Johny The Greek's Cornerback Corner: Week 13
What are the best CB options for IDP fantasy football leagues in Week 13?
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 73 calls for leagues of all shapes and sizes. Of those 73 calls, 5 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 68 “adjusted” calls.
Of those, 57 were correct (matched, beat, or were within a slim margin of their projection on Yahoo and MFL), and 11 were incorrect (didn’t match or beat projection and weren’t even close), giving us 83% accuracy for Week 12.
Of those 57 correct calls, 18 were “massive hits” (doubled, tripled, or more, their projection), giving us a 31% massive hit rate on correct calls for Week 12.
We are 76% accurate overall for the season, with 40% of all correct calls ending up as “massive hits.”
Week 1: 78% accuracy, 34% massive hit rate
Week 2: 71% accuracy, 43% massive hit rate
Week 3: 76% accuracy, 50% massive hit rate
Week 4: 66% accuracy, 53% massive hit rate
Week 5: 89% accuracy, 40% massive hit rate
Week 6: 80% accuracy, 40% massive hit rate
Week 7: 70% accuracy, 52% massive hit rate
Week 8: 81% accuracy, 43% massive hit rate
Week 9: 72% accuracy, 34% massive hit rate
Week 10: 76% accuracy, 23% massive hit rate
Week 11: 70% accuracy, 39% massive hit rate
Week 12: 83% accuracy, 31% massive hit rate
Please see THIS or THIS if you need a primer in cornerback streaming or what’s being discussed in this article (for new readers).
When I list the corners each week, it’s always STARTER/BACKUP/BACKUP in “depth chart/what we’ve seen” order if we’re dealing with an injured cornerback.
If you notice a player playing safety who is designated a corner in your league of merit, please feel free to comment below. I’ll update the article with that information so we all can share in the bounty of the designation mistakes from these league sites. Thank you!
Bears at Lions
Outlook: We’ve got a huge total for our early Thanksgiving game, 48.5 points, and the Lions are favored by 11. Detroit has a top-ten passing offense, while Chicago is in the league's worst third. Detroit is within the middle of the pack for targeting their wide receivers while Chicago is within the top third of the league. We can fire up our normal options in medium to deeper leagues and look good for this one.
Chicago Bears
Jaylon Johnson (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Kyler Gordon (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played just 69% of snaps last week and typically sees the least playing time of the Chicago corners.
Terrell Smith/Tyrique Stevenson (CB): Smith played 66% of snaps last week, while Stevenson played only 35%. It appears that Smith is continuing to displace Stevenson, but it’s still a split role. I would SIT both this week, and hopefully, one or the other can make this a full-time role again for us soon.
Detroit Lions
Carlton Davis/Khalil Dorsey (CB): Davis exited after 89% of snaps with a knee injury last week, Dorsey was his replacement for the final 11% of snaps. We’ve only seen it once so if Davis is inactive this week we SIT Dorsey. Davis would be SOLID, if healthy, and should play every snap if active.
Terrion Arnold/Kindle Vildor (CB): Arnold was inactive last week with a groin injury, Vildor was his direct replacement and played 100% of snaps in Week 12. We have seen Vildor before as the preferred replacement cornerback. Arnold would be SOLID, if healthy, and Vildor would be SOLID if Arnold is inactive again. Either would play every snap or close to it. If Terrion is healthy, but Carlton is not, we would get Vildor before Dorsey as a replacement cornerback based on what we’ve seen this season.
Brian Branch (CB/S): IDEAL, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Amik Robertson (CB): SIT, he only played 33% of snaps last week even with two starting cornerbacks injured.
Giants at Cowboys
Outlook: Vegas thinks we’re getting a defensive struggle with their 39.5-point initial total and Dallas being favored by a field goal. We’ve got two backup quarterbacks under center so the rankings don’t apply but we’ve seen Cooper Rush at least able to complete passes fairly consistently. We can fire up our New York options in medium to deeper leagues but it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Dallas corners against Tommy Devito, who struggled mightily last week against Tampa Bay.
New York Giants
Deonte Banks/Adoree Jackson (CB): Banks played 97% of snaps last week but needed X-rays after the game for an undisclosed injury. If he’s healthy this week then he would be IDEAL and should play every snap. If he’s inactive then it appears Adoree Jackson is the preferred replacement according to the depth chart and it also makes sense based on his involvement with this team over the years. It’s still risky though, so I’m not recommending it but am mentioning it if you need a warm body. SIT Jackson if Banks is inactive.
Cor’Dale Flott (CB): SOLID, he played 86% of snaps last week.
Andru Phillips (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played 74% of snaps last week.
Dallas Cowboys
Trevon Diggs/Josh Butler (CB): Diggs was inactive last week and we saw Butler as the replacement playing 87% of snaps, we have seen this before but we don’t need to chase it in this matchup against a backup quarterback. Trevon would be SOLID if healthy, SIT Butler if Trevon is inactive.
Jourdan Lewis (CB): SOLID, he played 99% of snaps last week.
DaRon Bland (CB): SOLID, he played 83% of snaps in his first game action of the season after returning from IR. I would expect that playing time to continue to increase until he’s back to his usual every-down role.
Dolphins at Packers
Outlook: The night game for Thanksgiving looks to be a shootout with its 47.5-point total and Green Bay only favored by a field goal. Green Bay is within the top third of the league for overall passing offense while Miami is within the middle of the pack but improving weekly as Tua continues to stay healthy. Green Bay is among the middle of the pack for targeting their wide receivers while Miami is among the worst third of the league (but improving there as well as Tua continues to look better each week after returning from IR).
Miami Dolphins
Jalen Ramsey (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Kader Kohou (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Kendall Fuller/Storm Duck (CB): Fuller was inactive again last week but could clear concussion protocol for this week, he would be SOLID if healthy. We saw Storm Duck as his replacement last week, and we’ve seen Cam Smith before that. Since the backup cornerback has fluctuated and we don’t know for sure who it will be again this week (if we even need it) I would SIT Duck if Fuller is inactive.
Green Bay Packers
Jaire Alexander/Carrington Valentine (CB): Jaire was inactive last week and it was Valentine as the replacement yet again. He played 61% of snaps and would be SOLID, deeper leagues only, if Jaire is out again this week. Jaire would be SOLID and should play every snap if healthy.
Keisean Nixon (CB): SOLID, he played 88% of snaps last week and then sat due to the blowout.
No significant third CB option, Javon Bullard is technically the third corner according to depth charts but is designated a safety on Yahoo and MFL, my two guideposts for “Will I be talking about this guy or not.”
Raiders at Chiefs
Outlook: We’ve got an acceptable 43.5 points for the early total with Kansas City favored by almost two touchdowns. Kansas City is within the top third of the league for passing offense while Las Vegas is within the middle of the pack. Both teams are within the worst third of the league for targeting their wide receivers but Kansas City has improved in this ranking since signing DeAndre Hopkins. We can fire up our Las Vegas corners in medium to deeper leagues but it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Kansas City corners against one of the least effective passing attacks in the league that only targets their tight end consistently.
Las Vegas Raiders
Nate Hobbs/Decamerion Richardson (CB): Hobbs was inactive last week and we got Richardson as the replacement once again, he played 100% of snaps and would be SOLID if Hobbs is inactive again. Hobbs would also be SOLID if he could play this week.
Jakorian Bennett/Darnay Holmes (CB): Bennett was also inactive last week and we saw Holmes as his replacement for the second week in a row. Holmes played 76% of snaps and would be SOLID, deeper leagues, if Jakorian is inactive again this week. Bennett would also be SOLID, deeper leagues, if healthy in Week 13.
Jack Jones (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Kansas City Chiefs
Trent McDuffie (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Nazeeh Johnson (CB): SOLID, he played 94% of snaps last week.
Chammari Conner (CB/S): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played 71% of snaps last week and plays the least of the Kansas City cornerbacks weekly.
Chargers at Falcons
Outlook: We’ve got an outstanding 46 points for the early total with Los Angeles only favored by 1.5 points, that’s just about perfect for what we’re looking for, high total and low spread. Atlanta is a top-ten passing attack while Los Angeles is among the middle of the pack but has been improving each week as Herbert’s ankle feels better and better and he airs it out more often. Atlanta is also a top-ten team for targeting their wide receivers, Los Angeles is within the worst third of the league but has been making forward progress here as well in recent weeks.
We can fire up everyone with a pulse for this one, it’s got shootout written all over it and is indoors as the cherry on top.
Los Angeles Chargers
Kristian Fulton (CB): SOLID, he played 98% of snaps last week.
Elijah Molden (CB/S): SOLID, he played 83% of snaps last week.
Tarheeb Still/Cam Hart (CB): Hart was inactive last week due to a concussion but could return this week, according to the depth chart his return would upend Still’s playing time. If Hart is active I would SIT him and we’ll see how this shakes out, if he’s inactive again then Still would be a SOLID option. We haven’t seen what this cornerback corps looks like with Hart, Still, and Fulton healthy yet. One of them will lose snaps, we just can’t be sure who it will be until we see it.
Asante Samuel Jr (CB): SIT, still on IR at the time of writing, if he can return from IR it could jam up one of the above corners but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Atlanta Falcons
AJ Terrell (CB): SOLID, he played 98% of snaps the last time we saw him.
Mike Hughes/Clark Phillips (CB): Hughes was inactive in Week 11 (bye last week for Atlanta) and Phillips played 100% of snaps as his replacement. We have seen this before. If Hughes is healthy he would be SOLID and should play every snap, if he’s inactive again then Phillips would also be SOLID and should play just as much.
Dee Alford/Natrone Brooks (CB): With Dee Alford inactive in Week 11 we did not see a direct replacement, at least according to what I’m looking at. Richie Grant (safety) and Natrone Brooks (backup corner) played 44% and 37% of snaps respectively and appeared to “combine to cover” his absence in Week 11. What that means for us is that Alford would be SOLID if healthy this week, and we SIT everyone else if he’s inactive again in Week 13.
Steelers at Bengals
Outlook: We’ve got a nice 47.5 points for the early total here with Cincy favored by 1.5 points, that looks pretty good! Cincy is now the best passing attack in the league, having just passed out Seattle recently, and they target their wide receivers within the top third of the league. We can fire up all our normal Pittsburgh corners and be in a great position this week.
For the reverse, Pittsburgh is within the worst third of the league for passing offense but has been better with Wilson under center. They are the worst team in the league for targeting their wide receivers, dead last. It will be “deeper leagues only” for our Cincy options as anyone not guarding Pickens will be bored to tears as is tradition.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Donte Jackson (CB): SOLID, he played 90% of snaps last week.
Joey Porter Jr (CB): SOLID, he played 95% of snaps last week.
Beanie Bishop Jr (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played just 36% of snaps last week but Cleveland also only ran 11-personnel 48% of their plays last week, he should see more action this week against this pass-happy Cincy team.
Cincinnati Bengals
Cam Taylor Britt (CB): SIT, he only played 43% of snaps the last time we saw him (bye last week) and is not injured from what I’ve read. There’s some fluctuation happening here with the Turner injury and with Britt as well. Thankfully the matchup isn’t worth chasing and we’ve got zero teams on bye this week, we can sit the “dangerous” players and see how this goes before making moves.
DJ Turner (CB): SIT/blast out the airlock, he broke his collarbone in Week 11 and will miss the rest of the season.
Mike Hilton (CB): SOLID, he played 76% of snaps last week, deeper leagues only.
Josh Newton (CB): With Turner heading to IR and Britt seeing a huge reduction in playing time it was Newton who was the new cornerback starting for Cincy in Week 11. He played 76% of snaps. SIT him this week and we’ll make sure it’s for real before trusting it. They’ve got the Steelers with Russell Wilson not the 1984 Miami Dolphins across from them this week, we can skip it.
Texans at Jaguars
Outlook: We’ve got an acceptable 42.5 points for the early total with Houston favored by a touchdown. Houston is within the top third of the league for passing offense while Jacksonville is within the worst third of the league and could be rolling out a backup quarterback again this week. Houston is also within the top third of the league for targeting their wide receivers while Jacksonville is among the middle of the pack. It will be “leagues of all sizes” for our Jacksonville corners and “deeper leagues only” for our Houston corners this week.
Houston Texans
Derek Stingley (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Kamari Lassiter (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
No significant third CB option
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tyson Campbell (CB): SOLID, he played 90% of snaps the last time we saw him. He picked up a shoulder injury so keep an eye on his practice reports this week. The names below would see a bump if he’s inactive.
Ronald Darby (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played 59% of snaps the last time we saw him.
Jarrian Jones (CB): SIT, he did play 62% of snaps in Week 11 but that was also a blowout of monumental proportions and likely saw garbage time snaps, he’s been the odd man out when Campbell, Darby, and Brown are healthy.
Darnell Savage (CB/S): SOLID, he played 99% of snaps the last time we saw him.
Montaric Brown (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played 51% of snaps in Week 11 and then sat due to the blowout.
Cardinals at Vikings
Outlook: We’ve got a beautiful 47 points for the early total with Minnesota favored by a field goal. Minnesota is within the top third of the league for passing offense while Arizona is within the worst third of the league. Minnesota is within the middle of the pack for targeting their wide receivers while Arizona is the second worst in the league for this ranking. We can fire up our Arizona corners in medium to deeper leagues but it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Minnesota corners against this run first, second, and always Arizona offense.
Arizona Cardinals
Starling Thomas (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played 66% of snaps last week.
Max Melton (CB): SIT, he played 44% of snaps last week and has kept a role in this defense having parlayed his injury-replacement performance in recent weeks. He also had the flu last week so I’m betting his snaps will still go up from here. It’s not there yet though, so we can wait on it. Besides they’ve got the Sam Darnold Vikings, not the 1983 Redskins, so we can skip it for now.
Garrett Williams (CB): SOLID, he played 73% of snaps last week.
Sean Murphy Bunting (CB): SOLID, he played 88% of snaps last week.
Minnesota Vikings
Byron Murphy (CB): SOLID, he played 99% of snaps last week.
Stephon Gilmore (CB): SOLID, he played 99% of snaps last week.
Shaq Griffin (CB): SIT, he played just 37% of snaps last week.
Josh Metellus (CB/S): SOLID, he played 88% of snaps last week.
Colts at Patriots
Outlook: We’ve got an acceptable 43 points for the early total here with Indy favored by a field goal. Indy is within the worst third of the league for passing offense while New England is dead last across the league, yards per game. Indy is within the top third of the league for targeting their wide receivers while New England is within the worst third of the league. It will be “deeper leagues only” across the board in this one, and while that Indy wide receiver targets ranking looks good we can’t forget that Anthony Richardson completes fewer than ten passes per game (9.8/game through Week 12).
Indianapolis Colts
Kenny Moore (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and came back to Earth in terms of production. The matchup isn’t great this week either but we know what he’s capable of on any given Sunday.
Jaylon Jones (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Samuel Womack (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played 61% of snaps last week.
New England Patriots
Christian Gonzalez (CB): SOLID, he played 99% of snaps last week.
Jonathan Jones (CB): SOLID, he played 96% of snaps last week.
Marcus Jones (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Seahawks at Jets
Outlook: The early total here sits at 44 points with Seattle favored by one point. Seattle is the second-best passing attack in the league and targets their wide receivers within the top ten. We can fire up our New York corners in leagues of all sizes and with confidence this week. For the reverse, New York is among the middle of the pack for passing offense but within the top ten for wide receiver targets. If we get Aaron Rogers then it will be “medium to deeper leagues” for our Seattle corners. If he’s out, which looks likely, then it will be “deeper leagues only” against whatever backup quarterback they roll out in Week 13.
Seattle Seahawks
Devon Witherspoon (CB): IDEAL, he played 100% of snaps last week, demote to SOLID if Rogers isn’t active.
Tariq Woolen (CB): SOLID, he played 98% of snaps last week.
Josh Jobe (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played 60% of snaps last week.
Coby Bryant (CB/S): SOLID, risky though! He played 100% of snaps last week even with Rayshawn Jenkins returning from IR and playing 50% of snaps himself. This job is and should be Rayshawn’s, it’s only a matter of time before Bryant’s snaps go down and Jenkin’s go up. If you need a risky homerun shot on a starting safety incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo and elsewhere this is the guy, but it could just as easily be a zero if Rayshawn gets back to his normal role and playing time this week.
New York Jets
DJ Reed (CB): IDEAL, he played 99% of snaps the last time we saw him.
Sauce Gardner (CB): SOLID, he played 99% of snaps the last time we saw him.
Michael Carter/Isaiah Oliver (CB): SIT them both, Carter only played 37% of snaps in Week 11 while Oliver was in for 43% of snaps. Carter is healthy according to what I’ve read so this is fluctuation and not injury relayed. The matchup is perfect but we need to skip this, neither is playing enough to be a real option and if we guess wrong it could be a zero. We’ll readjust after seeing the snaps for this week.
Jalen Mills (CB/S): SOLID, borderline ideal, he played 100% of snaps in Week 11 and has apparently displaced Tony Adams as the other starting safety next to Chuck Clark. He is designated a cornerback in MFL. This is a cheat code situation but it’s not set in stone, it’s risky but could be one hell of a Hail Mary if you need it!
Titans at Commanders
Outlook: The early total here sits at 44.5 points with Washington favored by a touchdown. Washington is among the middle of the pack for overall passing offense, yards per game, while Tennessee is within the worst third of the league. Washington is among the middle of the pack for wide receiver targets while Tennessee is among the worst third of the league. We can fire up our Tennessee options in medium to deeper leagues while it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Washington corners in Week 13.
Tennessee Titans
Jarvis Brownlee (CB): SOLID, he played 98% of snaps last week.
Roger McCreary (CB): SOLID, he played 89% of snaps last week.
Chidobe Awuzie/Darrell Baker Jr (CB): Awuzie is “approaching his return to practice” and will be activated off IR any week now, he would be a SIT in his first game back in a month plus. Baker Jr was the replacement again last week and played 100% of snaps. He would be SOLID if Awuzie is inactive again this week.
L’Jarius Sneed (CB): SIT/blast out the airlock, he was officially moved to IR last week and is done for the season.
Washington Commanders
Benjamin St Juste/Michael Davis (CB): SIT them both. St Juste was only in for 58% of snaps last week as Davis saw 44% from out of left field. This appears to be a displacement happening in front of us and it will probably get worse/more complicated after Lattimore is healthy as well. We can skip it for now and see which way the wind blows, it’s the Titans under Will Levis, not the 1961 Oilers.
Mike Sainristil (CB): SOLID, he played 98% of snaps last week.
Quan Martin (CB/S): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Noah Igbinoghene (CB): SOLID, he played 97% of snaps last week.
Marshon Lattimore (CB): SIT, he’s had a hamstring injury that’s prevented his debut for Washington, the reinjury risk is high if he plays this week and he’ll likely be eased into the lineup plus the matchup stinks. We’ll see what next week brings.
Bucs at Panthers
Outlook: We’ve got a 44-point total for the early over/under with Tampa Bay favored by a touchdown. Tampa Bay is a top-ten passing attack and also top-ten in wide receiver targets. We can fire up our Carolina corners in leagues of all sizes and be sitting pretty. For the reverse, Carolina is within the worst third of the league for passing offense and among the middle of the pack for wide receiver targets. It will be “deeper leagues only” for our Tampa Bay corners this week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jamel Dean (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Zyon McCollum (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Christian Izien (CB/S): SOLID if Tykee Smith is out again, sit otherwise, he played 83% of snaps last week as the Tykee Smith replacement as a safety but is incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo and MFL. With Smith banged up and Whitehead now heading to IR it’s very likely that Izien, who did solid work as an injury replacement for this secondary earlier this season, will be back involved somehow. Grab him now, sit him this week in this horrendous matchup, and we’ll wait on it for the moment. We’ll see what the snaps look like against Carolina but if I’m right then we’ve got our cheat code safety incorrectly designated a corner once again.
Carolina Panthers
Jaycee Horn (CB): IDEAL, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Mike Jackson (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Dane Jackson/Chau Smith Wade (CB): Dane appears to be winning the battle to secure the third cornerback slot in Carolina. He played 86% of snaps last week and has out-snapped Smith Wade for the last two weeks in a row now. He is SOLID, deeper leagues only in case we do get the rug pulled on us.
Rams at Saints
Outlook: We’ve got a nice 46.5 points for the early total with Los Angeles favored by a field goal. The Rams are a top-ten passing attack and the best team in the league for wide receiver targets, it’s literally a perfect week for Alontae Taylor and our New Orleans corners, fire them up everywhere.
For the reverse, this New Orleans passing attack is among the middle of the pack for passing offense and targets their wide receivers within the worst third of the league. It will be “medium to deeper leagues” for our Los Angeles corners, the likely shootout helps them out a bit this week.
Los Angeles Rams
Darious Williams (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Cobie Durant (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played just 59% of snaps last week and has seen decreased playing time the last two weeks now.
Akhello Witherspoon (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played 52% of snaps last week but has been active for this secondary several weeks in a row now.
New Orleans Saints
Will Harris (CB/S): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps the last time we saw him as a safety incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo. He is listed as the other starting safety next to the Honey Badger on the official depth chart.
Alontae Taylor (CB): IDEAL, he played 99% of snaps the last time we saw him.
Koolaid McKinstry (CB): SOLID, he played 99% of snaps the last time we saw him.
Ugo Amadi (CB/S): Amadi played 90% of snaps the last time we saw him and is a corner in MFL. He is listed as a starting nickelback corner on the official depth chart. SOLID.
Eagles at Ravens
Outlook: We’ve got a massive 50.5 points for the early total with Baltimore favored by just a field goal, looking great so far. Baltimore is a top-ten passing attack while Philly is among the middle of the pack. Both teams are within the worst third of the league for wide receiver targets. We can fire up everyone in “medium to deeper leagues” and be in a good spot for this matchup. It should be a shootout but Baltimore targets their tight ends and running backs as much as their wide receivers and Philly only targets Brown and Smith. There are some offsetting factors here but, in general, this should be a decent setup overall.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quinyon Mitchell (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Darius Slay/Isaiah Rogers (CB): Slay played 44% of snaps last week and then suffered a concussion, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be available this week, SIT him even if he is the week after a concussion. Rogers was his replacement and played the final 56% of snaps, he would be SOLID if Slay is inactive this week, sit otherwise.
Cooper DeJean (CB): SOLID, he played 97% of snaps last week.
Baltimore Ravens
Marlon Humphrey (CB): SOLID, he played 94% of snaps last week.
Brandon Stephens (CB): SOLID, he played 78% of snaps last week.
Nate Wiggins (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, he played 75% of snaps last week.
Tre’Davious White (CB): SIT, he did play 52% of snaps last week and Stephens saw his playing time go down simultaneously so we could be looking at a displacement here but if we get a similar outcome this week then White won’t play enough to have value.
Ar'Darius Washington (S): Washington is a starting safety that's incorrectly designated a corner in Yahoo. Cheat code situation! He has played 100% of snaps weekly since Week 11.
49ers at Bills
Outlook: We’ve got a 47-point early total with Buffalo favored by a field goal, not bad at all so far. San Francisco is a top-ten passing attack while Buffalo is within the top third of the league. Both teams are among the middle of the pack for targeting their wide receivers. We can fire up all our normal Buffalo corners in leagues of all sizes IF Purdy is active, if he can’t go this week then demote all Buffalo options to “deeper leagues only”. Our San Francisco corners are good to go in leagues of all sizes.
San Francisco 49ers
Chavarious Ward/Isaac Yiadom (CB): Ward was inactive again last week, Yiadom was his replacement as is tradition and played 82% of snaps then sat due to the blowout. Ward would be IDEAL if he can play, Yiadom would be a SOLID backup option if he’s inactive again this week.
Renardo Green/Rock Ya-Sin (CB): Green played 65% of snaps last week then exited with a neck injury, if he’s healthy he would be SOLID and should play around 80% of snaps if Ward is back, more if he’s not back. We only get Rock Ya-Sin if both Ward and Green are inactive, and that’s a bit much to track (especially with zero teams on bye this week) so if Green is inactive I suggest we skip Ya-Sin. It’s there if you need it though and those above factors are in play.
Deommodore Lenoir (CB): IDEAL, he played 93% of snaps last week.
Buffalo Bills
Taron Johnson (CB): IDEAL if Purdy is under center, SOLID if not. He played 100% of snaps the last time we saw him.
Christian Benford (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps the last time we saw him.
Rasul Douglas (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps the last time we saw him.
Browns at Broncos
Outlook: We’ve got a possible defensive struggle with the early 40.5-point total and Denver favored by a touchdown. Both teams are among the middle of the pack for passing offense and both teams are within the top ten for wide receiver targets. We can fire up our normal options in leagues of all sizes. That’s assuming we get Jameis Winston again, if he’s inactive for whatever reason then demote all Denver corners to “deeper leagues only” against whatever fool Cleveland rolls out instead of our favorite quarterback, Mr. Winston.
Cleveland Browns
Denzel Ward (CB): SOLID, he played 96% of snaps last week.
Martin Emerson (CB): SOLID, he played 80% of snaps last week.
Greg Newsome (CB): SIT, he only played 42% of snaps last week and the matchup isn’t good enough to overpower that lack of ideal playing time. He should play more than that against a Denver team that is within the top ten for wide receiver targets and in an environment that isn’t experiencing a blizzard but we don’t need to chase it.
Denver Broncos
Patrick Surtain (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week.
Riley Moss/Levi Wallace (CB): Moss exited with an MCL injury after just 35% of snaps last week, Wallace played the final 68% as his replacement. Moss would be SOLID and should play every snap if he’s healthy, Wallace would also be SOLID as a backup option if he’s inactive this week. We have seen Wallace as a preferred replacement cornerback earlier this season.
JaQuan McMillian (CB): SOLID, he played 77% of snaps last week.
Byes this week: No teams on bye this week
Week 13 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 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):
Brian Branch
Deonte Banks
Devon Witherspoon (demote to solid if no Rogers), DJ Reed
Jaycee Horn
Alontae Taylor
Deommodore Lenoir, Chavarious Ward, Taron Johnson (demote to solid if Purdy can’t play)
SOLID (matchup or playing time isn’t perfect, best in deeper leagues):
Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Carlton Davis, Terrion Arnold, Kindle Vildor (if Carlton or Terrion is inactive, SIT otherwise)
Cor’Dale Flott, Andru Phillips, Trevon Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, DaRon Bland
Jalen Ramsey, Kader Kohou, Kendall Fuller, Keisean Nixon, Jaire Alexander/Carrington Valentine
Nate Hobbs/Decamerion Richardson, Jakorian Bennett/Darnay Holmes, Jack Jones, Trent McDuffie, Nazeeh Johnson, Chammari Conner
Elijah Molden, Kristian Fulton, Tarheeb Still (if Cam Hart is inactive, otherwise sit), AJ Terrell, Mike Hughes/Clark Phillips, Dee Alford
Donte Jackson, Joey Porter Jr, Beanie Bishop Jr, Mike Hilton
Derek Stingley, Kamari Lassiter, Darnell Savage, Ronald Darby, Tyson Campbell, Montaric Brown
Starling Thomas, Garrett Williams, Sean Murphy Bunting, Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy, Josh Metellus
Kenny Moore, Jaylon Jones, Samuel Womack, Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones
Tariq Woolen, Josh Jobe, Coby Bryant, Sauce Gardner, Jalen Mills
Jarvis Brownlee, Darrell Baker Jr (only if Awuzie is inactive, otherwise sit), Roger McCreary, Mike Sainristil, Quan Martin, Noah Igbinoghene
Jamel Dean, Zyon McCollum, Christian Izien (sit if Tykee Smith is active), Mike Jackson, Dane Jackson
Darious Williams, Cobie Durant, Akhello Witherspoon, Will Harris, Koolaid McKinstry, Ugo Amadi
Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Isaiah Rogers (only if Slay is inactive, sit otherwise), Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Brandon Stephens
Renardo Green, Isaac Yiadom (only if Green or Ward is inactive, otherwise sit), Christian Benford, Rasul Douglas
Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson, Patrick Surtain, Riley Moss/Levi Wallace, JaQuan McMillian
TRAPS (sit these players):
Terrell Smith, Tyrique Stevenson, Amik Robertson, Khalil Dorsey
Adoree Jackson, Josh Butler
Storm Duck
Cam Hart, Asante Samuel Jr, Natrone Brooks
Cam Taylor Britt, DJ Turner, Josh Newton
Jarrian Jones
Max Melton, Shaq Griffin
Michael Carter, Isaiah Oliver
L’Jarius Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie, Benjamin St Juste, Michael Davis, Marshon Lattimore
Chau Smith-Wade
Darius Slay, Tre’Davious White
Rock Ya-Sin
Greg Newsome
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!