Welcome back to the Cornerback Corner! As is tradition, we’ll start with transparency and then get right into this week’s calls.
Last week, I made 75 calls for leagues of all shapes and sizes. Of those 75 calls, 5 were declared inactive or injured during play, causing them to miss their projection (early in the game). Subtracting those players, we’re left with 70 “adjusted” calls.
Of those, 52 were correct (matched, beat, or were within a slim margin of their projections on Yahoo and MFL), and 18 were incorrect (didn’t match or beat their projections and weren’t even close), giving us 74% accuracy for Week 1.
Of those 52 correct calls, 19 were “massive hits” (doubled, tripled, or more than their projections), giving us a 36% massive-hit rate on correct calls for Week 1.
We are 74% accurate overall this season, with 36% of all correct calls resulting in “massive hits.”
Week 1: 74% accuracy, 36% massive hit rate
Please see THIS if you need a primer on cornerback streaming or what’s being discussed in this article (for new readers, a 20-minute audio podcast primer).
We’re in a weird in-between period where we really can’t rely on last season’s stats and rankings, but we’ve only had one week of data for this season. With this in mind, I’ll focus on what we learned in Week 1 and tie in other relevant trends that may have carried over from last season. By Week 3 or 4, we should have enough information to fully trust this season’s data and metrics.
Please see the Week 1 edition of this article if you’re looking for more of my overall thought process. I intentionally included a ton of that information for new readers in the Week 1 edition. Going forward/now, we’re back to assuming everyone knows why they are here reading this article and what to expect from it.
For this season, these teams used 11 personnel (3 WR sets) the least week to week (go from the bottom up on this list). Your opposing slot corners (Marcus Jones, JaQuan McMillian, Andru Phillips, etc.) will likely see a significant reduction in playing time against these teams. Thank you to sumersports.com for the information.
Lions at Bills
Outlook: The early total for this potential shootout of epic proportions sits at 53.5 points with Buffalo favored by 4.5 points at home. We’ll throw out last season’s stats and rankings and go with what we know so far this season. What we know is that both offenses looked excellent in Week 1. Goff had 20-plus wide receiver targets in Week 1, while Josh Allen had 17 out of 29 total attempts.
This looks pretty good across the board, with a slight edge to the Buffalo corners as Detroit’s passing offense was more prolific in Week 1 (and has more weapons overall). We can fire up the usual suspects in leagues of all sizes, and we should be looking good for this one.
Detroit Lions
Avonte Maddox (S/CB): IDEAL. He is mistakenly listed as a corner on Yahoo, but he really played safety and was in for 94% of snaps in Week 1. He lined up all over the place and makes for a great cheat code in Yahoo until Brian Branch or Kerby Joseph returns to the lineup and displaces him.
DJ Reed (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Rock Ya-Sin (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Roger McCreary (CB): SIT. While his utilization was excellent, McCreary only managed 43% of snaps in Week 1. We’ll keep an eye on it. If that playing time improves, we’ve seen him be an excellent producer for us in the past.
Buffalo Bills
Christian Benford (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week, most of them from outside corner, but with a few box snaps as well.
Maxwell Hairston (CB): SOLID. He played 83% of snaps last week, most of them from outside corner, but with a bunch in the box and slot as well, which adds value.
Dee Alford (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. Alford was only in for 60% of snaps last week, but all of them were from the slot, which helps offset that “bad” playing time a bit (slot corners are typically more productive compared to outside corners).
Panthers at Falcons
Outlook: The early total for this NFC South showdown at the Chinese food carton (in Atlanta) is 43.5 points, with Carolina favored by 1.5 points on the road. We won’t be firing up our Carolina corners in anything but the deepest, darkest, and most degenerate of leagues if we’re still getting Cooper Rush under center in Week 2, but if Tua or Penix is available, we can upgrade that to “deeper leagues only”. Tua and Penix still stink, but to a lesser extent than Cooper Rush.
For the reverse, we can fire up our Atlanta corners in medium-to-deeper leagues against a Carolina passing attack that had 20 wide receiver targets out of 37 total attempts. Bryce Young looked pretty good to start the season.
Carolina Panthers
Mike Jackson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Jaycee Horn (CB): SOLID. Horn was in for 100% of snaps last week, half from the outside corner and the rest from the box and slot. This would be IDEAL if it were a better matchup, as his playing time and utilization are both excellent so far.
Will Lee/Chau Smith-Wade (CB): SIT them both. They were only in for 36% and 25% of snaps, respectively, last week.
Atlanta Falcons
Mike Hughes (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps last week, most of them from the outside corner, with a handful from in the box.
AJ Terrell (CB): SOLID. He played 91% of snaps last week, the majority of them from outside corner.
Avieon Terrell (CB): SIT. He only managed 33% of snaps last week. They were all from the slot, but that’s not gonna cut it for us, playing time-wise.
Saints at Ravens
Outlook: The early total for this showdown in Baltimore sits at 46.5 points, with the Ravens favored by 8.5 points at home. We can fire up the Glizzy Gobbler and company in leagues of all sizes against a New Orleans passing attack that had a ridiculous 25 wide receiver targets in Week 1.
And as for the reverse, it will be “deeper leagues only” for our New Orleans corners against a Baltimore passing attack that had around 15 wide receiver targets on a measly 25 total passing attempts in Week 1. This Baltimore offense remains “run first”.
New Orleans Saints
Kool-Aid McKinstry (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week, but also had a decent chunk of box snaps as added value.
Quincy Riley (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He played 85% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Martin Emerson (CB): SIT. He only played 14% of snaps last week; enough said.
Baltimore Ravens
Marlon Humphrey (CB/Glizzy Gobbler): IDEAL. He once again beat his projection last week; that makes 10 weeks in a row, going back to last season. He played 88% of snaps, most of them at outside corner, but also blitzed and had a few box snaps.
Nate Wiggins (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside corner.
Keyon Martin (CB): SIT, for now. He only managed 42% of snaps last week. Most of those were from the slot, but until we’ve figured out which teams utilize 11-personnel a ton this season, this is a “wait and see”. See the Week 1 article for information on why 11-personnel is important to this article.
Vikings at Bears
Outlook: The early total for this NFC North showdown is 49.5 points, with Chicago favored by 5.5 points at home. We can fire up our Chicago corners in deeper leagues against either Wentz or Kyler, but if it’s JJ McCarthy under center, we abort mission and skip this entirely (he averaged just over 10 completions per game last season). Wentz and Kyler only managed 12 wide receiver targets in Week 1 despite being in a negative game script for most of the game.
In reverse, we definitely saw more of the “running Bears” than the “passing Bears” in Week 1. They managed only around 17 wide receiver targets on 29 total attempts, despite scoring 59 freaking points in Week 1. Most of that damage came on the ground, with their 39 rushing attempts for a ridiculous 291 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.
With this in mind, we’ll back off them a bit and call them “medium to deeper leagues” for our Minnesota corners in Week 2.
Minnesota Vikings
Isaiah Rogers (CB): SOLID for medium-to-deeper leagues. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Byron Murphy (CB): IDEAL. He played 98% of snaps last week and lined up all over the place. Only half of his snaps came from outside corner; the rest came from where we want them to come from (box and slot). He faced 8 targets, so opposing teams must be banking on him “getting old”. That works for us! Hopefully we get more of the “passing Bears” this week and can parlay his excellent utilization, playing time, and historical production into fantasy points for us in Week 2.
James Pierre (CB): SIT. He only played 33% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Chicago Bears
Jaylon Johnson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 95% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Tyrique Stevenson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 79% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Malik Muhammed (CB): SOLID. He played 76% of snaps last week, with only 15% of those snaps coming from outside corner. The rest were from the slot and box. This would be IDEAL if the matchup were better (the utilization is excellent, and playing time is acceptable, particularly with that utilization).
Both Muhammed and Stevenson likely saw some blowout rest at the end of last week’s game; we may not have seen their “real/full” playing time yet.
Bengals at Texans
Outlook: The early total for this one is 46.5 points, with Houston favored by a field goal at home. We can fire up our Houston corners in an ideal matchup against a Cincy offense that has typically started slowly and gave us only around 15 wide receiver targets on 35 attempts in Week 1.
We’ve seen the Bengals start slow on offense over the last few seasons; my guess is they’ll need to throw it to their studs a bit more against this defense in Week 2. Regardless, they've been a top ten or better team for wide receiver targets basically since Burrow arrived, so we know that's coming, hopefully starting this week.
For the reverse, we can fire up our Cincy corners in leagues of all sizes against a Houston passing attack that gave us around 21 wide receiver targets off of 38 attempts in Week 1. Nico Collins and Xavier Hutchinson had plenty to eat, and that should at least feed our best options for this Cincy cornerback corps.
Cincinnati Bengals
Dax Hill (CB/S): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week and lined up all over the place. He smashed his projection and is on his way to being one of our favorite cornerbacks to stream this season yet again.
DJ Turner (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps last week. Most came from outside corner, but a good chunk were from the box.
Jalen Davis (CB): SOLID. He played 78% of snaps last week, most of them from the slot. This would be IDEAL if the matchup were just a bit better.
Houston Texans
Kamari Lassiter (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside corner, but also had about 15% of his snaps come from the box. A slow Week 1 start does not dissuade us from plugging in the overall cornerback 1 in many formats last season once more and in a great matchup.
Derek Stingley (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside corner, but also had a nice chunk of box snaps.
Jalen Pitre (S/CB): IDEAL. Pitre played 100% of snaps last week. All of his snaps were from the slot, box, or defensive line. The only issue is he’s likely designated as a safety in your league of merit; otherwise, he looks excellent.
Steelers at Patriots
Outlook: The early total for this potential defensive struggle is just 41.5 points, with New England favored by 5.5 points at home. We can fire up both sets of corners in medium to deeper leagues, as we’ll now be missing AJ Brown for the Patriots, and the Steelers looked better in the “wide receiver targets” department in Week 1, but it’s not a trend yet, just an outlier (they were close to last in wide receiver targets last season).
Pittsburgh had 19 wide receiver targets on 40 attempts in Week 1, while New England also had about 19 wide receiver targets, this time on 33 attempts against Seattle.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Joey Porter Jr./Asante Samuel Jr. (CB): Porter was inactive last week but would be a risky SOLID in medium-to-deeper leagues as an outside corner if he can play this week. Samuel replaced him for Week 1 and played 100% of snaps as an outside corner. If Porter is inactive again, then Samuel is an option. If Porter is healthy, Samuel is not an option.
Jamel Dean (CB): SOLID; medium-to-deeper leagues. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Jalen Ramsey (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week as a safety who has been mistakenly designated as a cornerback in Yahoo. His snaps were almost exactly one-third as a deep safety, one-third as a box safety, and one-third in the slot. That’s literal perfection and a cheat code if you can slide him into one of your corner slots.
New England Patriots
Christian Gonzalez (CB): SOLID; medium-to-deeper leagues. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Carlton Davis (CB): SOLID in medium-to-deeper leagues. He was in for 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week, but with 20% of his snaps coming from the box, we’ve got some added value here.
Marcus Jones (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. Jones was in for just 48% of snaps as the slot corner last week, and he did NOT return any kicks or punts. Without that aspect of his game, his value takes a dive for sure. He’s still a “splash play” waiting to happen, but not in this matchup and with that playing time.
Packers at Jets
Outlook: This battle in the Big Apple sits at 44.5 points for the early total with Green Bay favored by 4.5 points on the road. We can fire up our New York corners in leagues of all sizes against a Green Bay passing attack that had a ridiculous 29 wide receiver targets in Week 1. With Marshawn Lloyd and company unable to get it done on the ground, the Packers' wide receiver corps appears to be part of the answer to their offensive needs for the time being. We’ve only seen it once, though, so we’ll hold off on crowning Green Bay the “wide receiver targets king” for now.
For the reverse, it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Green Bay corners against a New York passing attack that had around 13 wide receiver targets off a measly 24 total attempts in Week 1. New York seemed to be far more interested in running the ball, playing defense, and limiting mistakes to start the season (and rightfully so, they did win, after all).
Green Bay Packers
Keisean Nixon (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week. He also had a nice chunk of box snaps and absolutely smashed his projection, as is tradition.
Brandon Cisse (CB): SIT. He did displace Valentine and play 75% of snaps as an outside corner last week, but we’ve only seen it once, and Minnesota shredded their secondary late in the 4th quarter. We’ll give it another week before making a call here. Besides, it’s Geno Smith and the Jets, not the reincarnation of the 2013 Broncos.
Carrington Valentine (CB): SIT. He played only 24% of snaps last week, as the rookie appears to have displaced him as Green Bay's second full-time starter.
New York Jets
Brandon Stephens (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes; he played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Azareyeh Thomas (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes; he played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Jarvis Brownlee (CB): SOLID; medium-to-deeper leagues. He played 76% of snaps as the slot corner last week.
Browns at Buccaneers
Outlook: The early total for this battle in Tampa Bay sits at just 40.5 points with Tampa Bay favored by 8.5 points at home. We can fire up our Cleveland corners in medium-to-deeper leagues against the Bucs' passing attack, which had only around 14 wide receiver targets in Week 1. We know we’ll likely see far more than that down the road this season, but for now we’re going with what we’ve actually seen so far.
For the reverse, it’s deeper leagues only for our Tampa Bay corners against a Cleveland passing attack that had just 14 wide receiver targets out of 22 total attempts, despite being in a negative game script for the majority of the Week 1 game.
Cleveland Browns
Denzel Ward (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week and had some bonus box snaps as well.
Tyson Campbell (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week, most of them from outside corner, but with a nice chunk from the box.
Myles Harden (CB): SIT. He only managed 43% of snaps last week. Despite most of those snaps coming from the slot, he recorded only two combined tackles on the day, as his mediocre-at-best production trend continues into this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Zyon McCollum (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Keionte Scott (CB): SOLID; medium-to-deeper leagues. This would be IDEAL if the matchup were better. He played just 73% of snaps in Week 1, but ALL of his snaps were from the slot or box, or were blitzing attempts.
Benjamin Morrison (CB): SIT. He played just 67% of snaps as an outside corner this week, and the matchup stinks big time.
Eagles at Titans
Outlook: The early total for this battle in “the Music City” sits at just 39.5 points, with Philly favored by a touchdown on the road. It will be “deeper leagues only” across the board for this one, as Tennessee had just 13 wide receiver targets in Week 1, while Philly managed just 14 on their end.
Philly completed only 14 passes in Week 1, while Tennessee completed 19. Neither passing attack is anywhere close to where we need it to be for our purposes so far this season.
Philadelphia Eagles
Cooper DeJean (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week and lined up all over the place (most of them were from the slot). DeJean also routinely gets combined tackles on run stops, so I’m less concerned about his production despite the horrendous matchup.
Quinyon Mitchell (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Tariq Woolen (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Tennessee Titans
Alontae Taylor (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 100% of snaps last week, mostly as an outside corner, with about a quarter of his snaps in the box as well. His utilization is nowhere near as good as it was in New Orleans, but he remains a talented and productive option for us.
Cor’Dale Flott (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week, and had a nice chunk of box snaps as well.
Marcus Harris (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He played 53% of snaps as the slot corner last week.
Jaguars at Broncos
Outlook: The early total for this mile-high battle sits at 45.5 points with Denver favored by a field goal at home. Bo Nix and the Denver offense looked horrible in Week 1, as Nix completed only 17 of 28 passes. 18 of those 28 targets did go to their wide receiver corps, though, so we should have something for these Jacksonville corners to eat at least.
In reverse, this is an ideal setup for our Denver corners against the Jacksonville offense that was humming in Week 1. Trevor Lawrence only needed to attempt 23 passes, with around 15 of those attempts going to their stellar wide receiver corps. Against a real team, we should see more of the same and a true back-and-forth affair. Between the wide receiver talent and how well Lawrence has been playing since about mid-season last year, I feel pretty good about Riley Moss and company this week.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Hunter (CB/WR): SOLID in medium-to-deeper leagues. He played just 56% of snaps as an outside corner in Week 1 and was on the field for only a handful of offensive snaps. We’ll dial back his expectations a bit as he’s still coming off a major injury he suffered last season. Without that receiving work, though, his value will take a major hit. More to be revealed here. We’ll keep an eye on it.
Montaric Brown (CB): SOLID; medium-to-deeper leagues. He played 74% of snaps as an outside corner last week. He also had a nice chunk of box snaps as bonus value.
Jarrian Jones (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 72% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Jourdan Lewis (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He was only in for 54% of snaps, but the majority of those were from the slot, which helps offset some of that “bad” playing time. Still, between the lack of ideal playing time and what we saw from the “Denver offense” in Week 1, there are better options elsewhere.
Denver Broncos
Patrick Surtain (CB): SOLID. Medium-to-deeper leagues, as he tends to be avoided by opposing offenses. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week, but also had a really nice chunk of box snaps.
Riley Moss (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside corner but with a nice chunk of box snaps as well. The “lesser of all evils” effect still appears to be in full force, as Moss smashed his projection last week, and both he and McMillian faced 5 targets in the passing game to Surtain’s 1.
Ja’Quan McMillian (CB): SOLID. He played 71% of snaps as the slot corner last week.
Raiders at Chargers
Outlook: The early total for this West Coast battle is 43.5 points, with Los Angeles favored by a touchdown at home. Neither passing attack was all that impressive in Week 1, as Herbert managed only 17 completions and 19 wide-receiver targets. He also may have killed Ladd McConkey with a hospital ball, and if he can’t go this week, we can kiss those 5-10 wide receiver targets goodbye.
For the reverse, Kirk Cousins was slinging it, but to the tune of 14 targets to their tight ends or running backs and just 15 to their wide receivers. And with household names such as “Jack Bech” receiving those targets, the likelihood of a significant increase in wide receiver targets seems low any time soon.
It will be “deeper leagues only” across the board for this one, with an edge to the Las Vegas corners as we know what Herbert and this Chargers passing attack is capable of; we just haven’t seen it yet this season.
Las Vegas Raiders
Treydan Stukes (S/CB): SOLID in medium-to-deeper leagues. Stukes played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week, despite being listed as a safety on most platforms. He lined up as an outside corner, so no “cheat code” safety mistakenly designated as a corner for us this time, unfortunately.
Eric Stokes (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. Stokes played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week. He’s never been productive, and despite the possibility of this being a nice matchup (assuming Herbert wakes up in Week 2), we’ve just never seen it from Stokes. He’s an outside corner (less likely to produce for us to begin with).
Taron Johnson (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. Johnson was in for 85% of snaps last week, and all of them came from either the slot or the box. Between his excellent utilization, historical production, and a (hopefully) bounce-back game for the Los Angeles passing attack, he could be a nice option this week.
Darien Porter (CB): SOLID, for medium-to-deeper leagues. Porter played 81% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Los Angeles Chargers
Tarheeb Still (CB): SOLID, for medium-to-deeper leagues. He played 88% of snaps last week, with only 40% of those snaps coming from outside corner. The rest were from the box or slot. That’s fantastic utilization and acceptable playing time; if that continues, he’ll be an IDEAL option for us down the road in a better matchup.
Cam Hart (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 84% of snaps as an outside corner last week, but also had a decent chunk of box snaps.
Donte Jackson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He was in for 68% of snaps last week as an outside corner, but also had a decent chunk of box snaps.
Seahawks at Cardinals
Outlook: This NFC West battle sits at just 41.5 points, with Seattle favored by 4.5 points on the road. We’ll have a backup under center for Seattle, and this Arizona offense is about to run into one of the best defenses in the NFL, which is fully aware it needs to play a perfect game to have a shot at winning this one with Darnold out another week.
Still, we can fire up our Seattle corners in medium-to-deeper leagues against this Arizona offense, which had 18 wide receiver targets in Week 1 and has plenty of talent on that side. It will be “deeper leagues only” for our Arizona corners against a backup quarterback who had only 16 completions off of 22 attempts in Week 1 after coming in for Darnold early in their game against New England.
Seattle Seahawks
Devon Witherspoon (CB): IDEAL. Despite the slow start to his production, Witherspoon played 98% of snaps in Week 1 and lined up in the slot for most of them. He also had a huge number of box snaps and blitzes. We’ve seen what he’s capable of in prior seasons, and if this utilization holds, it’s just a matter of time before the monster box scores start showing themselves.
Josh Jobe (CB): SOLID; medium- to deep-league. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Nick Emmanwori (S)/Nehemiah Pritchett (CB): Emmanwori was inactive last week, and his replacement is mistakenly designated as a corner on Yahoo. If Emmanwori can play this week, SIT Pritchett. If he’s inactive again, then Pritchett becomes a decent spot start for Week 2. Despite his huge Week 1 production, he lined up as an outside corner and only played 74% of snaps, so my guess is if he plays again this week, that production will come crashing back down to Earth.
Arizona Cardinals
Will Johnson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 96% of snaps last week but was lined up at outside corner for nearly all of them.
Denzel Burke (CB): SOLID. He played 80% of snaps last week and lined up in the slot and box for almost half of his total snaps (the remainder were at outside corner).
Max Melton (CB): SIT. He only managed 43% of snaps last week, and it’s a backup quarterback, not the second coming of Johnny Unitas.
All others (CB): SIT. Kei’Trel Clarke saw a few snaps, and Garrett Williams was inactive last week as he heals from an Achilles injury. When Williams returns, it will shake up this unit a bit, but we’ll burn that bridge when we get there.
Commanders at Cowboys
Outlook: This NFC East battle in Jerry-world sits at a massive 50.5 points for the early total with Dallas favored by a field goal at home. We can fire up our Washington corners against one of the most prolific passing attacks in the league that managed 20 wide receiver targets in Week 1 and will always be useful for our purposes, with CeeDee and Pickens demanding the ball 24/7/365.
For the reverse, our Dallas corners make sense in medium-to-deeper leagues against a Washington passing attack that had 20 wide receiver targets in Week 1 but only converted 11.
Washington Commanders
Quan Martin (S/CB): SIT. He played only 38% of snaps as a deep safety and is mistakenly listed as a cornerback on Yahoo.
Amik Robertson (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Mike Sainristil (CB): IDEAL. He played 98% of snaps last week, with only about half of his total snaps coming from outside corner. The rest were from exactly where we want them to come from (slot, box, or blitzing attempt).
Rasul Douglas (CB): SIT. He only played 30% of snaps last week.
Dallas Cowboys
DaRon Bland (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week. The majority of those snaps were from outside corner, but a nice chunk was from the box as well.
Cobie Durant (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He was in for 72% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Caleb Downs (S): Downs was essentially the nickel corner for Dallas in Week 1, but is a safety everywhere I’ve seen him. He was fantastic; start him, but this is cornerback, not “defensive back” or “safety corner”.
Shavon Revel (CB): SIT. He only managed 29% of snaps last week. We’ll keep an eye on it, but we’re not starting a guy that plays less than one-third of the total snaps, ever.
Dolphins at 49ers
Outlook: The early total for this battle in the Bay sits at 45.5 points with San Francisco favored by two touchdowns at home. We can fire up our Miami corners in leagues of all sizes against a San Francisco passing attack that lost Stribling but gained Deebo in Week 1. They had 17 wide receiver targets in Week 1 and converted 14 into completions. Mike Evans was every bit the first-down machine and possession receiver he’s always been, and between him and Deebo there should be enough to eat for the most part.
In the reverse, Miami had 19 wide receiver targets in Week 1 but converted only 9 into completions, as the Dolphins offense looked inept against a very beatable Las Vegas team on the road. It will be “deeper leagues only” for our 49ers corners in Week 2.
Miami Dolphins
Chris Johnson (CB): IDEAL. Johnson played 100% of snaps last week, with only 48% of those snaps coming from outside corner. The majority were from the box and slot. Beyond that, he’s a rookie, and rookie corners get picked on. Now that we’re sure he’s a starter, load up on him, and we’ll ride this excellent utilization (and production, so far), playing time, and historical precedent (rookies getting picked on) to the bank all season long.
Jason Marshall (CB): SOLID, for medium-to-deeper leagues. Marshall played 94% of snaps as an outside corner last week and had a nice chunk of box snaps as bonus value.
Juju Brents (CB): SIT. Brents was only in for 38% of snaps as an outside corner last week. With 96 corners to choose from each week, why would we ever settle for a guy who plays fewer than 40% of the defensive snaps?
San Francisco 49ers
Marques Sigle (S/CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. This would be IDEAL against a real offense. Sigle is a deep safety (who saw a nice chunk of box safety snaps as well) who’s been mistakenly designated as a corner in Yahoo. This is a cheat code for us, as safety is typically more productive and consistent compared to cornerback 9x out of 10.
Deommodore Lenoir (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week. He also had a nice chunk of box snaps.
Renardo Green (CB): SOLID, only in much deeper leagues. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week. He also had a nice chunk of box snaps.
Upton Stout (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He played 59% of snaps as the slot corner last week. His utilization was excellent, but the playing time and matchup this week leave much to be desired.
Colts at Chiefs
Outlook: The early total for this Sunday night game is 46.5 points, with Kansas City favored by a touchdown at home. We can fire up our Kansas City corners in medium-to-deeper leagues, as Daniel Jones had 18 of 31 attempts go to their wide receiver corps in Week 1. Beyond that, Indy will very likely be in a negative gamescript in this one sooner rather than later.
For the reverse, we got the “running Chiefs” last week as Mahomes only attempted 27 passes, with just about 10 of those attempts going to their wide receiver corps. Rashee Rice owners are freaking out as Ken “Bone” Walker rushed 23 times for 173 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and Travis Kelce and Emmett Johnson led the Chiefs in receiving yards for Week 1.
This offense clearly goes through Walker now, so we should temper expectations for our Indy corners in Week 2 (medium- to deep-league settings should be fine).
Indianapolis Colts
Sauce Gardner (CB): SOLID; medium-to-deeper leagues. He played 100% of snaps last week, most of them at outside corner, but with a decent chunk in the box. As with Patrick Surtain, opposing offenses tend to avoid Gardner; he saw only 2 targets, compared to 5 each for Ward and Walley.
Chavarious Ward (CB): SOLID, for medium-to-deeper leagues. Ward played 95% of snaps as an outside corner last week. He also had a decent chunk of snaps in the slot and a few from the box.
Justin Walley (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. Walley only played 57% of snaps last week, but all but 7% of those snaps came from the box or slot.
Kansas City Chiefs
Nohl Williams (CB): SOLID; medium-to-deeper leagues. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week with a bonus chunk of box snaps as added value.
L’Jarius Sneed (CB): IDEAL. He played 90% of snaps last week, and only 4% of those snaps were from outside the corner; the rest were from exactly where we want them to be (slot, box, or blitzing).
Mansoor Delane/Kristian Fulton (CB): SOLID; medium-to-deeper leagues. Delane was injured early last week but appears to be a starter and full-time outside corner for Kansas City. Fulton came in to replace him after the injury last week. Delane is already back practicing in full, so he should be fine for Week 2.
Jadon Canady (CB): SIT. He did not get the start (offseason depth charts were wrong, once again), and Williams did.
Giants at Rams
Outlook: The Monday night game to wrap up Week 2 has an early total of 48.5 points, with Los Angeles favored by a touchdown at home. We can fire up all the usual suspects in leagues of all sizes for this one, since we know what the Los Angeles passing attack is capable of and saw what the New York passing attack can do when everyone is healthy in Week 1.
New York had 15 wide receiver targets in Week 1, but played from a lead the entire game and pounded the rock to control the clock against a dangerous Dallas offense. Nabers looked good, and we all know he’s capable of seeing ten-plus targets any given week more often than not.
And Los Angeles had around 18 wide receiver targets in Week 1, but were the leader in this category last season and have the dueling egos of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to contend with (alpha wide receivers demand the ball like I demand dude wipes after a visit to Chipotle).
New York Giants
Deonte Banks (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 82% of snaps as an outside corner last week. He has displaced Adebo as a starter.
Greg Newsome (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 89% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Andru Phillips (CB): IDEAL. He played 82% of snaps as the slot corner last week and even had some box snaps as added value. We knew the utilization would be excellent; it appears his playing time is looking good so far as well.
Paulson Adebo (CB): SIT. He played only 17% of snaps last week, as Banks displaced him as a starter.
Los Angeles Rams
Trent McDuffie (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week and has always been super talented and productive. If your league scores passes defended correctly, he had a fantastic game for you in Week 1.
Jaylen Watson (CB): SOLID; medium-to-deeper leagues. Watson played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Quentin Lake (S): I can’t find Lake designated as a corner anywhere, so this will likely be the last time you see his name in this article. He was fantastic, though. Start him everywhere; his utilization and playing time were just as strong as last season, and the production followed, as is tradition.
Byes this week: None
My Favorite Matchups, Week 2:
Lions at Bills, either side
Texans corners versus Cincy
Browns corners versus Tampa Bay
Broncos corners versus Jacksonville
Commanders corners versus Dallas
Giants corners versus Los Angeles Rams
Week 2 Corners at a Glance:
These are not in any particular order or ranking; they are just divided into the sections you see below. I typically identify the best matchups (see above) and then the best options within those matchups to find my favorite streaming options each week.
*If you see player/player, that means starter/direct replacement*
IDEAL (our best options):
Avonte Maddox
Marlon “Glizzy Gobbler” Humphrey
Bryon Murphy
Dax Hill, Kamari Lassiter, Jalen Pitre
Jalen Ramsey
Tyson Campbell
Cooper DeJean
Riley Moss
Devon Witherspoon
Mike Sainristil
Chris Johnson
L’Jarius Sneed
Andru Phillips
SOLID (matchup or playing time isn’t perfect; best in medium to deeper leagues; these are “safe” options):
DJ Reed, Rock Ya-Sin, Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston, Dee Alford
Mike Jackson, Jaycee Horn, Mike Hughes, AJ Terrell
Koolaid McKinstry, Quincy Riley, Nate Wiggins
Isaiah Rogers, Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Malik Muhammed
Derek Stingley, DJ Turner, Jalen Davis
Jamel Dean, Joey Porter Jr/Asante Samuel Jr, Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones
Keisean Nixon, Brandon Stephens, Azareyeh Thomas, Jarvis Brownlee
Denzel Ward, Zyon McCollum, Keionte Scott
Quinyon Mitchell, Tariq Woolen, Alontae Taylor, Marcus Harris, Cor’Dale Flott
Travis Hunter, Montaric Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Jarrian Jones, Patrick Surtain, JaQuan McMillian
Treydan Stukes, Eric Stokes, Taron Johnson, Darien Porter, Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart, Donte Jackson
Josh Jobe, Nehemiah Pritchett (only if Emmanwori is inactive, SIT otherwise), Will Johnson, Denzel Burke
Amik Robertson, DaRon Bland, Cobie Durant
Marques Sigle, Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, Jason Marshall
Sauce Gardner, Chavarious Ward, Justin Walley, Nohl Williams, Mansor Delane/Kristian Fulton
Deonte Banks, Greg Newsome, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson
TRAPS (sit these players):
Roger McCreary
Chau Smith-Wade, Avieon Terrell
Martin Emerson, Keyon Martin
James Pierre
Brandon Cisse, Carrington Valentine
Myles Harden, Benjamin Morrison
Max Melton
Quan Martin, Rasul Douglas, Shavon Revel, Rasul Douglas
Juju Brents
Jadon Canady
Paulson Adebo
Reminder: these are only suggestions. Your lineup is your responsibility and yours alone. However, these are the same moves I’m making myself, so we sink or swim together. Remember to check for inactive players before kickoff to prevent any surprise zeroes.
For any questions/comments, to discuss specific cornerback streams, or to talk IDP in general, hit up my Twitter or email me at Johnysmack3141@yahoo.com.
Thank you for reading, and good luck this week! Go get those titles!
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