Johny the Greek's Cornerback Corner: Week 1

Who are the best and worst CB streaming options for Week 1?

Welcome to Johny the Greek’s Cornerback Corner, the only place (that I know of) across the entirety of the planet where we track every single IDP cornerback option every week all season long. If they’ve got a pulse and log snaps we’ll have a start/sit call on them and what league size/format they make the most sense in for all 96 starting cornerbacks across the entire NFL every week this season.

Most of you reading this have followed the article from its early days at idpguys.org to my landing here at theidpshow.com, thank you to all who continue to read, and welcome to any new readers. If you’re here it’s because you use cornerback specific slots in your IDP leagues or you play in a deep enough sleeper/DB specific league where the occasional cornerback stream makes sense (especially when the bye weeks and injury grim reaper come knocking).

This initial Week 1 article will be longer than usual, I’ll be including some basic cornerback streaming strategy and explaining what we look for in a good streaming setup. Beyond that, I’ll show you my thought process behind all of these calls and really spell everything out so you can see what goes into this every week.

This will be the last time all season this article will be this detailed or long. After this, we’re on a weekly time crunch and you’ll just have to trust I’m doing all the same things I’m explaining here all season long, which I am and have been for four seasons now. Let’s get into it.

---

Weekly Transparency Thread

Starting Week 2, you’ll see something similar to this (picture below) at the start of each cornerback corner article. I track the results of the previous week’s calls all season long and display them for all to see as the season progresses. I’ve always been a big transparency guy from my first article around these parts so you’ll always have access to both my previous week’s and season-long statistics in regards to these start/sit calls.

Language Key

• Medium to deeper leagues: 12 teams minimum, starting at least two but hopefully three cornerbacks.

• League of all sizes: This means what it says, from a shallow league with eight teams and one cornerback slot to the deepest and most degenerate league this cornerback option makes sense everywhere. This is the best thing I can say about a cornerback option each week. If you want to skip the average 8,000 words a week just look for these guys in bold or listen to The IDP After Show, where I discuss these best options each week all season long.

• Deep, dark, or degenerate leagues: 16 teams likely, 53-man rosters or more, starting at least three cornerbacks but more likely four or more due to IDP DB flex positions, etc.

• “Plus”: If I say start him as a “cornerback two plus” that means not as your first or best cornerback option, but as your second option and preferably as a corner three etc. You only gain value by starting these guys in slots where other “worse” options would typically go, that’s what we’re aiming for with this.

• Cornerback one, two, three, four, etc: The number correlates with the number of cornerback slots on your roster. Your corner one is the first corner you drafted and by definition your “best” cornerback option. From there your options decrease in expected value. Tariq Woolen is a cornerback one, Kendall Fuller is a cornerback three, etc.

---

Cornerback Corner: Week 1

Lions at Chiefs

Outlook: The overall 8th and 1st passing offenses from last season kick off the season on Thursday night football. With an over/under of 54.5 Vegas is expecting a shootout and I couldn’t agree more. The only knock against this matchup is the Chiefs’ 21st ranking (2022) in wide receiver targets league-wide. The Lions were ranked 10th in this category last season which is excellent for our Chiefs cornerback options.

Kansas City is more likely to target the league’s best tight end or any of their dynamic running backs out of the backfield than to pass to any of their mediocre wide receiver options. That could limit cornerback production in regard to our Detroit options but there still should be more than enough offense and sustained drives here for an excellent cornerback streaming matchup on both sides.

I’ll say it once for the new readers, the equation we look for to get the best possible setup for ideal cornerback streaming is excellent passing offense plus tons of wide receiver targets plus a high over/under. If we get all that AND it’s indoors (mother nature has ruined the passing game for many an NFL team in recent seasons, Bills/Pats and Raiders/Browns just in recent history) then we’re cooking with propane. If the opposing quarterback across from our IDP cornerback completes a ton of passes each game that’s even better.

Sustained offense leads to IDP production, you can’t score IDP points when the opposing offense keeps going three and out and your players are on the bench. Wide receiver targets mean increased odds of your cornerback defending the pass (pass defense points), intercepting the pass, or getting the tackle after the pass is completed. And finally a high over/under means we’re likely to see a ton of offense, defensive struggles aren’t great for cornerback production. So that’s what we’re looking for and we’ve got plenty of it with the Lions and Chiefs in Week 1.

Detroit Lions

Emmanuel Moseley (CB): Sit, he’s still on the PUP as of the time of writing but is “close” to coming off it. Regardless it looks like we’ve got Jerry Jacobs in Week 1 at least. If we get news that Moseley will play Week 1 he’s a risky option coming off of a torn ACL last season and they may ease him back into things so it’s still a sit for me even if this news changes. Avoiding danger is just as important as starting the best options, and with cornerback, you’ve got a ton of options so there’s never an excuse to settle for an unnecessary risk when you don’t have to.

Jerry Jacobs (S): Jacobs appears to be locked into a Week 1 start with the injury to Moseley from last season still not completely healed. However I’d only start him in much deeper leagues, he’s the worst option of these three. I’d start him in MFL leagues with 53-man rosters as a cornerback four or higher, that feels about right until we see some snaps.

Cameron Sutton (CB): Sutton was a 100% of snaps starter in Pittsburgh last season and was a fine option if the matchup was correct. He would make a good start here in deeper leagues as a cornerback three or four.

Chauncey Gardner Johnson (CB/S): Assuming he plays, and I didn’t find anything indicating otherwise after that injury scare in training camp about a month ago, this is a great option. He’s the most likely to secure a huge splash play and should see plenty of snaps, I’d start him as a cornerback two in leagues of all sizes.

Kansas City Chiefs

L’Jarius Sneed (CB/S): Coming off a season where he was the safety one in many formats and the cornerback one in all formats where he had that designation this remains a great option even if his role does change somewhat as many have predicted. Regardless of that, the matchup is correct, the playing time is there (plays every snap every game), and the historical production is incredible. I’d start him as a cornerback one in leagues of all sizes.

Trent McDuffie (CB): McDuffie may end up playing the massively productive role that Sneed benefitted from last season, we can’t confirm that until we see some snaps though so for now I’m proceeding as if what we saw last season is what we’re getting this season. He’ll play plenty and this matchup is terrific, I’d start him as a cornerback two in leagues of all sizes.

Jaylen Watson (CB): The “least good” option of these three by a goodly amount and the least likely to see the kind of playing time we like (100% of snaps a week is easy to find at cornerback and is absolutely what we want) I’d only start him in much deeper leagues as a cornerback four or higher.

Panthers at Falcons

Outlook: Last season’s 29th and 31st ranked passing offenses get a slight bump playing indoors in Atlanta to start their respective seasons but with an over/under of 39.5 and neither team great at targeting their wide receivers (28th and 30th respectively) both Vegas and our ideal cornerback streaming equation are calling this a bad bet.

Factor in a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start against a defense filled with grown men and the lack of talented wide receiver options in Carolina and our Falcons corners don’t look great. For the reverse, we’ve got a second-year quarterback who has been anything but impressive and generally a run-first offense overall in Atlanta. All signs point towards this being a bad bet for cornerback streaming so I’ll be skipping it completely.

There are certainly some great cornerback options between these two teams with AJ Terrell, Jaycee Horn, and Donte Jackson among them but the idea behind all this is to start those guys when it makes sense to since it’s incredibly easy to blast them out the airlock and find “just as good” options that actually are in an ideal cornerback streaming scenario week after week.

By putting ourselves in those ideal situations over and over we’ll see exponentially better outcomes and many more IDP points from our cornerback position than your leaguemates who are “setting and forgetting” with the “big name” they drafted way too early in your startup. Over the course of the season by putting just a little thought and effort into this you’ll see far better results and will have that X factor your leaguemates don’t even know exists yet.

Carolina Panthers

Donte Jackson (CB): Normally a great option while healthy (he gets hurt seemingly every season) the matchup downgrades him to only an option in the deepest of leagues as a warm body cornerback four or higher but for most of us he’s a sit in Week 1.

Jaycee Horn (CB): Same deal here, in the correct matchup Horn is an excellent option but that’s not what we have here in Week 1. Both he and Jackson should play every snap or close to it so they do have some value as a warm body in the deep degenerate leagues but for the vast majority of us, he’s a sit in Week 1.

Jeremy Chinn (S/CB): While there are some legitimate and panic-inducing concerns after seeing his preseason usage the incredible talent is still sufficient to start him in medium to deeper leagues as a cornerback three, especially since he may see a good deal of slot or box snaps and those will help his production (closer to the line of scrimmage equals shorter distance to tackle the ball carrier). And obviously, we’re only considering this if he has the cornerback designation in your league of merit.

Atlanta Falcons

Jeff Okudah (CB): Sit, he’s still banged up from the preseason injury he sustained in training camp. The coaching staff is “optimistic” he’ll play “sometime in the first few weeks” but that’s anything but a guarantee for Week 1. And besides, the matchup is garbage, skip it.

AJ Terrell (CB): By far the most talented and productive of all the Falcons cornerback options he could certainly pull off a splash play interception and end up with a nice box score. However, the situation dictates we skip it (sit) unless in a deep degenerate league where you need a warm body as a cornerback four or higher. It’s not an ideal streaming setup in Week 1 but there will be plenty of those later this season.

Dee Alford (CB) & Tre Flowers (CB): Flowers is only an option due to the Okudah injury and isn’t a listed starter so that tells you what the Falcons think right there. Alford would likely play the least of Terrell, Okudah, and him by a good amount so all things being equal he’s the worst option when everyone is healthy. Add on top of those factors the bad matchup and we can sit them both.

Texans at Ravens

Outlook: Last season’s 28th-ranked Ravens passing attack faces off against a rookie quarterback making his first-ever NFL start in Baltimore against a defense the Big Ten could never hope to approximate. We don’t know how often CJ Stroud will target his wide receivers but I wouldn’t count on it happening a ton in Week 1 as it’s likely he’ll be spending most of his time running for his life.

The Ravens however were dead last in the entire league last season in targeting theirs and the addition of the ghost of Odell Beckham shouldn’t change that much. With an over/under of 39.5, Las Vegas believes this to be a low-scoring affair and it’s likely that most of those points end up on the Ravens side of the scoreboard as they dominate all aspects of this one including time of possession and handily beat the rebuilding Texans.

None of that is great for cornerback streaming, this one is outdoors too. That’s not a huge issue in early September but later down the road it will be, it certainly doesn’t help as it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know it's easier to complete passes without wind, rain, or snow and that turf is typically faster than grass. We’ve got bad factors everywhere so I’m skipping this one myself but I’ll list the relevant options for those of you in those deep, dark degenerate leagues where you need to start warm body corners weekly.

That’s not to say that none of these “sits” won’t end up with a great box score and a stat line that makes me blush but we play the odds because we can’t predict the future, and the odds say this is a bad matchup for streaming cornerback.

Houston Texans

Derek Stingley (CB): Stingley is typically an excellent option who plays every snap and is coming off an excellent rookie campaign where he put up beautiful numbers before a late-season injury. This matchup is terrible though so I’m sitting him, he will play every snap if you need it though.

Steven Nelson (CB): Nelson is a veteran who played every snap and if I recall correctly every game last season as well. In a decent or ideal matchup, he’s a terrific option but that’s not what we have here. I’d sit him, but he will play every snap if you need it.

Shaq Griffin/Ka’Dar Hollman (CB): With Desmond King getting cut recently it will be likely Shaq Griffin, a veteran of many seasons in the league and an IDP-relevant cornerback stream in years past but we won’t know until we see the Week 1 snaps. Neither he nor Hollman are all that great options to begin with and we aren’t sure which one will be the cornerback three here in Houston, beyond that the matchup is poop. Sit them both. Everywhere. We’ll readjust after we see some Week 1 snaps.

Baltimore Ravens

Marlon Humphrey (CB): Sit. Humphrey isn’t likely to even play in Week 1 due to injury and this matchup is horrendous. We’ll see who his replacement is when we see the Week 1 snaps and if the Week 2 matchup is better for Baltimore then that replacement may have some value.

Rock Ya-Sin (CB): Ya Sin has been an IDP streaming corner option before on other teams but has never been a good one, beyond that this matchup is not good. He is the most likely of all these Baltimore options to play 100% of snaps in Week 1 though if you need a warm body in deeper leagues. Sit in Week 1.

Jalyn Armor-Davis (CB): Same deal here except I didn’t know this man existed until just this minute, sit him in Week 1 and we’ll see how much he plays, he may have value going forward but not in this matchup.

Bengals at Browns

Outlook: Last season’s 5th and 22nd-ranked passing offenses respectively face off in Cleveland with an over/under of 47.5 which indicates a bit of a shootout despite this being a divisional matchup with two teams that know each other well. Last season the Bengals targeted their excellent wide receivers sixth most in the league while the Browns only targeted theirs the 26th most but we can take that with a large grain of salt.

DeShaun Watson was only on the field for a cup of coffee last year due to his lengthy suspension but with a full offseason to work with his excellent wide receivers, including Elijah Moore who came over from the Jets, we should see a much improved Browns passing attack this year. This matchup looks spectacular, we’ve got no less than five excellent wide receivers between these two teams, one top ten tight end, and two national championship-winning college quarterbacks who have shown they have what it takes to play in the NFL.

We should see plenty of passing offense and plenty of points (according to Vegas), and points come from sustained drives which is what we want for IDP production. I like this matchup quite a bit in Week 1 and am starting several of the options listed below personally in my own leagues.

Cincinnati Bengals

Chidobe Awuzie (CB): Awuzie was off to a stellar start last year before a mid-season injury took him out but also gave us the gift of Cam Taylor Britt. With them both on the field this season I think you’re OK starting either as a cornerback two plus in medium to deeper leagues. He should play every snap at the minimum and the matchup is correct.

Cam Taylor Britt (CB): Taylor Britt carried many of us into the fantasy playoffs last season after he burst onto the scene replacing the injured Awuzie, he should continue to be productive and play every snap this year and the matchup is correct. He is a start as a cornerback two plus in medium to deeper leagues.

Mike Hilton (CB): Hilton however should play the least of these three and while many are banking on him blitzing often as he did in Pittsburgh he hasn’t recorded a sack since 2020 when he was a Steeler. He’s still a start but as a cornerback four plus in deeper leagues.

Cleveland Browns

Denzel Ward (CB): While Denzel doesn’t have the greatest combined tackle floor he is most certainly a splash play machine and the odds are good for one in this here matchup. He gains value in leagues where tackles are devalued and splash plays (interceptions, sacks) are worth more IDP points overall. I would start him as a cornerback two in leagues of all sizes this week. The matchup is terrific and he’ll play every snap. It’s a bit of a risk with the low tackle floor but this matchup screams splash play opportunity for Ward in Week 1.

Greg Newsome (CB): While Newsome should play every snap, we saw that most of last season as well, he hasn’t been very productive with that playing time over the course of his career. This stellar matchup makes up for that some but I’d still only start him as a cornerback three plus in medium to deeper leagues.

Martin Emerson (CB): Emerson made a bit of a splash last season as an injury replacement and appears to have earned himself a starting role this season. He or Newsome will play the nickelback role and may see slightly reduced snaps. We won’t know which one will until after we see some snaps, but this matchup is beautiful therefore he has value. I’d start him as a cornerback two plus in medium to deeper leagues.

Jaguars at Colts

Outlook: Last season’s 10th and 23rd-ranked passing offenses face off indoors in Indy where mother nature can’t interfere, that’s always a slight positive bump in our favor. With Jonathan Taylor sidelined due to stupidity and the line actively moving in the Jags’ favor the over/under of 45.5 is good for us but most of those points may end up on the Jacksonville side of the scoreboard.

The Jaguars targeted their wide receivers seventh most in the league last season and added Calvin Ridley to an already impressive corps of pass catchers. This is starting to look more and more like a great week for our Colts cornerback options. We can throw out the Colts wide receiver targets ranking from last season since we have a new starting quarterback in town.

Unfortunately for us that quarterback is Anthony Richardson, who averaged fewer than 15 completed passes a game against SEC not NFL defenses, and appears to be a running quarterback at the moment. This plus the Jaguars likely dominating the time of possession battle as they handily annihilate the Colts in Week 1 means a less-than-favorable setup for our Jaguars cornerback options. The passes completed floor we like to see may not be there with a rookie quarterback and a wide receiver corps devoid of noteworthy talent beyond Michael Pittman.

We look to completed passes as our floor each week, a completed pass means our cornerback makes the tackle and we get points. It also means that the opportunity for a pass defense (another category to score IDP points) will be there early and often if we see a good amount of completed passes per game from the opposing quarterback. We plan on tackles and passes defended, interceptions do occur but are random, sporadic, and completely unpredictable. With that in mind, we aim for situations that will give us those tackles and pass defense and anything else we get is icing on the cake.

All that to say this lines up perfectly for our Colts cornerbacks in Week 1 while I will be sitting all my Jaguars options. There are plenty of excellent streaming opportunities to come for Tyson Campbell and company it just won’t be in Week 1 against a rookie quarterback in his first-ever NFL start while missing his MVP-caliber running back security blanket due to an insane coked-up owner who misplaced his brain.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Tyson Campbell (CB): The only way I see any of these Jacksonville corners scoring solid IDP points in this one is through an interception or a few passes defended, and if anyone from this CB corps is going to do it, this is the guy. Coming off a stellar season he will play every snap and is an excellent option if the matchup is correct. Unfortunately, it isn’t so I’m sitting him in most leagues but he’s a start as a cornerback three plus in deep, dark degenerate leagues.

Darious Williams (CB): Williams is a good, solid option for deeper leagues that should play every snap but the matchup is not good at all. He’s a sit in Week 1. He will play enough if you need it though as a full-time 100% of snaps starter.

Tre Herndon (CB): Herndon is the least likely to have ideal playing time and is the least productive option of these three, he’s a sit everywhere due to matchup, playing time, historical production (or lack thereof), and talent level compared to Campbell and Williams.

Indianapolis Colts

Kenny Moore (CB): This one you don’t need me for: this guy is a start most weeks as a cornerback one regardless of matchup due to playing time, talent, historical production, and consistency. All of that plus the excellent matchup makes him a start in leagues of all sizes as a cornerback one.

Dallis Flowers (CB): Unfortunately, beyond Moore, we have a bunch of question marks as to who the other corners will be for the Colts. Most depth charts seem to agree that Dallis Flowers will see significant playing time in Week 1, that plus the matchup make him a start as a cornerback three plus in medium to deeper leagues. Be careful though this is anything but set in stone. Personally, I avoid situations like this, cornerback is so plentiful on waivers you almost never need to settle for an iffy situation just because the matchup is good. There are many other excellent matchups this week to take advantage of further down.

Juju Brents/Darrell Baker Jr (CB): Same deal here except if we see that Juju Brents clears his current hamstring injury and can play his draft capital almost guarantees some solid playing time in this one. The safer option though is to sit both of these gentlemen and see how it plays out, Brents is hurt and Baker Jr. hasn’t ever played a regular season game so far as I can see. It’s unfortunate that there’s so much uncertainty in this cornerback corps beyond Kenny Moore, it’s a waste of a great matchup. But sometimes avoiding a zero is as important as a great streaming cornerback call.

Buccaneers at Vikings

Outlook: While we can basically throw out all of last season’s rankings when it comes to Tampa Bay with the retirement of Tom Brady. We do know for certain that the 6th ranked (2022/23) Vikings passing attack that targeted its wide receivers second most in the entire league last season makes for one hell of a great setup for our Bucs cornerback options.

With an over/under of 45.5, this is another relatively high-scoring affair and it’s indoors in Minnesota. This is a picture-perfect matchup for our Tampa Bay options but for the Vikings, we have a cornerback corps in flux after the departure of Patrick Peterson and others plus an opponent starting Baker Mayfield who has always been a wildcard at quarterback.

Thankfully we have seen spurts of passing game greatness from Mayfield before, most of it in Oklahoma but occasionally in the NFL, and he happens to have two of the best wide receiver options in the league to throw to. This looks like a good one all around but clearly a picture-perfect setup for Carlton Davis and company.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Carlton Davis (CB): Davis has been in the overall cornerback one for IDP discussion in recent history and when he’s healthy he’s a top ten option for IDP cornerback hands down. He’ll very likely be responsible for Justin Jefferson who should be targeted early and often as is tradition. He plays every snap and is massively productive. I am starting him as a cornerback one in leagues of all sizes and feeling really good about it.

Jamel Dean (CB): Dean may not be nearly as productive as Davis but this is still a solid matchup for him and he’ll play every snap. Those two factors always give a corner value and he’s got it here in Week 1. I’d start him as a cornerback three plus in medium to deeper leagues.

Dee Delaney (CB): While I have seen the first two Bucs cornerback options play and routinely log 100% of snaps weekly for multiple seasons I have not seen that with Dee Delaney and/or whoever the third cornerback ends up being here. With that in mind, I’m sitting Delaney and we’ll readjust in Week 2 when we find out who that third cornerback is for sure and more importantly how much they’ll play.

Minnesota Vikings

Byron Murphy (CB): Murphy comes over from Arizona this past offseason where he made a name for himself as an excellent streaming cornerback option when the matchup is correct. It’s pretty good here but not perfect, with his responsibilities likely having him defend either Evans or Godwin he should be in for plenty of action and he will play every snap. I’d start him as a cornerback two plus in medium to deeper leagues.

Akayleb Evans (CB): We haven’t seen much of Evans’ career so far but a quick glance at the depth chart all but confirms he’ll be playing significant snaps in Week 1. There really isn’t anyone else beyond rookies and guys I’ve never heard of. Availability is the best ability, I’d start him as a cornerback three plus in medium to deeper leagues. This isn’t a bad “last corner” in those leagues with him likely having to defend Godwin or Evans and solid odds of him playing every snap.

Andrew Booth/Mekhi Blackmon (CB): Here’s where it gets murky. I’m unsure who the cornerback three will be here in Minnesota and instead of guessing and if I’m wrong you eat a zero I’m going to just recommend sitting them both and we’ll see how the snaps play out and readjust in Week 2.

Titans at Saints

Outlook: The Saints have a new commander at the helm so we can throw out last season’s passing offense rankings and wide receiver targets information. We do know that Derek Carr is capable of monster games and his wide receiver corps is loaded here in New Orleans. This game is indoors which is a plus but the over/under of 41.5 seems a bit low for the star power involved in this one.

The Titans were among the league’s worst passing attacks last season with a ranking of 30th overall in 2022/23 but added DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason which should improve both that ranking and their 29th overall wide receiver targets from last season. Between Burks and Hopkins and the tight end with the name I can’t pronounce (nevermind spell), we should see an improved passing attack from the Titans this year.

I like it but don’t love it. There are definitely some good options here and the matchup itself is mediocre overall. If you can aim any of these cornerback options toward your deeper leagues that’s probably where they make the most sense. There will be weeks where Roger McCreary and Marshon Lattimore are among the best possible streaming corner options but this week they’re just OK.

Tennessee Titans

Roger McCreary (CB): McCreary is coming off a stellar season where he burst onto the streaming corner scene and was an MVP option for many teams. He may end up as the nickelback this season which could result in slightly reduced playing time but we’ll have to see how the Week 1 snaps play out to make that adjustment. What we do know is he played a ton last season and was very productive and consistent. I’d start him as a cornerback two plus in medium to deeper leagues.

Kristian Fulton (CB): Fulton appears to have a locked-in weekly 100% of snaps role according to all the offseason depth charts I’ve seen but that’s about all he has going for him. He’s never been very productive and the matchup is good but not ideal, with that in mind I’d start him as a warm body cornerback four plus in the deepest, darkest and most degenerate leagues and sit him everywhere else.

Sean Murphy-Bunting (CB): Having come to Tennessee in the offseason, Murphy-Bunting wasn’t all that productive in Tampa Bay to begin with. Like Fulton most offseason depth charts have him slotted for 100% of snaps with McCreary as the nickelback but until we see it we won’t know for sure. I’d start him as a warm body cornerback four plus in the deepest, darkest, and most degenerate leagues and sit him everywhere else.

New Orleans Saints

Marshon Lattimore (CB): Always a top 20 option at streaming corner and usually that’s regardless of the matchup being correct or not, he’s that good. Lattimore should be heavily involved with defending DeAndre Hopkins and is a good bet for a splash play beyond his normal combined tackles floor. I’d start him as a cornerback two in leagues of all sizes.

Paulson Adebo (CB): There’s some uncertainty as to the playing time breakdown for both Abebo and Taylor this upcoming season but both appear to have secured meaningful playing time. Articles point toward Taylor possibly playing the nickelback, which usually means 70-80% of snaps per game instead of the 100% we look for but we won’t know for sure until we see the Week 1 snaps. The Titans don’t pass all that much to begin with and since we don’t know how much Treylon Burks will be involved after that training camp injury the smart move is to sit both Adebo and Taylor and see how it plays out then readjust heading into Week 2.

Alontae Taylor (CB): See above, I’m sitting Taylor in Week 1. However, if you need it he was far more productive than Adebo when we saw both play last season and has better odds of matching or beating his projection than him if I had to bet on it.

49ers at Steelers

Outlook: Two very defensive-minded teams that were both middle of the pack in regards to passing offense last season battle it out in Pittsburgh to start their respective seasons. Both of these teams were also about average when it comes to targeting their talented wide receivers last season and we’ve got an over/under of 40.5 which suggests what many of us already expect.

This game should be a defensive struggle, a true black-and-blue affair where these two excellent defenses limit the completed passes floor we look to for cornerback streaming. On the upside, we do have plenty of talent on either team’s wide receiver corps with the likes of George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, Brandon Aiyuk, and Deebo Samuel, but unfortunately for us, a pair of inexperienced young quarterbacks will be attempting to pass them the ball.

More than likely Kenny Pickett and Brock Purdy will be spending their time running for their lives as TJ Watt, Nick Bosa, and company try to decapitate them snap after snap. I’m not touching this one personally, I won’t have any of these cornerback options going myself but we’ll cover the options for those of you in much deeper leagues that have fewer choices in these matters.

San Francisco 49ers

Deommodore Lenoir (CB): Lenoir is typically an excellent option who plays every snap and is a dark horse candidate to finish the season as a top-ten IDP cornerback. He’s terrific when the matchup is correct but this isn’t it so that limits where it makes sense to play him. He will absolutely play enough and is productive enough to be a cornerback four plus (start) in the deepest of leagues as a start but any shallower the league or format and he’s a sit due to matchup.

Chavarious Ward (CB): Same deal here with Ward, he should play every snap as well and has been plenty productive in the past, especially in the right matchup. He’s a legit option as a cornerback four plus (start) in the deepest of leagues but anything shallower doesn’t make sense in Week 1.

Isaiah Oliver (CB): Oliver is the least likely to play every snap of these three and is the least productive of them by quite a bit. He’s a sit regardless of situation. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze in Week 1 for him.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Patrick Peterson (CB): The Steelers’ depth charts in regards to their cornerback corps are truly in disarray. If I had to bet on any of these options playing enough in Week 1 to warrant a start in any size league it’s Peterson, we’ve seen him do it for a long time and do it well. However, due to matchup, he’s only a start as a cornerback four plus in the deepest of leagues.

Levi Wallace (CB): Wallace played almost every snap weekly last season and feels like a good bet to play a decent amount in Week 1 but I can’t find any two offseason depth charts that agree on who the Steelers’ Week 1 cornerbacks will be so I’m advising caution beyond Peterson. Sit Wallace in Week 1 due to matchup and uncertainty as to who the Steelers’ corners will be right out the gate. We’ll know by Week 2 and will adjust accordingly.

Joey Porter Jr (CB): The rookie has great draft capital, genetics, and talent but we can’t know for sure he’ll even play in Week 1. It’s better to sit him and see how it plays out then readjust heading into Week 2. Better safe than sorry.

Chandon Sullivan (CB): Sullivan comes over from Minnesota this past offseason where he was fairly productive when healthy last season. I would think he’ll have some kind of role in Week 1 but the uncertainty plus bad matchup makes it an ill-conceived idea to start him especially when there are so many other better options out there just sitting on waivers in your league. Sit him for now.

Cardinals at Commanders

Outlook: Both of these teams will have new quarterbacks heading into this opening game so we can throw out last season’s passing offense and wide receiver target rankings. Vegas thinks this will be a very boring, low-scoring game with only a 38.5 over/under and they are probably correct.

What we could see though is most of those points on the Washington side of the scoreboard with a seven-point spread on the books in the Commanders’ favor. The Cardinals corners may have some value especially if Washington does dominate time of possession and those corners spend more time than usual on the field and rack up some extra production due to that factor.

This looks like a decent setup for our Arizona corners and a bad bet for our Washington options. Not only would we be relying on a backup quarterback for our completed passes floor the entire rest of that team is just as screwed up as the Cardinals swirl the toilet and head toward full-on rebuild mode. One half of a good matchup in the end so we’ll take advantage of those Arizona CB streams and leave the Commanders options for a better week and matchup down the road.

Arizona Cardinals

Marco Wilson (CB): Both Wilson and the next guy we’re going to talk about are not well known at all in IDP land but are lining up to be excellent streaming corner options this season. Wilson especially will play every snap every week on a defense that should be on the field an ungodly amount this season. That plus likely being responsible for defending Dotson or Scary Terry (if he’s healthy enough to go, Samuel if not, he’ll be guarding one of the big dogs no doubt) means he’ll be involved early and often. I’d start Wilson as a cornerback two in leagues of all sizes.

Antonio Hamilton (CB): Hamilton is the other corner here likely to see every snap every week and will benefit from the same factors I described above for Wilson. Better than that he’s even less well known than Wilson so you can probably get him off waivers in just about any league. I’d start him as a cornerback three plus in medium to deeper leagues.

Kris Boyd/Kei’Trel Clark (CB): Unfortunately this is where the good times must end for our Cardinals options in Week 1. I have no earthly clue which one of these guys will be the third cornerback option for Arizona. With that in mind, we sit them both and see how it plays out, we’ll adjust accordingly and have that information for Week 2.

Washington Commanders

Kendall Fuller (CB): If you have to start any Commanders corner in Week 1 and endure this terrible matchup this is the guy. He’s been an excellent IDP cornerback for a long time and has delivered in bad matchups before. He will play every snap. I’m not starting him personally due to matchup but he’ll play enough and makes sense as a start in much deeper leagues as a cornerback four plus.

Emmanuel Forbes (CB): The rookie has excellent draft capital and not a ton in the form of competition in regards to securing a starting cornerback slot here this season. We can’t say that for absolute certain though and since this matchup is horrendous we’ll sit Forbes and see how much he plays in Week 1. There are better options out there let’s take advantage of those and skip the iffy stuff at least until we know how much these guys will play each week.

Jatavius Martin/Benjamin St Juste (CB): Thankfully we have a truly terrible matchup so we don’t even need to attempt to figure this one out. One of these guys will see significant snaps in Week 1 and will be an option here going forward but I have no idea who it will be. We’ll know by Week 2 and will adjust from there. Sit them both.

Packers at Bears

Outlook: The Packers will have a new quarterback at the helm this season so last season’s pass offense rankings and wide receiver targets are null. We can assume that Christian Watson and Romeo Dobbs will see plenty of targets though so the top two cornerback options for Chicago should see some work. Vegas has this at a 44 for the over/under so we should see some offense here but nothing crazy.

For the reverse, we have last season’s dead-last passing attack and the second-worst team in the league in regards to targeting their wide receivers. The addition of DJ Moore and another offseason for Fields to develop may help those rankings but I wouldn’t think it’s going to be a night and day type transformation. There was a chunk of last year where Justin Fields completed fewer than ten passes per game for months plural.

That’s obviously not great for our Packers options, with fewer completed passes likely to occur they’ll have to rely upon splash plays for their production and that’s never a good bet. So we’ve got plenty of negative factors here and this is outdoors in literally “the windy city.” I’m passing on most of these options myself but I should have some Rasul Douglas and Kyler Gordon in much deeper leagues simply due to talent level and past production.

Green Bay Packers

Rasul Douglas (CB): Without a doubt the best option of the really excellent streaming cornerback options on the Packers. Douglas has been a top-ten IDP cornerback option for the last season and a half, the only issue is the matchup which is obviously horrendous. He’s still talented, productive, and plays enough to be a start as a cornerback four plus in much deeper leagues though.

Jaire Alexander (CB): Alexander is an excellent real-life NFL player with the PFF score to match, he’s been the top-rated cornerback in the league per PFF in recent history. The downside to this is he tends to get avoided by the opposing quarterbacks because he’s dangerous to throw at. This can lead to entire games where his box score is essentially empty because of this factor. This plus the bad matchup means I won’t be partaking in Week 1 (sit him), however, he’s a more than adequate warm body if you need it in those deep degenerate leagues.

Keisean Nixon (CB): Nixon’s true value is if your league scores return yardage, he had multiple triple-digit return yardage games last season and is capable of taking it to the house. Unfortunately, his playing time as a cornerback is limited, and as a result so is his production. Sit unless your league has return yards, in that case, you’ll have to make the call where to start him since it depends on that scoring.

Chicago Bears

Kyler Gordon (CB): Kyler is the best streaming cornerback option here by miles and miles, he’s coming off a stellar rookie season and should play plenty. He’s a start as a cornerback three plus in medium to deeper leagues.

Jaylon Johnson (CB): Jaylon was part of the shenanigans that involved every corner not named “Kyler Gordon” last season in Chicago. Between injury and trying to find talented starters, there was a rotating cast of characters last season so Johnson’s grasp on a starting role feels iffy at best. The matchup is anyone’s guess with the new quarterback in Green Bay so I’m sitting him in Week 1 and we’ll readjust after seeing the snaps.

Tyrique Stevenson (CB): The rookie is slotted into the third cornerback slot here according to most offseason depth charts but we haven’t seen it yet so that makes it dangerous. That factor plus the iffy matchup means the smart move is to sit him in Week 1 and we’ll adjust accordingly in Week 2 after seeing snaps.

Raiders at Broncos

Outlook: The Raiders have a new quarterback at the helm but I think we can all agree that Jimmy G and Derek Carr are pretty close in regards to talent level so last season’s 11th overall ranking for passing offense and 12th overall ranking for targeting wide receivers is probably still pretty close. The Broncos were the 19th-ranked passing offense that targeted their wide receivers 22nd most in the league, obviously, neither are great.

Not to mention the Denver wide receiver corps is shredded with injury and last season “touchdowns to toilets” was a real statistic we followed in regards to Russel Wilson. Vegas has this one at 44 for an over/under so we’ll see some offense but not a shootout either. This appears to be a pretty good opportunity to start our Denver corners against Devante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and company but beyond Nate Hobbs and Marcus Peters in degenerate leagues, I’m off the Vegas options here.

Las Vegas Raiders

Marcus Peters (CB): Peters has a long and storied history as a streaming cornerback option with a well-deserved reputation for delivering splash plays. His tackle floor may be OK at best but he’s got the best odds of any Vegas corner to pick one off and return it to the house. He’s a start as a cornerback four plus in deep degenerate leagues.

Nate Hobbs (CB): Hobbs is among the likely candidates to be the overall cornerback one for all of IDP by the end of this season. He averages around seven combined tackles a game and has been on track to cross 100 combined tackles as a cornerback the last two seasons with only injury having stopped him from doing so. The matchup doesn’t appear to matter to him as he’s produced in every situation imaginable. He’s a start in leagues of all sizes as a cornerback one.

Brandon Facyson/Jakorian Bennett (CB): There’s some uncertainty and disagreement between the offseason depth charts I’ve seen in regard to who the last cornerback will be in Vegas for Week 1. Thankfully the matchup isn’t anything special so we can sit them both, see how it plays out, and readjust heading into Week 2.

Denver Broncos

Patrick Surtain (CB): Easily the most talented and productive option for the Broncos cornerback corps, Surtain is also a lock to play every snap as well. He’s a start as a cornerback two plus in medium to deeper leagues.

Damari Mathis (CB): Mathis should also play every snap and while he isn’t nearly as good as Surtain he’s in a similar situation with this matchup and you can probably get Mathis off waivers a heck of a lot easier than Surtain. He’s a start as a cornerback three plus in medium to deeper leagues.

Essang Bassey (CB): Bassey is the least likely to give us the kind of playing time we like to see and is the least productive of the Broncos corners. I’d sit him in Week 1 since the odds are he won’t be responsible for Adams or Renfrow and might be far less involved overall.

Dolphins at Chargers

Outlook: Last season’s fourth and third overall passing offenses face off in beautiful Los Angeles with a predicted over/under of 51 freaking points! These teams targeted their wide receivers the fifth and fourth most in the entire league last season. Literally, all signs point to a shootout of epic proportions.

When we also factor in the star power here both at quarterback on these teams and especially at wide receiver we have easily one of the best matchups in Week 1 to stream cornerback from. The only downgrade is the injury to Jalen Ramsey which is truly a shame because this would have been a picture-perfect place to start him. All systems are go for this one.

Miami Dolphins

Xavien Howard (CB): Howard has long been an excellent streaming corner option for us. He’ll play every snap and while his tackle floor isn’t the greatest he’s had double-digit interception seasons in recent history and is the most likely to secure a splash play of the Miami options. I’d start him as a cornerback three in medium to deeper leagues. And that’s only so low due to the bad tackle floor, if your league devalues tackles and really focuses on pass defense and interceptions he’s a cornerback two easily.

Kader Kohou (CB): Kohou put up terrific numbers last season and with the injury to Jalen Ramsey any questions about his playing time have disappeared for now. He’ll play every snap and his tackle floor was really good last year. I’d start him as a cornerback two in leagues of all sizes.

Eli Apple (CB): The free agent replacement to “hold the line” until Jalen Ramsey returns from injury will likely play the least of these corners and has never been anything special. The matchup is correct though so I’d start him as a cornerback four in deep degenerate leagues.

Jalen Ramsey (CB): Sit, he’s injured until November at the earliest, unfortunately.

Los Angeles Chargers

Asante Samuel Jr (CB): With the playing time, historical production, matchup, and genetics all in his favor Samuel Jr. makes a great Week 1 option. I’d start him as a cornerback two in leagues of all sizes.

Michael Davis (CB): Davis has almost all the same positive factors that Samuel has except no one knows who he is. That means he’s likely sitting on waivers right now if you want to fire him up which is not a bad idea at all with this matchup. I’d start him as a cornerback three in medium to deeper leagues.

JC Jackson (CB): This may seem counterintuitive but I don’t really trust this. The middle to end of last season Jackson was benched and he’s been in a battle to become a starter again all offseason. I need to see it first to feel good about it. So I’ll be sitting him to avoid danger. It’s hard to pass up a great matchup like this and everyone knows this guy from his Patriots days but he just wasn’t the same player in Los Angeles last season and we can’t take a zero in Week 1. We’ll adjust accordingly after we see some snaps.

Eagles at Patriots

Outlook: The ninth and 20th overall passing attacks from last season kick off Week 1 in New England with an over/under of 45 points. The Eagles were also ninth in targeting their excellent wide receivers last season which makes our Patriots options look pretty good in this one. For the reverse, the Patriots only target their wide receivers 25th most in the league last year and their overall talent at wide receiver hasn’t improved all that much in the offseason beyond Smith-Schuster.

Bill Belichick always finds a way to compete in these games that upon initial observation appear to be an obvious bloodbath but in general, I’m skipping any Eagles corners in Week 1. The Patriots are a run-and-play defense team that tries to limit their mistakes and win in the most boring way humanly possible. Despite some excellent options in Darius Slay and James Bradberry, I won’t be starting them unless in a truly deep league.

And while this appears to be a slam dunk for our Patriots cornerbacks we need to remember that no one on that defense plays every snap. Even their best cornerback, Jonathan Jones, will likely top out around 80% of snaps if we’re lucky. Beyond that the Patriots never do the same thing twice so we really need to see how this thing plays out before we have any idea who their preferred cornerbacks will be this season.

Those factors limit the upside for these Pats corners so despite a great matchup against an excellent quarterback, two Pro Bowl wide receivers, and a Pro Bowl tight end we need to take that into consideration when deciding what size leagues those Pats corners make sense in or if we’re starting them at all.

Philadelphia Eagles

Darius Slay (CB): In anything resembling a decent matchup Slay is a solid option that will play every snap. This isn’t that so he’s a start only in the deepest of leagues as a cornerback four plus and a sit everywhere else.

James Bradberry (CB): Same deal here, Bradberry has been an excellent streaming corner option for many years but this matchup isn’t ideal for him. He’ll play every snap so he’s still a start in the deepest of leagues as a warm body cornerback four plus but for most of us he’s a sit in Week 1.

Avonte Maddox (CB): Maddox will play the least of these options, likely around 70% of snaps or so, but he’s more than capable of huge weeks in the box score. The slight downgrade in playing time plus the bad matchup makes him a sit in Week 1 though.

New England Patriots

Jonathan Jones (CB): The Patriots are notorious for never doing the same thing twice when it comes to their IDP playing time, the safest option of this bunch is Jonathan Jones. Assuming he’s healthy (he’s banged up as of the time of writing) he’s a start as a cornerback two in leagues of all sizes with this juicy matchup.

Jack Jones (CB): Here’s where it gets weird, Jack Jones will play but how much is anyone’s guess. I’m sitting him personally but the matchup is correct so it’s not a bad bet if you want to do it, I’m not recommending it though. Sit for Week 1 and we’ll readjust after seeing some snaps.

Christian Gonzalez (CB): The rookie is currently slotted into almost every preseason depth chart I can get my hands on but I trust that zero percent. Until we see it in real life it’s just speculation. Sit him in Week 1 and we’ll see how it plays out, that’s a better option than guessing wrong and getting a zero.

Marcus Jones (CB): If I had to bet on a second cornerback here getting solid playing time and therefore production in Week 1 it would be this guy. He ended last season red hot but if your league doesn’t have return yards his value is limited. I would start him in leagues with return yards as a cornerback three plus in medium to deeper leagues and sit him if your league doesn’t have return yards. We’ll see how Week 1 plays out and adjust accordingly.

Rams at Seahawks

Outlook: Last season’s 27th and 12th overall passing attacks that targeted their wide receivers 15th and 14th respectively battle in Seattle in Week 1. Las Vegas is predicting a shootout with a 46.5 over/under but the recent injury to Cooper Kupp may affect both the line and the over/under before this article publishes.

As crazy as it sounds I truly believe quite a bit rests on whether or not Kupp plays in this one for whether or not we fire up Tariq Woolen and to a lesser extent whether we get the back-and-forth shootout that Vegas initially predicted. Without him, this Rams team becomes one-dimensional and will probably get annihilated. Even with him they’re still probably going to lose but without him, this isn’t even a game in my opinion.

Regardless on the other side, it’s all systems go for our Rams cornerbacks if we can even figure out who they are against this excellent Seahawks passing attack that got even better this offseason with the addition of perhaps the best rookie wide receiver of the entire draft.

Los Angeles Rams

Cobie Durant (CB): At least the preseason depth charts all agree that this guy will play in Week 1. Beyond him I can’t find anything other than guesses at the rest of the starting cornerbacks for the Rams in Week 1. He appears to be a decent start as a cornerback three in medium to deeper leagues, I can’t upgrade him any further since we’ve never seen him have a real role before so this is all based on guesswork.

Tre Tomlinson/Derion Kendrick/Akhello Witherspoon (CB): There is an absolute mess beyond Durant when it comes to the rest of the projected Week 1 cornerbacks. I did some digging and can’t find anything solid, if I had to guess I’d say Witherspoon should have some kind of role since he’s at least a seasoned veteran but even that feels iffy. I’m not starting any of these guys, I’m going to sit them all and wait to see the snaps then adjust from there. I’m sure I could spend the next hour tracking down beat writer Tweets from all offseason but with well over 90 available cornerbacks in Week 1 my advice would be just pick one that you know will play.

Seattle Seahawks

Tariq Woolen (CB): Not only is Woolen the safest cornerback here with all the confusion beyond him in the depth chart but if Cooper Kupp starts this is likely the guy that should be chasing him around all day. Start as a cornerback two in leagues of sizes regardless due to what we saw last season, which was incredible weekly productivity even in bad matchups and full playing time every week all season.

Michael Jackson (CB): Here’s where the shenanigans start. Depth charts stop agreeing on who will be starting beyond Woolen with one of these next three being the odd man out. If I had to guess I’d say it’s Witherspoon in Week 1 but since the Rams passing attack is garbage beyond targeting Kupp we can just sit the rest of the options here and see how this thing plays out. (Sit)

Coby Bryant (CB): Sit due to matchup and uncertainty as to whether or not he’ll have a starting role in Week 1.

Devon Witherspoon (CB): Sit due to matchup and uncertainty as to whether or not he’ll have a starting role in Week 1.

Cowboys at Giants

Outlook: The overall 14th and 26th passing offenses respectively from last season kick off Week 1 in the Big Apple. The Cowboys targeted their wide receivers 16th most in the league last year but that could improve as they really dialed things back for about a month while Cooper Rush took over for an injured Prescott. The Giants targeted their wide receivers 18th most in the league last season.

Las Vegas has this one at a 46.5 over/under so we should have plenty of fireworks in this divisional showdown. This one is pretty simple for me, I love Adoree Jackson and our Giants options as the Cowboys pass too much for their own good these days and for Dallas, if it isn’t Trevon Diggs or Stephon Gilmore I’m not interested.

Those two are at least talented and will play enough to perhaps secure a splash play that could catapult them past their respective projections but I doubt the completed passes floor we’d like to see from the Giants will be there in Week 1 or really any point this season. Daniel Jones is not Kurt Warner for the new generation I think we can all agree on that.

Dallas Cowboys

Trevon Diggs (CB): Diggs has been the overall cornerback one for IDP in recent history and is always a threat for a splash play. However, since we can’t count on Daniel Jones completing a ton of passes in this one the floor is limited so I’d only start him as a cornerback three in medium to deeper leagues.

Stephon Gilmore (CB): Gilmore came over from Indy this past offseason and has had a long career where he’s been a solid streaming cornerback option for us routinely. He should play every snap just like Diggs but he’s limited for the same reasons I laid out above. I’d start him as a cornerback four in deeper degenerate leagues this week.

Jourdan Lewis (CB): Lewis plays the least of these three corners and should top out around 70% of snaps in Week 1. This plus the mediocre matchup against a running quarterback and a team without a standout wide receiver corps makes him a sit in Week 1 for me.

New York Giants

Adoree Jackson (CB): Jackson is one of my favorite corners to stream this week and I’ve personally got him going in several places. He’s always heavily involved and even returned punts last season, he’ll play every snap and have CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks to contend with plus Dak Prescott who throws interceptions as often as I get bubble guts after eating Taco Bell (always). Things look really good for Jackson in Week 1, he’s a start as a cornerback one in leagues of all sizes.

Deonte Banks (CB): Banks has the draft capital to start in Week 1 and the preseason depth charts I’ve read all seem to agree he will do just that right away. It’s definitely a risk though, until we actually see him play it’s just speculation. I’m sitting him personally but on paper, he’s a start as a cornerback three in medium to deeper leagues.

Darnay Holmes/Tre Hawkins (CB): There’s some uncertainty as to who the cornerback three will be in New York this season and beyond that it’s likely this particular CB slot won’t play every snap, unlike the first two options we’ve discussed. With all that in mind I’m sitting both of these guys and waiting to see snaps, we’ll adjust accordingly in Week 2.

Bills at Jets

Outlook: The Bills and their seventh overall passing attack from last season face off against the new-look Jets with Aaron Rodgers at the helm. The Bills targeted their wide receivers 8th most in the league last season and obviously, we can’t trust the passing offense or wide receiver targets rankings for last season’s Jets team with Zach Wilson at the helm back then. They’ve clearly upgraded significantly at quarterback.

With an over/under of 46.5, this should be a shootout with plenty of offense on both sides and we’ve got two excellent quarterbacks plus plenty of wide receiver talent to ensure solid cornerback streams for both teams. This is my third favorite matchup this week behind the Lions/Chiefs and Dolphins/Chargers and I’m absolutely firing up multiple cornerback options from this one in many different leagues. This is a great place to stream corner from in Week 1.

Buffalo Bills

Taron Johnson (CB): Johnson has been an absolute tackle monster in recent history and will play every snap. He’s in a terrific matchup and is a great start as a cornerback one in leagues of all sizes this week.

Tre’Davious White (CB) White’s last season was injury-plagued but he’s finally totally healthy and ready to roll, he’ll also play every snap and has been an excellent streaming corner option traditionally. I’d start him as a cornerback three in medium to deeper leagues.

Kair Elam/Dane Jackson/Christian Benford (CB): Unfortunately there is some uncertainty as to who will be the third cornerback here in Buffalo heading into the season. It’s probably Dane Jackson but we can’t say for sure so I’m sitting all these guys and we’ll see how it plays out and adjust for Week 2.

New York Jets

Sauce Gardner (CB): Many IDP enthusiasts with a base-level knowledge of this format think this will be the overall cornerback one this season and it’s certainly a possibility. With this position however the better you are in real-life football the more it hurts you for IDP cornerback production since opposing offenses tend to stay away from you once they realize how dangerous you are. That’s likely the case here but he should still be a start this week as a cornerback two in leagues of all sizes due to being responsible for Stefon Diggs or Gabriel Davis and there’ll be plenty of work defending either option.

DJ Reed (CB): I like Reed maybe even a little more than Sauce in Week 1 since he’s the “lesser of two evils” and may be picked on a bit more in coverage, he’ll also likely be defending Diggs or Davis, whichever one Sauce isn’t responsible for. He’s a start as a cornerback two in leagues of all sizes.

Michael Carter (CB): Carter won’t play every snap unlike the other two corners here but should still see around 80% in Week 1. He’s less likely to have a spectacular box score but has been plenty productive in recent history, especially in those deeper leagues where starting him makes sense. I’d start him as a cornerback four in deep, degenerate leagues.

---

Want a faster version?

Check out the audio version of this article in The IDP After Show feed for a quick rundown of every week’s best and worst games to stream from plus my favorite streams of each week. I’ll be highlighting all the most important information from this article in a quick and easily digestible audio podcast that should run around 20-30 minutes.

---

Additional Resources & Contact Information

Reminder! These are only suggestions, your responsibility for your lineup is yours and yours alone. However with that being said these are the same moves I’m making myself in my double-digit amount of redraft leagues and another 20 or so dynasty leagues so we sink or swim together. Remember to check inactives before kickoff to prevent any surprise zeroes.

We make the best decisions we can with the information we have available at the time and after that, it’s in the hands of the fantasy Gods. I’ve averaged approximately 72% accuracy matching or beating projections since I started writing this article series four seasons ago. I want to win just as badly as you do so I promise you I’ll do everything in my power to make sure these suggestions are solid.

There will be a weekly transparency thread prior to each week’s cornerback streaming calls where I review the previous week’s results. If I’m in a slump you’ll know it. This is year 20 of IDP for me and a normal season should put me well past 40 titles and 60 plus 2nd/3rd place finishes across redraft and dynasty plus a ton more in best ball, DFS, eliminators, salary cap, etc. You’re in good hands here at the cornerback corner, this is not my first rodeo.

For additional IDP resources please see idpguys.org and footballguys.com. For weekly in-season waivers and playing time report/podcast, please see my work with @TheIDPTipster on the SGPN network. Gary (IDP Tipster) also does an article series there utilizing his start/sit charts which are a great resource for your non-cornerback start/sit decisions.

For any questions/comments, to discuss specific cornerback streams, or to talk IDP in general, hit up my Twitter, @Orangeman3142, or email Johnysmack3141@yahoo.com. Good luck this week and let’s go get those titles!