Wide Receivers vs. Cornerbacks: Week 15 Matchups

This article will go game by game for the Week 15 slate looking at the top wide receivers from an offense and, based on the inside/outside and left/right splits of those receivers, identify the cornerbacks most likely to face them in man coverage.

Receivers rarely see the same corner every play, be it due to formation 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.

MIN vs IND

MINNESOTA WIDE RECEIVERS

The Colts will likely shadow Justin Jefferson with Stephon Gilmore when lined up outside, but it's probably not a concern for a player like Jefferson. The matchup is somewhat ceremonial anyway – unless the field is very short Gilmore probably won't be in straight-up man coverage against Jefferson much anyway. Still, Gilmore plays well in the scheme and the Vikings want to think about getting Jefferson more slot looks than usual as a way to get away from Gilmore and instead test Indianapolis' seam coverage and the slot matchup with Julian Blackmon, normally more of a safety. Isaiah Rodgers should run the outside rep opposite Gilmore, usually against Thielen.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Justin Jefferson (the more slot the better), Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn

INDIANAPOLIS WIDE RECEIVERS

Big-play athleticism is the main threat to Minnesota's lumbering cornerback personnel, but even as more of a steady threat Michael Pittman should project for the advantage here, and you'd probably have to say the same for Alec Pierce and Parris Campbell. Patrick Peterson has had a productive year and can defend the sideline downfield, but going laterally is a different question. Cam Dantzler is sick and when healthy he's slow enough to lose even a possession wideout like Pittman downfield. Chandon Sullivan has struggled enough that the Colts might dial up some routes against him specifically.

Upgrade: Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, Parris Campbell
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

CLE vs BAL

CLEVELAND WIDE RECEIVERS

Amari Cooper warrants shadow coverage from Marlon Humphrey outside and is a good bet to get it. That's not grounds for counting Cooper out, but it's always easier to get the ball to the receiver running against Marcus Peters or slot safety Kyle Hamilton. The Browns could maybe help Cooper by moving him into the slot, where Humphrey is more than capable of following him but might not be able to since it might force Hamilton to line up outside, which might be a bad idea given that Hamilton's 4.59 speed is already below average by safety standards, let alone corner. The more Humphrey sees the worse for Cooper, but you'd still probably say the bigger concern for Cooper is the play of Deshaun Watson. Donovan Peoples-Jones can in any case beat Peters.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones

BALTIMORE WIDE RECEIVERS

Demarcus Robinson can't separate but can wrestle for the ball fairly well and might be able to bully the smallish Denzel Ward a bit at the catch point, but the Ravens might be pushing their luck to test that one too much. Devin Duvernay can't seem to function in this offense, so that he's the Ravens' fastest skill position player and its second-best open-field runner is often an irrelevant point.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Demarcus Robinson, Devin Duvernay

BUF vs MIA

BUFFALO WIDE RECEIVERS

Xavien Howard might not have ever been a concern for Stefon Diggs and certainly isn't one now. The Dolphins might even want to more so leave Howard against the bigger Gabe Davis and match up Diggs with the smaller but more athletic rookie Kader Kohou. Diggs is set up very well either way and Davis can certainly beat Howard, but Davis needs to not just get open but get open faster than Diggs which gets more difficult when Diggs has the better matchup. Isaiah McKenzie might see a lot of Kohou in the slot, to unclear significance. In three-wide the third corner is Keion Crossen, who lines up opposite Howard. Crossen is super athletic but small (5-foot-9, 178 pounds), so the Dolphins don't want him on Davis.

Upgrade: Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Isaiah McKenzie

MIAMI WIDE RECEIVERS

Tyreek Hill is producing at such a level that it's not worth ever being concerned with the matchup. The Bills secondary is fairly talented and likely the best-coached in the league, and they'll likely have a pretty good plan to slow down Hill. With that said, the game plan can succeed for the Bills and not matter much for Hill's fantasy investors given his target volume. Jaylen Waddle is the one you would sooner be concerned for, not because of his own abilities but rather because he needs Tua Tagovailoa to produce well to have enough room to post numbers after Hill has gotten his share. Both Hill and Waddle are too good for these corners to match up with, but Waddle is usually the one whose usage gets pinched when Tagovailoa has an off week.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle

NYJ vs DET

JETS WIDE RECEIVERS

Elijah Moore saw more snaps and targets in Week 14 but (A) mostly because of Corey Davis getting hurt and (B) those snaps and targets still don't suit Moore's skill set anywhere near the ideal. Garrett Wilson is still prioritized on the types of routes that suit Moore best, namely giving Wilson more underneath looks and forcing Moore to function too far downfield. Particularly with accuracy-challenged quarterbacks like the Jets have, to function downfield is to necessarily accept a low completion rate. Perhaps the Lions secondary is bad enough that Moore can produce even on downfield routes, but if not then Wilson is the only lock to produce here.

Upgrade: Garrett Wilson
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Elijah Moore, Denzel Mims

DETROIT WIDE RECEIVERS

For guys like DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds it's a nightmare to see a corner like Sauce Gardner. The Jets give structural help to the shorter D.J. Reed on the other side, and it's been more difficult to attack Reed than would be the case on some other defenses. With that said, Reynolds and especially Chark have the reach and speed to beat Reed if they're truly left one on one. A lively pass rush helps, but the Jets might struggle to rush the passer if Quinnen Williams is out. Amon-Ra St. Brown could be a problem for Michael Carter in the slot. Jared Goff's career numbers take a nosedive when the temperature gets below 60 degrees, so his play is probably more concerning for the Detroit receivers than their own matchups.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark (downgrade if shadowed by Gardner), Josh Reynolds

HOU vs KC

HOUSTON WIDE RECEIVERS

Chris Moore might be the real deal if the Texans keep using him outside, something they did more last week to get Amari Rodgers onto the field more in the slot, where Moore previously ran most of his routes. Is it a coincidence that Moore caught 10 passes for 124 yards on 11 targets after moving outside, the area he ran most of his routes as a downfield specialist at Cincinnati? It might not be, and if it isn't then Moore is a candidate to keep rolling here against a trio of promising but still-improving rookie trio of corners. Moore would also see some of the more battle-tested L'Jarius Sneed, but Sneed lines up all over the place and tends to play mostly in the slot, in which case he'd likely see more of Rodgers.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chris Moore, Amari Rodgers, Phillip Dorsett

KANSAS CITY WIDE RECEIVERS

Steven Nelson and Desmond King are actually a solid duo underneath and maybe into the intermediate, so they could pose challenging reps to JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney in particular. Nelson and King lack downfield range or reach, however, so speed can be an issue. Marquez Valdes-Scantling comes to mind as the kind of player the Texans just can't run with, and the same would be true of Mecole Hardman if he's active. The problem is that the Chiefs are so prone to chopping up the production between all non-Travis Kelce targets.

Upgrade: Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Downgrade: N/A
Even: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kadarius Toney

CAR vs PIT

CAROLINA WIDE RECEIVERS

The Panthers offense of the last two weeks must be the most primitive offense seen since something like 1970, attempting 43 passes and using an approach that might be described as 'glacial.' DJ Moore and Terrace Marshall can beat these Pittsburgh corners but the wishbone is not conducive to passing stats.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DJ Moore, Terrace Marshall

PITTSBURGH WIDE RECEIVERS

It's not clear whether Jaycee Horn will shadow either of Diontae Johnson or George Pickens, but whoever has Horn is the toughest one to complete a pass to on the play in question. Myles Hartsfield can be tough in the slot, so the easiest matchup on a given snap is whoever gets C.J. Henderson outside. You like the chances of players like Johnson and Pickens against Henderson, but guessing who might get that opportunity or whether the quarterback gets the ball there make it complicated.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Steven Sims

CHI vs PHI

CHICAGO WIDE RECEIVERS

With no Chase Claypool or Darnell Mooney it's difficult to feel optimism here.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: All
Even: N/A

PHILADELPHIA WIDE RECEIVERS

A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are both too much for this secondary. Quez Watkins also gets an upgrade – Brown and Smith would sooner be threatened by Watkins going off here than they would the Bears defense posing resistance.

Upgrade: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

NO vs ATL

NEW ORLEANS WIDE RECEIVERS

Chris Olave warrants shadow coverage from A.J. Terrell and it would be an interesting test for Olave if happens. Olave has been nothing short of a menace so far and would have much bigger numbers if the Saints so much as endeavored to snap the ball 60 times in a game, so he might be the caliber of player who needn't worry about Terrell. Still, you'd rather see the other corners. If Olave disappoints here it probably wouldn't be so much from Terrell stopping him as much due to Rashid Shaheed and Jarvis Landry getting wide open more quickly against the lesser corners. 

Upgrade: Rashid Shaheed, Jarvis Landry
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chris Olave (Upgrade if not shadowed by Terrell)

ATLANTA WIDE RECEIVERS

Drake London would get a tough draw if Marshon Lattimore (abdomen) can return, but it's not clear whether that will happen. The Saints corners otherwise are uneven at best – Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor are very toolsy outside and Bradley Roby used to be good, but the results have been consistently poor for them in 2022. London is young for his level but it's easy enough to imagine him beating Adebo and Taylor if USC were playing Stanford or Tennessee.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Drake London, Olamide Zaccheaus

JAC vs DAL

JACKSONVILLE WIDE RECEIVERS

DaRon Bland and Kelvin Joseph will have to play a lot of snaps for Dallas, and Bland in particular will need to see a lot of Christian Kirk. It's difficult to see that as a good thing for Dallas. Zay Jones and Marvin Jones are just guys but guys who can go along for the ride whenever Trevor Lawrence is playing as well as he has at his high points in the past month or so.

Upgrade: Christian Kirk
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Zay Jones, Marvin Jones

DALLAS WIDE RECEIVERS

Tyson Campbell can be a problem for opposing wideouts but the Jaguars mostly keep him on the right side, meaning as long as Dallas lines up CeeDee Lamb in the slot or on their right then Lamb should avoid Campbell and instead see the other, more beatable Jaguars corners. Michael Gallup can definitely produce against the non-Campbell corners, too, and maybe even Noah Brown could. It depends on the choices of the Dallas coaches.

Upgrade: CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Noah Brown

DEN vs ARI

DENVER WIDE RECEIVERS

Jerry Jeudy showed what he can do when he has the spotlight to himself, and he might again here if Courtland Sutton (hamstring) sits again. Tight end Greg Dulcich is the only other player eligible for usage aside from Kendall Hinton, who only pops up when the defense ignores him. Jeudy projects fine against an Arizona defense dependent on zone coverage – as usual the sooner concern would be the quarterback play.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jerry Jeudy, Kendall Hinton

ARIZONA WIDE RECEIVERS

DeAndre Hopkins versus Patrick Surtain could really be something to watch. The Cardinals haven't used Hopkins in the slot as much as they did in his first game back from suspension, but they might want to go to that more here because Surtain might be the very worst corner matchup for Hopkins in the league. Hopkins is still a clear start in the vast majority of cases, but if he has a good game here he will really have earned it. Marquise Brown has otherwise emerged as Arizona's primary slot receiver, where he might have had some noteworthy effect by now if Arizona had stable quarterback production. If Surtain is on Hopkins then there will be slack toward the rest of the option, and if he's able to play through illness then Brown is the clearly best candidate to pick up that slack. A.J. Green continues to play a lot for no obvious reason.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green
Even: Marquise Brown

LV vs NE

LAS VEGAS WIDE RECEIVERS

It's difficult to see what the Patriots could do to slow Davante Adams that other teams haven't already tried to little success. They might want to shadow him with Jonathan Jones just because Jones is their best corner, but it wouldn't be a concerning matchup for Adams. Jack Jones has gotten good results on the boundary too but has not been tested in the variety of depths that Adams is prepared to pose. Jack and Jonathan both are at risk of getting bullied by a wideout as big as Mack Hollins, though they'll no doubt be right on him even if he does make a catch at their expense.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Davante Adams, Mack Hollins

NEW ENGLAND WIDE RECEIVERS

Nate Hobbs is a good corner who would normally be a shadow candidate but it's not clear whether the Patriots have a wideout worth it if Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker are out. Perhaps Nelson Agholor would be next in line, but the Raiders might just line up without an assignment for Hobbs. Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton would have to step up too, though it's not clear whether they're good bets to produce against anyone in particular. The non-Hobbs corners for Las Vegas are not intimidating, at least.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Nelson Agholor (arguable downgrade if shadowed by Hobbs), Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton

TB vs CIN

TAMPA BAY WIDE RECEIVERS

Mike Evans, Julio Jones and Chris Godwin should all have the advantage here. Be it something to do with the offensive line, Tom Brady's passing, or whatever else, WR:CB advantages haven't translate to reliable production for the Buccaneers receivers this year.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Julio Jones

CINCINNATI WIDE RECEIVERS

No Jamel Dean is a big loss for Tampa Bay, who normally have dean and Carlton Davis posing size and reach on the boundary to smother the sidelines. Now they have just Davis – who plays on the left – and Sean Murphy-Bunting, who has mostly struggled. Antoine Winfield might return from injury and will be tough in the slot if so. Davis could probably neutralize Tee Higgins, particularly if Higgins is still hobbled with his hamstring issue, but Davis can't run with Chase for long and Murphy-Bunting would almost certainly get burned.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd

LAC vs TEN

CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Amani Hooker versus Keenan Allen will be interesting in the slot, but in terms of trait matching it's maybe not the best matchup for Allen, who sometimes produces by boxing out defenders rather than eluding them. Hooker is big enough to play that game too, at which point it's not clear whether Allen has another advantage to lean on. Roger McCreary outside would be an easier target for Allen, but Mike Williams especially looks like a difficult matchup for McCreary, who has very little reach. Joshua Palmer can probably beat McCreary time to time but would fare better against Terrance Mitchell. Edit: Hooker is out so Keenan Allen also gets an Upgrade along with Williams

Upgrade: Mike Williams, Keenan Allen
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Joshua Palmer

TENNESSEE WIDE RECEIVERS

Robert Woods just doesn't seem to work well with Ryan Tannehill, and it's difficult to see why anything would get better in this matchup. Woods can't hurt the Chargers corners for jumping shorter routes, so even if Woods can present a viable target a few times underneath it might get stepped on over the course of the game. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is a better aesthetic match for Tannehill but doesn't have the talent to make it noteworthy.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Robert Woods, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

WAS vs NYG

WASHINGTON WIDE RECEIVERS

The Giants corners are bad enough that every Washington receiver to plausibly play snaps – let's say up to Cam Sims – would project for a clear advantage here. Terry McLaurin is of course the most dangerous of them, but Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson can certainly beat up corners like these, too.

Upgrade: Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Jahan Dotson
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Washington pass rush is causing problems – the tackle duo of Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen are just wrecking pockets from the interior – so that's concerning for the chances of Darius Slayton threatening his most ambitious downfield routes. There's no doubt Slayton can lose corners like Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste, but those corners are playing an easier mode right now where they know down to a few beats when the quarterback will need to throw before the rush gets in their face. If Daniel Jones can extend a play or two and let Slayton hit full stride then the corners can't keep up with him reliably. Isaiah Hodgins should continue posing a credible threat underneath toward the boundary, but St-Juste is probably an effective foil to Hodgins and Fuller is unlikely to give up separation, either.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins

GB vs LAR

GREEN BAY WIDE RECEIVERS

Jalen Ramsey is unlikely to follow any one Packers receiver specifically, so while he might be a limiting factor for the Green Bay passing game overall it's unlikely that Ramsey matters for one player specifically. Christian Watson figures to draw more defensive attention in light of his recent breakout, but Allen Lazard would likely be able to quickly capitalize if defenses begin to neglect him.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Christian Watson, Allen Lazard

RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS

Van Jefferson and Tutu Atwell are some level of threatening, but Jefferson lacks the ability to dictate much and Atwell's snap count is limited since he kills the Rams' run-blocking concepts. Ben Skowronek had the best game of his career last week yet still has awful aggregate numbers in 2022. Jaire Alexander should be able to cover any of these receivers, and Rasul Douglas would project well against Skowronek. Keisean Nixon in the slot might be the most beatable corner, and he should mostly see Atwell and Skowronek.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A