point in the year. Olamide Zaccheaus might be a tough slot cover for Nik Needham, but the production hasn't been there to this point and the Falcons probably prefer to run two TEs rather than three WRs.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Calvin Ridley, Tajae Sharpe
Even: Olamide Zaccheaus
Tennessee vs Kansas City
TENNESSEE WIDE RECEIVERS
The Chiefs have some good players in the secondary, but the results have been awful all year. The return of Charvarius Ward at left corner could help here, though, and his build/athleticism type are ideal to match up with A.J. Brown and Julio Jones. Right corner Mike Hughes is not, on the other hand, so he's the easier target between himself and Ward. L'Jarius Sneed is the slot corner and is capable of playing well, but against Brown he's at a serious weight disadvantage. More importantly, the Chiefs pass defense should be considered vulnerable until they prove otherwise, so Brown and Jones seem to be in a good spot here, knock on wood. We just apparently need to keep an eye on Brown's illness.
Upgrade: A.J. Brown, Julio Jones
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A
KANSAS CITY WIDE RECEIVERS
Tyreek Hill doesn't see conventional coverages due to his unparalleled speed, and so it's usually difficult to discern or describe his actual matchups. The Titans are one of the league's slower cornerback rotations, however, so in that sense this seems like a good spot for Hill. That detail plus Tennessee's poor pass rush makes for difficult coverage conditions. Mecole Hardman could also capitalize for the same reasons, and to a lesser extent Byron Pringle. As always, if Demarcus Robinson does anything it's usually because someone on the defense didn't handle their coverage responsibility right.
Upgrade: Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A
Green Bay vs Washington
GREEN BAY WIDE RECEIVERS
Washington's defense should be good and its cornerback personnel should be effective but so far neither has been the case. Perhaps it's just a matter of time until that changes, but in the meantime the results have been thoroughly discouraging and certainly don't warrant any benefit of the doubt. Davante Adams has shredded secondaries playing much better than this one, and players like Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard pose threats too until Washington shows the ability to implement basic coverages.
Upgrade: Davante Adams
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb
WASHINGTON WIDE RECEIVERS
The Packers drafted Jace Sternberger over Terry McLaurin. Ouch! Perhaps they'll come to regret it more than even in this game, especially with top corner Jaire Alexander out. McLaurin is dealing with a hamstring injury and perhaps that will limit him, but Green Bay's coverage probably can't otherwise. The Packers need to pray that McLaurin is a step slower than usual, because Kevin King can't cover him and Eric Stokes looks a bit raw in his rookie season. Stokes and King might be able to handle Dyami Brown, though, because the rookie just hasn't shown anything yet. Adam Humphries should run against the beatable Chandon Sullivan.
Upgrade: Terry McLaurin
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Dyami Brown, Adam Humphries
Giants vs Carolina
GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Injuries might force the Giants to head into this game with Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton and John Ross as their top three receivers, and even all of those three are dealing with their own hamstring injuries. Shepard is the man in the slot and has been automatic at times, but he gets a capable opponent in A.J. Bouye here. Donte Jackson has the speed outside to match Slayton and Ross, but second outside corner Keith Taylor doesn't have the long speed to keep their strides. If Slayton or Ross go 20 yards on Taylor then the Giants could have a big play there. Still, the Panthers defense is well coached and each of these corners have been playing their part.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, John Ross
CAROLINA WIDE RECEIVERS
DJ Moore is clearly the WR1 in Carolina and as a result might draw shadow coverage from James Bradberry. Bradberry isn't necessarily a tougher matchup for Moore than Adoree' Jackson would be, though, and neither player is enough to create concern for Moore's efficiency. A much bigger concern would be the quarterback play in Carolina. While Moore is good enough that the Bradberry/Jackson matchups don't matter much for him, Robby Anderson is more likely to be slowed by cornerback personnel of that caliber. He's also struggling to make plays underneath generally – the Panthers might want to start using him more downfield like with the Jets. Terrace Marshall (concussion) should mostly run against the Giants' slot safeties – any of Jabrill Peppers, Xavier McKinney or Logan Ryan can line up there. Marshall has been completely unable to play Curtis Samuel's former role, however, so even if he plays it's difficult to feel any optimism.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Robby Anderson
Even: DJ Moore
Rams vs Detroit
RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS
Rather than anything to do with the matchup, the limiting factor for the Rams and their wide receiver production in this game might instead have to do with their motives and intentions. The Lions are such a pitifully weak team compared to the Rams that the Rams might not flex their muscles too much in this one, and whatever flexing they get around to might take place on the ground much more than most other games. Every Rams receiver has an easy matchup in this one. However much the Rams want to take should be theirs – the risk is that they try to get the win without incident and move on to the next week.
Upgrade: Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Van Jefferson, DeSean Jackson
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A
DETROIT WIDE RECEIVERS
Amon-Ra St. Brown would normally be a candidate to benefit from a target boost with players like Quintez Cephus and Tyrell Williams out, but running against Jalen Ramsey might make that difficult. St. Brown might need to get it done in garbage time, though at least the garbage time is a near lock with the Lions extreme underdogs. Kalif Raymond would be the likely beneficiary if Ramsey funneled targets away from St. Brown, and he should run against Robert Rochell and David Long. KhaDarel Hodge is the other Lions wideout but he's a practice squadder.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Amon-Ra St. Brown
Even: Kalif Raymond, KhaDarel Hodge
Las Vegas vs Philadelphia
LAS VEGAS WIDE RECEIVERS
Bryan Edwards gets the most thankless routes in this offense – the ones furthest outside and downfield – and from those looks he should almost entirely run against Darius Slay and Steven Nelson. Both corners are good, especially Slay, but it's not clear whether the Eagles will try to put Slay on Edwards specifically. The Eagles might want to keep Slay free to follow Henry Ruggs when Ruggs is outside. Ruggs' speed can run right past Slay all the same, but Slay is faster than Nelson. Hunter Renfrow should mostly run against Avonte Maddox – it's an interesting matchup because Maddox has largely struggled in the NFL, but a lot of that has to do with him being a true slot specialist rather than a corner who matches up with bigger wideouts. Maddox's strengths should largely mirror those of Renfrow, a fellow slot specialist, though Renfrow probably deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Henry Ruggs, Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow
PHILADELPHIA WIDE RECEIVERS
It's possible that the Raiders might try to shadow DeVonta Smith with the technically-sharp veteran Casey Hayward, and if so it could make for quite a matchup. Hayward really knows how to play corner, which could make him a good match against Smith's uncommon route running abilities. Hayward might deserve the benefit of the doubt between the two, though. Jalen Reagor is not as threatening at the other wide receiver spot, so it would make sense for second outside corner Brandon Facyson to see him more than Smith. Slot receiver Quez Watkins should mostly run against rookie slot corner Nate Hobbs, who looks very promising to this point.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Quez Watkins
Tampa Bay vs Chicago
TAMPA BAY WIDE RECEIVERS
Jaylon Johnson looks like a shadow candidate going forward for the Bears and might look to implement that policy against Mike Evans in this game, especially if Antonio Brown (ankle) is on the sidelines. Good as Johnson might be, he's not enough to intimidate Evans. Kindle Vildor is probably easier beaten at the other outside corner spot, so be in Brown, Evans, Tyler Johnson or Chris Godwin the Bears will probably need to worry about him. Godwin should run most of his reps against slot corner Duke Shelley, though, and Shelley is probably ill-suited to run with a receiver like that.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Tyler Johnson
CHICAGO WIDE RECEIVERS
The Buccaneers are beat up and vulnerable at corner. Right corner Jamel Dean is good, especially in a straight line, but left corner Dee Delaney has a bull's eye on him and slot corner Ross Cockrell is sort of a traveling emergency-slot corner. Even Dean can fall off his game a bit when forced to move sideways, so each of these three can be beaten, especially Delaney and Cockrell. Whether quarterback Justin Fields can capitalize is a separate question, but Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney are closer to an upgrade here than they are to a downgrade. Questions persist about the offensive line and pass quality, though.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney
Arizona vs Houston
ARIZONA WIDE RECEIVERS
Although they'll give you some scrappy snaps, Houston's defense is basically in tank mode. It's therefore to be expected that they would hold the disadvantage here, and on paper that certainly appears to be the case. Desmond King is the best Houston corner but couldn't play with a hip issue last week. If he can play here he might line up at left corner – it's where Houston moved him after initially playing him in the slot – but in recent weeks the underwhelming Tavierre Thomas has seen the slot snaps. If King plays outside it would move one of Terrance Mitchell or Vernon Hargreaves to the bench. Wherever any of them line up they're at a disadvantage
Upgrade: DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, Rondale Moore
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A
HOUSTON WIDE RECEIVERS
Even if the cornerback matchups are manageable for the Houston receivers, there's no guarantee that the quarterback or offensive line do their part to complete the target on a given play. The Arizona defense has an intimidating pass rush and can give the quarterback some confusing looks before the snap, so rookie quarterback Davis Mills might be hard-pressed to capitalize. If he can keep his composure, though, then the wideouts might be able to get somewhere, Brandin Cooks especially. Right corner Marco Wilson is toolsy but unrefined as a rookie, and left corner Robert Alford is 33-year-old replacement-level type. Slot corner Byron Murphy is the most intimidating Cardinals corner, and he he's a candidate to shut down the slot receiver, be it Chris Moore or Danny Amendola. Nico Collins and Chris Conley (neck) are the main candidates to pick up outside snaps aside from Cooks, though the playing time and usage is difficult to anticipate. Cooks is the only one anyone can count on, intriguing as the secondary pieces might be.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Chris Moore, Danny Amendola
Even: Brandin Cooks, Nico Collins, Chris Conley
