Corner Report: Week 8

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.

IND vs TEN

Indianapolis Wide Receivers

Michael Pittman has much of the Indianapolis passing game to himself, and he does so as he heads into a matchup with a weak Tennessee secondary. The Titans showed last week, though, that if they can sell out to stop certain play designs then they can overcome their lack of talent at corner. It's not like the Titans had corners running with Tyreek Hill in man coverage last week – they mashed together a combination of coverages to crowd the parts of the field where Hill runs the most. 

But Pittman is a big wideout who can draw and catch targets even when he's covered, especially against small corners like Janoris Jenkins and Elijah Molden. Pittman is more than a half a foot taller than both. Zach Pascal should continue to function as the teams' main slot receiver, and the Colts only have T.Y. Hilton otherwise, assuming he can play through his quadriceps injury. Hilton is very good when healthy, so he could complicate the target share equation for Pittman and Pascal if he's physically able. 

Upgrade: Michael Pittman, T.Y. Hilton, Zach Pascal
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

Tennessee Wide Receivers

With some exceptions A.J. Brown tends to play the right side and to a lesser extent the slot, while Julio Jones mostly lines up outside and on the left. The remaining snaps have been picked up by a rotating cast of nobodies – any of Chester Rogers, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Marcus Johnson or Josh Reynolds is a candidate to do nothing with the scraps after Brown and Jones.

The left corner should be Isaiah Rodgers, even if Rock Ya-Sin is able to play. The right corner should be Xavier Rhodes, assuming he can play through his calf issue. Rodgers is one of the fastest players in the league but also one of the smallest – you have to think the Titans will try to make him tackle Brown or/and Jones to take Rodgers' speed out of the equation and maybe rough him up a little bit. Rhodes on the other side can be beaten too, but he's a hulking corner well-built to trade jabs with big wideouts like Brown and Jones. Slot corner Kenny Moore is a junkyard dog in the middle of the field but can be beaten from time to time, if only because he has so many disruption tasks in addition to his coverage ones.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: A.J. Brown, Julio Jones

DET vs PHI

Detroit Wide Receivers

Kalif Raymond really deserves an Atta Boy for the season he's putting together – no one but the Lions wanted to give the diminutive burner a chance in a leading role, and he's rewarding their faith in this otherwise uninspiring season. The idea of Darius Slay shadowing Raymond would have seemed absurd a month ago, but it's something the Eagles might seriously consider here given Raymond's blurring speed. Steven Nelson is a solid corner on the other side, but he doesn't have much in the way of wheels and would be better matched against KhaDarel Hodge or Geronimo Allison. Slot corner Avonte Maddox should be a tough matchup for Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Kalif Raymond (lower to downgrade if shadowed by Slay), Amon-Ra St. Brown

Philadelphia Wide Receivers

Jalen Hurts might not be a good NFL passer, but he should look like one against this defense. DeVonta Smith has looked impressive for the most part, and he could really put on a clinic running indoors against corners like these. Amani Oruwariye might be decent – he's intercepting passes at least – but he's probably no better than decent, the Eagles can line up Smith away from Oruwariye easily enough if they want. Jerry Jacobs on the other side and A.J. Parker in the slot are highly vulnerable to almost any NFL-caliber receiver, including Jalen Reagor and Quez Watkins. Hurts has no excuse for failure here – the Eagles should be able to run a track meet against this secondary.

Upgrade: DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Quez Watkins
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

NYJ vs CIN

Jets Wide Receivers

Corey Davis has a hip issue that needs monitoring, but if active he should see high enough usage that the matchup isn't a huge concern. The Cincinnati defense is good – both the pass rush and the potential shadow coverage of Chidobe Awuzie could be limiting factors – but with Davis drawing 92nd percentile per-snap air yardage he can make it work anyway. Jamison Crowder and Elijah Moore have less margin for error, and as small targets they're both more dependent on accurate passes than Davis. That's bad news with Mike White stepping in at quarterback, but if Awuzie shadows Davis then Moore should mostly see the beatable Eli Apple while Crowder runs against slot rover Mike Hilton.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Corey Davis, Jamison Crowder, Elijah Moore

Cincinnati Wide Receivers

The young Jets corner rotation has shown some promising indicators, especially for a ragtag group of fringe prospects, but a scrappy gang of overachievers probably isn't going to cut it against receivers like these. Bryce Hall is probably the toughest corner – he's big, reasonably athletic and lines up on the left, where he'll see Tee Higgins a bit more than Ja'Marr Chase. Chase should see a bit more of right corner and rookie Brandin Echols. It's a good matchup for both players, but Chase's is better. Slot receiver Tyler Boyd has the upper hand against Michael Carter and whoever else might cover the slot.

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

CHI vs SF

Chicago Wide Receivers

Allen Robinson's ankle apparently isn't a problem, but everything else with the Bears offense is. When a team is this dysfunctional the matchups are liable to matter little or not at all, and that's been the case with Robinson basically every week this year. Will playing against San Francisco make Justin Fields sharper, or the offensive line block better, or Matt Nagy even slightly lucid? Probably not. Robinson and Darnell Mooney are both good players, but a matchup breakdown here is basically a waste of time. All Bears pass catchers (and especially Fields) need a slight miracle, or maybe even a divine intervention.

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

San Francisco Wide Receivers

Assuming his calf isn't an issue Deebo Samuel should settle back into a role that's been almost matchup-proof for him this year. With George Kittle out and Brandon Aiyuk apparently grounded Samuel is drawing both downfield and underneath targets, and with the full accompaniment of Shanahan tricks focused on spring Samuel specifically. Jaylon Johnson is a good corner but he doesn't want to tackle Samuel, and Kindle Vildor on the other side probably doesn't amount to much more than a speed bump, either.

Upgrade: Deebo Samuel
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Brandin Aiyuk, Mohamed Sanu

ATL vs CAR

Atlanta Wide Receivers

Calvin Ridley is in a funk, no doubt about it. He should become the player we know he is soon enough, but situations like his are always case by case and there's no way to know from afar when he'll click again. If Ridley is on then no secondary is particularly intimidating for him, but in the meantime this Panthers defense is a lot better than the Carolina offense. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow has some pressure looks that could bring the worst out of Matt Ryan and the Falcons offensive line, but if Ryan has time then Ridley can get open. Donte Jackson and Keith Taylor are the primary outside corners, with A.J. Bouye defending the slot. Russell Gage seems locked back into the starting lineup, and if his emphasis remains the slot he should see the most of Bouye.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage

Carolina Wide Receivers

The Panthers have misused Terrace Marshall (concussion) and Robby Anderson all year, using the lanky downfield targets as ineffective underneath targets instead, which compounds the struggles of the Carolina offensive line and Sam Darnold. These Carolina receivers are talented, DJ Moore the most of them, but the Panthers are completely busted lately to the point that their talent doesn't even enter the equation. The Falcons defense luckily is not very good, so the matchups are a green light across the board – if only we had reason for faith that they'll capitalize.

Upgrade: DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

HOU vs LAR

Houston Wide Receivers

After previously playing the slot most of the time all year, Jalen Ramsey saw more snaps outside in Week 7. That's bad news for Brandin Cooks, because if Ramsey is running outside it means he can shadow Cooks. If Ramsey stays in the slot then the Texans can just keep Cooks away from the slot. The other Rams corners are more easily beaten – Dont'e Deayon is a journeyman slot corner normally, and David Long has struggled a bit outside. Long and Robert Rochell are both toolsy but raw, and Rochell might be out with a knee injury.

If Ramsey shadows Cooks then it leaves Deayon – all 5-foot-9, 160 pounds or so of him – to try to grapple with big wideouts like Nico Collins and Chris Conley. If the Rams do that they are really asking for trouble. It's a subtle lose-lose – do you want Cooks running against Long and Deayon, or do you want Ramsey on Cooks as Collins slams alley-oops on Deayon all game? Houston has a real chance to stress the Rams defense here if they're clever.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Brandin Cooks (lower to downgrade if shadowed by Ramsey), Nico Collins, Chris Conley

Rams Wide Receivers

The Texans are basically a tanking expansion team, so the defense is as talent-challenged as you would expect. The Texans might play hard, and they might try various scheme adaptations to try to slow Cooper Kupp, but there's still no reason to think they can accomplish it. Or rather, if Kupp has a slow game we would sooner have reason to believe it's because any combination of Robert Woods, Van Jefferson or DeSean Jackson went off instead. The Texans can't stop this storm – at most they can maybe have some say about where the damage occurs, but not how much damage.

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

CLE vs PIT

Cleveland Wide Receivers

Joe Haden and Cameron Sutton are a productive enough starting corner tandem for the Steelers, Haden on the left and Sutton the right/slot, and when aided by a lively pass rush they tend to play tough. The Steelers have just two interceptions on the season, though, so they aren't exactly dictating on defense. This is both a dangerous spot for Case Keenum and one he can make it through if he's careful enough, and given enough support. If corners like Haden and Sutton can shut down Odell Beckham then it probably has something to do with the pass rush or poor quarterback play. The same is mostly true with Jarvis Landry, though his knee injury complicates things for the time being. If Landry is out then Rashard Higgins should pick up his slot snaps, while if Landry plays Higgins should split the remaining outside snaps with Anthony Schwartz, the latter more likely to serve as a decoy.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins

Pittsburgh Wide Receivers

Top Cleveland corner Denzel Ward (hamstring) might be out, in which case Greedy Williams would be his replacement in three-wide situations. Williams might not be as good as Ward or Greg Newsome, but he offers a bigger build and meaningfully different skill set than either, one that specifically might be good for matching up against the hulking Chase Claypool. Newsome could see a lot of Claypool, too, but Newsome's build more so resembles that of Diontae Johnson. Troy Hill is the slot corner and might run ahead of Williams in base formations if Ward is out. Unlike Williams, Newsome and Ward, Hill is not very athletic. If you're a Johnson investor you want him against the lanky Williams as much as possible, and if you're a Claypool investor you probably want him against the smallish, slowish Hill as much as possible.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson, James Washington

SEA vs JAC

Seattle Wide Receivers

Left corner and former Seahawk Shaquill Griffin is quite good, but everything else is a total mess in the Jacksonville defense. Griffin can't change that one bit. DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Freddie Swain, whoever. It's green lights.

Upgrade: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Freddie Swain
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

Jacksonville Wide Receivers

The Seattle secondary is bad, so it will be interesting to see if this otherwise sluggish Jacksonville offense can make a road shootout as they try to cover for their own especially awful defense. Laviska Shenault has seen his production suffer since playing outside more than the slot, and his losses have gone directly to new slot heir Jamal Agnew. Shenault doesn't have the speed or suddenness to thrive outside, but this matchup might be an exception, at least when lined up against right corner D.J. Reed. It's imperative that the Jaguars match up Shenault on the 5-foot-9, 190ish-pound Reed to make Reed tackle Shenault, who's nearly a half-foot taller and more than 30 pounds heavier. Then again, Tre Brown might be the corner opposite Reed, and he's even smaller. Even Sidney Jones – the seeming third outside corner option for Seattle – is perilously skinny against a player like Shenault. Marvin Jones, meanwhile, can probably put either corner through a route-running clinic. If Shenault can make positive contributions and Jones can be himself, the two plus Agnew should have the Jacksonville passing game in a surprisingly good spot.

Upgrade: Marvin Jones
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Laviska Shenault, Jamal Agnew

BUF vs MIA

Buffalo Wide Receivers

The theory with the Dolphins hasn't translated to the practice, so the fact that Xavien Howard and Byron Jones are standout outside corners hasn't actually mattered to this point in the year. On paper they should be tough assignments for Stefon Diggs and Emmanuel Sanders, but the results to this point just don't back that up. The Dolphins are tailspinning and their lagging returns on talent could get even worse. Cole Beasley nonetheless gets the easiest assignment running from the slot.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley, Gabriel Davis

Miami Wide Receivers

Jaylen Waddle moves into the slot often enough that the Bills might not be able to shadow him with Tre'Davious White, but Waddle might see White on nearly every applicable outside snap. It should be a good show – let's not assume Waddle can't win that one. More concerning than the cornerback matchups is the Miami offensive line and quarterback play. The Buffalo defense is rolling in 2021 and the Dolphins look more dysfunctional than ever. Waddle can transcend the circumstances – he already has all year – but the broader circumstances are brutal here. DeVante Parker should see most of White if able to play, while Preston Williams and Mack Hollins will apparently rotate outside otherwise.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jaylen Waddle, DeVante Parker

NO vs TB

New Orleans Wide Receivers

Tre'Quan Smith finally debuted last week, though to call it a rough showing would understate it – Smith was a mess that he's no guarantee to build on his 36-snap workload. There's just as much of a chance, though, that the Saints are desperate enough for Smith's talents that they have no choice but to ignore the miscues in his 2021 debut. He should settle in to a nearly three-down role for the Saints, especially taking slot snaps when available. In this game that should leave him mostly against Ross Cockrell – a player Smith can beat, but as a downfield-oriented slot target Smith can go without targets for stretches if a safety stays over the top. Marquez Callway is the main guy outside, perhaps followed by Kenny Stills. The Buccaneers have Jamel Dean on the right side and Richard Sherman on the left, so whichever receiver is lined up on the right of the offense has the easiest matchup on the play. Deonte Harris could play ahead of Stills if his hamstring cooperates, but he was out last week.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marquez Callaway, Tre'Quan Smith, Deonte Harris, Kenny Stills

Tampa Bay Wide Receivers

Marshon Lattimore normally plays the right side but for this game he might shadow Mike Evans, making for a strength vs. strength matchup where either side is capable of winning. It's definitely not an upgrade for Evans, but with Antonio Brown (ankle) out the volume consideration probably overrules any matchups concerns. Chris Godwin should mostly run against Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who's much easier to get open against. Tyler Johnson would mostly run against Paulson Adebo in that scenario, and that would be an upgrade for Johnson. It's possible, though, that the Saints get Bradley Roby onto the field more in this one – it's bizarre that they haven't already after trading for him from Houston – but if Roby is ready that would sooner constitute a downgrade for Johnson.

Upgrade: Chris Godwin
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Mike Evans, Tyler Johnson (lower to downgrade if matched up against Roby rather than Adebo)

LAC vs NE

Chargers Wide Receivers

It's not clear whether the Patriots will use elite corner J.C. Jackson in a shadow capacity, nor whether it would be Mike Williams or Keenan Allen who Jackson would shadow. The Patriots might have Joejuan Williams in mind to cover Mike since they're both 6-foot-4, but Jackson might be a good bet since the team might feel comfortable with Jalen Mills covering in the slot. Or at least, they might feel like Williams is more of a burn risk than Allen, in which case Jackson would get Williams and Allen would mostly see Mills in the slot.

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

New England Wide Receivers

Nelson Agholor tends to line up on the left and Kendrick Bourne tends to line up on the right when the Patriots are in a three-wide formation, in which cases Jakobi Meyers plays the slot. That probably leaves Meyers with the toughest assignment, running mostly against Chris Harris, who's likely the Chargers' best corner. Asante Samuel plays one of the outside spots otherwise, while the second outside spot appears to be a rotation between Michael Davis and Tevaughn Campbell, whereas Davis had the role to himself previously. There's no obvious weak point for the Patriots to attack, and they should expect a lot of safety help additionally.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Jakobi Meyers
Even: Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne

DEN vs WAS

Denver Wide Receivers

William Jackson has not been an upgrade at left corner and Benjamin St-Juste is probably worse on the other side. Kendall Fuller tends to play the slot, where he should see a lot of Jerry Jeudy in his return from a high ankle sprain. Courtland Sutton might get the most cracks at St-Juste and would probably have the best matchup of the Broncos receivers if so, but otherwise Tim Patrick is also more than capable of moving the ball against this Washington defense.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Jerry Jeudy

Washington Wide Receivers

Like Washington, the Denver defense has talent in the secondary but the results have been consistently bad to this point. The talent could start showing up at some point, but in the meantime the Broncos have been susceptible to the big play downfield and Terry McLaurin is lethal at all levels. He'd project for the advantage against Kyle Fuller and Patrick Surtain even aside from the broader dysfunction in the Denver defense. There might not be much else in the Washington receiver rotation, though – Adam Humphries has only been middling as a slot option and might project as the underdog against Bryce Callahan. Either Dyami Brown (knee) or Cam Sims (hamstring) will need to step up opposite McLaurin, though the rookie Brown especially has struggled.

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