Corner Report: Week 6

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

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

Carolina vs Minnesota

CAROLINA WIDE RECEIVERS

D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson should split their time mostly evenly against right corner Patrick Peterson and left corner Bashaud Breeland, though Anderson should see the slot a bit more than Moore and on those plays he might line up against Mackensie Alexander. Alexander is a solid slot corner and projects to be a challenge for slot receiver Terrace Marshall, but whoever is on Breeland in a given play is the biggest threat. Peterson and Alexander can be beaten, but it's almost difficult to lose to Breeland. Rather than the corner matchups, the concern for the Carolina receivers is their quarterback play and ability to manage the Minnesota pass rush.

Upgrade: D.J. Moore
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall

MINNESOTA WIDE RECEIVERS

If Justin Jefferson (ankle) or Adam Thielen (foot) can't go then it should result in a big jump in playing time for Dede Westbrook, who had been getting more slot reps anyway at the expense of prior slot specialist K.J. Osborn, who has been forced to play outside more often in recent weeks as a result. Rookie fifth-round pick Ihmir Smith-Marsette is a candidate to pick up outside snaps – ie in the result of Jefferson absence – whereas a Thielen absence might be a more direct boost to Westbrook since Thielen plays more slot reps than Jefferson does. Thielen and Jefferon are in!

It's tough to know who will cover who, aside from the certainty that A.J. Bouye plays as the main Carolina slot corner. The Panthers presumably want to get C.J. Henderson on the field at corner after trading for him, but last week it was rookie fifth-round pick Keith Taylor who played the outside reps opposite Donte Jackson. The Panthers moved Jackson and Taylor depending on matchup and playcall, and that figures to continue in this game. If active Jefferson should split his time between Jackson and whoever plays the other side, be it Taylor or Henderson. Thielen would see them but also more of Bouye than Jefferson. Osborn should see an even time split between the three corners in question, while Westbrook should mostly see Bouye. Taylor is the weakest one – it might be easier to attack Carolina outside than in the slot – so in that sense Jefferson arguably has the easiest matchup of the group and Westbrook the toughest.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn, Dede Westbrook, Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Chicago vs Green Bay

CHICAGO WIDE RECEIVERS

Can a cornerback play worse than Kevin King? The Packers might find out against the Bears if King can't play through his shoulder injury, this following the devastating loss of Jaire Alexander (shoulder) earlier. Rookie Eric Stokes is treading water on one side, while on the other the Packers might need to turn to Isaac Yiadom. Chandon Sullivan plays the slot, where he has mostly struggled this year.

This is a weak group of cornerbacks for Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney. Assuming Robinson plays through his foot injury and isn't significantly limited, he should be able to capitalize, pending Justin Fields' passing volume. A rotating cast of speed specialists make up the Bears wideout rotation otherwise, with Marquise Goodwin and Damiere Byrd fighting for the scraps, so if Robinson sits there's no guarantee anyone else steps up in his place.

Upgrade: Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

GREEN BAY WIDE RECEIVERS

The Bears very rarely move top corner Jaylon Johnson from the right side of the defense. That makes it easy for the Packers to line up Davante Adams everywhere else, from which alignments he'll instead run at the much more beatable corners Kindle Vildor (left corner) and Duke Shelley (slot). If the Packers can manage the Khalil Mack/Akiem Hicks pass rush, then they should have a favorable matchup for Adams at their disposal however often they choose. Plus, Johnson has more reason to fear Adams than the other way around. There's no obvious obstacle for Adams here. Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb grade fine as well.
 

Upgrade: Davante Adams
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb

Indianapolis vs Houston

INDIANAPOLIS WIDE RECEIVERS

Desmond King is probably the best Texans corner, but in the last two weeks he's mostly played left corner rather than the slot position he's always played otherwise in the NFL. It's possible that moving King outside leaves him overexposed, and probably worsens the Houston defense overall by introducing a slot liability in Tavierre Thomas. Terrance Mitchell is the other outside corner, and there's nothing intimidating about him.

Upgrade: Michael Pittman, Zach Pascal, Parris Campbell
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

HOUSTON WIDE RECEIVERS

Chris Conley and Chris Moore might prove to be a flash in the pan after their borderline jaw-dropping showing against the Patriots last week, but both players have definite positive traits to offer and more importantly, they threaten the parts of the field that the Colts have struggled to defend so far this year. Conley is a proper burner and leaping legend who's at his best on the sideline and downfield, while Moore, though less athletic, had a long history of making big downfield catches at Cincinnati in college. The Colts can't take either of them lightly, and that's after acknowledging the damage Brandin Cooks is obviously capable of. Xavier Rhodes (concussion) and Rock Ya-Sin (ankle) have struggled this year, and if either is out the fast but small Isaiah Rodgers risks overexposure. Kenny Moore is good in the slot but becomes less present the further downfield the route goes. The Texans receivers have a a potentially favorable matchup here.

Upgrade: Brandin Cooks
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chris Conley, Chris Moore

Giants vs Rams

GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS

That Jalen Ramsey has mostly played the slot is brutal news for whoever runs there in this game, be it Sterling Shepard (hamstring) or Kadarius Toney. If Shepard is back then it probably means more outside snaps for Toney, who might or might not do well with those. For an unrefined route runner dependent on YAC, Toney probably fits easier in the slot than he does outside at the moment. But if the slot receiver is facing Ramsey, then Toney is probably better off outside anyway. Outside corner Darious Williams is good but the other outside corner spot has given the Rams some trouble between David Long and Robert Rochell. Whoever is running against the non-Ramsey, non-Williams corner on a given play has the easiest matchup.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Sterling Shepard
Even: Kadarius Toney (lower to Downgrade if playing the slot), Darius Slayton

RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Giants have good corners and great safeties, yet their defense overall is struggling to defend the pass. The talent present gives reason to think the defense will improve in time, but even if so, how long? In the meantime, the results to this point give reason to suspect a broader dysfunction is negating that theoretical talent. Maybe James Bradberry and Adoree' Jackson are both good in man coverage, but when breakdowns in assignment occur receivers can get open even without the corner specifically covering them poorly. Until further notice we might want to consider that the general case here as the Giants take on an imposing Rams passing game. If Matthew Stafford goes a certain distance, then Cooper Kupp is likely to be the primary generator, with Robert Woods producing similarly or not far behind. Van Jefferson and DeSean Jackson tend to alternate weekly impact as the varied third threat in the receiver rotation, with Jackson more downfield-oriented of the two. Any of the four is in a good spot to produce if the Stafford condition is met.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Van Jefferson, DeSean Jackson

Washington vs Kansas City

WASHINGTON WIDE RECEIVERS

Steve Spanguolo has called good defenses in the past, including with Kansas City, but the Chiefs can't do anything well right now. Their talent level was never high – a Moneyball sort of twist was always needed for the Chiefs defense to grade as adequate – but the players are just playing poorly and the scheme has done nothing to mitigate that. Until further notice this defense looks busted, or at least bad enough that a quarterback like Taylor Heinicke should grade just fine. Terry McLaurin is good enough to beat anyone, and certainly lesser coverage like this. The real question is whether and how much room there might be for secondary contributors. Dyami Brown has struggled to this point in his rookie year and if he continues to do so then there should be targets available to slot specialist Adam Humphries.

Upgrade: Terry McLaurin, Adam Humphries
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Dyami Brown

KANSAS CITY WIDE RECEIVERS

The Chiefs defense is an instance of mediocre talent undermined further by scheme. The Washington defense is positively loaded with talent, by contrast, but appears even more undermined by its scheme. The Washington defense was good last year, then they added better players, and now they are somehow worse. They'll probably get better eventually if only because it's borderline impossible to be this bad forever, but to this point they've basically been a joke. Even if the Washington defense is only half as bad as it's been to this point, it would still project for a perilous disadvantage against Patrick Mahomes. Tyreek Hill should be able to get around the coverage of William Jackson and Kendall Fuller, talented as those two might normally be. Each of Mecole Hardman, Josh Gordon and Byron Pringle are capable of doing damage, too, though as the third pass catcher at most their opportunities might be limited. Demarcus Robinson can't do anything so like any other week he'll need the defense to forget to cover him to get open, though he can occasionally make a contested catch.

Upgrade: Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Josh Gordon, Byron Pringle
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Demarcus Robinson

Detroit vs Cincinnati

DETROIT WIDE RECEIVERS

Brutal. The Lions receivers weren't so great to start with, and now they're without both Tyrell Williams and Quintez Cephus. The already overexposed Kalif Raymond will that much more clearly operate as the WR1, with Amon-Ra St. Brown the by-default WR2 running out of the slot. KhaDarel Hodge appears to be the outside receiver opposite Raymond.

Chidobe Awuzie is doing a good job at one corner spot, and the Bengals might try to keep him on opposing WR1s so that they can hide the lesser Eli Apple. It's not clear whether the Bengals consider these receivers good enough for assigned matchups, so Awuzie and Apple might split their exposure evenly between Raymond and Hodge. St. Brown should mostly run against Mike Hilton, which is manageable.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Kalif Raymond, Amon-Ra St. Brown, KhaDarel Hodge

CINCINNATI WIDE RECEIVERS

Amani Oruwariye might be a decent player, but he's beatable and doesn't have a lot of help. It's easier yet to beat Jerry Jacobs and slot corner A.J. Parker. There's not much to say – the Lions are giving starter-level reps to players who might not be in the league next year.

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

Baltimore vs Chargers

BALTIMORE WIDE RECEIVERS

The Chargers defense is more about overall structure than specific matchups, the specific traits of the corners don't necessarily matter as much as details like how long the play extends and whether the defensive design correctly anticipates the offensive one. The Chargers will probably give plenty of cushion to Marquise Brown to stop the high threat, in which case it will be up to Brown and Lamar Jackson to find a way to complete passes underneath and the intermediate. Brown can definitely do YAC damage, so there's a way for them to get through if the protection holds up and both players are on their game. It's a challenging defense, though, and if Sammy Watkins (thigh) is out it might be a bit easier for the Chargers to zero in on Brown and Mark Andrews. The Chargers have been tough against receivers this year, in any case, and this probably has to be viewed as a downgrade for the Ravens route runners.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins, Devin Duvernay
Even: N/A

CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Ravens have only used Marlon Humphrey on the left side to this point in the year, so unless policy changes he appears unlikely to shadow Keenan Allen or Mike Williams (knee). If past alignment trends hold then Williams would mostly see Anthony Averett, who's been beat like a drum, and then Humphrey second-most. Allen should see the competent but much smaller Tavon Young in the slot, while Jalen Guyton gets most of Humphrey and to a lesser extent Averett. It's closer to a good matchup than a bad one for Allen and Williams.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Jalen Guyton
Even: Keenan Allen, Mike Williams

Cleveland vs Arizona

CLEVELAND WIDE RECEIVERS

Odell Beckham can dust any corner, these included, but we'll see if that matters. With Baker Mayfield it often has not. Marco Wilson and Robert Alford are the main guys outside, and Byron Murphy is in the slot. Murphy is probably the best of the three, while Wilson is the toolsiest and Alford the most experienced. Wilson can run with Beckham and Donovan Peoples-Jones but might be susceptible to NFL-quality route running, while Alford is more seasoned but less gifted on the other side. Rashard Higgins versus Murphy is probably a draw.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Odell Beckham, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones

ARIZONA WIDE RECEIVERS

DeAndre Hopkins still lines up outside and on the left almost always, while A.J. Green almost always outside and on the right. The Browns take the liberty of using their corners on a matchup basis, so it's not clear how they'll use Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome and Greedy Williams against these two. It could be an assignment basis, or it could be more random. Troy Hill is the slot corner, and he should primarily cover Christian Kirk. Rondale Moore lines up all over the place and should see everyone. It's a strength versus strength kind of thing, but it's worth noting Hopkins can probably play the box-out game against corners as small as Ward and Newsome, good as they otherwise might be.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, Rondale Moore

New England vs Dallas

NEW ENGLAND WIDE RECEIVERS

Trevon Diggs has played great for Dallas but is dealing with an ankle injury. If he's out or limited that's good news for Kendrick Bourne and especially Nelson Agholor, who's the primary outside/downfield receiver in the Patriots offense. Bourne and Agholor should split their reps on some basis between Diggs and Anthony Brown, who has been playing better since a brutal Week 1 showing against Tampa. Slot corner Jourdan Lewis is respectable but not concerning for Jakobi Meyers.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor (Downgrade if shadowed by Diggs, arguable upgrade if Diggs is out), Kendrick Bourne

DALLAS WIDE RECEIVERS

J.C. Jackson is the top Patriots corner and is often used to shadow the WR1 of an opponent. Given that Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb all but share the label, it's not clear whether they'll use Jackson on one more than the other. Jalen Mills is probably the most beatable Patriots corner, though it remains to be seen whether they'll allow Dallas to match up Cooper or Lamb against him. Jonathan Jones is a distinguished slot corner for the Patriots and too fast to run past – if Cooper or Cedrick Wilson run against him they'll need to win in the route and the catch point rather than with athleticism.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Cedrick Wilson

Denver vs Las Vegas

DENVER WIDE RECEIVERS

Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick are the lead guys by a wide margin, with Kendall Hinton stepping in as the slot specialist. Patrick tends to play the slot when Hinton doesn't, and Sutton tends to stay outside. The outside corners are tough – Casey Hayward plays well on one side and Travon Mullen has done well on the other – though Sutton can hulk over a player of Hayward's build, as he showed against the Steelers last week. Hinton should mostly face slot corner Nate Hobbs, who's been impressive as a fifth-round pick.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Kendall Hinton

LAS VEGAS WIDE RECEIVERS

Henry Ruggs lines up all over the place, including the slot at times, so he should see each of the three intimidating Denver corners. Patrick Surtain and Kyle Fuller take the outside, while Bryce Callahan is imposing in the slot. Callahan should see Hunter Renfrow on almost every snap he doesn't see Ruggs. Bryan Edwards gets the toughest draw running against Surtain and Fuller, two corners built specifically to counter a receiver like Edwards. Surtain and Fuller are not well-built to run with Ruggs far downfield, however.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow
Even: Henry Ruggs