Johny The Greek's Cornerback Corner: Week 7
Who are the best and worst CB streaming options for Week 7?
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.
Last week I made 64 different start/sit calls and had yet another week of above average accuracy when compared to the last four seasons of this article series with 75% of all calls being correct.
Of the 64 calls I made last week, 7 were declared inactive or injured during play. We don’t count acts of God here, so subtracting those players we’re left with 57 adjusted calls. Of those, 43 were correct (matched, beat, or were within a slim margin of their projection on Yahoo and MFL), and 14 were incorrect (didn’t match or beat projection and weren’t even close), giving us 75% accuracy for Week 6.
Of those 43 correct calls, 23 of them were “massive hits” (more than doubled or even tripled their projection), giving us a 53% massive hit rate on correct calls for Week 6. We sit at 80% accuracy overall for the season with 47% of all correct calls ending up as “massive hits.”
Week 1: 77% accuracy, 40% massive hit rate
Week 2: 86% accuracy, 50% massive hit rate
Week 3: 84% accuracy, 40% massive hit rate
Week 4: 78% accuracy, 52% massive hit rate
Week 5: 82% accuracy, 48% massive hit rate
Week 6: 75% accuracy, 53% massive hit rate
Cornerback Corner: Week 7
Jaguars at Saints (Indoors)
Outlook: We’ve got an early line of 43.5 here for this indoor affair between the hot Jaguars and the not-so-hot Saints. Trevor Lawrence has been solid all season in regards to his completed-passes floor, which sits around 24 per game, so our Saints corners are in a good position for value. When we factor on top of that this game is indoors and our Saints options, Lattimore and Taylor, are among the most talented and productive out there we’re looking great on that side of this matchup.
For the reverse, we can start our Jacksonville corners only in deeper leagues against this Saints passing attack that is now averaging under 20 completed passes per game. Derek Carr and the 24th-ranked (prior to Week 6) Saints passing attack has not lived up to expectations but they do target their wide receivers 11th most in the league (prior to Week 6, I’m writing these outlooks before the team stats update weekly). That should give us some value for Campbell (if he’s healthy) and Williams in deeper leagues at least.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Darious Williams (CB): Williams played 100% of snaps last week and continues to be red-hot in the box score, he’s a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week with CB1/2 upside.
Tyson Campbell/Montriac Brown (CB): Campbell was injured last week and Brown was his direct replacement, whichever one is healthy should see solid snaps (close to if not 100% of the snaps) and would be a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues if it’s Campbell and as a CB4 in deeper leagues if it’s Brown.
Tre Herndon (CB): Herndon played just 51% of snaps last week in a pass-heavy game script, he’s a sit this week due to bad playing time and a low completion floor for Carr and the Saints.
New Orleans Saints
Paulson Adebo (CB): Adebo played the most with 94% of snaps last week but has also been the most injury-prone and least productive of our Saints cornerback options. He’s still a start this week but only as a CB4 in deeper leagues.
Marshon Lattimore (CB): Lattimore played 86% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Alontae Taylor (CB): Taylor only played 60% of snaps last week in a game script that didn’t favor the third cornerback in New Orleans. He’s still a start this week but only in deeper leagues as a CB4 due to the concerns with playing time.
Lions at Ravens (Check Weather)
Outlook: Las Vegas has this one at a decent 45 points for the over/under as two teams with playoff hopes face off outdoors in Baltimore. The Lions will provide plenty of value to Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens with their 9th-ranked passing attack, unfortunately, they only target their wide receivers 22nd most in the league but Humphrey at least should be OK (likely will be responsible for St. Brown).
For the reverse, it may be a tough day for Jerry Jacobs and company with this 26th-ranked Ravens passing attack that has struggled to complete passes to their wide receivers all season long. The Ravens only target those wide receivers the 27th most in the league as well. Jacobs and Sutton will still have some value, but likely only in deeper leagues with those factors at play.
Also, without a solid “completed passes” floor from Lamar Jackson and this Ravens passing offense (Lamar averaging just over 20 completed passes per game, not great) we’d be relying upon splash plays (sacks, picks, etc) for our cornerback production from Detroit this week and that’s never a great bet to make.
Detroit Lions
Jerry Jacobs (CB): Jacobs played 100% of snaps last week and is a start but only as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Cameron Sutton (CB): Sutton played 100% of snaps last week and is a start but only as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Brian Branch/Will Harris (CB/S): Branch was injured last week and was inactive, Harris has been his direct replacement from what I’ve seen. This is for the third cornerback role that typically plays around 70-80% of snaps per week. I would sit both options against this really bad Ravens passing attack. Not to mention we’d need to track Branch and his health all week until kickoff and this matchup isn’t worth that much work.
Baltimore Ravens
Brandon Stephens (CB/S): Stephens played 100% of snaps last week and is a start this week as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues.
Marlon Humphrey (CB): Humphrey saw his playing time continue to ramp up in his second game back from injury with 82% of snaps last week, he is a start as a CB2 in leagues of all sizes this week.
Arthur Maulet/Rock Ya-Sin/Ronald Darby (CB): After Humphrey and Stephens this cornerback corps is a mess, none of these guys saw North of 56% of snaps, and this third cornerback role itself has been in flux. Sit them all for now and we’ll see if a clear winner emerges down the road.
Raiders at Bears (Check Weather)
Outlook: We’ve got a surprising 46.5 over/under but that could easily change if the injury to Justin Fields is serious and he misses this game. Our Chicago cornerback options will have some value against this Raiders passing attack that is middle of the pack both in terms of overall passing offense and targeting their wide receivers. With Kyler Gordon back from IR, we’ll have a look at this new-look Bears cornerback corps and list those options below. If Jimmy G misses this week we’ll have to demote our Bears options accordingly.
For the reverse, our Raiders cornerbacks will have their value determined by whether or not it’s Justin Fields or Tyson Bagent (that’s the backup apparently?) under center for Chicago. If Nate Hobbs is healthy he can be started regardless, otherwise, it will be deeper leagues only for any Raiders against this middle-of-the-pack Bears passing attack with Fields at QB and probably some “sit” recommendations if it’s the backup.
The Bears are among the worst in the league for targeting their wide receivers (25th in 2023) to begin with so our Raiders were never going to be in a great position this week.
Las Vegas Raiders
Nate Hobbs/Amik Robertson (CB): Hobbs was inactive yet again last week and Robertson replaced him for the game and played 65% of snaps, if Hobbs is healthy then he’s an automatic start as a CB2 in leagues of all sizes. Robertson would be a sit due to this bad matchup and a lack of ideal playing time.
Marcus Peters (CB): Peters played 100% of snaps last week and is only a start due to his ideal playing time and long and productive career and history of producing even in crappy matchups like this one. He should only be started as a CB4 in much deeper leagues though.
Tyler Hall/Jakorian Bennett (CB): There is a clear fluctuation happening for this cornerback slot and it’s still very much up in the air, sit both for now until we get some clarity.
Chicago Bears
Jaylon Johnson (CB): Johnson played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week due to a lack of production when compared to Stevenson or Gordon.
Tyrique Stevenson (CB): Stevenson played 98% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Kyler Gordon (CB): Gordon was activated off IR late last week and played 61% of snaps in his first game back in a month or so. His playing time should continue to increase and he’s a start this week but only as a CB4 in deeper leagues until we see his full playing time again.
Greg Stroman (CB): With Gordon back from IR, (this occurred late last week, my apologies the article was out before I could warn anyone) Stroman has been displaced back to the bench, sit him until further notice.
Browns at Colts (Indoors)
Outlook: This could be a battle of backup quarterbacks as we know for sure that we’re getting Minshew again this week and could easily see DeShaun Watson sit yet again. Las Vegas seems to think this is a strong possibility with their over/under of 41.5. Our Browns should at least have some value as we saw Minshew complete 27 passes last week against the Jaguars.
For the reverse, whether it’s Watson or PJ Walker will have an effect on if we stream corner against this offense and if so how deep the league it would make sense to do so in. Walker looked anything but impressive last week but that was also against a much better defense than what we have with Indy this week. We’ll keep an eye on the injury updates throughout the week and I’ll list options for both possible instances below.
We can’t really use any of the rankings we typically look to with new quarterbacks under center so that doesn’t help either.
Cleveland Browns
Denzel Ward (CB): Ward played 92% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week. He’s a borderline CB2 in this matchup but he has games where he completely disappears.
Greg Newsome (CB): Newsome played 76% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Martin Emerson (CB): Emerson played 73% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week, he’s a bit more productive than Newsome.
Indianapolis Colts
Kenny Moore (CB): Moore played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week, upgrade to CB2 in leagues of all sizes if Watson is healthy enough to play.
Juju Brents (CB): Brents played 94% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Jaylon Jones (CB): Jones appears to have displaced Darrell Baker and played 75% of snaps last week, he’s a sit this week since we’ve only seen this very recently so it’s anything but set in stone plus this matchup and his playing time aren’t great at all.
Bills at Patriots (Check Weather)
Outlook: Las Vegas has this one at a 44.5 over/under with the Bills giving 8.5 points, all signs are pointing to an easy Bills victory despite this being a divisional game. We can absolutely fire up our Patriots’ cornerback options against this 4th overall-ranked Bills passing attack that targets their wide receivers the 10th most in the league. It should be a nice week for JC Jackson and Jonathan Jones at the minimum.
For the reverse, this Patriots passing attack is ranked in the middle of the pack this season but lately has been horrendous. They surprisingly target their wide receivers the 5th most in the league. Between the impending negative game script that New England will suffer through and the likelihood that Mac Jones (or whoever replaces him) will throw some interceptions, we could have a sneaky-good setup for Benford, Johnson, and company.
The weird mix of high wide receiver target ranking plus the poor play we’ve seen recently could lead to some mistakes and splash plays for our Bills options. That’s never a great bet but it’s an option at least, and we certainly need those with six teams on bye this week.
Buffalo Bills
Dane Jackson/Kaiir Elam (CB): Jackson was inactive last week and Elam replaced him, this matchup isn’t worth tracking the injury status of Jackson but whichever plays should see 100% of snaps this week so it’s an option if you need it. They’re a sit for me though.
Christian Benford (CB): Benford played 100% of snaps last week and had a huge week in the box score but he’s typically been not very productive, I’d only start him as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Taron Johnson (CB): Johnson saw a season-high 95% of snaps last week but is only a start as a CB4 in much deeper leagues this week due to the matchup.
New England Patriots
JC Jackson (CB): Jackson played 96% of snaps in his second game back in a Patriots uniform, he has jumped right over Jones and Bryant in terms of the playing time pecking order. He’s a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues with a ceiling of a CB2, I’m hesitant making the CB2 call though since this cornerback corps is in flux in regards to playing time.
Jonathan Jones (CB): Jones played 79% of snaps last week as the clear cornerback two on this defense, he’s a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Myles Bryant (CB): Surprisingly, Bryant saw his playing time slashed last week down to just 63% of snaps played. He’s still a start with this ideal matchup, but only as a CB4 in deeper leagues.
Commanders at Giants (Check Weather)
Outlook: We’ve got another likely lower-scoring affair here with a 41.5 over/under and an outdoor game in windy and increasingly colder New York. We can pass on our Commanders in regards to cornerback streams this week completely against this 31st-ranked Giant’s passing attack. The Giants do target their wide receivers in the middle of the pack but that won’t help much. There are better streams to come for our Washington options.
For the reverse, the Commanders are the 12th best passing offense prior to Week 6 and target their wide receivers the 8th most in the league. This is a nice setup for our Giants’ cornerback options this week on paper but I’m not completely sold on Washington being a top-tier option to stream corner against. With that in mind, it’s deeper leagues only for our Giants in this one, but we do have some value for one side (Giants CBs) at least.
Washington Commanders
Benjamin St Juste (CB): St Juste played 98% of snaps last week and is a start but only as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week due to the bad matchup.
Kendall Fuller (CB): Fuller played 98% of snaps last week and is a start but only as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week due to the bad matchup.
Danny Johnson/Emmanuel Forbes (CB): Forbes was benched in favor of Johnson last week. Johnson only played 63% of snaps and this position is in flux plus we have a bad matchup to begin with so we can sit both of these options for this week.
New York Giants
Deonte Banks (CB): Banks played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Adoree Jackson (CB): Jackson only played 79% of snaps last week due to him coming off the field for a series with an apparent injury, he was able to return and finish the game. He’s a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Cor’Dale Flott (CB): Flott played 66% of snaps last week and is a sit this week due to a lack of ideal playing time plus some fluctuation with this third cornerback spot.
Falcons at Bucs (Check Weather)
Outlook: We’ve got another implied lower-scoring game here with a 40.5 over/under. Our Falcons options should have some value against Baker Mayfield and this 13th overall-ranked Tampa Bay passing attack. They target their wide receivers dead last in the entire league but a huge reason behind that is the early bye week they’ve had. If we add another 20 or 30 wide receiver targets (about what we would see in an average game) then they are right around the Eagles and in the middle of the pack. Terrell and Okudah should have some value as the likely candidates to cover Godwin and Evans at the minimum.
For the reverse, while we have great cornerback options with Carlton Davis and company, we don’t have a great setup against this 23rd-ranked Falcons passing attack that targets their wide receivers 20th in the league. Davis may be alright since he’ll likely be on Drake London but it gets real iffy after that. I wouldn’t expect a ton of value for our Tampa Bay options this week in general.
Atlanta Falcons
Jeff Okudah (CB): Okudah played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
AJ Terrell (CB): Terrell played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Dee Alford (CB): Alford played 90% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jamel Dean (CB): Dean played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Carlton Davis (CB): Davis played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Zyon McCollum (CB): With Dean back healthy this week, McCollum was back to essentially benched having played only 2% of snaps, he’s a sit until further notice.
Steelers at Rams (Indoors)
Outlook: We’ve got a 42.5 over/under for the matchup in Los Angeles. Our Steelers corners should have some value against Stafford and the 5th-ranked overall Rams passing attack that targets their wide receivers the second most in the entire league. Combined with the indoor game we have a really nice setup for Patrick Peterson and company.
For the reverse though, not great at all. This Steelers passing offense is ranked 27th in the league and they are in the middle of the pack in regards to targeting their wide receivers. Diontae Johnson may be returning from injury so that could help but in general, this setup for our Rams cornerbacks is far less than ideal. We’ll be happy with the good half of this matchup and keep it moving.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Levi Wallace (CB): Wallace played 94% of snaps the last time we saw him and he’s a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues with CB2 upside.
Patrick Peterson (CB): Peterson played 90% of snaps the last time we saw him and that will be closer to 100% against this much better passing attack with the Rams. He’s a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week with CB2 upside.
Joey Porter/Chandon Sullivan (CB): Porter and Sullivan continue to split the third cornerback position like Jalen Hurts’ booty cheeks on 4th and 1 as his offensive linemen cram him towards a first down. Neither has a ton of value at the moment with just 40% and 34% of snaps played respectively the last time we saw them, sit both for now but it appears that Porter’s time is coming soon.
Los Angeles Rams
Derion Kendrick (CB): Kendrick played 89% of snaps last week and is only a start as a CB4 in much deeper leagues this week, he and Witherspoon should be responsible for Diontae Johnson and George Pickens so that should create some value at least.
Akhello Witherspoon (CB): Witherspoon played 89% of snaps last week and is a start but only as a CB4 in deeper leagues.
Cobie Durant (CB): Durant played 87% of snaps last week and is a sit this week against this very bad Steelers passing attack, he will play enough if you need it in much deeper leagues though.
Cardinals at Seahawks (Check Weather)
Outlook: I was fairly surprised to see a 46.5 over/under for this matchup, which is outdoors in Seattle between two divisional rivals. Our Cardinals cornerbacks should continue to provide value against Geno Smith and this middle-of-the-pack Seahawks passing attack. Their wide receiver targets ranking is horrendous but, much like the Bucs who we discussed previously, are also coming off of a bye week so when we add those 20 or 30 targets they end up OK and in the middle of the pack for that ranking as well.
For the reverse, while Devon Witherspoon has shown the ability to excel no matter the matchup, he and the Seahawks cornerback corps could be in for an uphill climb against this 29th-ranked Cardinals passing attack. They target their wide receivers in the middle of the pack so nothing special there to offset this terrible overall passing offense ranking. As long as we’re using these Seattle options in deeper leagues we should be OK but the setup is definitely not ideal for them this week.
Arizona Cardinals
Marco Wilson (CB): Wilson played 100% of snaps last week and continues to be an excellent option week after week, he’s a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week with CB2 upside.
Antonio Hamilton (CB): Hamilton played 79% of snaps last week and is on track to completely displace Clark as the second starting cornerback here in the near future. He’s a start as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Kei’Trel Clark (CB): Clark continues to see his playing time reduced as Hamilton displaces him, he played just 56% of snaps last week and is a sit until further notice.
No other significant options (Jalen Thompson would be a start if he’s designated as a corner in your league of merit and is healthy this week though).
Seattle Seahawks
Devon Witherspoon (CB): Witherspoon played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week, obviously with a ton of upside but the matchup is far less than ideal.
Tariq Woolen (CB): Woolen played 100% of snaps last week and is a start but only as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Tre Brown/Michael Jackson/All Others (CB): Sit all other Seattle options for now, this third cornerback slot is still in flux as we saw Jackson displaced by Brown last week and haven’t had a solidified third option here all season.
Packers at Broncos (Check Weather)
Outlook: We’ve got another surprisingly high over/under at 46.5 for this matchup in Denver. The Packers passing attack is 21st overall in the league and they target their wide receivers in the middle of the pack. Neither factor is enough to move the needle one way or the other, we can start our normal Denver options but they’ll be recommended for deeper leagues only.
As for our Green Bay corners, this Denver passing attack is ranked 20th in the league and they target their wide receivers 22nd most in the league. Big-Booty-Jeudy is proving to be a bust and Broncos country is on a ride that closely resembles the last voyage of the Titanic. Regardless, there should be enough value for us to start Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas in deeper leagues and that’s really all we need out of this.
Green Bay Packers
Rasul Douglas (CB): Rasul always plays 100% of snaps as is tradition and is always a start, this week as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues.
Jaire Alexander (CB): Alexander played 100% of snaps last time we saw him and is a start as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Keisean Nixon (CB): Nixon only played 66% of snaps the last time we saw him but if your league has return yards (and scores them well) he’s pretty much an automatic start, otherwise sit for this week.
Denver Broncos
Patrick Surtain (CB): Surtain played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Damari Mathis (CB): Mathis played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Ja’Quan McMillan (CB): I had no idea this was a player until literally just this minute, sit for now, this feels anything but set in stone. He did play 73% of snaps the last time we saw him, which was the first time we saw him, but in general, this matchup isn’t worth the hassle. Sit for now and we’ll see if the playing time improves, beyond that it would be nice to see him get snaps in this position for more than a week before trusting it.
Chargers at Chiefs (Check Weather)
Outlook: With the highest over/under of the week so far at 52 points even, despite this being outdoors in Kansas City, it features two of the best quarterbacks in the league. The Chiefs passing attack is ranked 7th overall and their wide receiver targets ranking has drastically improved since last season and is now up to 4th overall. We can fire up our Chargers cornerbacks and feel pretty good about it.
For the reverse, this Chargers passing attack is ranked 6th overall and they target their wide receivers 21st most in the league overall. This is another picture-perfect L’Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie week and this matchup in general is the best one we’ve got for Week 7 (along with Miami/Philly) by miles and miles.
Los Angeles Chargers
Michael Davis (CB): Davis played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Asante Samuel Jr (CB): Samuel played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Ja’Sir Taylor (CB): Taylor played 75% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week. His role should be completely safe now that JC Jackson is gone.
Kansas City Chiefs
L’Jarius Sneed (CB): Sneed played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB1 in leagues of all sizes this week.
Trent McDuffie (CB): McDuffie played 92% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB2 in leagues of all sizes this week.
Jaylen Watson (CB): Watson played 48% of snaps last week and even with this terrific matchup I’m recommending we sit him, less than half of the total snaps just doesn’t cut it in my book. It’s a free country though, so it’s your call ultimately.
Dolphins at Eagles (Check Weather)
Outlook: The other matchup that could give the Chiefs/Chargers game a run for its money is this one. With a massive 53.5 over/under and a matchup of two explosive offenses led by veteran quarterbacks, no less than four pro-bowl wide receivers, and one pro-bowl tight end we’ve got the recipe for a real shootout in Philly.
The Eagles passing attack is ranked 10th overall but their wide receiver targets ranking is in the middle of the pack, that may not be a huge factor this week as we know they’ll need to pass early and often to keep up with this league-leading Miami offense. Our Miami corners are good to go.
For the reverse, this Dolphins passing attack is the best in the league and is ranked number one overall. They target their wide receivers the 12th most in the league and just like Philly they may need to be “less balanced” this week with an actual real offense across from them on this field. We can fire up Slay, Bradberry, and company and feel good about it I think.
Miami Dolphins
Eli Apple/Jalen Ramsey (CB): Apple played 94% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week, Ramsey is getting close to a return as well. If he can play this week he’d be a sit as they ease him back into the lineup.
Kader Kohou (CB): Kohou played 94% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB2 in leagues of all sizes this week.
Xavien Howard (CB): Howard played 81% of snaps then got to rest last week, he’s a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Philadelphia Eagles
James Bradberry (CB): Bradberry played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB2 in leagues of all sizes this week.
Darius Slay (CB): If Slay is healthy he’ll play 100% of snaps as is tradition, he’s a start as a CB2 in leagues of all sizes this week.
Josh Jobe (CB): Jobe played 82% of snaps last week and saw a bump due to Slay being inactive, he typically plays around 60/70% of snaps as the third cornerback role having replaced Avonte Maddox earlier this season. Jobe would be a start as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week if Slay is playing, and bump up to CB3 if Slay is inactive.
Bradley Roby (CB): Roby only saw 46% of snaps last week even with an inactive Slay, he’s a sit for now. This cornerback corps would need to be really shredded for him to see enough playing time for our consideration.
49ers at Vikings (Indoors)
Outlook: To end Week 7 we have a 45.5 over/under affair taking place indoors in Minnesota. The Vikings are down Justin Jefferson but the 49ers may be down Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffery, and perhaps even the best offensive tackle in the league with a banged-up Trent Williams. These teams will both be anything but full-strength.
We saw Kirk Cousins last week without Jefferson and despite that, he was still able to complete 21 passes, which should be enough to give our 49ers options some value even if it’s only in deeper leagues. We can’t count the Vikings’ 2nd overall ranking as a passing offense and 1st overall ranking for targeting their wide receivers as “real” with Justin Jefferson inactive, it’s smoke and mirrors without him out there.
As for the reverse, our Vikings’ cornerbacks should be just OK for deeper leagues as well against this 8th-ranked 49er passing attack that only targets their wide receivers 30th in the league. Without Deebo Samuel, that second ranking could plummet even more. The 49ers target their tight end, McCaffery out of the backfield, and occasionally take shots at Deebo and Aiyuk. With all that in mind, we should proceed with caution in regard to our Minnesota corners and only start them in those deeper leagues I mentioned earlier.
San Francisco 49ers
Chavarious Ward (CB): Ward played 100% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week with CB2 upside.
Deommodore Lenoir (CB): Lenoir played 95% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues with CB2 upside.
Isiah Oliver (CB): Oliver played 75% of snaps last week and is a start but only as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Minnesota Vikings
Byron Murphy (CB): Murphy played 98% of snaps last week and is a start as a CB3 in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Akayleb Evans (CB): Evans played 76% of snaps coming off of an injury last week and is a start as a CB4 in deeper leagues this week.
Andrew Booth/All others (CB): Booth only saw 39% of snaps last week and is a sit this week due to a lack of ideal playing time.
Have no idea what any of that was?
I’d recommend that you read the Week 1 edition of The Cornerback Corner. I intentionally made that one as detailed as humanly possible and explained nearly every aspect of cornerback streaming, what factors we look for, and why. There’s also a language key in that edition and every call (start or sit) is explained in detail using the factors we look to each week. Consider this the “primer” for the rest of the season if any of this reads like hieroglyphics.
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 before 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, as 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 reports/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!
In the Hollywood area and looking for a great place to meet other fantasy football degenerates, watch some games, and have some drinks? Hit up the “Touchdown Hoedown” event every Sunday from 1 pm to 8 pm PST at the Desert 5 Spot in Hollywood, CA, on 6516 Selma Avenue. Contact @Lam0nt562 on Twitter for more information!
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