Johny The Greek's Cornerback Corner: Week 16
What are the best CB options for IDP fantasy football leagues in Week 16?
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 87 calls for leagues of all shapes and sizes. Of those 87 calls, 11 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 76 “adjusted” calls.
Of those, 56 were correct (matched, beat, or were within a slim margin of their projection on Yahoo and MFL), and 20 were incorrect (didn’t match or beat projection and weren’t even close), giving us 73% accuracy for Week 15.
Of those 56 correct calls, 25 were “massive hits” (doubled, tripled, or more, their projection), giving us a 44% massive hit rate on correct calls for Week 15.
We are 72% accurate overall for the season, with 38% 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
Week 11: 75% accuracy, 43% massive hit rate
Week 12: 66% accuracy, 43% massive hit rate
Week 13: 74% accuracy, 35% massive hit rate
Week 14: 76% accuracy, 40% massive hit rate
Week 15: 73% accuracy, 44% 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).
Alignment & utilization metrics are sourced from PFF.com, an outstanding resource for all things fantasy football-related.
To this point in the season, these teams use 11 personnel (3 WR sets) the least week-to-week (go from the bottom up on this list). Your opposing slot corners (Taron, Phillips, Alford, etc) will likely see a significant reduction in playing time against these teams. Thank you to sumersports.com for the information.
NEW for playoffs! See the bottom of the article for my favorite playoff matchups so you can grab the relevant corners off waivers early!
There are two Saturday games for Week 16. And for Week 17, it’s another dumpster fire schedule for fantasy playoffs title games. SET ALARMS. Set reminders. Make sure you don’t miss inactives or make a mistake and hand victory to your opponent by starting an inactive player. We control so very little with this game we all play, so let’s make sure we take control of those few things we can actually have some impact on. Make your opponent beat you, don’t do it for them. Good luck, my friends, go get those titles!
Rams at Seahawks
Outlook: The early total for the Thursday night game to kick off Week 16 sits at 47.5 points with Seattle favored by 1.5 points at home. We have the 3rd and 9th-best passing offenses here, respectively (YPG). Los Angeles is 5th overall for wide receiver targets, while Seattle is in the middle of the pack for this ranking.
We’ve got a picture-perfect matchup for Devon Witherspoon and our Seattle corners, but it will be “medium to deeper leagues” for our Los Angeles options in Week 16.
Los Angeles Rams
Emmanuel Forbes (CB): SOLID. He played 81% of snaps last week as an outside corner.
Cobie Durant (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 78% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Darious Williams (CB): SIT. He only played 42% of snaps last week, which won’t cut it with this matchup.
Seattle Seahawks
Nick Emmanwori (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week. All of those snaps came from either the box, slot, or defensive line as a blitzing attempt.
Devon Witherspoon (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week. About half of his snaps were from outside, the rest were from the slot or box.
Josh Jobe (CB): SOLID. He played 81% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Tariq Woolen (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 61% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Coby Bryant (S/CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week, most of them from deep safety. He is incorrectly designated as a cornerback in Yahoo.
Eagles at Commanders
Outlook: The early total for this NFC East showdown sits at 45.5 points with Philly favored by 5.5 points on the road. Both passing attacks are within the middle of the pack for yards per game. And both teams are within the middle of the pack for wide receiver targets as well.
We can start all the usual suspects in medium to deeper leagues, and we should be looking good for this one.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quinyon Mitchell (CB): SOLID. He played 92% of snaps last week as an outside corner.
Cooper DeJean (CB): IDEAL. He played 92% of snaps last week, most of them coming from the slot or box.
Adoree Jackson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 88% of snaps as an outside corner last week, but tops out around 70% of snaps most weeks.
Washington Commanders
Will Harris (S/CB): SOLID. He played 83% of snaps last week, most of them from the box or slot, with a decent chunk of deep safety snaps as well. He is a safety who is incorrectly designated as a corner in Yahoo.
Quan Martin (S/CB): SOLID. He played 85% of snaps last week, most of them from deep safety but with some bonus slot/box snaps. He is a safety who is incorrectly designated as a corner in Yahoo.
Mike Sainristil (CB): SOLID. He played 97% of snaps last week as an outside corner.
Jonathan Jones/Noah Igbinoghene (CB): SOLID and SIT. Jones was inactive with a rib injury last week. He would be SOLID as a full-time outside corner if he can play this week. Igbinoghene replaced him last week and played 100% of snaps, most of them from the slot, but we don’t need to chase this with the matchup we have here. Igbinoghene has had a decent role, regardless, the past few weeks, if you do need a warm body in MUCH deeper leagues. I wouldn’t touch either of these guys if it were my team, though. The time for smoke and mirrors has come and gone.
Packers at Bears
Outlook: The early total for this NFC North battle sits at 45.5 points with Green Bay favored by a field goal on the road. Both teams are in the middle of the pack for passing yards per game. Chicago is just inside the top ten for wide receiver targets, while Green Bay is in the middle of the pack for this ranking.
We can fire up our Green Bay corners in a “close to ideal” matchup (Chicago has been running a lot more than they’ve been passing in recent weeks), and it will be “medium to deeper leagues” for our Chicago corners in Week 16.
Green Bay Packers
Keisean Nixon (CB): IDEAL. He played 98% of snaps last week, mostly from outside corner, but with some bonus slot/box snaps as well. He has been fantastic all season long. I have zero issue trusting him when it’s time to put all the cards on the table.
Carrington Valentine (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week. His playing time has been excellent this season, but his production has not been.
Nate Hobbs/Javon Bullard (CB): SIT them both. They played 14% and 47% of snaps last week, respectively, and are splitting this last cornerback slot and have been for a couple of weeks now.
Chicago Bears
Chauncey Gardner Johnson (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 96% of snaps last week, all of them from either the slot, box, or defensive line as a blitzing attempt.
Nahshon Wright (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Tyrique Stevenson (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He played 58% of snaps as an outside corner last week in his first game back since Week 12. He should play a bit more this week, but do you really want to trust that in your semifinal matchup for the fantasy playoffs? I wouldn’t.
Jaylon Johnson/Kyler Gordon (CB): SIT them both. Johnson was only in for 39% of snaps with the return of Stevenson, and Gordon was sent to IR last week.
Bucs at Panthers
Outlook: The early total for this battle of NFC South playoff-hopefuls sits at 45.5 points with Tampa Bay favored by 1.5 points on the road. Both teams are in the middle of the pack for passing yards per game. Tampa Bay is a top ten team for wide receiver targets, while Carolina is in the middle of the pack for this ranking.
We can fire up our Carolina corners in an ideal matchup against a (finally) healthy Tampa Bay passing attack, but it will be “medium to deeper leagues” for our Tampa Bay corners this week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tykee Smith/Christian Izien (S/CB): Tykee was inactive last week; Izien replaced him and is incorrectly designated as a corner on Yahoo. He played 100% of snaps, most of them from the box and slot. Tykee would be SOLID if he could play. Izien would be a riskier SOLID if Tykee is inactive, but we have seen him as the preferred replacement at safety in prior seasons, so it’s not super dangerous. SIT Izien if Tykee is active.
Zyon McCollum (CB): SIT. He was injured and then sent to IR after the game last week. We salute you, Mr. McCollum. Thank you for your production for us this season.
Kindle Vildor (CB): SIT. He took over for McCollum, but it could just as easily be someone different this week, and this matchup isn’t worth chasing.
Jamel Dean (CB): SOLID. He played 94% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Jacob Parrish (CB): SOLID. He played 85% of snaps from the slot last week.
Carolina Panthers
Jaycee Horn (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Mike Jackson (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week from outside corner with a nice bonus chunk of box snaps. Horn or Jackson, or both, could have a monster game here. I won’t call either of them IDEAL since they are outside corners, but the matchup is correct, and both have been productive this entire season.
Chau Smith Wade (CB): SOLID. He played 79% of snaps last week, all of them from the slot or box.
Bills at Browns
Outlook: The early total for this physical battle is 42.5 points with Buffalo favored by 8.5 points on the road. Buffalo is just outside the top ten for passing yards per game, while Cleveland is the fourth-worst team in this category, but is improving now that Sanders is under center. Both teams are within the bottom third of the league for targeting their wide receivers.
This one has “deeper leagues only” written all over it. Between the insane weather in Cleveland and the offensive tendencies of these two teams, we can find better matchups elsewhere.
Buffalo Bills
Taron Johnson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 78% of snaps from the slot last week. He could see even fewer snaps this week against the 27th-ranked team for 11 personnel usage.
Christian Benford (CB): SOLID if healthy. He was inactive last week but is normally a full-time outside corner. Maxwell Hairston saw a bump in playing time in his absence.
Tre’Davious White (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Maxwell Hairston (CB): SIT if Benford is active, SOLID if Benford is inactive. Hairston typically plays 30-40% of snaps each week, but saw a bump up to 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week with Benford being inactive. We have seen that before at other points this season.
Cleveland Browns
Denzel Ward (CB): SOLID if healthy. He was inactive last week, and there was no direct replacement for him. He is a full-time outside cornerback when active.
Tyson Campbell (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week and has only been under projection in 4 games this season, and not by more than a tackle or so in those games. Sometimes it’s less about utilization and matchup and more about just going with the hot hand (see Nahshon Wright earlier this season).
Myles Harden (CB): SOLID. He played 86% of snaps last week from the slot and outside corner, but typically maxes out around 60-70% of snaps each week. He clearly saw a bump with Ward inactive last week.
Chargers at Cowboys
Outlook: The early total for this likely shootout indoors and away from the snow and wind sits at a massive 48.5 points with Dallas favored by a field goal at home. Dallas averages the most passing yards per game throughout the league, while Los Angeles is in the middle of the pack. We have the 2nd and 1st overall teams for wide receiver targets here, respectively.
We can fire up everyone with a pulse for this one. It’s indoors at a time when that actually means something, and features the two best passing attacks for targeting wide receivers. We’ve got a high total, low spread, and on paper, this is a picture-perfect matchup for our corners.
Los Angeles Chargers
Cam Hart (CB): SOLID. He played 90% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Elijah Molden (S/CB): SOLID if healthy. He was inactive with a hamstring injury last week. There was no direct replacement we could use since he is a safety that is incorrectly designated as a corner in Yahoo (and his replacement is only designated as a safety).
Tarheeb Still (CB): SOLID, could be IDEAL. He played 78% of snaps from the slot, box, and outside corner last week. The only downside here is that his playing time has been capped in recent weeks; beyond that, everything looks great.
Donte Jackson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 60% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
All others (CB): SIT. No other corner cleared 27% of snaps played last week.
Dallas Cowboys
DaRon Bland (CB): IDEAL. He played 98% of snaps last week, most of them coming from outside corner, but with a nice chunk of slot/box snaps as well.
Shavon Revel (CB): SOLID but risky if Diggs is inactive, SIT otherwise. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week, but would likely lose a ton of playing time if Diggs returns from IR this week. Playing him is risky, regardless. Beyond Bland, this entire cornerback corps has been in flux all season long.
Trevon Diggs (CB): SIT. He could return from IR this week, but he could be eased back into the lineup among other shenanigans. Beyond that, he’s been a shell of his former self when it comes to production in recent seasons. I wouldn’t trust this for all the marbles.
All others (CB): SIT. No other corner cleared 30% of snaps played last week.
Jets at Saints
Outlook: The early total for this battle in the Bayou sits at 40.5 points with New Orleans favored by a field goal at home. New York is the worst team in the league for passing yards per game, while New Orleans is in the bottom third of the league for this ranking. New Orleans is just outside the top ten for wide receiver targets, while New York is in the bottom third of the league.
We can fire up our New York corners in medium to deeper leagues, but it will be “deeper leagues only” for our New Orleans corners in Week 16.
New York Jets
Brandon Stephens (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Azareyeh Thomas (CB): SIT. He was sent to IR after last week’s game.
Qwantez Stiggers (CB): SIT. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week and appears to be the replacement for Thomas, but we’ve only seen it once. I wouldn’t trust that for the semifinals week, especially in this matchup, which is decent but not ideal. He should be a warm body Hail-Mary option if you need it in those deep, dark, degenerate MFL leagues, though.
All others (CB): SIT.
New Orleans Saints
Alontae Taylor (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week, most of them from the slot or box. This would be IDEAL if the matchup were better.
Koolaid McKinstry (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Quincy Riley (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He played 66% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Vikings at Giants
Outlook: The early total for this likely defensive struggle sits at 43.5 points with Minnesota favored by 1.5 points on the road. Minnesota is the 3rd worst team in the league for passing yards per game, while New York is in the middle of the pack. Both teams are in the middle of the pack for targeting their wide receivers.
It will be “deeper leagues only” across the board for this one, although Paulson Adebo should deliver for us as is tradition.
Minnesota Vikings
Josh Metellus (S/CB): SOLID, could be IDEAL if New York puts up enough offense. He played 97% of snaps last week from the box, slot, and deep safety. He is incorrectly designated as a cornerback on Yahoo.
Byron Murphy (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week, with a nice chunk of slot snaps as bonus value.
Isaiah Rogers (CB): SOLID. He played 95% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
New York Giants
Paulson Adebo (CB): SOLID, could be IDEAL if Minnesota puts up enough offense. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week and has only been under projection in 3 games this season, and has smashed his projection in another 4. His utilization or matchup doesn’t seem to matter all that much when it comes to him producing for us.
Cor’Dale Flott (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Andru Phillips (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 54% of snaps as a slot corner last week.
Chiefs at Titans
Outlook: The early total for this battle in the Music City sits at just 41.5 points with Kansas City favored by 10.5 points on the road. Kansas City is the 4th best passing attack in the league (YPG), while Tennessee is now the 2nd worst team in this category. Kansas City is a top ten team for wide receiver targets, while Tennessee is in the middle of the pack.
We can fire up our Tennessee corners in medium to deeper leagues now that Mahomes is gone, and it will be “medium to deeper leagues” for our Kansas City corners, and I would lean into the “deeper” part of that call if possible. And I’m positive that the spread has shrunk now that Mahomes is gone as well. I write these outlooks on Sunday night each week, and the severity of his injury wasn’t confirmed yet at that point.
Kansas City Chiefs
Chamarri Conner (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week, most of them from the box or slot.
Jaylen Watson (CB): SOLID. He played 97% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Trent McDuffie/Nohl Williams (CB): McDuffie would be SOLID if he can play this week; he was inactive last week. Williams replaced him and played 100% of snaps as an outside corner and would be a risky SOLID, deeper leagues only, if McDuffie is inactive again this week (SIT otherwise). We have seen Williams as a preferred replacement corner for Kansas City at other points this season, so it’s less risky compared to other replacement corners this week.
Tennessee Titans
Marcus Harris (CB): SOLID. He played 97% of snaps from outside corner with a decent chunk of slot snaps last week.
Darrell Baker Jr (CB): SOLID. He played 97% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Bengals at Dolphins
Outlook: The early total for this showdown in Miami sits at a massive 50.5 points with Cincy favored by 1.5 points on the road. Cincy is just outside the top ten for passing yards per game, while Miami is now the 5th-worst team for this ranking as they continue to pass less and run more each week. Cincy has the 3rd most wide receiver targets at the time of writing, while Miami is in the bottom third of the league for this ranking.
We’ve got an ideal matchup for our Miami corners, but we should lean “deeper leagues only” for our Cincy corners against this Miami offense that has become “run first” in the past month or so.
Cincinnati Bengals
Dax Hill (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week, most of them from outside corner, but with a large chunk of box snaps and some slot snaps sprinkled in. He had no production of any kind last week, but that tracks against a Baltimore team that only attempted 12 passes and completed just 8 of them. He should be much better this week against a Miami team that is at least going to attempt some passes to their wide receivers.
DJ Turner (CB): SOLID. He played 78% of snaps as an outside corner and then sat due to the blowout last week.
All others (CB): SIT. No other corner cleared 41% of snaps played last week.
Miami Dolphins
Jack Jones (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Rasul Douglas (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week. He has only been under projection in 4 games this season, and the matchup is perfect.
Falcons at Cardinals
Outlook: The early total for this battle of birds sits at 45.5 points with Arizona favored by 1.5 points at home. Atlanta is in the middle of the pack for passing yards per game, while Arizona is now a top-ten team for this ranking after the ridiculous past month of production from Jacoby Brissett. Both teams are in the middle of the pack for wide receiver targets, but Arizona has improved exponentially in this ranking since Brissett has been under center.
We can fire up the usual corners in medium to deeper leagues, and we should be looking good. Our Atlanta corners have a chance for an ideal matchup if we continue to get what we’ve been getting from Brissett in Week 16.
Atlanta Falcons
AJ Terrell (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Dee Alford (CB): SOLID. He played 87% of snaps as a slot corner last week.
Mike Hughes/Cobee Bryant (CB): Hughes was inactive last week, but would be SOLID as a full-time outside corner if he can play this week. Bryant replaced him, but we’ve only seen that once, so we won’t be trusting it during the fantasy playoffs (SIT Bryant).
Arizona Cardinals
Garrett Williams (CB): SOLID, could be IDEAL if Drake London is active and we actually get some wide receiver targets from Atlanta. He played 100% of snaps last week, with about half of them coming from the slot or box.
Will Johnson (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner with a bonus chunk of box snaps last week.
Denzel Burke/Kei’Trel Clarke (CB): SIT. These two played 38% and 3% of snaps, respectively, last week.
Jaguars at Broncos
Outlook: The early total for this one sits at 43.5 points with Denver favored by a field goal at home. Both teams are in the middle of the pack for passing yards per game. Both teams are in the top ten for wide receiver targets each week. We’ve got an ideal matchup across the board here with two teams that target their wide receivers early and often week to week. Fingers crossed that it translates to what we need on the field in Week 16!
Jacksonville Jaguars
Greg Newsome (CB): SOLID. He played 64% of snaps as an outside corner and then sat early due to the blowout last week.
Montaric Brown (CB): SOLID. He played 60% of snaps as an outside corner and then sat early due to the blowout last week.
Jarrian Jones/Jourdan Lewis (CB): SIT them both. They continue to steal snaps from each other with 64% and 52% of snaps played, respectively, last week. I would lean with Jarrian Jones if you need a warm body, but I’m avoiding this mess completely myself.
Denver Broncos
Riley Moss (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week and has only been under projection in two games this entire season. The “lesser of all evils” effect is strong with him.
Patrick Surtain (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
JaQuan McMillian (CB): SOLID. He played 74% of snaps as the slot corner last week.
Steelers at Lions
Outlook: The early total for this battle indoors at Detroit sits at a massive 49.5 points, with Detroit favored by a touchdown at home. Detroit is the 5th best passing offense (YPG) at the time of writing, while Pittsburgh is in the bottom third of the league. Detroit is in the middle of the pack for wide receiver targets, while Pittsburgh is dead last in this ranking across the entire league.
We’ve got a good matchup in medium to deeper leagues for our Pittsburgh corners this week, but it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Detroit corners against a Pittsburgh passing attack that only targets DK Metcalf when it comes to their wide receivers.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jalen Ramsey (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps as a deep safety with some bonus slot/box snaps last week. Ramsey is incorrectly designated as a cornerback on Yahoo. Ramsey has also been getting some blitzing attempts in recent weeks and landed one for a sack last week against Miami. That sack upside is a beautiful thing.
Joey Porter Jr (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
James Pierre/Asante Samuel Jr (CB): Pierre would be SOLID if he can play this week; he was inactive last week. Samuel Jr was his replacement and played 100% of snaps as an outside corner. This is an option if Pierre is inactive again, but I’m not messing with any backup corners this week/the rest of the fantasy playoffs if possible (SIT is the official recommendation). The time to screw around was when we had the bye weeks to suffer through; now is the time to make sure literally every single player you start at every single position is a solid as humanly possible.
Brandin Echols (CB): SIT. He only played 34% of snaps last week. Detroit is 19th overall for 11-personnel usage across the league, so we’re likely looking at similar (bad) playing time for Echols this week.
Detroit Lions
Amik Robertson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 61% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
DJ Reed (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 72% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Rock Ya Sin (CB): SIT. He played 88% of snaps from outside corner and the box last week and has only had significant playing time once or twice this entire season. Beyond that, the matchup stinks. And since I don’t work for the Lions, I doubt they’ll tell me if they’re planning on continuing to play Ya Sin this much going forward.
Avonte Maddox (CB): SOLID, very risky. With Branch on IR and Kerby Joseph plus Thomas Harper out last week, we got Maddox as a starting safety, while designated a corner basically everywhere. The odds of that exact chain of events happening again this week are slim, but keep an eye on Detroit beat writers and injury reports to see if it’s an option for this week. You need Kerby Joseph and Thomas Harper both to be out for this to have any chance of happening.
Raiders at Texans
Outlook: The early total for this likely defensive struggle sits at just 37.5 points with Houston favored by 12.5 points at home. Both teams are in the middle of the pack for passing yards per game. Houston is the 4th best team for wide receiver targets, while Las Vegas is the 3rd worst team in the league for this ranking.
We can fire up our Las Vegas corners in medium to deeper leagues, but it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Houston corners against this ineffective Vegas passing attack that only really targets Bowers consistently.
Las Vegas Raiders
Eric Stokes (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Darien Porter (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Houston Texans
Jalen Pitre (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week, most of them from the slot or box. Just for the record, his utilization, playing time, and production are all ideal, but the ability of his opponent to create enough offense for him to “eat” is a coin flip at best. Your IDP players can’t score points from the bench if Pickett or Geno keep going three-and-out.
Kamari Lassiter (CB): SOLID. He played 95% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Derek Stingley (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 84% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Patriots at Ravens
Outlook: The early total for this heavyweight battle sits at 48.5 points with Baltimore favored by a field goal at home. New England is the second-best passing attack (YPG), while Baltimore is in the bottom third of the league for this ranking. Baltimore is the second-worst team in the league for targeting wide receivers, while New England is in the middle of the pack.
We can fire up our Baltimore corners in medium to deeper leagues, but it will be “deeper leagues only” for our New England corners in this particular setup.
New England Patriots
Carlton Davis (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 64% of snaps from outside corner last week.
Christian Gonzalez (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Marcus Jones (CB): SOLID. He played 68% of snaps from the slot and box last week. This would be IDEAL if Baltimore actually threw to their wide receivers. He could see a slight reduction in snaps against a Baltimore team that’s dead last in 11-personnel usage across the league. With that being said, he’s been so good all season that I don’t see a world where he doesn’t play close to his normal snaps.
Baltimore Ravens
Marlon Humphrey (CB): IDEAL. He played 94% of snaps last week from the slot and outside corner. He, once again, smashed his projection and has done so now for the last six games consecutively since announcing to the world that he’s a glizzy gobbler.
Nate Wiggins (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Chidobe Awuzie (CB): SIT. He only played 21% of snaps last week and only has value if either Wiggins or Humphrey is inactive.
49ers at Colts
Outlook: The early total for the Monday Night Football game to wrap up Week 16 sits at 45.5 points with San Francisco favored by a touchdown on the road. Both teams are in the top ten for passing yards per game, but that ship has sailed with Daniel Jones now gone for Indy. Indy is in the middle of the pack for wide receiver targets, while San Francisco is in the bottom third of the league for this ranking.
We can fire up our usual options in medium to deeper leagues for the most part, but I would lean “deeper leagues only” if possible for our San Francisco options based on the performance of old man Rivers last week.
San Francisco 49ers
Deommodore Lenoir (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Renardo Green (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner last week.
Upton Stout (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 69% of snaps, nice, from the slot last week.
Indianapolis Colts
Kenny Moore (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 70% of snaps from the slot last week and has been in a production slump for weeks now. He may also see a slight reduction in snaps against a San Francisco team that is 28th across the league for 11 personnel usage.
Chavarious Ward (CB): SIT. He was sent to IR after last week’s game.
Sauce Gardner (CB): SOLID if healthy. He is a full-time outside corner when healthy.
Mekhi Blackmon (CB): SOLID if Sauce is inactive, SOLID, deeper leagues only, and somewhat risky, otherwise. He was the preferred replacement with those two inactive last week. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner. With Ward now on IR, he should have some kind of role this week. It should be a full-time role if Sauce is also inactive this week.
Byes this week: None
My Favorite Matchups, Week 16:
Seattle corners vs the Los Angeles Rams
Carolina corners vs Tampa Bay
Chargers at Cowboys, either side
Miami corners vs Cincy
Jaguars at Broncos, either side
Week 16 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):
Devon Witherspoon, Nick Emmanwori
Cooper DeJean
Keisean Nixon, Chauncey Gardner Johnson
Tyson Campbell
DaRon Bland
Chamarri Conner
Dax Hill, Rasul Douglas
Riley Moss
Jalen Ramsey
Jalen Pitre
Marlon Humphrey
SOLID (matchup or playing time isn’t perfect, best in medium to deeper leagues):
Emmanuel Forbes, Cobie Durant, Josh Jobe, Tariq Woolen, Coby Bryant
Quinyon Mitchell, Adoree Jackson, Quan Martin, Will Harris, Mike Sainristil, Jonathan Jones
Carrington Valentine, Nahshon Wright, Tyrique Stevenson
Tykee Smith/Christian Izien, Jamel Dean, Jacob Parrish, Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith Wade
Taron Johnson, Christian Benford, Tre’Davious White, Denzel Ward, Myles Harden
Cam Hart, Elijah Molden, Tarheeb Still, Donte Jackson, Shavon Revel
Brandon Stephens, Alontae Taylor, Koolaid McKinstry, Quincy Riley
Josh Metellus, Bryon Murphy, Isaiah Rogers, Paulson Adebo, Cor’Dale Flott, Andru Phillips
Jaylen Watson, Trent McDuffie/Nohl Williams, Marcus Harris, Darrell Baker Jr
DJ Turner, Jack Jones
AJ Terrell, Dee Alford, Mike Hughes, Garrett Williams, Will Johnson
Greg Newsome, Montaric Brown, Patrick Surtain, JaQuan McMillian
Joey Porter Jr, James Pierre, Avonte Maddox, DJ Reed, Amik Robertson
Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Kamari Lassiter, Derek Stingley
Carlton Davis, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, Nate Wiggins
Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, Kenny Moore, Sauce Gardner, Mekhi Blackmon
TRAPS (sit these players):
Darious Williams
Noah Igbinoghene
Nate Hobbs, Javon Bullard, Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon
Zyon McCollum, Kindle Vildor
Maxwell Hairston (unless Benford is inactive again)
Trevon Diggs
Azareyeh Thomas, Qwantez Stiggers
Cobee Bryant, Denzel Burke, Kei’Trel Clarke
Jarrian Jones, Jourdan Lewis
Asante Samuel Jr, Brandin Echols, Rock Ya Sin
Chidobe Awuzie
Chavarious Ward
Fantasy Playoffs Best CB Matchups!
Week 17
Commanders corners vs Dallas
Broncos vs Chiefs, either side
Colts corners vs Jacksonville
Miami corners vs Tampa Bay
49ers corners vs Chicago
Falcons corners vs the Rams
Cardinals corners vs Cincy
Texans corners vs the Chargers
Week 18
Lions corners vs Chicago
Browns corners vs Cincy
Chargers vs Denver, either side
Titans corners vs Jacksonville
Cardinals corners vs the Rams
Raiders corners vs the Chiefs
Giants corners vs Dallas
Panthers corners vs Tampa Bay
Reminder: these are only suggestions. Your lineup is your responsibility and yours alone. However, these are the same moves I’m making myself, so we sink or swim together. Remember to check for inactive players before kickoff to prevent any surprise zeroes.
For any questions/comments, to discuss specific cornerback streams, or to talk IDP in general, hit up my Twitter or email me at Johnysmack3141@yahoo.com.
Thank you for reading, and good luck this week! Go get those titles!
surprised you have no mention of James Williams who apparently has DB eligibility (sleeper) - is he similar to Metellus of the Vikings?