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 86 calls for leagues of all shapes and sizes. Of those 86 calls, 9 were declared inactive or injured during play, causing them to miss their projection (early in the game). Subtracting those players, we’re left with 77 “adjusted” calls.
Of those, 58 were correct (matched, beat, or were within a slim margin of their projections on Yahoo and MFL), and 19 were incorrect (didn’t match or beat their projections and weren’t even close), giving us 75% accuracy for Week 2.
Of those 58 correct calls, 19 were “massive hits” (doubled, tripled, or more than their projections), giving us a 32% massive-hit rate on correct calls for Week 2.
We are 74.5% accurate overall for the season, with 34% of all correct calls resulting in “massive hits.”
Week 1: 74% accuracy, 36% massive hit rate
Week 2: 75% accuracy, 32% 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 two weeks of data for this season. With this in mind, I’ll focus on what we learned in Weeks 1 and 2, 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. At that point, we’ll return to the traditional outlook format everyone is used to from seasons past.
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 in the Week 1 edition for new readers. 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, Ja’Quan McMillian, Andru Phillips, etc.) will likely see a significant reduction in playing time against these teams. Thank you to sumersports.com for the information.
Falcons at Packers
Outlook: The early total for this battle in Green Bay is 44.5 points, with Green Bay favored by a touchdown at home. We got another week of Cooper Rush under center for Atlanta, with Jack Strand finishing out the game for them. Together, they managed just 18 completions, and Atlanta’s passing attack continues to look horrendous. It will be deeper leagues only for our Green Bay corners this week.
UPDATE: Penix is getting the start, so we can slightly upgrade our Green Bay corners.
In reverse, Jordan Love got off to a slow start against the Jets but still managed to give us around 22 wide receiver targets and enough completions to feed the Jets' corners. Between what we saw in Week 1 and just now, we’ve got a clear trend: the Green Bay run game is crap, so they’re pivoting to using their wide receivers early and often instead.
We can fire up our Atlanta corners in medium- to deep-league settings this week, and it will be “leagues of all sizes” going forward if we see this trend continue through Week 3.
Atlanta Falcons
Billy Bowman/Sydney Brown/Avieon Tyrel (CB): SIT. With Billy Bowman still inactive, we got a mishmash of Brown and Tyrel covering the slot corner role last week. They played 27% and 39% of snaps respectively, and this slot is anything but settled. We’ll wait for more clarity or Bowman to return to the lineup before making any moves here.
Mike Hughes (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
AJ Terrell/CJ Henderson (CB): Terrell was injured after just 9% of snaps last week; Henderson came in to replace him and finished the remaining 91% of snaps as an outside corner. Terrell would be a risky (reinjury) SOLID if he can play this week, and Henderson becomes an option if he’s inactive again (obviously, SIT Henderson if Terrell is active; he’s just a backup).
UPDATE: Terrell is now on IR, so this should be Henderson this week; we’ve only seen it once, though, so it’s not set in stone.
Green Bay Packers
Keisean Nixon (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week and smashed his projection once again despite the bad matchup (Jets).
Brandon Cisse (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Carrington Valentine (CB): SIT. He played just 2% of snaps last week.
Chargers at Bills
Outlook: The early total for this battle up North sits at a massive 50.5 points with Buffalo favored by a touchdown at home. The Chargers’ passing attack has looked like hot garbage so far; it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Buffalo corners until we see otherwise.
For our Los Angeles corners, we can fire them up in medium- to deep-league settings against this excellent Buffalo offense, but one that still leans on the run game and tight-end targets far more often than wide-receiver targets. When we factor in the DJ Moore injury on top of that, it’s even more reason to back off them a bit this week.
Los Angeles Chargers
Elijah Molden (S/CB): SIT. He was sidelined with a hamstring injury last week but had solid playing time in Week 1 and is listed as a corner on Yahoo. We’ll need to see him return to the field to get a recent/accurate read on his utilization; hang onto the idea for now.
Tarheeb Still (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 79% of snaps as an outside corner last week, but also had a nice chunk of box and slot snaps. His utilization is excellent, but the playing time isn’t perfect.
Cam Hart (CB): SOLID; he played 77% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Donte Jackson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played just 58% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Buffalo Bills
Christian Benford (CB): SOLID; he played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Maxwell Hairston (CB): SOLID; he played 75% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Dee Alford (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. Los Angeles plays the 27th-most 11 personnel, so Alford will likely see a reduced role this week. He played 58% of snaps as the slot corner last week.
See the Week 1 edition of this article for more information on why we look at the opposing team’s 11 personnel usage.
Panthers at Browns
Outlook: The early total for this battle in Cleveland sits at just 41.5 points with Carolina favored by a field goal on the road. We can fire up our Cleveland corners in medium-to-deeper leagues against a Carolina passing attack that has looked very good so far, adding another 23 wide receiver targets last week, but may struggle against a legit Cleveland defense on the road.
In reverse, Watson looked much better last week but still managed only around 16 wide receiver targets in Week 2. We can find better streams elsewhere, particularly while we’re still in the “no bye weeks yet” portion of the season. It will be “deeper leagues only” for our Carolina corners in Week 3.
Carolina Panthers
Mike Jackson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 85% of snaps as an outside corner last week and sat early due to the blowout.
Jaycee Horn (CB): SOLID. He played 71% of snaps last week, with about half coming from outside corner and the rest from the slot or box. He sat early due to the blowout, and his utilization remains excellent. He’ll be IDEAL against a better passing attack down the road.
Will Lee (CB): SIT. He played just 53% of snaps as an outside corner last week; the slot snaps were covered by a mishmash of Lee, Akayleb Evans, Moehrig, and a couple of others (there is currently no true slot corner for Carolina). So he’s playing half the snaps, and his utilization isn’t sufficient to make up for it; hence, we're sitting him for now. Besides, it’s the Browns, not the reincarnation of the 98’ Vikings.
Cleveland Browns
Denzel Ward (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Myles Harden (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 86% of snaps last week and lined up in the slot for over 90% of those snaps. This would be IDEAL if I thought Carolina could keep up this pace with their passing attack (I hope they do, but I think it’s just a flash in the pan for now).
Tyson Campbell (CB): SOLID; he played 75% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Jets at Lions
Outlook: The early total for this showdown in the Motor City is 47.5 points, with Detroit favored by a touchdown at home. We can fire up our New York corners in leagues of all sizes against this prolific Detroit offense that managed around 23 wide receiver targets last week. With St. Brown and Jameson Williams on the field, we know we’ll always have a nice floor of wide receiver targets to work off of as Detroit tries to satiate those appetites.
For the reverse, Geno looked pretty good last week and managed around 25 wide receiver targets against Green Bay. This Detroit secondary was already horrible, and with Maddox now injured as well, it’s entering “Swiss Cheese” territory. That should give us some room to start our Detroit corners in medium-to-deeper leagues in Week 3.
New York Jets
Brandon Stephens (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Azareyeh Thomas (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Jarvis Brownlee (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. Brownlee played 69% of snaps (nice) as the slot corner last week. Detroit is a top-ten team for 11 personnel usage so far this season, so that playing time should remain consistent or improve this week, and his utilization is excellent.
Detroit Lions
Avonte Maddox (S/CB): SIT/Blast out the airlock. He is headed to IR with a foot injury and is done for the season. We salute you, Mr. Maddox, for 1.5 weeks of cheat code production as a safety that Yahoo screwed up and made a corner. See you next season.
DJ Reed (CB): SOLID. He played 95% of snaps as an outside corner last week, but also had a decent chunk of box snaps.
Rock Ya-Sin (CB): SOLID. He played 94% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Roger McCreary (CB): SIT. He played just 24% of snaps last week, and his production came crashing back to the mean as expected. We can’t expect consistent production from guys who are playing less than a quarter of the snaps.
Texans at Colts
Outlook: The early total for this AFC South showdown is 43.5 points, with Houston favored by 1.5 points on the road. The Indy offense looked excellent once again last week and offered us around 18 wide receiver targets, but lost Alec Pierce in the process. We have to expect more Tyler Warren and Jonathan Taylor next week and less focus on their wide receivers, so it will be “medium to deeper leagues” for our Houston corners.
For the reverse, we can fire up our Indy corners in leagues of all sizes against a Houston passing attack that gave us around 26 wide receiver targets last week, and a good chunk in Week 1 as well. If Nico Collins can return to the lineup, even better. This game will be indoors and between division rivals, so the Houston defense feels less scary and less likely to limit scoring and our chances for a shootout here overall.
Houston Texans
Kamari Lassiter (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week and surpassed his projection, which was encouraging after a slow start in Week 1.
Derek Stingley (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Jalen Pitre (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week, with all but 10% of those snaps coming from the slot or box.
Indianapolis Colts
Charvarious Ward/Cam Taylor Britt (CB): Ward was injured after 45% of snaps as an outside corner last week. Britt came in to replace him. Ward would be a risky (reinjury; it’s a hamstring too, which is always a bigger reinjury risk) SOLID if he can play. Britt would be an option if Ward is inactive, but only if he’s inactive (Britt is a backup) as a SOLID outside corner option.
Justin Walley (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 85% of snaps last week, with half of those snaps coming from the slot and another good chunk coming from the box. That is fantastic utilization, and the matchup isn’t half bad either; he’ll end up being IDEAL for us down the road after I’ve seen it more than twice.
Sauce Gardner (CB): SOLID. He played 95% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Patriots at Jaguars
Outlook: The early total for this battle down South in Jacksonville sits at 44.5 points, with Jacksonville favored by a field goal at home. We can fire up our New England corners in medium- to deep-league settings against this Jacksonville passing attack, which is loaded with talent, but it had a slower day against that stellar Denver defense last week. Lawrence still managed 21 wide receiver targets last week despite running for his life for much of the game.
For the reverse, without AJ Brown last week, New England managed just about 10 wide receiver targets in a defensive struggle against Pittsburgh. Drake Maye and this New England passing attack have not started hot at all, and until we see it, we’ll go with “medium to deeper leagues” for our Jacksonville corners this week, and that’s being generous.
New England Patriots
Carlton Davis/Charles Woods (CB): SOLID, but risky for Davis; he was inactive with a neck injury last week. If he can play, he’s a full-time outside corner that would be a reinjury risk. Woods replaced him at outside corner last week and would only be an option if Davis is inactive again as a SOLID outside corner spot-start option.
Christian Gonzalez (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week and had DK Metcalf in hell all game long.
Marcus Jones (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes if Davis is inactive. SOLID, medium-to-deeper leagues if Davis is active. Jones saw a large uptick in snaps as part of the “cover the absence of Carlton Davis” plan last week. He was in for 98% of snaps, with most of them coming from the slot, but a good chunk at outside corner as well.
If Carlton Davis can play, though, Jones returns to his “slot-only” duties, and Jacksonville ranks 21st in the league in 11 personnel, which would likely mean far less playing time than we saw last week. Jones also returned 4 punts for 40 yards, so that aspect of his value appears intact.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Hunter (CB/WR): SOLID, dependent on your league setup (he passed his projection in the places I had him last week simply because we score pass defense highly; your league settings should help determine his value for you).
He played just 59% of snaps as an outside corner, with a decent chunk of box snaps, and saw just 7 snaps on offense, with zero catches or yards. In general, if your league rewards passes defended at a high rate, then he has some value; same for his tackles. Offensively, we’re nowhere close to where we thought we’d be with him. It’s still a “wait and see” for that aspect of his game and value.
Montaric Brown (CB): SOLID. He played 79% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Jarrian Jones (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played just 62% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Jourdan Lewis (CB): SOLID; medium-to-deep leagues. He played 51% of snaps last week, which stinks, but all of those snaps were from the slot or box, which doesn’t stink. New England is 23rd in the league in 11-personnel usage, which is back to stinking again, so we’re probably looking at the same crappy playing time for Lewis this week.
Chiefs at Dolphins
Outlook: The early total for this battle in Miami is 45.5 points, with Kansas City favored by 11.5 points on the road. We can fire up our Kansas City corners in deeper leagues only against the worst passing attack in the league, which managed only around 10 wide receiver targets last week and completed just 14 total passes, with just 15 in Week 1. Our Kansas City corners would likely have to “luck into” a splash play for any kind of production this week, and we never want to bank on that.
For the reverse, it will be medium-to-deep leagues for our Miami corners against a red-hot Kansas City offense, but one that now goes through Ken “Bone” Walker. Kansas City also targeted their running backs and tight ends 24 times last week, compared to around 19 for their wide receivers. That disparity was even worse in Week 1; Rice and company just aren’t as necessary if Kansas City is running the ball, controlling the clock, and playing from a lead most weeks.
Kansas City Chiefs
Nohl Williams (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
L’Jarius Sneed (CB): IDEAL. He played 75% of snaps as the slot corner last week; Miami is in the top half of the league in 11-personnel usage, and Sneed has smashed his projection in both games this season. He faced 13 freaking targets last week and was picked on for whatever reason, just like in Week 1, where he faced another 8 targets. That’s definitely a trend, and one we’ll ride to the “IDP points bank” until it stops being a thing or he helps us win a fantasy title.
Mansor Delane/Kristian Fulton (CB): Delane was dressed and apparently able to play last week, but didn’t see the field at all. Fulton got the start and played 80% of snaps as an outside corner. He replaced Delane in Week 1 after the injury, but Delane practiced in full all last week and was active for the game.
This slot appears to be in flux, so we’ll SIT THEM BOTH for now and wait for this to settle down. Kansas City neglected to inform me of their plans for these two, so I was unable to warn everyone that Delane would be active but not playing and get everyone a zero who plugged him in.
It happens. My general advice is to avoid situations that may involve these types of shenanigans, but we can’t do that until we actually know there are shenanigans. We know now, and will adjust accordingly.
Miami Dolphins
Jason Marshall (CB): SOLID. He played 94% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Chris Johnson (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 80% of snaps, then sat out the rest due to the blowout. He lined up mostly in the slot and box, with the other chunk of his snaps coming from outside corner. San Francisco had only 11 wide receiver targets last week, as they didn’t need that aspect of their offense to soundly destroy the Miami Fish. Johnson should be fine against a team that needs to throw the ball more often; hopefully that’s Kansas City this week.
Juju Brents (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 61% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Titans at Giants
Outlook: The early total for this battle in the Big Apple is 40.5 points, with New York favored by a field goal at home. We’ll be firing up our corners in deeper leagues only for this one, as we have the horrendous Tennessee passing attack on one side and a backup quarterback under center for New York on the other.
Winston looked terrible as he replaced Dart last week, completing just 11 of 27 attempts for 133 yards, with only 13 of those targets going to New York wide receivers. And Cam Ward wasn’t any better, with just 13 completions on 20 attempts, and only 11 of those targets going to the Tennessee wide receivers. There are better matchups to stream from this week.
Tennessee Titans
Alontae Taylor (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Cor’Dale Flott/Micah Robinson (CB): Flott was injured, and Robinson replaced him last week. This is an outside corner, full-time slot. If Flott can play, he’d be a risky (reinjury) SOLID in deeper leagues; Robinson becomes an option once more if Flott is inactive again in Week 3 (sit otherwise; he’s a backup and only has value if Flott is inactive).
Marcus Harris (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. Harris played 63% of snaps as the slot corner last week, but gets a New York team this week that is second-worst in the league in 11 personnel usage (Harris could see a huge drop in playing time against them).
New York Giants
Paulson Adebo (CB): SIT. He went to IR last week, and we won’t see him for at least 4 weeks.
Deonte Banks (CB): SIT. He was injured in the Dallas game and was declared inactive last week. Even if he can play, the matchup and reinjury risk make starting him a risky decision.
Colton Hood (CB): SIT. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week, replacing Banks, who was replacing Adebo. We’re getting into “inception levels” of backup corners here, and the matchup is garbage to begin with. I’d just look elsewhere.
Greg Newsome (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 96% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Andru Phillips (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played just 48% of snaps as the slot corner last week, but Tennessee is currently 5th overall in 11-personnel usage, so he should see more playing time this week.
Bengals at Steelers
Outlook: The early total for this AFC North battle is 43.5 points, with Cincy favored by a field goal at home. We can fire up our Pittsburgh corners in leagues of all sizes against one of the best passing attacks in the league, which definitely started to warm up last week. Burrow had 19 wide-receiver targets between Chase and Higgins last week, so we’re cooking with propane here.
For the reverse, it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Cincy corners against this Pittsburgh passing attack that was dead on arrival last week and hasn’t targeted any of their wide receivers not named “DJ Metcalf” enough for our purposes. Beyond that, we’re still seeing far more targets to tight ends and running backs from Pittsburgh, and that doesn’t help us much at all.
Cincinnati Bengals
Dax Hill (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 98% of snaps last week as an outside corner with a nice chunk of slot and box snaps as added value. He also faced 13 targets and has allowed his projection to be destroyed in both games this season.
DJ Turner (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Jalen Davis (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 72% of snaps as the slot corner this week and gets a Pittsburgh team that is now 6th overall in 11 personnel usage so far this season (Davis should play as much, and likely more, than he did last week).
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jalen Ramsey (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps as a box safety and slot corner, with just 14% of his snaps coming from deep safety last week. He added another chunk of blitz attempts and lined up on the defensive line a handful of times as well. Between that utilization, playing time, and this matchup, this is as ideal as it gets.
Joey Porter Jr/Asante Samuel Jr (CB): Porter was inactive once again last week; he would be a risky (reinjury) SOLID as a full-time outside corner if he can play this week. If he’s inactive again, Samuel becomes an option as the same (solid outside corner, full-time role).
Jamel Dean (CB): SOLID. He played 85% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Seahawks at Commanders
Outlook: The early total for this battle in Washington is just 41.5 points, with Seattle favored by 5.5 points on the road. We can fire up our Washington corners in medium-to-deeper leagues, as Drew Lock looked much more comfortable under center last week and gave us around 20 wide receiver targets. With Washington rolling out a backup quarterback this week, odds are good that Seattle will dominate the time-of-possession battle as well, which could add additional value to our Washington options in Week 3.
For the reverse, it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Seattle options (except Witherspoon; he’s usually matchup-proof) against an aging backup quarterback who will face an exponentially more dangerous defense than the one he saw in Dallas last week. Washington did manage to get a decent number of wide receiver targets, but if Mariota is busy running for his life, that may not matter much for us in Week 3.
Seattle Seahawks
Devon Witherspoon (CB): IDEAL. He played 96% of snaps as the slot corner with some bonus box snaps last week and surpassed his “as bloated as my lower intestines after Chipotle” projection. His utilization, playing time, and talent remain excellent.
Josh Jobe (CB): SOLID. He played 96% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Nehemiah Pritchett (CB): SIT. He was down to 76% of snaps as Nick Emmanwori returned to the field, but only played 18% of snaps in his first game back. As Emmanwori’s snaps increase, Pritchett’s will decrease, as his only value is as the backup to him. With another week of practice and health (fingers crossed), Emmanwori should be close to his normal full-time role, and Pritchett will no longer be an option for us.
Washington Commanders
Quan Martin (S/CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He was up to 54% of snaps as a deep safety this past week. He is mistakenly designated as a corner in Yahoo.
Amik Robertson (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Mike Sainristil (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 81% of snaps last week as an outside corner but had a nice chunk of slot and box snaps.
Rasul Douglas (CB): SIT. He was up to 43% of snaps as an outside corner last week, but between the utilization (outside corner is less productive compared to slot corner) and the playing time (less than half the snaps is bad), we’re still not there yet for him as a realistic option.
Cardinals at 49ers
Outlook: The early total for this battle in “The Bay” is 47.5 points, with San Francisco favored by 8.5 points at home. It will be “medium to deep” leagues across the board here for this one, as San Francisco backed off a bit last week and ran far more than they passed to their wide receivers, and Arizona only managed 11 wide receiver targets against Seattle.
We did see some nice trends from the Arizona passing attack in Week 1, and the same from the 49ers. So we know the value exists; it’s just a question of whether the offensive game plan and the game script itself line up to give us that in Week 3. In general, there are better streams elsewhere against teams we know will give us what we need for our corners to succeed.
Arizona Cardinals
Will Johnson/Unknown (CB): SOLID. He played 82% of snaps as an outside corner before being injured late last week. See note below for replacement information.
Denzel Burke (CB): SOLID. He played 84% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Max Melton/Unknown (CB): Melton played only 30% of snaps and was then injured while in the slot. See note below for replacement information.
Kei’Trel Clark & Kalen King (CB): These two will likely be the replacements if Johnson and Melton can’t play this week, with Clark the more likely to have a role if only one is inactive.
The Johnson injury occurred late, and San Francisco is the 3rd-worst team for 11 personnel, so Melton wasn’t playing much to begin with. With that in mind, information about who would replace who was difficult to come by last week. Just SIT these guys for now; we’re not even into the bye weeks yet. Go with a different option and skip this circus.
San Francisco 49ers
Marques Sigle (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps as a deep safety with a decent chunk of box snaps last week. He is mistakenly designated as a corner in Yahoo (cheat code).
Renardo Green (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Deommodore Lenoir (CB): SOLID. He played 94% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Upton Stout (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 57% of snaps as a slot corner with a nice chunk of box snaps & blitz attempts last week. He should see the same or more playing time this week against an Arizona team that’s currently 11th overall in 11 personnel usage.
Vikings at Bucs
Outlook: The early total for this one is 44.5 points, with Minnesota favored by a field goal on the road. It will be “deeper leagues only” for our Tampa Bay corners against this Minnesota passing attack, which managed only 11 wide receiver targets last week and didn’t do much better in Week 1. I don’t think a healthy Kyler improves that much, but we can probably upgrade our Tampa Bay options a bit if he ends up healthy this week.
We can fire up our Minnesota corners in medium-to-deeper leagues against a talented wide receiver corps in Tampa Bay, but an offense that has started sluggishly so far this season. Tampa Bay had 19 wide receiver targets last week.
Minnesota Vikings
Byron Murphy (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps as the slot corner last week and also saw some box snaps as well. He faced 6 targets (team high for corner) and gets the number-one team in the league for 11-personnel usage this week, so he should be in for a busy day at the office.
Isaiah Rogers (CB): SOLID. He played 97% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Josh Metellus (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week as a box safety and also had some slot snaps. He is mistakenly designated as a cornerback in Yahoo (cheat code).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Zyon McCollum (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only; he played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Jacob Parrish/Benjamin Morrison (CB): SOLID, risky, if healthy. He was inactive last week after suffering an injury in Week 1. If he can play, he would be a risky (reinjury) SOLID in deeper leagues as a full-time outside corner. As for Morrison, he only has value if Parrish is inactive again, and would be a SOLID option at outside corner in much deeper leagues.
Keionte Scott (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He played just 56% of snaps as the slot corner last week, and could see even less playing time against this “26th overall for 11 personnel usage” Minnesota team this week.
Raiders at Saints
Outlook: The early total for this battle in the “Big Easy” sits at 44.5 points with New Orleans favored by a field goal on the road. We’ve seen two weeks of incredible passing offense from New Orleans, and we got another 20-plus wide receiver targets from them last week. Fire up your Las Vegas corners in leagues of all sizes for this one.
For the reverse, medium-to-deeper leagues make sense for our New Orleans corners against this competent Las Vegas passing attack. Cousins has limited mistakes and gave us around 16 wide receiver targets last week and, perhaps more importantly, Cousins has shown the ability to sustain drives for Las Vegas. This at least gives our New Orleans corners some opportunity to make plays and score us some IDP points.
Las Vegas Raiders
Treydan Stukes/Isaiah Pola-Mao (CB/S): Stukes was injured and replaced by Pola-Mao last week. Stukes would be a risky (reinjury) option as a full-time deep safety who’s mistakenly designated as a corner in Yahoo if he can play, and Pola-Mao isn’t designated as a corner anywhere that I’ve seen, so it’s not worth discussing him as a backup option since this is “cornerback corner,” not “safety corner”.
Darien Porter/Hezekiah Masses (CB): Porter was inactive this week; Masses started in his place and played 73% of snaps as an outside corner. Porter would be a risky (reinjury) SOLID as a full-time outside corner if he can play this week, and Masses is only an option if he’s inactive once more.
Taron Johnson (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. He played 70% of snaps as a slot corner, with some bonus snaps at box and free safety as well. He gets the “4th overall for 11 personnel usage” Raiders this week, so that playing time should improve, and the utilization is excellent.
Eric Stokes (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
New Orleans Saints
Kool-Aid McKinstry (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Martin Emerson (CB): SIT. He played just 10% of snaps last week.
Quincy Riley (CB): SOLID. He played 89% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Ravens at Cowboys
Outlook: The early total for this showdown in Jerry World sits at a massive 51.5 points with Baltimore favored by a field goal on the road. It will be “deeper leagues only” for our Dallas corners against this “run first” Baltimore offense, which only gave us around 14 wide receiver targets last week while targeting their running backs and tight ends around 13 times. Baltimore continues to favor the run game and tight-end/running-back targets far more than wide-receiver targets, so we’ll adjust accordingly.
That would improve a bit if Zay Flowers is back in the lineup this week, but for now, we’ll plan as if he’ll be inactive again.
We can absolutely fire up the Glizzy Gobbler and friends in leagues of all sizes in an ideal matchup against this spectacular Dallas passing attack, which gave us 23 wide receiver targets last week and played from a lead for most of their game against Washington. In a negative game script, which is likely against this Baltimore team, we should see even more opportunities for our Baltimore corners to produce in Week 3.
Baltimore Ravens
Marlon Glizzy Gobbler Humphrey (CB): IDEAL. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week and smashed his projection for the 11th straight game, dating back to last season. This is a perfect matchup for the Gobbler, and we’ll keep riding the hot hand until the Glizzy's power fails us. It has not since around the holiday season last year.
Nate Wiggins (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Keyon Martin/Chandler Rivers (CB): SIT. Martin saw his playing time plummet to just 1.5% of snaps last week, while Rivers shot up to 35%. This slot is currently in flux; we’ll give it another week or two of real data before making any moves.
Dallas Cowboys
DaRon Bland (CB): SOLID. He played 94% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Cobie Durant/Shavon Revel (CB): Durant was injured last week and is a SIT due to reinjury risk and this poor matchup. Revel got more snaps as part of his replacement plan; he’s also a SIT for similar reasons.
Caleb Downs (S): Downs is technically the slot corner for Dallas and is designated as a safety everywhere I’ve seen him. I would start him, but once again, this isn’t “safety corner”, so play this one however you’d like.
Rams at Broncos
Outlook: The early total for this mile-high battle sits at 45.5 points with Los Angeles favored by a field goal on the road. We can fire up our Denver corners in leagues of all sizes in an ideal matchup against this spectacular Rams passing attack, which targeted Adams 10 times last week.
If Puka can play, we’re cooking with propane; if he’s inactive again, we demote our Broncos corners a bit to “medium to deeper leagues,” as we’ll be missing those 10 or so wide receiver targets he gets each week. Between him and Adams, we get around 20 wide receiver targets right there most weeks.
In reverse, the Denver passing attack looked much better last week, with 18 wide receiver targets, including 10 to Waddle alone. They were a top-ten team for wide receiver targets last season, and that wide receiver corps is loaded with talent. We’ve got an ideal matchup for our Los Angeles corners in mind as well.
Los Angeles Rams
Trent McDuffie (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week and also had a nice chunk of slot snaps. He has smashed his projection in both games this season and has always been a productive and talented option for us.
Jaylen Watson (CB): SOLID. He played 94% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Josh Wallace (CB): SIT. He played 62% of snaps last week, including a ton of slot snaps, but only 10% in Week 1. This slot feels unsettled, and Quentin Lake (who is a safety everywhere, which is why you don’t see him in this article) has been playing some snaps there as well.
Denver Broncos
Patrick Surtain (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week but faced only 3 targets, as opposing teams continue to avoid him like the plague.
Riley Moss (CB): IDEAL. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week, smashed his projection once more, and faced 7 targets as the “lesser of all evils” effect continues to power his production.
Ja’Quan McMillian (CB): SOLID. He played 68% of snaps as the slot corner last week, but could see fewer snaps this week against a Los Angeles team that is currently 22nd overall in 11 personnel usage. McMillian faced 6 targets last week; the “lesser of all evils” effect continues to ring true.
Eagles at Bears
Outlook: The early total for this battle in the “Windy City” sits at 43.5 points, with Philly favored by 4.5 points on the road. It will be “deeper leagues only” across the board for this one unless Caleb Williams is somehow magically able to play this week.
Hurts was better last week, as he managed 23 wide receiver targets after losing Goedert and Saquon, and with legitimately no other options beyond DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks to move the chains for most of that game against Tennessee. All things being equal, Philly never targets their wide receivers that much, ever, so this is an outlier for me.
And in reverse, it will be a backup quarterback (Tyson Bagent or some other warm body) under center for Chicago this week unless we get a miracle recovery by Caleb Williams. This Philly defense is for real, and Bagent or whoever they roll out under center is probably in for a long day at the office without much to show for it.
Philadelphia Eagles
Cooper DeJean (CB): SOLID, leagues of all sizes. This would be IDEAL if the matchup weren’t against a backup quarterback. He played 100% of snaps last week and lined up in the slot, box, or free safety for all of them. That utilization is perfect, but it’s only part of the puzzle and doesn’t matter much if the opposing quarterback can’t complete passes (as evidenced by last week's game against Tennessee).
Quinyon Mitchel (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Tariq Woolen (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 96% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Chicago Bears
Jaylon Johnson (CB): SOLID; medium-to-deeper leagues. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside corner but also had a chunk of slot and box snaps.
Tyrique Stevenson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, if healthy. He was injured last week, and his replacement wasn’t immediately apparent (was injured late in the game). We don’t need to chase his backup here; the Eagles really don’t like throwing the ball or throwing to their wide receivers unless they’re forced to.
Malik Muhammed (CB): SOLID. He played 61% of snaps as the slot corner last week, and Philly is currently 2nd overall in 11-personnel usage (he should play at least that much, and likely a ton more, this week).
Byes this week: None
My Favorite Matchups, Week 3:
Broncos corners VS Los Angeles Rams
Ravens corners VS Dallas Cowboys
Raiders corners VS New Orleans Saints
Vikings corners VS Tampa Bay Bucs
Pittsburgh corners VS Cincinnati Bengals
Patriots corners VS Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 3 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):
Kamari Lassiter, Jalen Pitre
L’Jarius Sneed
Dax Hill, Jalen Ramsey
Devon Witherspoon
Marques Sigle
Byron Murphy, Josh Metellus
Marlon Glizzy Gobbler Humphrey
Trent McDuffie
Riley Moss
SOLID (matchup or playing time isn’t perfect, best in medium to deeper leagues):
Mike Hughes, CJ Henderson, Keisean Nixon, Brandon Cisse
Cam Hart, Tarheeb Still, Donte Jackson, Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston, Dee Alford
Mike Jackson, Jaycee Horn, Denzel Ward, Myles Harden, Tyson Campbell
Brandon Stephens, Azareyeh Thomas, Jarvis Brownlee, DJ Reed, Rock Ya-Sin
Derek Stingley, Chavarious Ward/Cam Taylor Britt, Justin Walley, Sauce Gardner
Carlton Davis/Charles Woods, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, Travis Hunter, Montaric Brown, Jarrian Jones, Jourdan Lewis
Nohl Williams, Chris Johnson, Jason Marshall, Juju Brents
Alontae Taylor, Marcus Harris, Cor’Dale Flott/Micah Robinson, Greg Newsome, Andru Phillips
DJ Turner, Jalen Davis, Jamel Dean, Joey Porter Jr/Asante Samuel Jr
Josh Jobe, Quan Martin, Amik Robertson, Mike Sainristil
Will Johnson, Denzel Burke, Renardo Green, Deommodore Lenoir, Upton Stout
Isaiah Rogers, Zyon McCollum, Jacob Parrish/Benjamin Morrison, Keionte Scott
Treydan Stukes, Darien Porter/Hezekiah Masses, Taron Johnson, Eric Stokes, Koolaid McKinstry, Quincy Riley
Nate Wiggins, DaRon Bland, Cobie Durant/Shavon Revel
Jaylen Watson, Patrick Surtain, JaQuan McMillian
Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell, Tariq Woolen, Tyrique Stevenson, Jaylon Johnson, Malik Muhammed
TRAPS (sit these players):
Billy Bowman, Sydney Brown, Avieon Tyrel, AJ Terrell, Carrington Valentine
Elijah Molden
Will Lee
Avonte Maddox, Roger McCreary
Mansor Delane, Kristian Fulton
Paulson Adebo, Deonte Banks, Colton Hood
Rasul Douglas, Nehemiah Pritchett
Max Melton, Kei’Trel Clark, Kalen King
Martin Emerson
Keyon Martin, Chandler Rivers
Josh Wallace
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.
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Victory or death!! (Via streaming CBs)🤘🏼