Wide Receiver vs. Cornerback Matchup Analysis: Week 1

Sep 10, 2020

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Thankfully, we're ready to kick off the 2020 season, albeit, in the middle of a global pandemic. The NFL has taken the precautions and the players followed protocols and safety procedures, so we're fortunate to have an opening week. I'm back covering the wide receivers and their cornerback matchups for 4for4.

Below is a chart detailing each wide receiver versus cornerback matchup for Week 1, target rates, cornerback yards per target and reception, catch rate allowed, yards and fantasy points per target allowed. We'll be using data from 2019 (minimum 20 targets in coverage), as well as our own knowledge of how good or bad the cornerbacks actually for the first few weeks of the season. The two most important columns are fantasy points per target and the last one (+/-), which indicates whether the matchup is an upgrade or downgrade for the receiver (N indicates a neutral matchup).

For up-to-the-minute and Sunday morning updates, be sure to join the 4for4 DFS subscription-only Discord channel.

After the chart, I also provide key notes such as veteran receivers that will square off against rookies, how a wide receiver matchup might affect the team's tight end, etc. There are some key injuries to watch throughout the rest of the week and this chart will be updated to reflect breaking news.

Week 1 Wide Receiver vs. Cornerback Matchups

Note: An asterisk (*) will indicate WR or CB plays outside in two-wide sets. A double asterisk (**) indicates a rookie receiver to potentially take advantage of. N' in the Upgrade/Downgrade (+/-) column indicates neutral matchup. Click header to sort. Outside of shadow situations, LWRs and RWRs generally match up with both outside cornerbacks over the course of a game, as almost every wide receiver moves around the offensive formation to varying degrees, and almost every defense plays zone coverage on at least half of its snaps.

M/U = aFPA ranking vs. WR. Tar % = targets per snap in coverage. C% = catch rate allowed. YPR = yards per reception allowed. YPT = yards per target allowed. FP/T = PPR fantasy points per target allowed.

Wide Receiver vs. Cornerback Matchups Week 1
Day	Tm	WR	Pos	Opp	CB	POS	M/U	Tar %	C %	YPR	YPT	FP/T	Shad	(+/-)
Sun	ARI	DeAndre Hopkins	LWR	SF	Emmanuel Moseley	Right Corner	8	13.7%	44.7%	14.14	6.32	1.46	N	N
Sun	ARI	Larry Fitzgerald	SWR	SF	K'Waun Williams	Slot Corner	8	10.0%	62.9%	11.09	6.97	1.33	N	-
Sun	ARI	Christian Kirk	RWR	SF	Richard Sherman	Left Corner	8	9.5%	59.2%	9.38	5.55	1.27	N	-
Sun	ATL	Julio Jones	LWR	SEA	Quinton Dunbar	Right Corner	19	15.6%	51.9%	12.86	6.67	1.41	N	N
Sun	ATL	Russell Gage	SWR	SEA	Marquise Blair	Slot Corner	19	8.6%	71.4%	8.90	6.36	1.78	N	+
Sun	ATL	Calvin Ridley	RWR	SEA	Shaquill Griffin	Left Corner	19	13.1%	52.7%	12.10	6.38	1.41	N	N
Sun	BAL	Miles Boykin	LWR	CLE	Terrance Mitchell	Right Corner	11	13.2%	58.3%	13.93	8.13	1.40	N	N
Sun	BAL	Willie Snead	SWR	CLE	Kevin Johnson	Slot Corner	11	13.3%	43.3%	10.08	4.37	0.87	N	-
Sun	BAL	Marquise Brown	RWR	CLE	Denzel Ward	Left Corner	11	16.9%	44.3%	14.94	6.61	1.19	Y	-
Sun	BUF	John Brown	LWR	NYJ	Blessuan Austin	Right Corner	29	10.2%	54.2%	12.31	6.67	1.46	N	N
Sun	BUF	Cole Beasley	SWR	NYJ	Brian Poole	Slot Corner	29	10.8%	50.0%	9.68	4.84	1.10	N	-
Sun	BUF	Stefon Diggs	RWR	NYJ	Pierre Desir	Left Corner	29	14.1%	60.0%	16.25	9.75	1.98	N	+
Sun	CAR	D.J. Moore	LWR	LV	Damon Arnette**	Right Corner	26	-	-	-	-	-	N	+
Sun	CAR	Curtis Samuel	SWR	LV	Lamarcus Joyner	Slot Corner	26	11.2%	63.0%	10.59	6.67	1.69	N	+
Sun	CAR	Robby Anderson	RWR	LV	Trayvon Mullen	Left Corner	26	14.8%	50.9%	13.86	7.05	1.42	N	N
Sun	CHI	Allen Robinson	LWR	DET	Jeffrey Okudah**	Right Corner	32	-	-	-	-	-	N	+
Sun	CHI	Anthony Miller	SWR	DET	Justin Coleman	Slot Corner	32	15.1%	59.3%	13.73	8.14	1.76	N	+
Sun	CHI	Ted Ginn	RWR	DET	Desmond Trufant	Left Corner	32	10.9%	61.3%	16.84	10.32	2.42	N	+
Sun	CIN	A.J. Green	LWR	LAC	Casey Hayward Jr	Right Corner	5	8.7%	59.1%	11.42	6.75	1.81	Y	+
Sun	CIN	Tyler Boyd	SWR	LAC	Chris Harris Jr	Slot Corner	5	9.7%	63.8%	17.05	10.88	2.14	N	+
Sun	CIN	John Ross	RWR	LAC	Michael Davis	Left Corner	5	12.2%	54.8%	13.09	7.17	1.26	N	-
Sun	CLE	Odell Beckham	LWR	BAL	Jimmy Smith	Right Corner	13	16.9%	50.0%	11.59	5.80	1.22	N	-
Sun	CLE	Jarvis Landry	SWR	BAL	Marlon Humphrey	Slot Corner	13	14.3%	48.7%	10.26	5.00	1.22	N	-
Sun	CLE	Rashard Higgins	RWR	BAL	Marcus Peters	Left Corner	13	13.7%	53.2%	13.48	7.16	1.55	N	+
Sun	DAL	Michael Gallup	LWR	LAR	Troy Hill	Right Corner	10	16.2%	40.0%	13.15	5.26	1.17	N	-
Sun	DAL	CeeDee Lamb	SWR	LAR	Darious Williams	Slot Corner	10	14.7%	64.7%	14.82	9.59	1.96	N	+
Sun	DAL	Amari Cooper	RWR	LAR	Jalen Ramsey	Left Corner	10	12.7%	62.1%	13.33	8.28	1.55	N	+
Mon	DEN	Courtland Sutton	LWR	TEN	Malcolm Butler	Right Corner	16	11.4%	55.0%	14.41	7.93	1.79	N	+
Mon	DEN	Jerry Jeudy	SWR	TEN	Kristian Fulton**	Slot Corner	16	-	-	-	-	-	N	+
Mon	DEN	Tim Patrick	RWR	TEN	Adoree' Jackson	Left Corner	16	11.3%	58.5%	12.42	7.27	1.46	Y	N
Sun	DET	Marvin Hall	LWR	CHI	Jaylon Johnson**	Right Corner	2	-	-	-	-	-	N	+
Sun	DET	Danny Amendola	SWR	CHI	Buster Skrine	Slot Corner	2	12.6%	60.3%	10.26	6.19	1.64	N	+
Sun	DET	Marvin Jones	RWR	CHI	Kyle Fuller	Left Corner	2	13.4%	62.7%	14.08	8.82	1.73	N	+
Sun	GB	Davante Adams	LWR	MIN	Holton Hill	Right Corner	27	8.3%	62.5%	13.00	8.13	1.44	Y	N
Sun	GB	Allen Lazard	SWR	MIN	Mike Hughes	Slot Corner	27	19.8%	57.8%	12.49	7.22	1.58	N	+
Sun	GB	Marquez Valdes-Scantling	RWR	MIN	Jeff Gladney	Left Corner	27	-	-	-	-	-	N	+
Thu	HOU	Brandin Cooks	LWR	KC	Charvarius Ward	Right Corner	4	12.7%	43.8%	15.71	6.88	1.20	N	-
Thu	HOU	Randall Cobb	SWR	KC	Tyrann Mathieu	Slot Corner	4	8.9%	53.8%	9.86	5.31	1.30	N	-
Thu	HOU	Will Fuller	RWR	KC	Rashad Fenton	Left Corner	4	12.4%	40.0%	11.50	4.60	1.26	N	-
Sun	IND	T.Y. Hilton	LWR	JAX	C.J. Henderson**	Right Corner	9	-	-	-	-	-	Y	+
Sun	IND	Parris Campbell	SWR	JAX	D.J. Hayden	Slot Corner	9	8.0%	44.8%	9.85	4.41	0.89	N	-
Sun	IND	Michael Pittman	RWR	JAX	Tre Herndon	Left Corner	9	13.8%	47.8%	17.24	8.25	1.56	Y	+
Sun	JAX	Chris Conley	LWR	IND	Rock Ya-Sin	Right Corner	17	9.6%	68.0%	15.59	10.60	1.98	N	+
Sun	JAX	Dede Westbrook	SWR	IND	Kenny Moore II	Slot Corner	17	12.3%	66.7%	11.21	7.48	1.56	N	+
Sun	JAX	D.J. Chark	RWR	IND	Xavier Rhodes	Left Corner	17	13.0%	77.0%	12.74	9.82	2.15	N	+
Thu	KC	Sammy Watkins	LWR	HOU	Lonnie Johnson Jr.	Right Corner	21	14.4%	60.9%	14.32	8.72	2.00	N	+
Thu	KC	Mecole Hardman	SWR	HOU	Vernon Hargreaves	Slot Corner	21	16.2%	66.7%	10.00	6.67	1.33	N	-
Thu	KC	Tyreek Hill	RWR	HOU	Bradley Roby	Left Corner	21	14.0%	55.2%	13.75	7.59	1.52	N	N
Sun	LAC	Joe Reed	LWR	CIN	William Jackson	Right Corner	23	11.8%	45.1%	14.74	6.65	1.23	N	-
Sun	LAC	Keenan Allen	SWR	CIN	Mackensie Alexander	Slot Corner	23	11.4%	59.5%	10.08	6.00	1.48	N	N
Sun	LAC	Jalen Guyton	RWR	CIN	Darius Phillips	Left Corner	23	16.4%	33.3%	27.00	9.00	2.23	N	+
Sun	LAR	Van Jefferson	LWR	DAL	Trevon Diggs**	Right Corner	6	-	-	-	-	-	N	+
Sun	LAR	Cooper Kupp	SWR	DAL	Jourdan Lewis	Slot Corner	6	11.0%	56.1%	16.43	9.22	1.63	N	+
Sun	LAR	Robert Woods	RWR	DAL	Chidobe Awuzie	Left Corner	6	14.2%	58.1%	13.88	8.07	1.60	N	+
Sun	LV	Bryan Edwards	LWR	CAR	Donte Jackson	Right Corner	15	13.4%	56.6%	18.47	10.45	2.18	N	+
Sun	LV	Hunter Renfrow	SWR	CAR	Troy Pride Jr.	Slot Corner	15	-	-	-	-	-	N	+
Sun	LV	Henry Ruggs	RWR	CAR	Rasul Douglas	Left Corner	15	13.9%	44.2%	19.74	8.73	1.89	N	+
Sun	MIA	DeVante Parker	LWR	NE	Stephon Gilmore	Right Corner	1	14.9%	45.3%	14.05	6.37	1.16	Y	-
Sun	MIA	Jakeem Grant	SWR	NE	Jonathan Jones	Slot Corner	1	15.0%	55.6%	12.83	7.13	1.74	Y	+
Sun	MIA	Preston Williams	RWR	NE	J.C. Jackson	Left Corner	1	13.4%	43.1%	9.20	3.97	0.83	Y	-
Sun	MIN	Olabisi Johnson	LWR	GB	Kevin King	Right Corner	14	14.9%	54.8%	17.93	9.82	1.78	N	+
Sun	MIN	Justin Jefferson	SWR	GB	Chandon Sullivan	Slot Corner	14	9.1%	28.6%	12.33	3.52	0.64	N	-
Sun	MIN	Adam Thielen	RWR	GB	Jaire Alexander	Left Corner	14	16.0%	48.5%	14.87	7.21	1.51	Y	N
Sun	NE	N'Keal Harry	LWR	MIA	Byron Jones	Right Corner	31	10.1%	53.7%	11.34	6.09	1.48	N	N
Sun	NE	Julian Edelman	SWR	MIA	Noah Igbinoghene**	Slot Corner	31	-	-	-	-	-	N	+
Sun	NE	Damiere Byrd	RWR	MIA	Xavien Howard	Left Corner	31	15.8%	56.5%	12.46	7.04	1.79	N	+
Sun	NO	Michael Thomas	LWR	TB	Carlton Davis	Right Corner	28	16.5%	47.5%	12.81	6.09	1.44	N	N
Sun	NO	Tre'Quan Smith	SWR	TB	Sean Murphy-Bunting	Slot Corner	28	11.9%	66.0%	11.77	7.77	1.89	N	+
Sun	NO	Emmanuel Sanders	RWR	TB	Jamel Dean	Left Corner	28	16.2%	44.2%	13.79	6.09	1.47	N	N
Mon	NYG	Darius Slayton	LWR	PIT	Steven Nelson	Right Corner	7	11.5%	46.8%	14.17	6.63	1.13	N	-
Mon	NYG	Golden Tate	SWR	PIT	Mike Hilton	Slot Corner	7	12.9%	60.9%	14.25	8.67	1.87	N	+
Mon	NYG	Sterling Shepard	RWR	PIT	Joe Haden	Left Corner	7	13.4%	51.3%	11.03	5.66	1.47	N	N
Sun	NYJ	Chris Hogan	LWR	BUF	Josh Norman	Right Corner	3	12.8%	65.0%	17.08	11.10	2.66	N	+
Sun	NYJ	Jamison Crowder	SWR	BUF	Taron Johnson	Slot Corner	3	9.7%	51.6%	11.69	6.03	1.31	N	-
Sun	NYJ	Breshad Perriman	RWR	BUF	Tre'Davious White	Left Corner	3	13.8%	51.3%	11.43	5.86	1.10	N	-
Sun	PHI	Jalen Reagor	LWR	WAS	Ronald Darby	Right Corner	25	17.8%	60.3%	17.91	10.81	2.20	N	+
Sun	PHI	Greg Ward	SWR	WAS	Kendall Fuller	Slot Corner	25	7.4%	73.9%	12.12	8.96	2.42	N	+
Sun	PHI	DeSean Jackson	RWR	WAS	Fabian Moreau	Left Corner	25	10.7%	73.2%	12.67	9.27	2.10	N	+
Mon	PIT	Diontae Johnson	LWR	NYG	Corey Ballentine	Right Corner	30	19.4%	68.6%	14.63	10.03	2.37	N	+
Mon	PIT	JuJu Smith-Schuster	SWR	NYG	Logan Ryan	Slot Corner	30	13.2%	58.5%	13.67	8.00	1.82	N	+
Mon	PIT	James Washington	RWR	NYG	James Bradberry	Left Corner	30	13.1%	54.7%	12.68	6.93	1.32	N	-
Sun	SF	Kendrick Bourne	LWR	ARI	Dre Kirkpatrick	Right Corner	24	15.3%	64.0%	12.56	8.04	1.92	N	+
Sun	SF	Trent Taylor	SWR	ARI	Byron Murphy	Slot Corner	24	14.2%	65.6%	10.48	6.87	1.92	N	+
Sun	SF	Brandon Aiyuk	RWR	ARI	Patrick Peterson	Left Corner	24	13.7%	56.9%	13.91	7.91	1.77	N	+
Sun	SEA	DK Metcalf	LWR	ATL	Isaiah Oliver	Right Corner	20	14.9%	60.5%	15.73	9.52	1.85	N	+
Sun	SEA	Tyler Lockett	SWR	ATL	Darqueze Dennard	Slot Corner	20	10.5%	41.4%	10.50	4.34	1.06	N	-
Sun	SEA	Phillip Dorsett	RWR	ATL	A.J. Terrell**	Left Corner	20	-	-	-	-	-	N	+
Sun	TB	Justin Watson	LWR	NO	Marshon Lattimore	Right Corner	18	15.9%	48.8%	15.13	7.38	1.52	Y	N
Sun	TB	Chris Godwin	SWR	NO	Chauncey Gardner-Johnson	Slot Corner	18	7.9%	60.7%	10.24	6.21	1.44	N	N
Sun	TB	Scott Miller	RWR	NO	Janoris Jenkins	Left Corner	18	12.4%	50.0%	14.24	7.12	1.48	N	N
Mon	TEN	A.J. Brown	LWR	DEN	A.J. Bouye	Right Corner	12	15.9%	66.3%	14.65	9.71	1.85	N	+
Mon	TEN	Adam Humphries	SWR	DEN	Bryce Callahan	Slot Corner	12	-	-	-	-	-	N	+
Mon	TEN	Corey Davis	RWR	DEN	Michael Ojemudia**	Left Corner	12	-	-	-	-	-	N	+
Sun	WAS	Terry McLaurin	LWR	PHI	Darius Slay	Right Corner	22	15.5%	52.6%	14.88	7.83	1.55	N	+
Sun	WAS	Steven Sims	SWR	PHI	Nickell Robey-Coleman	Slot Corner	22	8.5%	52.4%	12.50	6.55	1.32	N	-
Sun	WAS	Antonio Gandy-Golden	RWR	PHI	Avonte Maddox	Left Corner	22	14.0%	53.8%	12.75	6.87	1.34	Y	-

Allen Robinson, Bears (FD $7,200/DK $6,500) vs. Jeff Okudah, Lions

Mitchell Trubisky was named the Week 1 starter, so I'm hoping the chemistry he's built with Allen Robinson will continue this season. Robinson was targeted 153 times last season, a 9.56 per-game average. The Lions secondary is going to miss Darius Slay, and it appears Robinson will find himself lined up on rookie, Jeff Okudah—talk about being thrown to the wolves in Week 1. Robinson ran 50% of his routes in 2019 on the left side, so he should see the rookie on most of his routes. If he does move around, he'll match up with Desmond Trufant. Trufant has battled various foot injuries that have zapped some of his speed. Trufant is coming off a 2019 season in which he was responsible for four scores and yielded 2.4 fantasy points per target. No matter where Robinson lines up, he'll have a favorable matchup.

D.J. Moore, Panthers (FD $7,100/DK $6,600) vs. Damon Arnette, Raiders

We're taking advantage of another rookie corner in this matchup. Moore played most of the 2019 season with Kyle Allen at the helm and was still targeted 135 times. In 2020, he gets an upgrade at QB and a favorable matchup opposite rookie CB, Damon Arnette. Arnette is dealing with a fractured thumb, so he could be playing in a cast, which puts him at an even further disadvantage. Even if the Raiders slide Trayvon Mullen over, I still like Moore's upside this week.

DeSean Jackson, Eagles (FD $5,700/DK $4,900) vs. Fabian Moreau, Washington Football Team

You might as well take advantage of Mr. Week 1. Over his last two opening weeks, Jackson has received 14 targets, converting 13 to receptions for 300 yards and four touchdowns. Jackson appears fully healthy and Philadelphia will be without Alshon Jeffrey. Jackson and Zach Ertz should be the primary pass catchers with some John Hightower and Greg Ward mixed in. I like Jackson's matchup on Fabian Moreau the most. Moreau allowed 73% of his targets to be caught while yielding 2.1 fantasy points per target.

Update 09/12/2020: Apparently, Jalen Reagor has made a miraculous recovery. Philly reporters were noting Reagor could be out a week or two, but he practiced in full, and could be active this week. I still think this helps Jackson, as another receiver option will be lined up opposite.

Stefon Diggs, Bills ($6,600/DK $6,400) vs. Pierre Desir, Jets

John Brown will likely draw more ownership in this one, but I really like Stefon Diggs's favorable matchup opposite Pierre Desir this week. Diggs produced an aDOT (average depth of target) of 14.8 and Desir yielded 9.8 yards per target, so I'm not sure he's going to be able to run well with Diggs this week. Desir allowed 16.3 yards per reception and just under two fantasy points per target.

D.J. Chark, Jaguars (FD $6,600/DK $7,700) vs. Xavier Rhodes, Colts

Targeting Rhodes last season typically produced good results. Chark enjoyed a breakout year with Gardner Minshew at the helm, receiving 117 targets, including 20 targets in two games against Indy last season. Rhodes had a rough 2019 season, allowing 77% of his targets to be caught and four scores while failing to produce an INT. He yielded 2.2 fantasy points per target. Even if Chark moves around, he'll find himself on Rock Ya-Sin, who has a great name but allowed just under two fantasy points per game at 1.98. Chark is a nice spot to produce. Especially with Leonard Fournette out of the picture, there might be more emphasis on the passing game.

DK Metcalf, Seahawks (FD $6,400/DK $5,800) vs. Isaiah Oliver, Falcons

Metcalf looks like his matchup will be working in his favor this week. Oliver was targeted by opposing QBs on nearly 15% of their throws while giving up 15.7 yards per reception. Metcalf can stretch the field, so Oliver is susceptible to big plays. Oliver was responsible for the most yardage allowed among Atlanta corners last season (794) and 1.85 fantasy points per target.

Kenny Golladay, Lions (FD $7,300/DK $6,200) vs. Jaylon Johnson, Bears

Golladay and Marvin Jones could be playing a weekly game of ping pong to decide whose turn it is to have the big week. In Week 1, it's Golladay. Golladay should run the majority of his routes on a rookie corner, Jaylon Johnson. In 2019, Golladay ran 51% from the left side, so that should have him matched up on Johnson for most of the game. Golladay ran 33% of his routes on the right, which would match him up on Kyle Fuller, who yielded 1.78 points per target last season.

Update 09/10/2020: Kenny Golladay was at practice, but not doing any individual drills. Keep an eye on his status throughout the rest of the week into Sunday. Marvin Jones would soak up Golladay's targets in a favorable matchup.

Update 09/11/2020: Golladay is now DOUBTFUL. Marvin Jones's primary matchup should still be Kyle Fuller - but should move around and run routes on Jaylon Johnson. Danny Amendola has a good slot matchup opposite Buster Skrine, as well. I think Marvin Hall will get the majority of snaps in Week 1 and will lineup opposite Johnson for most of his routes.