Johny The Greek's Cornerback Corner: Week 3
What are the best CB options for IDP fantasy football leagues in Week 3?
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 84 calls for leagues of all shapes and sizes. Of those 84 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 73 “adjusted” calls.
Of those, 54 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 73% accuracy for Week 2.
Of those 54 correct calls, 25 were “massive hits” (doubled, tripled, or more, their projection), giving us a 46% massive hit rate on correct calls for Week 2.
We are 72.5% accurate overall for the season, with 43.5% 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
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. I’ll update the article with that information so we all can share in the bounty of the designation mistakes from these league sites.
Alignment & utilization metrics are from PFF.com, which is an outstanding resource for all things fantasy football related.
I will do my best to keep this article updated over the course of the week, but I’ve got many coals in the fire this season and am spread pretty thin. Make sure to check those inactives before kickoff in case I do miss a crucial injury update during the week.
Around Week 5 or so, we’ll switch to “team passing offense ranking” and “team wide receiver targets rankings”. The sample size is still too small currently to rely upon those rankings. We’ll be looking at recent passing tendencies for individual quarterbacks until we make that switch.
Dolphins at Bills
Outlook: The early total for this AFC East showdown, to kick off Week 3, stands at 49.5 points, with Buffalo favored by almost two entire touchdowns. Through two weeks, we’ve seen a Buffalo passing offense that targeted its wide receivers plenty in their close Week 1 matchup, but not so much in the blowout against the Jets. We could be looking at another blowout situation against Miami. Between the possibility of early rest and a “salt the clock away” game plan late, we should only use our Miami corners in deeper leagues in Week 3.
For the reverse, Tua has still been targeting Achane far more than any other Miami player, but we’ve had enough “to eat” in both of the games we’ve seen from them so far. We can fire up our Buffalo corners in medium to deeper leagues and hope that Miami stays competitive for long enough to get them the action needed to match or surpass their projections.
Miami Dolphins
Storm Duck/Rasul Douglas (CB): Duck was inactive this week, and Rasul was his apparent replacement once more. Douglas would be SOLID if Duck is inactive again this week, SIT Duck in his first game back after an ankle injury that has been an issue since Week 1. Rasul lined up as a wide corner last week.
Jack Jones (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback.
Jason Marshall (CB): SIT, he only played 38% of snaps last week.
Buffalo Bills
Christian Benford (CB): SOLID, he played 78% of snaps last week and then sat due to the blowout. He was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Tre’Davious White/Dorian Strong (CB): SIT them both; they both played around 50% of snaps last week as White was eased back into the lineup after missing Week 1. This slot is in flux currently.
Taron Johnson/Cam Lewis (CB): Taron was inactive last week with a quad injury. We saw Cam Lewis as his replacement last season, and we have the same setup this season, as Lewis was in for 70% of snaps and played most of them in the slot or box. Lewis also picked up an injury last week, so this slot really is a question mark currently. Taron would be SOLID if he can play, Lewis would be SOLID as his backup if Taron is inactive, if they’re both inactive, just skip it, and we’ll readjust next week.
Brandon Codrington (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, only in leagues with return yards. He typically plays special teams, but had over 150 return yards in Week 1, and had some garbage time snaps last week. The return yards could be valuable in certain league setups.
Falcons at Panthers
Outlook: The early total for this NFC South matchup sits at 45.5 points with Atlanta favored by a field goal on the road. Through two weeks, Michael Penix has targeted his wide receivers an acceptable amount overall. He was everything we wanted in Week 1, but he only attempted 10 total wide receiver targets in Week 2. It will be medium to deeper leagues for our Carolina corners this week.
Bryce Young and the Panthers have absolutely peppered their wide receivers with targets, including a ridiculous 28 just last week. They’ve been behind and forced to pass more often than they would like to in both games this season. I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t encounter that again this week against a more talented Falcons team. We can fire up our Atlanta corners in medium to deeper leagues, but if we continue to see this trend, eventually Carolina might be an ideal matchup.
Atlanta Falcons
AJ Terrell/Dee Alford (CB): Terrell suffered a hamstring injury after just 57% of snaps last week. Alford filled in for him for the remainder of the game. SIT Terrell, the matchup isn’t good enough to risk reinjury and eating a zero. Alford would be a risky SOLID in much deeper leagues if Terrell is inactive this week. This is a wide cornerback slot.
Mike Hughes (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback.
Billy Bowman (S/CB): SOLID, he played 93% of snaps last week, with most of them coming from the slot and some in the box. He’s playing the Dee Alford role from last season, which was so very productive for us; unfortunately, he’s a safety in most places.
Carolina Panthers
Jaycee Horn (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback for the most part; he also had about 20% of his snaps come from the box.
Mike Jackson (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback.
Chau Smith Wade (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only due to playing only 56% of snaps last week. However, most of those snaps were in the slot.
Packers at Browns
Outlook: We’ve got a lower total at just 41.5 points for this matchup, with Green Bay favored by 8.5 points on the road. Jordan Love has had an acceptable amount of wide receiver targets through two games, but his favorite target appears to be Tucker Craft currently, and this Green Bay wide receiver corps is a bit shredded with injury at the moment. It will be “deeper leagues only” for our Cleveland corners against a Packers team that may rely on the run game and Tucker Craft more than we would like them to in Week 3.
Joe Flacco has still been targeting Fannin and Njoku just as much as Jeudy and Tillman, but in general, we’ve seen enough wide receiver targets from him to start our Green Bay corners in medium to deeper leagues. There is a risk of blowout, and our Green Bay corners sitting early, but that could happen in any game, any week. We’ll hope for a competitive game or at least a close one until late to improve our chances.
Green Bay Packers
Keisean Nixon (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback.
Javon Bullard (S/CB): SOLID, he played 84% of snaps last week and lined up in the slot for most of them.
Nate Hobbs/Carrington Valentine (CB): SIT them both; they split the last cornerback slot like a set of butt cheeks in Week 2. Hobbs was in for 46% of snaps while Valentine was in for 60%, both were lined up wide. This should trend towards Hobbs’ snaps increasing while Valentine’s decrease, but we can wait for that to actually happen first.
Cleveland Browns
Denzel Ward (CB): SOLID, he only played 35% of snaps last week due to cramping, forcing him to exit the field, and by the time he returned, the game was out of hand, and he sat for blowout rest. He lines up outside mostly, with some occasional slot snaps.
Greg Newsome (CB): SOLID, he played 91% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback.
Myles Harden/Cameron Mitchell (CB): SIT them both. This slot continues to be in flux as Harden played 50% of snaps last week while Mitchell was in for 47%.
Texans at Jaguars
Outlook: The early total for this AFC South showdown sits at 44.5 points with Jacksonville favored by 1.5 points at home. Through two weeks, CJ Stroud has targeted his wide receivers enough for our opposing corners to have value, but it’s far from ideal. He targeted his wide receivers with approximately 15 of his 24 total attempts last week, and the Houston offense has looked lethargic in general to start the season. We should lean towards deeper leagues only for our Jacksonville corners, unless it’s Jourdan Lewis, who has perfect alignment so far this season (and this has resulted in spectacular production to this point).
Trevor Lawrence has given us exactly what we are looking for through two games. He targeted his wide receivers with at least 31 targets last week, with a decent chunk in Week 1 as well. We can fire up our Houston corners in a close to, if not actually, ideal matchup in Week 3.
Houston Texans
Jalen Pitre (S/CB): IDEAL, he only played 62% of snaps last week due to a rib injury that forced him to miss snaps during the game. He was able to return to the action and finished with excellent alignment, including snaps in the box, slot, and a huge blitz rate.
Kamari Lassiter (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up out wide for the most part, but also had some box and slot snaps.
Derek Stingley (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tyson Campbell (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback.
Jourdan Lewis (CB): IDEAL, he played 98% of snaps last week and lined up mostly in the slot but also had box snaps and the occasional blitz. He went nuts last week in the box score, and his usage/alignment continues to look very good.
Jarrian Jones (CB): SIT, he only played 34% of snaps last week.
Travis Hunter (WR/CB): IDEAL, he saw 6 targets in the pass game last week and also gave us 60% of snaps on defense beyond his offensive playing time. He was lined up as a wide cornerback when he did play defense. It may not be what everyone was hoping for, but with his offensive production, we’ll get consistent points from him each week, which is something that rarely exists for IDP cornerbacks, hence the reason for this article’s existence to begin with.
Bengals at Vikings
Outlook: The early total for this one is 47 points with Minnesota favored by 1.5 points at home. JJ McCarthy has targeted his wide receivers sparingly in Week 1, and in Week 2, he only had 11 completions total, with just 14 of his 21 attempts going to the Minnesota wide receivers. It’s not there yet; he still looks like a rookie, deeper leagues only for our Cincy corner this week. Update: McCarthy is out for the next few games. We’ll go deeper leagues only against a backup quarterback this week, see how that goes, then readjust.
And for the reverse, without Joe Burrow, we may think all is lost, but it is not. Jake Browning has given us what we need in terms of wide receiver targets in the past, and he did again last week with Chase and Higgins combining for 24 targets just by themselves. The ceiling won’t be as high as with Burrow under center, but the floor shouldn’t drop out from under us with Browning at the helm. We can fire up our Minnesota corners in leagues of all sizes, just like we would have if Burrow were under center.
Cincinnati Bengals
DJ Turner (CB): SOLID, he played 98% of snaps last week and was lined up as a wide cornerback.
Cam Taylor Britt (CB): SOLID, he played 90% of snaps last week and was lined up as a wide cornerback.
Dax Hill (S/CB): IDEAL, he played 100% of snaps last week and was lined up mostly in the slot but also saw 15% of his total playing time in the box and blitzed as well.
Minnesota Vikings
Byron Murphy (CB): SOLID, he played 93% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback for the most part.
Josh Metellus (S/CB): SOLID, he played 93% of snaps last week as a safety incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo. Unfortunately for us, he was deployed deep for the most part.
Isaiah Rogers (CB): SOLID, he played 95% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback but also had some box and slot snaps.
Steelers at Patriots
Outlook: We’ve got the lowest total so far for Week 3 at just 43 points with Pittsburgh favored by 1.5 points on the road for the early lines. Through two weeks, Aaron Rodgers has targeted his tight ends and running backs out of the backfield just as much, if not more than, his wide receivers. This is probably “deeper leagues only” for our New England corners in Week 3.
For the reverse, Drake Maye had a similar trend in Week 2, but gave us a good amount of wide receiver targets in Week 1. We can fire up our Pittsburgh corners in medium to deeper leagues, and that’s probably about right.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Joey Porter Jr/Brandin Echols (CB): SIT them both; Porter was inactive last week with a hamstring injury. Echols was his replacement, it appears, but only played 35% of snaps in relief. Even if Porter is healthy this week, we can wait to make sure that’s actually the case with this mediocre matchup on the docket.
Jalen Ramsey (CB): IDEAL, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up all over the place. He had plenty of box and slot snaps and also lined up wide for a good chunk of his playing time; that’s exactly what we want to see for ideal production.
Darius Slay (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback for the most part, but also had a nice chunk of box snaps.
New England Patriots
Christian Gonzalez/Alex Austin (CB): Gonzalez was inactive again last week. He would be SOLID if healthy. Austin was his replacement and played 82% of snaps and was lined up as a wide cornerback. Austin would be SOLID if Gonzalez is inactive again.
Carlton Davis (CB): SOLID, he played 98% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Marcus Jones (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week, which isn’t something we typically see (that’s a positive development). He lined up mostly in the slot but also had box and wide corner snaps. If we continue to see this usage and playing time, he is on his way to “ideal” status; we’ve only seen it once for the moment, though. He also had a handful of return yards in both games this season, which could be added value as well.
Rams at Eagles
Outlook: The early lines for this rematch of the classic playoff battle we saw last season sits at 45.5 points with Philly favored by 4.5 points on the road. We saw Matt Stafford continue to heavily target Puka and Adams in Week 2, and saw more of the same in Week 1. Our Philadelphia corners are in a great spot for production against this Los Angeles team that was the best in the league for wide receiver targets last season and doesn’t appear to have slowed down one bit.
For the reverse, Jalen Hurts had a better week when it came to targeting AJ Brown and Devonta Smith in Week 2, but it still left much to be desired. Philly barely targeted their wide receivers last season, and we haven’t seen a massive shift from that so far this season. It will be “deeper leagues only” for our Los Angeles corners against this Philly team that still relies on Saquon and their tight ends too much for our liking.
Los Angeles Rams
Akhello Witherspoon (CB): SIT, he injured his shoulder and is heading to IR.
Cobie Durant (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only due to playing only 62% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback.
Emmanuel Forbes (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only due to the matchup and him only playing 74% of snaps last week and a similar amount in Week 1. He was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Darious Williams (CB): SIT, he only played 39% of snaps last week.
Philadelphia Eagles
Cooper DeJean (CB): IDEAL, he played 100% of snaps last week and was lined up all over the field. He played most of his snaps in the slot but also had a nice chunk of box snaps as well.
Quinyon Mitchell (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback.
Adoree Jackson (CB): SOLID, he played 71% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback.
All others (CB): SIT, Bennett, and Ringo played either fewer than 10% of snaps or not at all last week.
Jets at Bucs
Outlook: The early line here sits at 44.5 points with Tampa Bay favored by 5 points at home. Through two weeks, Baker Mayfield has targeted his talented wide receiver corps plenty, including with 23 of 38 attempts last week. We can fire up our New York corners in a close-to-ideal matchup against this excellent passing offense in Week 3.
Justin Fields targeted Garrett Wilson (and really only Garrett Wilson) a ton in Week 1. In Week 2, Fields only had 11 attempts total before he got the blowout benching. Completions, attempts, and wide receiver targets have never been his strength. And beyond Wilson, it doesn’t look like many other Jets players will be seeing enough wide receiver targets to keep the corners assigned to them productive for our needs. It will be deeper leagues only for our Tampa Bay corners in Week 3.
New York Jets
Sauce Gardner (CB): SOLID, he played 93% of snaps last week and was lined up mostly out wide but also had a nice chunk of box snaps.
Brandon Stephens (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback.
Michael Carter (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, if healthy. He injured his shoulder last week and is questionable to play this week. He plays mostly in the slot or box when he’s on the field.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tykee Smith (S/CB): IDEAL, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up all over the place. More than half of his total snaps came from the box.
Zyon McCollum (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback.
Jamel Dean/Benjamin Morrison (CB): SIT them both. Dean was removed from the field for several plays and displaced by Morrison. The Week 3 unofficial depth chart already has Morrison listed as the starter. We can’t know if this is a total displacement or a splitting of the role/playing time until we actually see it. Sit them both for now, we’ll readjust after Week 3.
Jacob Parrish (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only due to playing only 61% of snaps last week, although most of those snaps were from the slot.
Colts at Titans
Outlook: We’ve got another lower line here at just 43 points for the early total with Indy favored by 2 points on the road. Daniel Jones has been targeting Tyler Warren too much for my liking, but so far, it has not negatively impacted Pittman or the other wide receivers. They’ve gotten their targets. We can fire up our Tennessee corners in medium to deeper leagues.
For the reverse, Cam Ward has looked like a rookie quarterback but showed improvement targeting Ridley and Ayomanor a good bit more in Week 2 (and even completing some of those passes). I would still only start our Indianapolis corners in deeper leagues this week if possible. It’s unlikely we’re going to see 30-plus completions and an insane amount of wide receiver targets from Ward any time soon.
Indianapolis Colts
Kenny Moore (CB): SOLID. It would be ideal if the matchup were better. He played 81% of snaps last week and was lined up mostly in the slot but also had some box snaps and blitzes.
Chavarious Ward/Mekhi Blackmon (CB): Ward was inactive last week with a concussion; he’ll probably be back this week and would be SOLID as a wide corner. Blackmon was his replacement, apparently, and played 96% of snaps as a wide cornerback. Blackmon is a familiar name. I’d be comfortable with him being SOLID, deeper leagues only, if Ward is inactive again this week.
Xavien Howard (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only; he played 96% of snaps last week, mostly as a wide cornerback.
Tennessee Titans
L’Jarius Sneed (CB): SOLID, he played 91% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Jarvis Brownlee (CB): SOLID, he played 86% of snaps last week, then sat late due to the blowout. He was lined up as a wide cornerback.
Roger McCreary (CB): SOLID, he played 75% of snaps last week and lined up in the slot quite a bit.
Darrell Baker Jr (CB): SIT, as predicted here last week, his snaps have drastically reduced as Sneed has gotten back into the swing of things. He played just 21% of snaps last week as Sneed shot up to 91% of snaps played.
Raiders at Commanders
Outlook: We’ve got a higher total at 47.5 points with Washington favored by a touchdown at home for this one. In Week two, Geno Smith targeted his wide receivers with at least 24 of his 43 attempts overall. We’re still seeing a ton of targets to Bowers, Jeanty, and White, but we’re getting enough to start our corners against him in medium to deeper leagues.
Jayden Daniels and the Commanders were among the middle of the pack for targeting their wide receivers last season, and that appears to be the trend this season as well, so far. Scary Terry and Deebo saw enough targets last week, but Ertz and running backs out of the backfield were also still a large chunk of his total attempts in Week 2. It will be medium to deeper leagues for our Las Vegas corners with this in mind. Demote to deeper leagues only if Daniels can’t play this week.
Las Vegas Raiders
Eric Stokes (CB): SOLID, he played 98% of snaps last week, most of them out wide, but a good chunk came from the box as well.
Kelly Kyu Blu (CB): SOLID, he played 98% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback.
All others (CB): SIT, Darnay Holmes saw fewer than 25% of the snaps last week, and no one else is worth mentioning at the moment.
Washington Commanders
Quan Martin (S/CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up deep for the most part, but also had a good chunk of box snaps. He is incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo.
Will Harris (S/CB): IDEAL, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up deep for the most part, but also had a good chunk of box snaps. He is incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo. He had better Week 1 alignment compared to Quan Martin.
Marshon Lattimore (CB): (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback.
Mike Sainristil (CB): IDEAL, he played 85% of snaps last week and lined up all over the field, including tons of slot snaps and plenty of box snaps as well.
Trey Amos (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only; he played just 60% of snaps last week and lined up mostly out wide.
Broncos at Chargers
Outlook: The early total for this AFC West showdown sits at 43.5 points with Los Angeles favored by a point at home. Justin Herbert continued to target his talented wide receivers a ton, with 22 of his 27 attempts in Week 2. He had just as many, if not more, in Week 1. We can fire up our Denver corners in an ideal matchup against the (run last or never now?) Los Angeles’ offense in Week 3.
For the reverse, Bo Nix had at least 19 of his 30 attempts go to the Denver wide receivers in Week 2, and we saw similar numbers in Week 1. We can fire up our Los Angeles corners in a close-to-ideal matchup against the dink and dunk machine himself. Denver also had an excellent number of wide receiver targets last season, finishing 9th overall for this ranking.
Denver Broncos
Riley Moss (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback.
Patrick Surtain (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide cornerback for the most part.
JaQuan McMillian/Jahdae Barron (CB): SIT them both. They continue to split the role with McMillian in for 47% of snaps while Barron was in for 22%.
Los Angeles Chargers
Tarheeb Still (CB): SOLID, borderline ideal, he played 95% of snaps last week and had tons of snaps from the slot and some in the box as well.
Donte Jackson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only due to playing only 67% of snaps last week. He was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Cam Hart/Benjamin St Juste (CB): SIT them both. They played 54% and 27% of the snaps, respectively, last week, and beyond Tarheeb Still, this cornerback corps appears to be in flux.
Saints at Seahawks
Outlook: The lowest total of the week to this point is this game at just 41.5 points for the early total, with Seattle favored by a touchdown at home. Through two weeks, Spencer Rattler has actually targeted Olave, Shaheed, and the New Orleans wide receivers enough for us to be interested. Mostly due to the consistent negative game scripts they find themselves in each week. We can fire up our Seattle corners in most leagues unless incredibly shallow.
For the reverse, Sam Darnold has peppered JSN with targets through two weeks, and now Cooper Kupp and Tory Horton are getting into the mix as well. Our New Orleans corners are also looking good for most leagues this week. If you’re in a very shallow league, only starting one corner or so, that’s a different story.
New Orleans Saints
Alontae Taylor (CB): IDEAL, after a horrendous Week 1, Taylor is back to the playing time and alignment that made him so productive last season. He played 100% of snaps last week and lined up all over the place, and even blitzed a decent amount.
Koolaid McKinstry (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback.
Isaac Yiadom (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only; he saw a big reduction in playing time down to just 53% of snaps played last week as a wide cornerback.
Seattle Seahawks
Devon Witherspoon/Derion Kendrick (CB): Witherspoon was inactive last week with an MCL injury but could return this week. He would be SOLID if healthy. Kendrick only played 67% of snaps as his replacement, and the matchup isn’t amazing, so we can skip him as a backup option (SIT).
Tariq Woolen (CB): SOLID, he played 95% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback.
Josh Jobe (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback.
Cowboys at Bears
Outlook: We’ve got another higher total here as two of the more poopy defenses face off with the early 46.5 point over/under and Chicago favored by a field goal at home. Dak has given us exactly what we want so far, including 28 wide receiver targets just last week, sheesh! We can fire up our Chicago corners in leagues of all sizes.
For the reverse, Caleb Williams has been doing the same, just not to the extent of Dak and the Dallas passing attack. He targeted his wide receivers at least 24 times last week and had a similar level in Week 1. We can fire up whoever is left alive for the Dallas cornerback corps in leagues of all sizes for Week 3.
Dallas Cowboys
Trevon Diggs (CB): SOLID, he played 91% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback.
Kair Elam (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback.
DaRon Bland/Reddy Steward (CB): SIT them both. Bland is probably out this week anyway, and Steward only played 70% of the snaps, plus it could just as easily be a different backup corner this week. And if Bland can go, the reinjury risk is too much, and it’s too early in the season to be taking those types of risks. When we get to the bye weeks and the injury Grim Reaper really starts doing damage, then we can look at moves like that.
Chicago Bears
Kyler Gordon/Nick McCloud (CB): Gordon would be SOLID if he can play, especially with this matchup; it’s worth the reinjury risk. If he’s inactive again, we’ll get McCloud just like we did last week. McCloud played 61% of snaps last week, most of them in the slot, and would be SOLID, deeper leagues only.
Jaylon Johnson (CB): SIT, he is done for the season, it looks like.
Nahshon Wright (CB): With Johnson reinjuring himself and exiting the game, it was Wright filling in once more last week. He deployed as a wide cornerback and should play every snap this upcoming week. SOLID.
Tyrique Stevenson (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback.
Cardinals at 49ers
Outlook: The early total for this NFC West matchup sits at 44.5 points with San Francisco favored by a field goal at home. Through two games, Kyler Murray has targeted McBride and his running backs exponentially more than Marvin Harrison and their wide receivers. Just like last season. It will be deeper leagues only for our San Francisco cornerbacks.
For the reverse, Mac Jones was slinging it in relief of Brock Purdy in Week 2. He targeted his wide receivers with at least 20 of his 39 total attempts, with Pearsall and Jennings getting tons of looks. We can fire up our Arizona corners in medium to deeper leagues, and that should be about right.
Arizona Cardinals
Garrett Williams (CB): SOLID, if healthy, he suffered a knee injury late last week, but played 84% of the snaps before that occurred and lined up in the slot quite a bit.
Denzel Burke (CB): SIT, he did have a nice role with Melton and Williams both exiting the game early last week, but we can’t be sure it will be him as a replacement again this week, and this is dependent on other starters being inactive in the first place.
Will Johnson (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only; he played just 72% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback.
Max Melton (CB): SIT, he exited after just 15% of snaps played last week with a knee injury. This matchup against a backup quarterback on a team that features their running backs and tight ends far more than their wide receivers most weeks isn’t something we need to chase. We’ll wait and readjust as we head into Week 4.
All others (CB): Kei’Trel Clark saw some snaps, and with Williams and Melton banged up, we have a ton of moving pieces here. Big picture, we can wait and see what happens, then readjust. It’s Mac Jones, not 2011 Drew Brees.
San Francisco 49ers
Deommodore Lenoir (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback.
Renardo Green (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback.
Upton Stout (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only; he played just 78% of snaps last week but was lined up in the slot for the most part.
Marques Sigle (CB): IDEAL, he played 100% of snaps as a safety incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo last week. He lined up deep and in the box, and also had some slot snaps.
Chiefs at Giants
Outlook: The early total for this one is 42.5 points with Kansas City favored by a touchdown on the road. Through two weeks, Patrick Mahomes targeted his wide receivers a ton in Week 1, and less so in Week 2. We had just 14 or so wide receiver targets for Kansas City in Week 2, but they were up against a spectacular defense; it should be a little better this week. We can start our Giants in medium to deeper leagues.
For the reverse, it comes down to whether you believe the Week 1 or Week 2 version of Russell Wilson is the real one. For me, it was the Week 1 version. A toddler could throw for 300 plus yards, two touchdowns, and complete a million passes against this season’s Dallas Cowboys defense. I highly doubt that we’ll see similar numbers from Wilson this week against a real defense. We’ll split the difference officially, though, and say medium to deeper leagues for our Kansas City corners.
Kansas City Chiefs
Trent McDuffie (CB): IDEAL, he played 100% of snaps last week and deployed out wide for the most part, but also had slot and box snaps and blitzed a good amount. That excellent alignment plus his historical production is enough for me to call it ideal, and if he ends up being responsible for Nabers or Robinson, he’ll have a busy day at the office.
Jaylen Watson (CB): SOLID, he played 98% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide cornerback.
All others (CB): SIT, Fulton got hurt early last week, and there was a caravan of guys I’ve never heard of before all playing fewer than 15% of snaps that played after that point. It’s a mess beyond McDuffie and Watson; we’ll wait for it to settle down.
New York Giants
Paulson Adebo (CB): IDEAL, he played 100% of snaps last week and deployed as a wide cornerback. He has 20 combined tackles over the first two games of the season, and the new team and role don’t seem to have changed much when it comes to his production (which has been excellent in recent history).
Andru Phillips (CB): SOLID, borderline ideal, he played 79% of snaps last week and deployed in the slot for the most part. If we could just get a little bit more playing time, he would be excellent.
Cor’Dale Flott (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only due to playing only 66% of snaps last week, and Banks gaining snaps on him from Weeks 1 to 2.
Deonte Banks (CB): SIT, he only played 37% of snaps last week and has been displaced by Flott. It appears they are still somewhat splitting the role, though, so I’d caution anyone starting Flott to keep in mind that his starting role is precarious at best.
Lions at Ravens
Outlook: The Monday night game for Week 3 has the highest early total so far at a ridiculous 50.5 points with Baltimore favored by a touchdown at home. Goff has an embarrassment of riches offensively, but still has been able to target his wide receivers enough to give us value, particularly last week. We can fire up our Baltimore corners in most leagues unless very shallow.
For the reverse, Lamar had a good chunk of wide receiver targets last week, and with the insane shootout we got in Week 1, we had them there as well. In general, though, this is a run-first team and can have weeks of Mark Andrews or Isaiah Likely getting 10 targets out of nowhere that can mess up our opposing cornerback value randomly as well. They were one of the worst teams in the league for wide receiver targets last season. It will be deeper leagues only for our Detroit corners in Week 3.
Detroit Lions
DJ Reed (CB): SOLID, he played 88% of snaps and then sat due to the blowout last week. He was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Terrion Arnold (CB): SOLID, he played 88% of snaps and then sat due to the blowout last week. He was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Amik Robertson/All others (CB): SIT, Robertson only played 50% of snaps last week. We also had a host of other random corners that had snaps, likely due to the blowout, but Robertson was iffy in Week 1, and this is just more bad news for him. We’ll sit him for now and readjust after Week 3.
Baltimore Ravens
Marlon Humphrey/Keyon Martin (CB): Humphrey would be SOLID if healthy. It appears that Martin was his replacement after he left with a groin injury last week. This is a wide cornerback slot for the most part, with some box snaps. Martin would be a risky SOLID, deeper leagues only, if Humphrey is inactive this week (since we’ve only seen it once).
Nate Wiggins (CB): SOLID, he played 94% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Chidobe Awuzie (CB): SOLID, he played 88% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Jaire Alexander (CB): SIT, Alexander was inactive last week and has not been able to stay on the field for any length of time in recent history. Even if he is healthy, I wouldn’t do it.
Byes this week: None
My Favorite Matchups, Week 3:
Vikings’ side of MIN/CIN (Minnesota corners)
Texans’ side of HOU/JAX (Houston corners)
Eagles’ side of PHI/LAR (Philly corners)
Jets’ side of NYJ/TB (New York corners)
Bears’ side of CHI/DAL (Chicago corners)
Week 3 Corners at a Glance:
These are not in any particular order or ranking; they are just divided into the sections you see below. I typically identify the best matchups (see above) and then the best options within those matchups to find my favorite streaming options each week.
*If you see player/player, that means starter/direct replacement*
IDEAL (our best options):
Jalen Pitre, Jourdan Lewis, Travis Hunter
Dax Hill
Jalen Ramsey
Cooper DeJean
Tykee Smith
Mike Sainristil, Will Harris
Alontae Taylor
Marques Sigles
Trent McDuffie, Paulson Adebo
SOLID (matchup or playing time isn’t perfect, best in medium to deeper leagues):
Rasul Douglas (If Duck is inactive), Jack Jones, Christian Benford, Taron Johnson/Cam Lewis
Dee Alford (If Terrell is inactive), Mike Hughes, Billy Bowman, Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith Wade
Keisean Nixon, Javon Bullard, Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome
Kamari Lassiter, Derek Stingley, Tyson Campbell
DJ Turner, Cam Taylor Britt, Byron Murphy, Josh Metellus, Isaiah Rogers
Darius Slay, Christian Gonzalez/Alex Austin, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones
Cobie Durant, Emmanuel Forbes, Quinyon Mitchell, Adoree Jackson
Sauce Gardner, Brandon Stephens, Michael Carter, Zyon McCollum, Jacob Parrish
Kenny Moore, Chavarious Ward/Mekhi Blackmon, Xavien Howard, L’Jarius Sneed, Jarvis Brownlee, Roger McCreary
Eric Stokes, Kelly Kyu Blu, Quan Martin, Marshon Lattimore, Trey Amos
Riley Moss, Patrick Surtain, Tarheeb Still, Donte Jackson
Koolaid McKinstry, Isaac Yiadom, Devon Witherspoon, Tariq Woolen, Josh Jobe
Trevon Diggs, Kair Elam, Kyler Gordon/Nick McCloud, Nahshon Wright, Tyrique Stevenson
Garrett Williams, Will Johnson, Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout
Jaylen Watson, Andru Phillips, Cor’Dale Flott
DJ Reed, Terrion Arnold, Marlon Humphrey/Keyon Martin, Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie
TRAPS (sit these players):
Storm Duck, Jason Marshall, Tre’Davious White, Dorian Strong,
AJ Terrell
Nate Hobbs, Carrington Valentine, Myles Harden, Cameron Mitchell
Jarrian Jones
Joey Porter Jr, Brandin Echols
Akhello Witherspoon, Darious Williams, Jakorian Bennett, Kelee Ringo
Jamel Dean, Benjamin Morrison
Darrell Baker Jr
Darnay Holmes
Jahdae Barron, JaQuan McMillian, Cam Hart, Benjamin St Juste
Derion Kendrick
DaRon Bland, Reddy Steward, Jaylon Johnson
Denzel Burke, Max Melton, Kei’Trel Clarke
Deonte Banks
Jaire Alexander
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!