Johny The Greek's Cornerback Corner: Week 11
What are the best CB options for IDP fantasy football leagues in Week 11?
Welcome back to the Cornerback Corner! As is tradition, we’ll start with transparency and get right into this week’s calls.
Last week, I made 82 calls for leagues of all shapes and sizes. Of those 82 calls, 13 were declared inactive or were injured during play, which caused them to miss their projection (early in the game). Subtracting those players, we’re left with 69 “adjusted” calls.
Of those, 50 were correct (matched, beat, or were within a slim margin of their projection on Yahoo and MFL), and 19 were incorrect (didn’t match or beat projection and weren’t even close), giving us 72% accuracy for Week 10.
Of those 50 correct calls, 18 were “massive hits” (doubled, tripled, or more, their projection), giving us a 36% massive hit rate on correct calls for Week 10.
We are 72% accurate overall for the season, with 37% of all correct calls ending up as “massive hits.”
Week 1: 72% accuracy, 41% massive hit rate
Week 2: 73% accuracy, 46% massive hit rate
Week 3: 65% accuracy, 45% massive hit rate
Week 4: 73% accuracy, 36% massive hit rate
Week 5: 75% accuracy, 32% massive hit rate
Week 6: 67% accuracy, 34% massive hit rate
Week 7: 75% accuracy, 38% massive hit rate
Week 8: 75% accuracy, 30% massive hit rate
Week 9: 76% accuracy, 32% massive hit rate
Week 10: 72% accuracy, 36% massive hit rate
Please see THIS if you need a primer in cornerback streaming or what’s being discussed in this article (for new readers).
If you notice a player playing safety who is designated a corner in your league of merit, please feel free to comment below, and I’ll update the article with that information.
Alignment & utilization metrics are sourced from PFF.com, an outstanding resource for all things fantasy football-related.
To this point in the season, the Steelers, Ravens, Seahawks, Browns, 49ers, Dolphins, and Patriots use 11 personnel (3 WR sets) the least. Arizona, Washington, Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay, Detroit, Kansas City, and Atlanta are also teams that don’t use 11 personnel a ton, but not as bad as the list above. Your opposing slot corners (Sainristil, Phillips, etc) will likely see a significant reduction in playing time against these teams listed above.
Jets at Patriots
Outlook: The early total for the Thursday night game, which kicks off Week 11, stands at 44.5 points, with New England favored by 10.5 points at home. New England is a top ten passing attack (YPG), while New York is now the worst across the entire league. New England is among the middle of the pack for targeting their wide receivers, while New York is 30th overall for this ranking (3rd worst).
It will be “much deeper leagues only” for our New England corners this week, especially if Garrett Wilson is inactive. For our New York corners, medium to deeper leagues should be fine.
New York Jets
Brandon Stephens (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside corner.
Jarvis Brownlee (CB): SOLID. He played 82% of snaps last week as an outside corner and had a nice chunk of box and slot snaps as well.
Azareyeh Thomas (CB): SIT. He only played 34% of snaps last week and was deployed as an outside cornerback. He picked up a concussion and isn’t practicing at the time of writing (he’ll probably be inactive this week).
New England Patriots
Christian Gonzalez (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only due to the matchup. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Carlton Davis (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only due to the matchup. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Marcus Jones (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only due to the matchup. He played 81% of snaps last week as the slot corner. He also had 3 return yards, which isn’t much, but shows that he will still occasionally return kicks/punts, which is added value. He picked up an elbow injury last week, but is already practicing in a limited fashion to start this week.
Commanders at Dolphins
Outlook: The early total for this matchup in Miami sits at 47.5 points with Miami favored by 1.5 points at home. Both teams are among the middle of the pack for passing yards per game. And the same for wide receiver targets. We can fire up our normal options in medium to deeper leagues for this one, and that should be about right. I would lean towards the “deeper” part of medium to deeper leagues with this Miami team having just done a fire sale, and Washington having a shredded wide receiver corps and a backup quarterback under center.
Washington Commanders
Will Harris (S/CB): SIT. He has not returned from IR as of yet, but it’s imminent, according to Dan Quinn. They’ll likely ease him back into the lineup, so we’ll sit him the first week back, but after that, he’s a starting safety with box snaps that’s incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo.
Quan Martin (S/CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as a deep safety that’s incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo.
Mike Sainristil (CB): SOLID. He played 87% of snaps last week as the slot corner.
Jonathan Jones (CB): SOLID if healthy. He replaced Marshon Lattimore (who went to IR last week) and played 78% of snaps as an outside corner. He exited early with a groin injury last week; the replacement corner was not clear.
Trey Amos/Noah Igbinoghene (CB): Amos was injured and exited with an ankle injury last week; Igbinoghene replaced him and finished up the game. We’ve only seen this once; I don’t trust Igbinoghene as a replacement option yet. (SIT Igbinoghene). Amos is facing an “extended absence” (SIT Amos), so we’ll keep an eye on Igbinoghene as a replacement corner. He may be an option for us in Week 12, but we need to see it at least one more time to confirm it’s real.
Miami Dolphins
Rasul Douglas/Juju Brents (CB): Rasul was inactive with a foot injury last week. He would be SOLID, deeper leagues only, if he can play this week. Brents was his replacement and played 76% of snaps as an outside corner. We can trust Brents in deeper leagues as a replacement option this week if Douglas is inactive again (SOLID, deeper leagues).
Jack Jones (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
All others (CB): SIT. No other corner cleared 26% of snaps for Miami last week.
Panthers at Falcons
Outlook: The early total for this NFC South showdown sits at 42.5 points with Atlanta favored by a field goal at home. Atlanta is among the middle of the pack for passing yards per game, while Carolina is now the third-worst team in the league for this ranking. Both teams are among the middle of the pack for targeting their wide receivers each week. We can fire up the usual suspects in medium to deeper leagues, but once again, lean towards the “deeper” side of that recommendation with the current state of these two passing offenses in mind.
Carolina Panthers
Mike Jackson (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback with a nice chunk of box snaps as bonus value.
Jaycee Horn (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback with a nice chunk of box snaps as bonus value.
Chau Smith Wade (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. His playing time is dependent on the opposing passing attack and their tendencies (and Atlanta isn’t exactly the greatest show on turf). He played 45% of snaps last week, although the majority of those snaps were from the slot and box. See the list way up top for a barometer on whether your slot corner is possibly getting rug-pulled for playing time this week.
Atlanta Falcons
Mike Hughes/Dee Alford (CB): Hughes was inactive with a neck injury last week. We saw Alford, the preferred replacement corner in Atlanta, once again. Alford was concussed after only 15% of snaps and likely won’t clear protocol in time to play this week (SIT Alford). Hughes would be SOLID if he could play this week.
AJ Terrell (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Billy Bowman (S/CB): SOLID. He returned to the lineup this week and played 75% of snaps as the slot corner.
Keith Taylor Jr (CB): With both Hughes inactive and Alford suffering a concussion, we got Taylor as the second replacement corner in Atlanta last week. He would only be an option if both of the above players are inactive. In that scenario, I would be very hesitant to trust this (SIT Taylor, unless you’re truly desperate and the above variables are in play).
Bucs at Bills
Outlook: We’ve got a massive 50.5 points for the early total for this battle of two of the best overall offenses in the league. Buffalo is favored by 5.5 points at home. Both teams are among the middle of the pack for passing yards per game. Tampa Bay is a top-ten team for targeting their wide receivers each week, while Buffalo is among the middle of the pack.
We can fire up everyone with a pulse in medium to deeper leagues and hope we get the shootout that Vegas thinks we’re getting here. I’ll have plenty of corners going from this matchup in Week 11.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tykee Smith (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 83% of snaps last week, lined up all over the place, and annihilated his projection once more. If your league site has designated him as a corner, you set and forget him.
Zyon McCollum (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Jamel Dean/Benjamin Morrison (CB): Dean is SOLID, deeper leagues only. Morrison is a SIT. After a recent beat writer report mentioned how the coaching staff’s plan has been for these two to split the second outside cornerback slot, we’ve actually only seen that once. Dean has been playing far more than Morrison weekly (78% to 16% of snaps last week).
Jacob Parrish (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 47% of snaps last week, but those snaps were from the slot or box, which helps offset some of that bad playing time. Much like most slot corners this season, his playing time will be dependent on the opposing passing attack and their tendencies (specifically, how much 11 personnel they play).
Buffalo Bills
Maxwell Hairston (CB): SOLID. He shot up to 100% of snaps last week as an outside corner. This could be a bit risky. He was heading this direction to begin with, but did the playing time bump come from a natural progression or because Benford and Taron were inactive? No idea. Still, it’s a great matchup, and we knew Hairston would be a starter at some point this season, regardless.
Christian Benford (CB): SOLID, if healthy. He was inactive with a groin injury last week, but is typically a full-time outside corner.
Tre’Davious White (CB): SOLID, if Benford is inactive, otherwise SIT. He appears to now be the first preferred replacement corner option in Buffalo.
Taron Johnson (CB): SOLID, if healthy. He was inactive last week with a groin injury, but he is usually the slot corner here in Buffalo.
Brandon Codrington (CB/Kick Returns): SIT. He was healthy last week and did not return any punts or kicks.
All others (CB): SIT. No other corner cleared 20% of snaps last week.
Chargers at Jaguars
Outlook: The early total for this battle in Jacksonville only sits at 44.5 points, with Los Angeles favored by 1.5 points on the road despite this matchup featuring two of the better offenses in the league. Los Angeles is a top ten team for passing yards per game, while Jacksonville is among the middle of the pack. At the time of writing, these teams are number one and two overall for wide receiver targets. This is an ideal matchup across the board; fire up everyone with a pulse in leagues of all sizes.
Los Angeles Chargers
Tarheeb Still/Nikko Reed (CB): Still was inactive again last week, but is getting closer to a return. He would be SOLID if he could play this week. Reed appeared to have been his replacement last week; it was Ja’Sir Taylor before that. The replacement corner situation is in flux, and we can’t trust this at all (SIT Reed).
Cam Hart (CB): SOLID. He played 85% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Donte Jackson (CB): SOLID. He played 76% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Benjamin St Juste (CB): SIT. He played just 38% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jourdan Lewis/Jarrian Jones (CB): Lewis would be SOLID, borderline IDEAL, if he could play this week (inactive last week). Jones replaced him as the slot corner and played 77% of snaps. He would be SOLID if Lewis is inactive, SIT otherwise.
Greg Newsome (CB): SOLID. He played 93% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Montaric Brown (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Bears at Vikings
Outlook: The early total for this NFC North showdown sits at 45.5 points with Minnesota favored by a field goal at home. Chicago has a top-ten passing offense for yards per game, while Minnesota is within the bottom third of the league for this ranking. Chicago is also among the top ten for wide receiver targets, while Minnesota is in the middle of the pack.
We can fire up our Minnesota corners in leagues of all sizes in an ideal matchup this week, but it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Chicago corners against an inexperienced quarterback who has trouble completing enough passes to give our opposing cornerbacks the value we need to start them with confidence each week.
Chicago Bears
Tyrique Stevenson (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside cornerback last week.
Jaylon Johnson/Nahshon Wright (CB): I couldn’t find any updates on the timetable for a return for Johnson this week. Our normal order of operations remains. Johnson would be a SIT in his first game back in well over a month, and Wright would be SOLID as a full-time outside cornerback if Johnson is inactive again this week. Wright played 98% of snaps last week as an outside corner and the replacement for Johnson.
Nick McCloud (CB): SIT. With the addition of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, the Bears have opted for three safety sets with Johnson playing the slot corner role going forward. They didn’t consult me before making this change, so apologies to anyone who started McCloud last week.
Chauncey Gardner Johnson (S/CB): SOLID. He’s now the slot defender for Chicago. He also had some box and defensive line snaps and blitzed a good amount. He is very likely not a cornerback in your league of record, but if he is, he makes a fantastic option going forward.
Minnesota Vikings
Josh Metellus (S/CB): IDEAL. He may be in a mini-slump with his production, but his utilization and playing time remain excellent. He played 100% of snaps last week as a starting safety who’s incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo. He lined up deep with only 31% of his total snaps; the rest were in the box, slot, defensive line, or were a blitzing attempt.
Byron Murphy (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback. He had a nice chunk of slot/box snaps as well.
Isaiah Rogers (CB): SOLID. He played 84% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Packers at Giants
Outlook: The early total for this battle in the Big Apple sits at 44.5 points with Green Bay favored by a touchdown on the road. Green Bay is a top ten team for passing yards per game, while New York is in the middle of the pack. New York is within the middle of the pack for wide receiver targets each week, while Green Bay is within the worst third of the league for this ranking.
With Dart getting concussed last week, we’re probably looking at Danger-Russ, so it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Green Bay corners this week. And we’ll do the same for our New York corners against a Packers team that hasn’t targeted their wide receivers much this season, even when everyone was healthy.
Green Bay Packers
Carrington Valentine (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Keisean Nixon (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Javon Bullard (S/CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played 60% of snaps last week as the slot corner.
New York Giants
Paulson Adebo/Deonte Banks (CB): Adebo was inactive again last week, he would be SOLID, deeper leagues only due to reinjury risk, if he could play this week. Banks replaced Adebo once again to the tune of 75% of snaps at outside cornerback. Banks would be SOLID, deeper leagues only, if Adebo is inactive again (SIT otherwise).
Cor’Dale Flott (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Andru Phillips (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 58% of snaps as the slot corner last week. See the list at the top of the article for a barometer on whether Phillips may get rug-pulled on his playing time this week.
Bengals at Steelers
Outlook: The early total for this rematch of the epic shootout we saw a few weeks back now sits at 50.5 points with Pittsburgh favored by 5.5 points at home. Cincy is just outside the top ten for passing yards per game, but that’s only because Browning dragged that ranking down with him; they’re clearing 300 yards passing per week with Flacco easily these days. Pittsburgh is in the middle of the pack for this ranking. Cincy is a top-five team for targeting their wide receivers, while Pittsburgh is dead last across the league for this ranking.
We’ve got an ideal matchup for Joey Porter Jr and our Pittsburgh corners in Week 11, but it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Cincy corners this week.
Cincinnati Bengals
DJ Turner (CB): SOLID. He played 97% of snaps as an outside corner the last time we saw him (bye last week).
Dax Hill (S/CB): SOLID. He played 95% of snaps in Week 9 and lined up all over the place. He would be IDEAL if the matchup were better.
Cam Taylor Britt/All others (CB): SIT. Britt did play 86% of snaps as an outside corner in Week 9 (bye last week), but has been benched or was a healthy inactive for weeks 3 and 7, and only played 6% of snaps and 35% of snaps, respectively, in weeks 4 and 5. There is a very real possibility that if you start him, he won’t play, and you’ll get a zero. Plus, it’s the elderly Aaron Rodgers on the back end of his career and a Pittsburgh team that only targets one wide receiver, not the 1999 Rams.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jalen Ramsey (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week as a safety, but also had some slot, box, and wide corner snaps. His utilization is excellent, and the matchup is also excellent.
Joey Porter Jr (CB): SOLID. He played 95% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback and came back to earth after his recent production hot streak.
Darius Slay/James Pierre (CB): SOLID, if healthy. He suffered a concussion last week and may not clear protocol in time to play this week. Pierre appeared to have been his replacement; he would be a risky SOLID, deeper leagues only, if Slay is inactive this week (that we would only consider due to the excellent matchup).
Brandin Echols (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 64% of snaps last week, but his snaps were from the slot or box, which makes up for some of that bad playing time.
Texans at Titans
Outlook: The early total for this AFC South showdown sits at just 38.5 points with Houston favored by a touchdown on the road. Houston is in the middle of the pack for passing yards per game, while Tennessee is now the second-worst team in the league for this ranking. Houston is now, surprisingly, a top-ten team for wide receiver targets, while Tennessee is among the middle of the pack. I’m not sure I quite believe this recent uptick in Houston wide receiver targets is legitimate/something we’ll see for the rest of the season. Let’s see it another couple of times before we adjust to this trend.
Tennessee may target its wide receivers, but many of those attempts aren’t catchable; it will be deeper leagues only for our Houston corners this week. And for our Tennessee corners, we can fire them up in medium to deeper leagues.
Houston Texans
Kamari Lassiter (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and lined up all over the place. If this past week’s utilization holds, he’s in for many IDEAL weeks to come (just not this week, it’s the Titans, not the 1998 Vikings). He only lined up as an outside corner for about half his snaps; the rest were in the slot, box, or were a blitzing attempt.
Derek Stingley (CB): SOLID. He played 96% of snaps as an outside cornerback last week.
Jalen Pitre/Myles Bryant (S/CB): Pitre was inactive last week; he would be SOLID if he could play this week. We know all about his utilization, role, and production. Bryant was his apparent replacement last week, but we’ve only seen it once, and it’s the Titans, not the 1983 Redskins, so we can skip it (SIT Bryant) and avoid any possible rug pull situations.
Tennessee Titans
Darrel Baker Jr (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside cornerback the last time we saw him (bye last week). He also had a nice chunk of box snaps in Week 9.
Jaylyn Armor Davis (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps in Week 9 as an outside cornerback.
Marcus Harris (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played just 43% of snaps in Week 9, but they were all from the slot or box. His playing time should improve against teams not listed in the notes section at the top of the article (and Houston is one of those teams where his playing time should be better).
49ers at Cardinals
Outlook: The early total for this NFC West matchup sits at 48.5 points with San Francisco favored by a field goal on the road. San Francisco is a top ten team for passing yards per game, while Arizona is now among the middle of the pack. San Francisco is in the middle of the pack for wide receiver targets each week, while Arizona is the second-worst team in the league for this ranking.
It will be deeper leagues only for our San Francisco corners this week, and we can fire up our Arizona corners in medium to deeper leagues in Week 11.
San Francisco 49ers
Deommodore Lenoir (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Renardo Green (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Upton Stout (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only; he played 41% of snaps as the slot corner last week (see list at the top of the article to help determine if his playing time will be affected by his matchup this week).
Arizona Cardinals
Max Melton/Denzel Burke (CB): Melton was inactive last week, but would be SOLID as a full-time outside cornerback if he can play this week. Burke appears to be the preferred replacement corner as he played 98% of snaps last week. I would still SIT Burke, though, as this isn’t an ideal matchup and there’s a ton of moving pieces here (if we guess wrong, you get a zero).
Will Johnson/Kei’Trel Clark (CB): Johnson was inactive last week; he would be SOLID as a full-time outside cornerback if he can play this week. Clark replaced him but only played 32% of snaps (SIT Clark).
Garrett Williams (CB): SOLID. He played 82% of snaps as an outside cornerback last week, but typically plays in the slot when everyone is healthy.
Seahawks at Rams
Outlook: The early total for this battle of NFC West powerhouses sits at 48.5 points with Los Angeles favored by a field goal at home. We have the 3rd and 1st overall passing offenses for yards per game here, respectively. Los Angeles is just outside the top ten for wide receiver targets, while Seattle is among the middle of the pack.
We can fire up Devon Witherspoon and our Seattle corners in an ideal matchup this week, and we can start our Los Angeles corners in medium to deeper leagues for this particular matchup.
Seattle Seahawks
Coby Bryant (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps as a starting safety, and is incorrectly designated as a cornerback in Yahoo last week. About half of his snaps were deep safety snaps; the rest were in the box, slot, defensive line, or were a blitzing attempt.
Nick Emmanwori (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 92% of snaps last week as the slot cornerback.
Devon Witherspoon (CB): SOLID, borderline IDEAL. He played 94% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback, but also had a nice chunk of slot snaps.
Josh Jobe/Tariq Woolen (CB): Jobe was inactive last week. He would be SOLID as a full-time outside corner if he can play this week. Woolen replaced him and played 94% of snaps as an outside corner. Woolen would be SOLID if Jobe is inactive, SIT otherwise.
Los Angeles Rams
Quentin Lake (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week, lined up all over the place, and smashed his projection.
Emmanuel Forbes (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 92% of snaps as an outside corner last week, but his playing time (along with Durant and Williams) has been in flux for weeks now. I have zero idea who will play the most and the least of Forbes, Durant, and Williams each week.
Cobie Durant (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 88% of snaps as an outside cornerback last week.
Darious Williams (CB): SIT. He only played 19% of snaps last week. He did miss a game recently and was banged up; they could have been easing him back into the lineup. We hope this recent trend holds and that he’s the one on the outside looking in for now. Fingers crossed.
Ravens at Browns
Outlook: The early total for this AFC North matchup sits at just 41.5 points with Baltimore favored by 8.5 points on the road. Both teams are within the worst third of the league for passing yards per game. Baltimore is the 4th worst team in the league for targeting their wide receivers each week, while Cleveland is in the worst third of the league for this ranking. It will be “deeper leagues only” across the board for this one.
Baltimore Ravens
Nate Wiggins (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only; he played 98% of snaps as an outside cornerback last week.
Marlon Humphrey (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, if healthy. He suffered a finger injury last week and may need surgery (which would make him miss one or two games, according to Harbaugh). He played 69% of snaps last week, nice, as an outside corner with a good chunk of slot snaps. He has now smashed his projection in both games since announcing to the world that he plans on gobbling 50 glizzies in 50 states.
Chidobe Awuzie (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, only if Humphrey is inactive, SIT otherwise. His playing time has fluctuated all season long, but if Humphrey is inactive, then he’ll very likely see a bump in playing time. He was in for 60% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Cleveland Browns
Denzel Ward (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only; he played 91% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Tyson Campbell (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only; he played 85% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Myles Harden (CB): SOLID, extremely deep leagues only. He played just 49% of snaps last week, but they were all from the slot.
Chiefs at Broncos
Outlook: The early total for this AFC West showdown sits at 44.5 points with Kansas City favored by a field goal on the road. Kansas City is a top ten team for passing yards per game, while Denver is in the middle of the pack. Both teams are either within the top ten for wide receiver targets or just outside of it. We can fire up everyone with a pulse for this one and hope it’s not a defensive struggle. Between the rankings and what we’ve seen of these two passing attacks in terms of their tendencies this season, this should be a good one.
Kansas City Chiefs
Chamarri Conner (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps as a mostly box safety with a chunk of deep safety snaps in Week 9. If he’s designated a corner in your league of merit, then he’s a set-and-forget.
Trent McDuffie (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps in Week 9, mostly as an outside cornerback, but he also had a nice chunk of box and slot snaps.
Jaylen Watson (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps in Week 9 as an outside cornerback.
Nohl Williams (CB): SIT. While he did play 66% of snaps in Week 9, his playing time has been all over the place this season, and we could easily end up seeing one of his five other weeks where he’s played less than 30% of snaps.
Denver Broncos
Riley Moss (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback with a nice chunk of box snaps as added value. He’s been under projection just twice this entire season, and this is a nice matchup.
Patrick Surtain/Kris Abrams Draine (CB): Surtain would be a risky (reinjury) SOLID if he can play this week. Draine replaced him last week and played 78% of snaps as an outside cornerback. Draine would be a SOLID in deeper leagues if Surtain is inactive again this week.
JaQuan McMillian (CB): SOLID. With Surtain inactive, McMillian has seen a bump in playing time. He played 95% of snaps as a slot corner last week. That’s almost IDEAL (his playing time fluctuation this season is the only thing holding that back).
Jahdae Barron (CB): SIT. He only played 33% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Lions at Eagles
Outlook: The early total for this possible NFC Championship game preview sits at 47.5 points with Philly favored by 1.5 points at home. Detroit is in the middle of the pack for passing yards per game, while Philly is within the worst third of the league for this ranking. Both teams are within the worst third of the league for targeting their wide receivers each week. On paper, this is a “deeper leagues only” matchup, but between the star power here and what we know these two offenses are capable of, we can probably get away with “medium to deeper leagues” for this one.
Detroit Lions
DJ Reed/Amik Robertson (CB): Reed would be a SIT in his first game back in well over a month. Robertson played 94% of snaps last week as an outside corner and is the preferred replacement corner in Detroit. He would be a SOLID if Reed is inactive again.
Terrion Arnold (CB): SOLID, if healthy. He played 44% of snaps and then left with an injury last week.
Avonte Maddox/Rock Ya Sin/Arthur Maulet (CB): SIT them all. None of them cleared 55% of snaps played last week; it’s a mess in this secondary at the moment. Beyond that, the Eagles aren’t a great matchup to begin with.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quinyon Mitchell (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Cooper DeJean (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week, mostly from the slot, but he lined up all over the place and only missed his projection by a tackle.
All others (CB): SIT. We were right not to mess with Kelee Ringo last week. He ended up only playing 5% of snaps while Adoree Jackson played 82% out of left field. This final cornerback slot in Philly continues to be a gigantic mess; steer clear of it for now.
Cowboys at Raiders
Outlook: The Monday night game to wrap up Week 11 sits at 50.5 points for the early total with Dallas favored by a field goal on the road. Dallas is a top-ten team for passing yards per game, while Las Vegas is within the worst third of the league. Dallas is also a top-ten team for targeting their wide receivers, while Vegas is, once again, within the worst third of the league.
This is an ideal matchup for Eric Stokes and whoever else is playing cornerback for Las Vegas (on paper), but it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Dallas corners to wrap up Week 11. The matchup for Las Vegas may be ideal, but our cornerback options for the Raiders are not. See below.
Dallas Cowboys
DaRon Bland (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps in Week 9, mostly from outside cornerback, but he also had some slot and box snaps. He has not been under projection since Week 6.
Kair Elam (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 61% of snaps as an outside cornerback in Week 9 as the Trevon Diggs replacement. Diggs won’t be back for another couple of weeks.
All others (CB): SIT. No other corner cleared 41% of snaps, and it was a mess beyond Bland and Elam.
Las Vegas Raiders
Eric Stokes (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside cornerback last week. This would be IDEAL with this matchup, except his production has been anything but stellar this season.
Darien Porter/Kyu Blu Kelly (CB): SIT them both. They split the other full-time cornerback role with 42% and 57% of snaps played, respectively. This slot is in flux, but if you need a warm body in a great matchup in much deeper leagues, Kelly is probably the better bet.
All others (CB): SIT. No other corner cleared 8% of snaps played.
Byes this week: Colts, Saints
My Favorite Matchups, Week 11:
Buffalo Bills corners versus the Tampa Bay Bucs
Charges versus Jaguars, either side
Minnesota Vikings corners versus the Chicago Bears
Pittsburgh Steelers corners versus the Cincinnati Bengals
Seattle Seahawks corners versus the Los Angeles Rams
Chiefs versus Broncos, either side
Week 11 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):
Tykee Smith
Josh Metellus
Jalen Ramsey
Coby Bryant, Nick Emmanwori, Quentin Lake
Chamarri Conner, Trent McDuffie, Riley Moss
Cooper DeJean
DaRon Bland
SOLID (matchup or playing time isn’t perfect, best in medium to deeper leagues):
Brandon Stephens, Jarvis Brownlee, Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones
Quan Martin, Mike Sainristil, Jonathan Jones, Rasul Douglas/Juju Brents, Jack Jones
Mike Jackson, Jaycee Horn, Chau Smith Wade, Mike Hughes/Dee Alford, Billy Bowman, AJ Terrell
Zyon McCollum, Jamel Dean, Jacob Parrish, Maxwell Hairston, Christian Benford/Tre’Davious White, Taron Johnson
Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart, Donte Jackson, Jourdan Lewis/Jarrian Jones, Montaric Brown, Greg Newsome
Tyrique Stevenson, Nahshon Wright (if Jaylon Johnson is inactive), Chauncey Gardner Johnson, Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rogers
Carrington Valentine, Keisean Nixon, Javon Bullard, Paulson Adebo/Deonte Banks, Cor’Dale Flott, Andru Phillips
DJ Turner, Dax Hill, Joey Porter Jr, Darius Slay/James Pierre, Brandin Echols
Derek Stingley, Kamari Lassiter, Jalen Pitre, Jaylyn Armor Davis, Marcus Harris, Darrell Baker Jr
Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, Max Melton, Will Johnson, Garrett Williams
Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe/Tariq Woolen, Emmanuel Forbes, Cobie Durant
Nate Wiggins, Marlon Humphrey/Chidobe Awuzie, Denzel Ward, Myles Harden, Tyson Campbell
Jalen Watson, Patrick Surtain/Kris Abrams Draine, JaQuan McMillian
DJ Reed/Amik Robertson, Terrion Arnold, Quinyon Mitchell
Kair Elam, Eric Stokes
TRAPS (sit these players):
Azareyeh Thomas
Will Harris, Trey Amos
Benjamin Morrison, Brandon Codrington
Nikko Reed, Benjamin St Juste
Jaylon Johnson, Nick McCloud
Cam Taylor Britt
Myles Bryant
Denzel Burke, Kei’Trel Clark
Darious Williams
Nohl Williams, Jahdae Barron
Avonte Maddox, Rock Ya Sin, Arthur Maulet, Kelee Ringo, Adoree Jackson
Darien Porter, Kyu Blu Kelly
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!