The Importance of Understanding the Wide Receiver vs Cornerback Matchups

With the NFL becoming more of a passing league, wide receivers have become more and more important with each passing year in fantasy football. While personally, I believe in drafting running backs early, that doesn’t mean that I don’t understand the value of wide receivers, I just think there are more of them that are fantasy relevant. When you are in Round 3 and Round 4 you can still find high-quality wide receivers at that average draft position. Not only that, but more than any other position, you can help your team out during the season by filling in roster spots on the waiver wire. Teams also generally have at least a couple of decent wide receivers on their bench. Everyone knows to start their studs, but which of your second and third-tier guys have the best matchups? Or maybe this is a week to sit a guy who is going against a shutdown corner. Do you know who Jalen Ramsey is? Jaire Alexander? Casey Hayward? Trevon Diggs? This will also help you dig deeper into the defensive side of the ball and help explain why your top-flight wide receiver only had three catches for 24 yards last week. 

 

The Wide Receiver/Cornerback Matchup Report

This will be the third season that I bring you the wide receiver/cornerback matchup article. Each week I will lay out the outside receiver for each team and the cornerback that they will likely be facing, for the most part, that week. Now, defenses shift during the game, and wide receivers will change sides of the field. But for the most part the team’s top receiver will see the other team’s top cornerback for most of the game. And the second receiver will see more of the opposition’s second corner. I will also profile my ten favorite matchups for slot receivers. Finally, there will be five DFS picks. Two at the highest salary levels, two at mid-range salary levels, and one bargain pick to help you fill out your roster with a receiver that won’t cost you a lot but can still give high-level production. 

This article and the information will be analytical, but it will also be based on watching games, trends, and history against certain teams and defenders. There will be stats like average depth of the target, catch rate, targets, etc for the wide receivers and some of the same statistics from the cornerback’s point of view, as well as some deeper stats like fantasy points per route covered and others. It will be published ahead of the Thursday night game, but it will also be updated for the rest of the week if there are injury concerns or players are ruled out on both sides of the ball. There will be advice on players to pick up or drop depending on how the season is going, as well as more DFS advice beyond those top five picks. 

The first piece will be published ahead of Week 1, and you can expect it before the Bills and Rams kick off the 2022 season. The WR/CB matchup is quite the combination of a start/sit piece, waiver wire help, and DFS picks all rolled into one. The FAmily will be with you every step of the way to help you bring home those fantasy championships this season. Come on the ride of the fantasy football year from a wide receiver and cornerback perspective with me and we will have you making the right choices on who to start and who to sit on a weekly basis as well as hitting those DFS picks to help make those lineups produce green each week. 

 

Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!

Related Articles: