Wide Receivers vs. Cornerbacks: Week 7 Matchups

This article will go game by game for the Week 7 slate looking at the top wide receivers from an offense and, based on the inside/outside and left/right splits of those receivers, identify the cornerbacks most likely to face them in man coverage. This post will have to be a little shorter and lean more on speculation/generalities than the entries to come, because teams haven't yet conclusively revealed their personnel tendencies.

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

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS WIDE RECEIVERS

Brian Thomas and Gabe Davis are both bigger receivers than Jonathan Jones would like to cover, and the same goes for slot corner Marcus Jones. Marcus (groin) might miss this game, however, and if he does the Patriots would likely move Jonathan into the slot and play Marco Wilson on the boundary. Wilson is super toolsy but doesn't seem to be a natural for the game – if Wilson is on the field whoever is running against him is the most likely person to be open on that play. Christian Gonzalez might therefore be a candidate to shadow Thomas, and indeed the Patriots should do as much if the alternative is letting Thomas get a crack at Wilson or even either of the Joneses. Christian Kirk isn't tall but he can still be a difficult speed/density combo for small corners like the Joneses.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Brian Thomas (arguable Upgrade if Marcus Jones is out and Gonzalez does not shadow), Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVERS

With Drake Maye at quarterback the Patriots receivers are suddenly eligible for targets, and a passing game that was completely dead in the first five weeks has a real chance to maintain momentum in this spot here. Perhaps the travel will bring out the worst in the Patriots offense, but that would be unfortunate because believe it or not these receivers might be better than the Jaguars corners. It's tough to have immediate hope for Ja'Lynn Polk, who has badly struggled so far, but in theory Maye's arrival can only be good news for Polk, too. The problem for Polk is that Kayshon Boutte showed well as the 'x' wideout last week in place of the demoted Tyquan Thornton, and Kendrick Bourne (knee) can only have his workload escalated at the expense of Polk and/or DeMario Douglas, but given the show Douglas put on last week it doesn't seem like the Patriots can mess with his snaps. Just the same, Bourne hasn't shown enough at this point to assume he can capitalize here, especially if his snap count is still monitored. With that said, if Tyson Campbell can return here then he might be too much for Boutte to capitalize against, and Ronald Darby on the other side might be able to hold his own, too. If Campbell is out, though, Boutte can probably do a number on Montaric Brown. In the slot Douglas is looking good either way.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte (arguable Upgrade if Campbell is out), Kendrick Bourne

Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks

ATLANTA FALCONS WIDE RECEIVERS

Drake London is rolling and he might be able to keep it going here regardless of what goes on with the Seahawks injury report, but if Riq Woolen (ankle) and Tre Brown (ankle) are out or limited then the Seattle secondary is in even more trouble. Some combination of rookie Nehemiah Pritchett, Artie Burns and Coby Bryant would have to step up if those two are out, and it's a ragtag group. Pritchett has some promise as a fringe boundary prospect, but Burns has long been one of the worst corners in the NFL and Bryant already phased out as a tired slot prospect a couple years ago. Darnell Mooney can of course capitalize in receiving game as well. Ray-Ray McCloud probably sees the most of Devon Witherspoon – a comical mismatch if so.

Upgrade: Drake London, Darnell Mooney
Downgrade: Ray-Ray McCloud
Even: N/A

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS WIDE RECEIVERS

A.J. Terrell is a candidate to shadow DK Metcalf, to unclear effect. You'd rather go against the underqualified Mike Hughes on the other side, but Terrell rarely makes quarterbacks pay for targeting him and the Seahawks might want to call the bluff if Metcalf is one-on-one. Tyler Lockett would dust Hughes in a hurry but the Falcons probably know this and give Hughes extra help each week. In the slot Dee Alford isn't obviously imposing but Jaxon Smith-Njigba has yet to look imposing in his own right.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DK Metcalf (arguable Upgrade if not shadowed by Terrell), Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans

BUFFALO BILLS WIDE RECEIVERS

Amari Cooper hasn't had much time to prepare with the Bills but the Bills don't have the luxury of waiting. Their passing game badly needs someone to step up at receiver, to the extent that a lesser form of Cooper should still be a game-changing upgrade. There was a chance that L'Jarius Sneed (quadriceps) would shadow Cooper in this game but after missing two practices it seems like Sneed isn't even guaranteed to play. The Titans were already playing rookie Jarvin Brownlee with Chidobe Awuzie out, and if Sneed is out they'd probably have to bump up someone like Darrell Baker, too. Roger McCreary would be the one tough remaining Titans corner at that point, but even he probably isn't a real obstacle for Cooper, even if the Titans were to shadow Cooper with McCreary. In short, this is setting up to be a good matchup for at least one and maybe multiple Bills receivers if Sneed is out. Keon Coleman would probably be the second-best bet after Cooper.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Amari Cooper (Upgrade if Sneed is out), Keon Coleman (see Cooper)

TENNESSEE TITANS WIDE RECEIVERS

Brian Callahan has somehow made Will Levis even worse than he was last year. The Titans fired Mike Vrabel for no reason to make room for a bumbling nepotism case. Brutal. Anyway, guys like DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley are capable of various things, but to this point it has all remained theoretical due to the sum failures of Levis and Callahan. It's not obvious why that would change much here.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley

Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals

CLEVELAND BROWNS WIDE RECEIVERS

Jerry Jeudy should see a ton of targets with Amari Cooper gone and the same might even be true for Elijah Moore, but Deshaun Watson is physically (karmically?) unable to play and efficiency is simply not possible.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore

CINCINNATI BENGALS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Browns are still playing spirited defense, but who knows how long that can continue. The Cooper trade shows the front office is quitting on the year, so why shouldn't the defense? In theory the Browns defense should be a tough matchup for Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, neither of whom have been especially productive against the Browns the last two years, but if the Browns can't keep their heart in the game then talents like Chase and Higgins could prove to be too much. Andrei Iosivas sort of needs the defense to forget about him to get open in a way that draws Burrow's attention.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas

Green Bay Packers vs. Houston Texans

GREEN BAY PACKERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Derek Stingley is one of the league's tougher corners but aside from him the Texans could be vulnerable in the secondary. Kamari Lassiter might be out and even if he's available the rookie is still unproven. There is no depth to speak of behind Lassiter, however – it seems special teamer Kris Boyd might need to start if Lassiter cannot. In the slot the Texans have almost exclusively used safeties this year, primarily Jalen Pitre. Given the results of last week the Packers would probably be right to settle into a three-wide base of Jayden Reed in the slot with Christian Watson as flanker and Romeo Doubs as the 'x.' Reed and Watson are the two of those who will see the most of said slot safeties, so they might be slightly better bets than Doubs. If Doubs is shadowed by Stingley then it would be even more the case.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs (Downgrade if shadowed by Stingley)

HOUSTON TEXANS WIDE RECEIVERS

Stefon Diggs has been the primary slot receiver for Houston and in this game he should mostly run against safeties since the Packers have evidently benched Eric Stokes for Keisean Nixon on the boundary, whereas previously Nixon was the (quite bad) slot corner. We'll see if the boundary suits Nixon any better but the takeaway here is that Diggs will be running his routes mostly against Javon Bullard and to a lesser extent Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney. Bullard seems like a good player so it could go either way, but generally you would call Diggs going against a rookie safety tweener a good thing for Diggs. Tank Dell matches up much better against Nixon than Jaire Alexander, so Dell's investors should probably hope the Packers don't assign Alexander to him specifically. That is a risk Houston runs so long as Diggs is the slot wideout, though. Xavier Hutchinson is probably in a better spot here than against New England, but he still runs the risk of getting phased out for two-TE sets.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by Alexander), Xavier Hutchinson

Indianapolis Colts vs. Miami Dolphins

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS WIDE RECEIVERS

Jalen Ramsey peculiarly played the slot in his last game while prior slot corner Kader Kohou played outside, for unclear reasons. It would be somewhat odd if that persisted here, if only because Michael Pittman runs on the boundary much more than the slot, and it would be odd for Ramsey to play against Josh Downs in the slot instead of following around Pittman. Then again, Kendall Fuller is a good boundary corner in his own right and the Dolphins might not see the need to shadow Pittman that way. If Alec Pierce (shoulder) is out then Adonai Mitchell should replace most or all of his snaps. Mitchell does not project for an advantage against Fuller or Ramsey, but if Ramsey is in the slot again then Mitchell (and Pittman) would rather see Kohou on the boundary than either of Ramsey or Fuller.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Michael Pittman (arguable Upgrade if Ramsey stays in slot), Josh Downs, Adonai Mitchell

MIAMI DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVERS

Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have been limited by the quarterback play of Tyler Huntley, but this might be a spot where all three guys can play reasonably well. That's mostly because the Colts defense is a mess – Gus Bradley clearly should not be a defensive coordinator at this point and that would be true even before accounting for the injuries at corner for Indianapolis. Slot corner Kenny Moore is the only good one left but even he probably (A) won't see much of Hill or Waddle and (B) can't cover either of them anyway. Jaylon Jones and Samuel Womack on the boundary otherwise are not serious impediments for Hill or Waddle.

Upgrade: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions

MINNESOTA VIKINGS WIDE RECEIVERS

Carlton Davis (quadriceps) seems to be trending toward sitting this one out, leaving rookie Terrion Arnold as Detroit's top boundary corner and someone like either Ennis Rakestraw or Kindle Vildor as the second. In the slot the Lions have stopped using Brian Branch, who is now more so playing safety, and instead are using Amik Robertson. This group always plays with attitude and composure under Aaron Glenn but they're short on talent on the moment, and given the injury to Aidan Hutchinson the Lions can't count on the pass rush making the corners look better than they are.

Upgrade: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jalen Nailor

DETROIT LIONS WIDE RECEIVERS

As has been the case all year, it's borderline pointless to analyze the WR:CB matchups with the Vikings defense because the Vikings are playing a different game than everyone else. Playing corner for the Vikings is not like playing corner for any other team, and guys who would be practice squad fodder in other schemes (looking at Shaquill Griffin) have somehow been very productive in Brian Flores' scheme. Flores' smoke and mirrors bridges the gap between Minnesota's actual talent level at corner and their results at corner, so as long as Flores keeps confusing offenses then it would remain easier said than done to isolate a player like Griffin or Stephon Gilmore in single boundary coverage – a spot where neither projects well yet no offense has been able to expose to this point. Amon-Ra St. Brown probably figures to see the most of Minnesota's actually-good corner Byron Murphy, though the Vikings are also liable to use a guy like safety/linebacker tweener Josh Metellus in the slot. Metellus against St. Brown seems like a bad idea, so I'm assuming Murphy sees more slot work than in some other weeks, and maybe Metellus plays more safety or linebacker than slot. Unless Ben Johnson figures out how to get Jameson Williams truly lined up in single coverage against Gilmore or especially Griffin, this would appear to be a challenging matchup for Detroit.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick

New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles

NEW YORK GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS

Malik Nabers is back and with that he'll immediately resume his role as the WR1 for the Giants, who have a formidable three-wide loadout of Nabers, Darius Slayton and Wan'Dale Robinson (slot). The formerly feared Eagles secondary is not what it once was, as Darius Slay has fallen off and might not even be able to play in this game due to a knee injury. Quinyon Mitchell looks like the real deal opposite Slay and Cooper DeJean could prove a force from the slot, but be it Slay or his replacement (Kelee Ringo?) that boundary spot for the Eagles is a question. Perhaps the safeties can give that rep enough cover fire to keep it safe, but Mitchell and DeJean are both rookies and probably aren't ready to play without help. With that said, DeJean could make things tough for Robinson in the slot, because DeJean is a reliable open-field defender who's unlikely to give too much YAC to Robinson. The Eagles could even take the liberty of assigning Mitchell to Nabers as a shadow on the boundary, though to this point they've only used him on the right side. That means that any time Nabers (or Slayton) is on the right side of the offense they'll be running against Slay or his replacement, barring a policy change from the Eagles.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES WIDE RECEIVERS

A.J. Brown fears no corner and certainly none who play for the Giants, especially since the Giants defense might be without its two best players in elite nose tackle Dexter Lawrence and standout edge rusher Brian Burns. If the Giants have no pass rush it could be challenging to cover long enough against almost any NFL wideout, and managing Brown and/or DeVonta Smith in such a context becomes particularly difficult. Deonte Banks and Cor'Dale Flott are your primary corners, and if you're the Giants you probably want Banks on Brown and the skinny Flott on Smith. Banks is a bigger corner with serious wheels, so he can loosely mimic the size/speed threat from Brown whereas Flott would be liable to just get bullied by Brown. Similarly, Banks has a grabby tendency that would probably worsen the more he has to mirror a blur like Smith.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: A.J. Brown (the more Flott the better), DeVonta Smith (the more Banks the better)

Los Angeles Rams vs. Las Vegas Raiders

LOS ANGELES RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS

If Cooper Kupp (ankle) returns here then he might see a fairly challenging matchup against standout slot corner Nate Hobbs, but of course if you're a Kupp investor you don't care about this. If Kupp is active the targets will be there, and with Puka Nacua still absent any active game from Kupp could entail 12+ targets. Jordan Whittington is a little tougher to call, because we're still waiting to find out just how good he is and whether he now or eventually projects to be a good enough player to get the better of corners like Jack Jones and Jakorian Bennett. Jones played well in his Patriots days but has had the bull's eye on him all 2024, while Bennett is super toolsy but an ongoing work in progress. Whittington has proven a perfect fit for the Rams offense, and he has already produced in tougher settings than this. The problem is Whittington has run some of the routes normally claimed by Kupp, and if Kupp returns it might result in a slight benching of Whittington since Demarcus Robinson has run on the boundary more than Whittington. Meanwhile, Tutu Atwell drew 10 targets in his last game while working mostly as a boundary specialist. If Kupp returns then the Rams need to bench one of Atwell, Whittington or Robinson. Atwell provides valuable speed the other two cannot, and Whittington is clearly more talented than Robinson, but it's all up to McVay and he's not going to tell anyone his plans ahead of time.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Cooper Kupp, Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington, Demarcus Robinson

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS WIDE RECEIVERS

If Jakobi Meyers (ankle) can't play then the Raiders need to get him into the slot, where Tucker projects best and where last week's replacement (DJ Turner) was predictably a waste. Turner should not be on an NFL roster, and gadget guy like Tucker shouldn't be running on the boundary if Meyers is inactive. Then again, it's probably best to stay away from this. Tucker and Kristian Wilkerson are the two best receivers on this team after Meyers, and the Raiders apparently have no idea how to use either of them.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Tre Tucker, DJ Turner

Washington Commanders vs. Carolina Panthers

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Terry McLaurin will probably be shadowed by Jaycee Horn in this game, but it probably doesn't matter. McLaurin is a better receiver than Horn is a corner, and the Commanders run game should be lively enough to keep the Panthers from doubling McLaurin to an oppressive extent. Noah Brown appears to be the primary wideout opposite McLaurin, which will probably have diminishing returns as exposure increases. Luke McCaffrey in the slot has basically been a non-factor, and probably doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt against Troy Hill. If Horn is on McLaurin then Michael Jackson is probably on Brown. Jackson is normally a bit of a liability, but maybe not against Brown.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Terry McLaurin, Noah Brown, Luke McCaffrey

CAROLINA PANTHERS WIDE RECEIVERS

If Diontae Johnson (ankle) is out then it leaves Andy Dalton in a tough spot, even against a weak defense like Washington. Benjamin St-Juste simply cannot cover a wideout like Johnson, and indeed most other types of wideouts, too, but if Johnson is out then it saves St-Juste from the biggest threat. Xavier Legette likely remains unrefined, and a big corner like St-Juste can at least get his hands on Legette. But Legette can dust St-Juste in a race, and Mike Sainristil on the other side is under 5-foot-10 and might be able to do only so much against Legette in a jumpball situation. It seems that Jonathan Mingo has mercifully fallen behind Jalen Coker in the wideout rotation, but if Johnson is out then Mingo might be the boundary wideout opposite Legette while Coker mostly plays the slot. Assuming Washington keeps Sainristil on the boundary, Coker would mostly work against Noah Igbinoghene, who has been playing the slot for basically two weeks in his career.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, Jonathan Mingo

San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Jaylen Watson is the only constant boundary corner for the Chiefs, who otherwise move around Trent McDuffie (sometimes in a shadow role) while utilizing a weird committee of Chamarri Conner and Nazeeh Johnson depending on whether the remaining rep calls for a slot/rover or a boundary corner. McDuffie and even Watson have both done well on the boundary, where in some split or another they'll see the vast majority of reps for Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. The addition of Ricky Pearsall and the absence of Jauan Jennings is an odd wrinkle for the 49ers, who previously used Jennings as a slot bully. Pearsall is an explosive talent who could make the 49ers better, but he's kind of the opposite of what Jennings is. At the very least the 49ers will need to use some looks they haven't shown yet.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS WIDE RECEIVERS

If JuJu Smith-Schuster is limited by his hamstring injury it puts an already busted Chiefs wideout rotation in an even tougher spot. Smith-Schuster never even got open against the Bengals before the bye – the Bengals sort of just screwed up their coverage as Patrick Mahomes improvised – so it's exceedingly difficult to imagine how the Chiefs offense will function on any scheduled basis here, even if Smith-Schuster is healthy. That's because Justin Watson is a true zero on the boundary – a player the defense can actually ignore – so if Travis Kelce isn't moving the chains the default mode becomes Mahomes scrambling around with no plan at all. Mecole Hardman is the best active Chiefs receiver and they don't even like him, so there's no guarantee they'll give him more snaps even though they need to. The three 49ers corners – Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir (slot) and Renardo Green – all project comfortably here (especially if they don't need to chase Hardman downfield).

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Jets

PITTSBURGH STEELERS WIDE RECEIVERS

George Pickens should benefit from the switch from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson, but this a bad matchup to prove it. Sauce Gardner is almost the exact type of corner you'd design to neutralize a receiver like Pickens, and even the 5-foot-9 DJ Reed on the other side defends the catch point extremely well for a corner of his build. Pickens is a really good receiver, but there are maybe two defenses he projects against worse than the Jets. This, of course, is not to say that the likes of Van Jefferson or Calvin Austin project better, because they don't.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin
Even: N/A

NEW YORK JETS WIDE RECEIVERS

Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams will mostly run against the toughest part of the Steelers pass defense, which is the boundary against Joey Porter and Donte Jackson. Wilson and Adams are still better, however, even if slot corner Beanie Bishop would be an easier target than Porter or Jackson. Allen Lazard will probably continue to annoy fantasy investors of Wilson and now Adams, if only because he might get the most slot reps of the three and in this case gets Bishop, who can't cover Lazard or maybe anyone else. Basically, at least one of Wilson, Adams or Lazard should produce here, and maybe two depending on how the Jets offensive line holds up (far from a given that they do).

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Garrett Wilson, Davante Adams, Allen Lazard

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Baltimore Ravens

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Ravens have a bunch of good players in the secondary but don't have such great results to show for it yet. Perhaps that changes over the course of the year, but in the meantime there isn't sufficient grounds to doubt Mike Evans or Chris Godwin for matchup reasons. Godwin admittedly gets the toughest draw here, probably seeing the most of Marlon Humphrey, but Godwin might be as good or better of a wide receiver as Humphrey is a corner. Meanwhile, if Evans can shake his hamstring issue he should be able to make plays against one or both of Brandon Stephens and Nate Wiggins – Stephens because he's mostly just an average starter in general and Wiggins because, while Wiggins has potential All-Pro upside, he's also a tiny corner under 180 pounds and is not prepared to defend the rim from Evans.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Sterling Shepard

BALTIMORE RAVENS WIDE RECEIVERS

This is another great matchup for Zay Flowers, even if Jamel Dean (hamstring) is able to play in this game. Dean and Zyon McCollum are too top-heavy and take too long to collect themselves against the lateral stop/start movements of a player like Flowers. Rashod Bateman can probably beat those corners a bit, too, but if Flowers falls short here it would be much more disappointing. If Dean can't play and Tyrek Funderburk plays instead then the Buccaneers might boast the worst cornerback rotation in the league this week. Antoine Winfield is a total monster at safety but he can only provide so much cover fire at once, and all three Buccaneers cornerback reps might need the help, even against the Ravens!

Upgrade: Zay Flowers
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Rashod Bateman

Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Chargers

ARIZONA CARDINALS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Cardinals weren't serious about their wide receiver personnel, doing nothing other than selecting Marvin Harrison this offseason and neglecting to ask questions about how to actually utilize Harrison, yet alone the question of what they would do if Harrison were unavailable for whatever reason. Thus, the Cardinals ended up giving 38 snaps to Xavier Weaver, who probably shouldn't be on a roster let alone playing regular season snaps as an 'x' wideout. Harrison is supposed to be the workhorse WR1 of the Cardinals but he's also their by-default deep wideout, ensuring he is double teamed almost literally every play as the defense otherwise ignores Weaver and Greg Dortch with impunity. Harrison (concussion) will play, at least, so the Cardinals have no excuses. What might bail out the Cardinals passing game here is the fact that the Chargers are without both of their starting boundary corners (Asante Samuel and Kristian Fulton), so perhaps the Cardinals can take advantage.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marvin Harrison, Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Chargers could flip a switch any second and all of a sudden turn into a good passing game if Justin Herbert and his wideouts can get healthy (extreme Knock On Wood moment there). It helps in this case that the Cardinals secondary is not very good. Joshua Palmer has rounded into form a bit now that he's getting healthy, and he could maintain momentum here. If he does, and if Ladd McConkey (hip) can stay on the field, then Herbert should be able to get rolling here. Quentin Johnston is what he is – mostly a single-coverage and broken-coverage merchant – but if Palmer and McConkey are stressing the defense than Johnston could get his shots, too. Then again, if DJ Chark (hip) comes back then Johnston's playing time will drop, because Chark is better.

Upgrade: Joshua Palmer, Ladd McConkey
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Quentin Johnston