Wide Receivers vs. Cornerbacks: Week 5 Matchups

This article will go game by game for the Week 5 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. This post will have to be a little shorter and lean more on speculation/generalities than the entries to come, because teams haven't yet conclusively revealed their personnel tendencies.

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.

Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Jets

MINNESOTA VIKINGS WIDE RECEIVERS

Sauce Gardner on the left and D.J. Reed on the right are joined by Michael Carter in nickel situations. As a group they're one of the best in the league, and despite the obvious observation that Reed and Carter are more beatable, the Jets have a way of accounting for the whole field such that you can't really get those two isolated the way you might want to. Wherever Justin Jefferson lines up the Jets will no doubt have an assignment in mind as a response, but Jefferson is so good at beating zones and otherwise finding the soft spot in the defense that he should project fine. Even a guy like Jordan Addison is probably worth starting in most formats, but expecting Sam Darnold to go crazy with pass attempts in this game probably would be hasty.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison

NEW YORK JETS WIDE RECEIVERS

Garrett Wilson has had his 2024 arrival delayed somewhat and unfortunately this matchup is probably not a great one to jumpstart his season. Even more than in the case of the Jets defense, the Vikings defense is strong against the pass specifically because of its system, because on a pure talent basis guys like Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin plainly cannot cover someone like Wilson, at all. The gap between the Vikings' talent and their results is bridged by Brian Flores' wizardly, which might or might not hold perfect form here against maybe its biggest test yet against an elite receiver like Wilson. Guys like Mike Williams and Allen Lazard would project for the advantage over corners like Gilmore and Griffin, but it's not as easy to see their upside scenario, especially with Wilson 'Due.'

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Mike Williams, Allen Lazard
Even: Garrett Wilson

Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers

CHICAGO BEARS WIDE RECEIVERS

At this point we should probably assume the Bears passing game will be a mess all year. Shane Waldron took a Luke Getsy offense that wasn't even good and somehow made it worse. When people like this get NFL jobs of such massive influence there's no real recourse when it turns out they're completely unfit for the job. With that said, DJ Moore would project as superior to Jaycee Horn even if Horn is given Moore as an assignment, and Carolina might not want to do that anyway given that it would just leave Rome Odunze against Michael Jackson, who definitely can't cover Odunze. Keenan Allen would normally hold an advantage over slot man Troy Hill, but given the Waldron Handicap there might be less potential there than what should be.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DJ Moore, Rome Odunze (arguable Upgrade if Horn shadows Moore), Keenan Allen

CAROLINA PANTHERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Diontae Johnson is a good candidate to see a shadow assignment from Jaylon Johnson, which I personally think might be one of the toughest possible matchups for Johnson league-wide. There's reason to believe Johnson will draw targets anyway, but the efficiency might be a challenge. Xavier Legette might be the Panthers wideout best built to hurt this excellent Bears corner rotation, if only because Legette has the speed to get past the safeties. Corners like Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson certainly aren't slow, but the Bears like to apply downward pressure and it requires speed like Legette has to make a defense pay with a big play downfield, hopefully opening up more room underneath in the process. Jonathan Mingo kind of just seems to be hanging around, and he shouldn't be expected to beat corners like these.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Jonathan Mingo
Even: Diontae Johnson (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by Johnson), Xavier Legette

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens

CINCINNATI BENGALS WIDE RECEIVERS

Ja'Marr Chase might see a shadow assignment from Marlon Humphrey, though it's probably no more cause for a downgrade than the overall malaise of the Bengals offense, which simply hasn't targeted Chase frequently enough to compete at a playoff level. Maybe that changes here and maybe Chase corrects at Humphrey's expense, but at the moment the Ravens seem to have their act together more than the Bengals. If Humphrey doesn't shadow Chase that'd be better of course, though Brandon Stephens and Nate Wiggins are not easily beaten themselves. Tee Higgins against Wiggins is one trait mismatch the Bengals should try to target, but there's no evidence they will. At 6-foot-4, Higgins would be a tough matchup for the 173-pound Wiggins. Andrei Iosivas will hope Humphrey shadows Chase, because otherwise Iosivas would see the most of Humphrey in the slot.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas (Downgrade if Humphrey does not shadow Chase)

BALTIMORE RAVENS WIDE RECEIVERS

Zay Flowers should see a fairly even distribution of cover assignments between Cam Taylor-Britt, Dax Hill and DJ Turner, though it'd be better to see more of the latter two. One of Hill or Turner will have to play the slot if Mike Hilton (knee) is out, and that player might struggle in the new role if so. Rashod Bateman likely has no prayer against Taylor-Britt but might be able to get Hill or/and Turner crossed up a bit. Nelson Agholor is never helpful of course, but Hill and Turner have made enough mistakes that it wouldn't be shocking to see Agholor get away from one of them.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor

Houston Texans vs. Buffalo Bills

HOUSTON TEXANS WIDE RECEIVERS

Corners like Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford are both big, rugged corners who play very well within the Buffalo scheme. Both are consistently aggressive and in the right position, but that also speaks to how the Buffalo scheme keeps those two away from problematic situations. Neither Douglas nor Benford can turn and run with above-average speed, so the key to beating them is often finding a crack downfield where you can get a fast receiver running past them. Nico Collins has the speed to do that, even though he's also a bigger receiver than Douglas or Benford are corners. Douglas and Benford might neutralize Collins' build, but he's still much more athletic than they are. A guy like Tank Dell can also be a lot of trouble for a guy like Dougas, though it's not clear how healthy Dell might be. Stefon Diggs will see some of Douglas and Benford but might otherwise see the most slot reps of the Texans wideouts, leaving him to see the most of Taron Johnson. Johnson is a solid cover corner but is largely value as an all-purpose defender, a capacity in which he's very good, but Diggs can still probably beat him a few times.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell

BUFFALO BILLS WIDE RECEIVERS

Khalil Shakir seemed to get followed around by Marlon Humphrey last week, indicating that the league is maybe beginning to identify Shakir as the WR1 in Buffalo. This might or might not be a better matchup for Shakir, as the Texans tend to use safety Jalen Pitre for slot coverage, but Shakir might be out with an ankle issue. If Shakir can't play and the Bills still don't give Curtis Samuel 40-plus snaps then it would be nearly slam-dunk proof that Samuel has been limited by his preseason turf toe injury. Keon Coleman is likely the primary boundary route runner for Buffalo, because guys like Mack Hollins and Marquez Valdes-Scantling are often used for and are certainly more useful at blocking. Coleman should be able to avoid Derek Stingley if Joe Brady chooses as much, because to this point the Texans have generally lined up Stingley on the left and Kamari Lassiter on the right, and Lassiter is certainly the easier target of the two.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS WIDE RECEIVERS

Brian Thomas and Christian Kirk both got going in Week 4, and this should be a good setup for them to continue building. Even Gabe Davis should be open against these corners, none of whom should really be playing. Jaylon Jones and Samuel Womack on the boundary are not sufficient against these receivers, and backup slot man Chris Lammons might be the most obvious sitting duck of the group yet.

Upgrade: Christian Kirk, Brian Thomas, Gabe Davis
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS WIDE RECEIVERS

Michael Pittman and Josh Downs might both benefit from Joe Flacco playing instead of Anthony Richardson (oblique), while Alec Pierce would probably prefer to see the cannon-armed Richardson on the field. Pierce too could stand to benefit in some way – more Flacco means more pass attempts and fewer carries – but Pittman and especially Downs really benefited from Flacco's underneath/intermediate inclinations, which are a sharp contrast to Richardson's downfield bombs. The Jaguars corner rotation is basically just not good as long as Tyson Campbell is out, and similarly guys like Ronald Darby (boundary), Montaric Brown (boundary) and Jarrian Jones (slot) just are not imposing here.

Upgrade: Michael Pittman, Josh Downs
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Alec Pierce

New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVERS

Ja'Lynn Polk and Tyquan Thornton are the boundary receivers, with DeMario Douglas in the slot. There's reason to think Polk and Douglas would be productive receivers in another offense, but the corner duo of Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller is likely a major obstacle for a quarterback as limited as Jacoby Brissett playing behind such an awful offensive line. Kader Kohou is probably capable of defending Douglas in this offense, meanwhile.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Ja'Lynn Polk, DeMario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton
Even: N/A

MIAMI DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVERS

Tyler Huntley should still prove an upgrade over Skylar Thompson/Tim Boyle, but in Week 4 it looked like he needed a lot more practice time. The matchup here is likely a tough one, in any case. Tyreek Hill has no true neutralizing matchup league-wide but the corner rotation of Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones (slot) is one of the best in the league, and Jonathan in particular has been one of Hill's toughest matchups throughout his career. Jaylen Waddle is subject to the same limitations, of course.

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

Washington Commanders vs. Cleveland Browns

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS WIDE RECEIVERS

To this point Washington almost always lines up Terry McLaurin on the left side (one of Kliff Kingsbury's ongoing awful practices) while the Browns almost always line up Martin Emerson on the right – the offense's left. In other words, if the Browns don't change something they will voluntarily line up Emerson against McLaurin almost every snap. When you're paying so much for Denzel Ward (left corner) and Greg Newsome then the Browns should understand it as a costly forfeit to let the Commanders line up their best receiver against the Browns' worst corner almost every single snap. Emerson did well before this year but his 2024 has been rough, and if the Brown make it easy to avoid Ward/Newsome it will just get worse. Safe to say that the remaining Washington wideouts do not project well against Ward or Newsome.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Luke McCaffrey, Olamide Zaccheaus, Noah Brown
Even: Terry McLaurin (arguable Downgrade if Browns switch Ward and Emerson)

CLEVELAND BROWNS WIDE RECEIVERS

Amari Cooper might actually break the ankles of these Washington boundary corners, especially Benjamin St-Juste, but the likes of Emmanuel Forbes and Noah Igbinoghene project about as poorly. Slot man Mike Sainristil should be able to hold his own or excel against Elijah Moore, while Jerry Jeudy should make the boundary corners look almost as silly as Cooper will. The limiting factor for the Browns wideouts is Deshaun Watson -- the matchup couldn't be much better.

Upgrade: Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Elijah Moore

Denver Broncos vs. Las Vegas Raiders

DENVER BRONCOS WIDE RECEIVERS

Unless the Raiders change something, they'll probably waste their best corner (Nate Hobbs) in the slot, where it makes it easy for Courtland Sutton to avoid him and instead pick on the weaker duo of Jack Jones and Jakorian Bennett. Hobbs would be a challenging matchup for Sutton, but the other two are probably among the easiest he could ask for. Both Jones and Bennett are smallish, so even if they stick with Sutton (and they might not), Sutton should be able to high-point the ball.

Upgrade: Courtland Sutton
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Patrick Surtain might shadow Jakobi Meyers when Meyers is on the boundary, because it seems like Tre Tucker is more of a slot novelty than a real force worthy of Surtain's attention. Then again, Tucker has been effective the last two weeks, including as a boundary corner. Riley Moss was a question going into this year but has seemingly done well to this point, giving the Broncos a strong look on the boundary regardless of whether it's Surtain or Moss. Meanwhile, slot man JaQuan McMillian appears pretty tough in his own right. Volume might be in the favor of Meyers and Tucker, but efficiency will probably be working against them.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker
Even: N/A

San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS WIDE RECEIVERS

The best Cardinals corner is probably Garrett Williams, but it's not clear if he'll play through his groin injury here. Boundary corners Starling Thomas and Sean Murphy-Bunting are both tall and athletic, but their skill sets lag relative to their athletic tools. It's difficult to see why this matchup would be challenging for the 49ers.

Upgrade: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

ARIZONA CARDINALS WIDE RECEIVERS

Charvarius Ward is a good but probably not great corner on the left side, while Deommodore Lenoir is solid on the right side but probably not as good as Ward. Lenoir is definitely shorter and slower than Ward, so a tall and fast wideout like Marvin Harrison looks like a clear mismatch against Lenoir. Even Michael Wilson could probably pose a challenge to the scrappy but squatty Lenoir. The Cardinals offense has many questions to answer, but this matchup specifically does not look as intimidating as it usually is against the 49ers. If linebacker Fred Warner is limited or out with his ankle injury it would deplete coverage resources over the middle of the field, too.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marvin Harrison, Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch

Los Angeles Rams vs. Green Bay Packers

LOS ANGELES RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Rams aren't exactly forcing the ball to Tutu Atwell but he has been extremely efficient the last two weeks, and it seems like the Rams need to lean on him again here. That's also the case with Jordan Whittington, who's a very different kind of receiver but apparently locked into the top-two for the Rams while Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are out. Jaire Alexander (groin) is a very good corner but might not be fully healthy, and the Packers corners behind him are not impressive. Eric Stokes might out an acceptable starter at one spot, but Keisean Nixon continues to be a major liability.

Upgrade: Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

GREEN BAY PACKERS WIDE RECEIVERS

This should be a good spot for any Green Bay route runners. Christian Watson (ankle) won't be one of them, so the usage tree is narrowed down a bit so it's mainly Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks on hand. They're all open.

Upgrade: Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

Seattle Seahawks vs. New York Giants

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS WIDE RECEIVERS

Deonte Banks is big and fast, but the results just haven't really been there to this point in his career. Cor'Dale Flott might be better on the other side, but he might be a better fit in the slot, where the Giants have instead lined up Andru Phillips. If Phillips (calf) can't play then Adoree' Jackson (calf) might man the slot instead, but the Giants in any case look a bit light on ammo to deal with all of DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett at once. Metcalf is way too huge for Flott to deal with, and while Banks can run with Metcalf there's no indication Banks' footwork is on the necessary level to stay in the right position.

Upgrade: DK Metcalf
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tyler Lockett

NEW YORK GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS

The expected absence of Malik Nabers (concussion) is a bummer, because the Seahawks defense probably gets a lot tougher without having to worry about him. As much as target volume should be in favor of Wan'Dale Robinson and as much as Robinson is a good player in his own right, Devon Witherspoon is probably something of a nightmare matchup for an underneath specialist like Robinson. Witherspoon can't turn and run downfield, but Robinson can't make him do that. A guy like Darius Slayton is a downfield boundary specialist, meanwhile, and Riq Woolen is one of the league's premier downfield boundary specialist corners.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt
Even: Wan'Dale Robinson

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys

PITTSBURGH STEELERS WIDE RECEIVERS

George Pickens can definitely beat corners like Trevon Diggs and Caelen Carson, and presumably the absence of pass rushers Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence will make that more feasible. As is always the case, the rest of the Pittsburgh wide receivers are barely worth knowing, and it's otherwise difficult to anticipate whether the Steelers will endeavor to throw for as many as 200 yards in a given game.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin

DALLAS COWBOYS WIDE RECEIVERS

CeeDee Lamb does not care about matchups and this game is no exception. Particularly given that Dallas probably can't run against anybody, there's just an absurd amount of slack in the Dallas offense that Lamb is the only player capable of picking up. As it turns out, though, the slot corner Beanie Bishop has really struggled in 2024, and Dallas gives Lamb tons of slot looks. That could especially be the case here, if only because Joey Porter and Donte Jackson are much tougher on the boundary (not that Lamb fears either of them, either). The non-Lamb Cowboys wideouts do not project so well here, however.

Upgrade: CeeDee Lamb
Downgrade: Jalen Brooks
Even: Jalen Tolbert

Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS WIDE RECEIVERS

It's deeply arrogant of Andy Reid to voluntarily give starter-level snaps to Justin Watson and especially the physically-expired JuJu Smith-Schuster, but Reid has never been good at handling personnel and he has chosen to give Patrick Mahomes an offense that plays 9-on-11. Mecole Hardman (knee) is very obviously superior to both players, but if Reid or/and Mahomes would prefer to keep failing with other bums then the Saints won't complain. Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo can probably dogwalk a wideout like Watson, while Smith-Schuster cannot beat even one NFL cornerback at this point, backup or starter. Xavier Worthy is the only Chiefs receiver both likely to play snaps and not get laughed at by the Saints corners.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Justin Watson
Even: Xavier Worthy

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Saints offensive line is shorthanded as they have to deal with the likes of Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, Tershawn Wharton, etc. It's not ideal, but then again the Chiefs corners do need help against wideouts like Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Trent McDuffie is the one Chiefs corner who can hold his own, and in some cases the Chiefs give him a receiver assignment. It's possible that Shaheed is enough of a presence to deter the Chiefs from placing McDuffie on Olave, but it could go either way. As much as Olave is still an auto-start against McDuffie – Olave has the advantage against almost any corner – but it would still be a lot nicer if Olave could get cracks at Jaylen Watson and Chamarri Conner instead.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed (arguable Upgrade if McDuffie shadows Olave)