Wide Receivers With the Best and Worst Cornerback Matchups in Week 1

Matchups are everything in fantasy football. When your stud wide receiver has that green number next to their opponent rank, you can’t help that giddy feeling you get in your stomach. The opposite holds true when your top fantasy asset has a red number in that category.

These numbers don’t always correlate directly with fantasy potential. While good defenses should usually be avoided, there are always weak links to be exploited. So let’s find out which weak links to exploit and which shut-down corners to avoid this week.

Matchups to Target

Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones vs. Tramaine Brock and Byron Murphy

While the Arizona Cardinals finished with the worst record in football, their defense actually ranked eighth in Adjusted Defensive Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per play. Unfortunately for them, All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson was the primary reason for that, and he’s suspended for the first six games of the season.

The Cardinals tried to rectify this by adding Robert Alford to their secondary, but he is already on Injured Reserve with a leg fracture. That leaves an undrafted 31-year-old journeyman, Tramaine Brock, and a 2019 second-round pick, Byron Murphy, as the primary corners.

Furthermore, both are under 6-foot and weigh less than 200 pounds, meaning Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones have a significant size advantage over them. If the Cardinals want to play at a high pace, that should mean extra snaps for the opposition, too. This is a very fantasy-friendly situation for the Detroit offense in Week 1.

Mike Evans vs. Ahkello Witherspoon

The San Francisco 49ers-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game is shaping up to be a shootout, as evidenced by the 50.5 game total on Super Bowl odds. Both of these defenses ranked bottom five in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play last season, and both offenses project to be top-half units by our metrics.

This makes it a game to target in fantasy, and the best receiver on the field is going to be Mike Evans. Evans will be matched up with Ahkello Witherspoon, a third-year cornerback out of Colorado.

Witherspoon will be busy on Sunday, as Evans saw 13 targets in his coverage during a Week 12 matchup last season. Witherspoon held the Bucs' receiver scoreless with just seven receptions and 40 yards, but expect Winston to target that matchup often once again. Our projections have Evans fourth among receivers this week.

Julian Edelman vs. Mike Hilton and Steelers Linebackers

The Pittsburgh Steelers infamously attempted to cover Keenan Allen with a linebacker in the slot during their Week 13 matchup. He handed in a line of 14 catches, 148 yards and a score on 19 targets.

Fantasy gamers should be praying for a similar game-plan on New England Patriots slot man, Julian Edelman. If that plan doesn’t come to fruition, Edelman should still be in a cupcake matchup with slot cornerback Mike Hilton. The undrafted Ole Miss product played plenty of snaps for the Steelers last season, receiving a 43rd overall cornerback grade from PFF.

Fresh off a Superbowl MVP, the 33-year-old Edelman is showing no signs of slowing down. With the departure of Rob Gronkowski to retirement and N'Keal Harry to IR, Edelman is in for a monster target share.

Dede Westbrook vs. Kendall Fuller

The Jacksonville Jaguars are likely to see negative game script in this contest. New offensive coordinator John DeFilippo seems to enjoy drawing up plays for his slot receiver, as Adam Thielen averaged 11 looks per game during their time together in Minnesota last year. Dede Westbrook was targeted seven times in his one preseason game with Nick Foles, so Fuller could have his hands full. Westbrook slots in at WR25 in our PPR projections this week.

Ted Ginn Jr. and Tre'Quan Smith vs. Johnathan Joseph

The 35-year-old Johnathan Joseph is far removed from his 4.32-second 40-yard dash. His top-end speed has been compromised for years now, and it was on full display against T.Y. Hilton and Robby Anderson last season. Hilton put up 16 catches for 206 yards in J-Jo's coverage across two games last season while Anderson went for nine grabs and 74 yards.

While Michael Thomas doesn’t have the afterburners necessary to take advantage of Joseph’s age, both Ted Ginn Jr. Ginn and Tre'Quan Smith do. With the departure of Jadeveon Clowney, Brees should have ample time to connect deep with his speedy secondary receivers. Both are risky options based on playing time, but they also offer big upside.

Matchups to Avoid

Robby Anderson vs. Tre’Davious White

The bad news is that Robby Anderson has been struggling with a calf strain over the last few weeks. The other bad news is that if he plays, he’ll be up against one of the best shutdown cornerbacks in football.

Tre'Davious White was a fantasy football menace last season. According to PlayerProfiler, White was the top-ranked corner in fantasy points allowed per cover snap and was fifth in fantasy points per target. He also allowed just 0.55 yards of separation when targeted, which ranked second.

The Bills also ranked fifth in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play last year, so this should be a difficult matchup even if White isn’t shadowing Anderson. Robby is an easy fade in season-long this week based on matchup and health.

T.Y. Hilton vs. Casey Hayward

While Casey Hayward didn’t log an interception last season, his coverage skills were still on par with his elite reputation. Hayward ranked first in PlayerProfiler’s target separation, allowing less than a half-yard of space when targeted. He also ranked sixth in catch rate allowed and fantasy points allowed per coverage snap.

Even with Andrew Luck slinging the rock, this would be a matchup to avoid in fantasy football. It is worth noting that Hilton went off for 174 yards and a score in their 2016 matchup, but Brissett would need to show a willingness to push the ball downfield before we can trust his weapons in a tough matchup like this.

Tyreek Hill vs. Jalen Ramsey

While the advanced stats say that Jalen Ramsey underperformed in 2018, he is still a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks and receivers. He’s long, athletic, and capable of removing a team’s best weapon from the game-plan.

Ramsey is set to shadow Tyreek Hill this week, something that he also did last season, allowing just four catches for 68 yards to Tyreek in his coverage. Ramsey did only travel to the slot on 4.9 percent of his snaps in 2018. Meanwhile, Hill ran out of the slot on 35.1 percent of snaps. You likely want to fade this matchup anywhere you can, but the Chiefs could scheme Hill into the slot more to avoid Ramsey’s coverage, and we know Tyreek needs just one big play to put up fantasy points in a hurry.