Johny The Greek's Cornerback Corner: Week 4
What are the best CB options for IDP fantasy football leagues in Week 4?
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 87 calls for leagues of all shapes and sizes. Of those 87 calls, 9 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 78 “adjusted” calls.
Of those, 51 were correct (matched, beat, or were within a slim margin of their projection on Yahoo and MFL), and 27 were incorrect (didn’t match or beat projection and weren’t even close), giving us 65% accuracy for Week 3.
Of those 51 correct calls, 23 were “massive hits” (doubled, tripled, or more, their projection), giving us a 45% massive hit rate on correct calls for Week 3.
We are 70% accurate overall for the season, with 44% 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
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.
Seahawks at Cardinals
Outlook: The Thursday night game to kick off Week 4 sits at 43.5 for the early total with Arizona favored by 1.5 points at home. We can fire up our Arizona corners against a Seattle passing attack that has targeted Smith-Njigba and Kupp plenty through three weeks, including 9 targets between them despite the early/instant blowout in Week 3. Sam Darnold and the Seattle passing attack should give us what we need in Week 4.
For the reverse, Kyle Murray has been targeting his running backs and Trey McBride far more often than we’d like to see. That trend continued in Week 3, as at least 21 of his 35 total attempts went to tight end or running back. We can still fire up our Seattle corners, but I would only do so in deeper leagues.
Seattle Seahawks
Devon Witherspoon/Derion Kendrick (CB): If Witherspoon can return this week, we start him as a SOLID option, always. If he’s out again, Kendrick played 78% of snaps as his replacement last week, with most coming from the slot. He would be a SOLID backup option for deeper leagues if Witherspoon is inactive again.
Tariq Woolen (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Josh Jobe (CB): SOLID. He played 91% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Coby Bryant (S/CB): SOLID. He played 91% of snaps last week and was deployed as a deep safety, and is incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo.
Arizona Cardinals
Max Melton (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Will Johnson (CB): Johnson was inactive with a groin injury last week. He would be SOLID, deeper leagues only, if he can play this week (due to the reinjury risk).
Garrett Williams (CB): SIT. He is on the short-term IR and won’t be available for some time with a knee injury.
Denzel Burke/Kei’Trel Clarke (CB) SIT them both. They played 50% and 47% of snaps, respectively, last week as this cornerback corps remains in flux following injuries to Johnson and Williams.
Vikings at Steelers
Outlook: We’ve got a lower line here at just 41.5 points for the early total with Minnesota favored by a field goal on the road. This Vikings defense has been excellent so far, and they will still have a backup quarterback under center, so a defensive struggle does seem likely for this one.
Aaron Rodgers has targeted his tight ends and running backs just as much as his wide receivers through three weeks. Metcalf and Austin did see enough targets to give us some value when it comes to our Minnesota corners, though. We can fire them up in deeper leagues this week as we’re looking at a defensive struggle, and with these recent trends in mind.
For the reverse, Wentz only needed to attempt 20 passes last week as the Vikings blew away the Bengals. The majority of targets went to the Minnesota wide receivers, as 15 of those 20 attempts were to that position group. That gives our Pittsburgh corners some value in medium to deeper leagues this week, but it’s far from perfect.
Minnesota Vikings
Josh Metellus (S/CB): SOLID. He is a safety incorrectly designated as a cornerback in Yahoo. He played 82% of snaps last week and then sat due to the blowout. He lined up mostly in the box, but also had some deep and slot snaps.
Byron Murphy (CB): SOLID. He played 75% of snaps and then sat due to the blowout last week. He was lined up mostly out wide, but also had a significant chunk of box and slot snaps as well, which is added value.
Isaiah Rodgers (CB): SOLID. He played 73% of snaps and then sat due to the blowout last week. He was deployed as a wide cornerback and will never have two interception return touchdowns in one game ever again, in all likelihood, so don’t chase it. He was deployed as a wide cornerback.
All others (CB): Jeff Okudah and Dwight McGlothern played in garbage time; we can ignore this.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jalen Ramsey (CB): IDEAL, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up all over the place; his current role and responsibilities are ideal for IDP cornerback production.
Darius Slay (CB): SOLID, he played 85% of snaps last week and deployed out wide for the most part, but also had a nice chunk of box snaps.
Joey Porter Jr/Brandin Echols (CB): Porter would be a SIT in his first game back after suffering a hamstring injury; the matchup isn’t good enough to overpower the reinjury risk. Echols was the Porter replacement last week and played 83% of snaps and deployed out wide. He would be SOLID, deeper leagues only, if Porter is inactive again this week.
Commanders at Falcons
Outlook: The early total for this NFC showdown sits at 45.5 points with Washington favored by a field goal on the road. We should have Jayden Daniels back under center for Washington this week, and if that’s the case, we can fire up our Atlanta corners in medium to deeper leagues. With Mariota under center last week, Washington targeted their wide receivers with about 14 of their 21 total attempts. We’ve got some value even if Daniels needs to sit another week, but I would only go “deeper leagues only” for our Atlanta corners if we get Mariota again.
For the reverse, Michael Penix targeted his wide receivers plenty last week, with at least 24 of his 36 attempts going to the Atlanta wide receiving corps. We saw similar numbers to those in Week 1 from him, but those wide receiver targets fell off a cliff in Week 2. We’ll split the difference and say “medium to deeper leagues” for our Washington corners in Week 4.
Washington Commanders
Quan Martin (S/CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week as a safety incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo. He lined up deep mostly, but also had a good chunk of box snaps.
Will Harris (S/CB): Harris suffered an ankle injury and looks to miss some time. His replacement (Jeremy Reaves) is not designated a cornerback in Yahoo, so we’ll be skipping him. (SIT Harris).
Mike Sainristil (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and lined up mostly in the slot but also had some box and wide corner snaps.
Trey Amos (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. Amos played 54% of snaps last week. He suffered a calf injury, and this may have affected his playing time. He is deployed as a wide cornerback.
Marshon Lattimore (CB): SOLID, if healthy. He suffered a concussion last week and likely won’t be cleared in time to play this week. He was deployed as a wide cornerback and played 84% of snaps last week.
Atlanta Falcons
AJ Terrell/Dee Alford (CB): Terrell was inactive last week with a hamstring injury. I would SIT him in his first week back due to reinjury risk and the matchup not being worth chasing. If Terrell is inactive again, then Alford becomes an option once more (SOLID). Alford played 98% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Mike Hughes (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide cornerback.
Billy Bowman (S/CB): SOLID. He played 65% of snaps, then sat early due to the blowout last week. He was deployed in the slot and box exclusively, which is exactly what we like to see.
Saints at Bills
Outlook: We’ve got a huge total for this one at 48.5 points; however, that’s mostly due to Buffalo being favored by 15.5 points! Vegas is telling us to expect a blood bath, and I can’t argue with that. We all know what Josh Allen is capable of; we just don’t know if he’ll need to throw it all that often to beat this horrendous New Orleans team. We could lose some snaps to blowout rest, or the Buffalo ground game could be the focus after they establish an early lead and salt away the clock.
In general, I would start our New Orleans corners in most leagues and hope they can hang with them enough to get full snaps and production. We want to start our corners against the best offenses possible, and this is absolutely one of them.
For the reverse, Spencer Rattler showered Olave, Shaheed, and Cooks with 25 targets last week just between those three wide receivers! This has been the trend as New Orleans continues to fall behind early in their games and then attempts to “pass their way back into it”. We can fire up our Buffalo corners in leagues of all sizes and hope this stays close enough to avoid blowout rest and a loss of snaps/production.
New Orleans Saints
Alontae Taylor (CB): IDEAL. He played 91% of snaps last week and lined up all over the place, and even blitzed off the edge a good amount. His role and responsibilities are ideal for IDP cornerback production as things stand currently.
Koolaid McKinstry (CB): SOLID. He played 70% of snaps last week as a wide cornerback before sitting due to the blowout.
Isaac Yiadom (CB): SIT. After playing 100% of snaps in Week 1, he’s seen a reduction in playing time every consecutive week. This past week, he was only at 42% of snaps as a wide corner. That won’t cut it. We’ll keep an eye on this slot, but he’s a sit for now.
Buffalo Bills
Christian Benford (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Taron Johnson (CB): SOLID. He played 65% of snaps last week and lined up mostly in the slot or box. The playing time still leaves much to be desired, but he had an excellent week of production for us against Miami.
Tre’Davious White/Maxwell Hairston (CB): White, who is replacing Hairston currently, played 100% of snaps last week as a wide corner. He would be SOLID if Hairston, who is designated to return from IR this week or next, is inactive again. I would SIT Hairston in his first game back from IR and first game ever as a professional player. Rookie corners don’t tend to start at 100% of snaps in their first-ever live game action.
Brandon Codrington (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, leagues with return yards only. Codrington doesn’t play much corner, but he does return kicks, including 110 total return yards last week. You won’t get any tackles or pass defense, but if your league setup is correct, he may hold value.
Browns at Lions
Outlook: The early total for this one sits at 45.5 points with Detroit favored by 8.5 points at home. We can absolutely fire up our Cleveland corners against one of the best overall offenses in the league, and the 4th overall passing offense (to this point) that showers its incredibly talented wide receivers with targets most weeks. Denzel Ward and company are good to go in leagues of all sizes. It’s not a slam dunk, though; we could just as easily get the “running Lions” just like we did against Baltimore last week, and that would hurt our opposing cornerback production.
For the reverse, Joe Flacco has been acceptable so far, and last week he targeted his wide receivers with 17 of his 36 attempts. Fannin and Njoku are still the focus of the passing attack, but we have enough here to start our Detroit corners in medium to deeper leagues, especially when we consider the likely negative gamescript that Cleveland will likely encounter during this matchup.
Cleveland Browns
Denzel Ward (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Greg Newsome (CB): SOLID. He played 95% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Cameron Mitchell/Myles Harden (CB): SIT them both. Mitchell was inactive last week, and this specific slot has been in flux since training camp. We need to see more than one week of Harden before trusting it.
Detroit Lions
DJ Reed (CB): SOLID. He played 92% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Terrion Arnold (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, risky. He played 89% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner. He’s been getting roasted and toasted in coverage and has a 44 coverage grade (PFF) currently; he could be benched any week now.
Amik Robertson (CB): SIT. He only played 42% of snaps last week and hasn’t had much of a roll yet this season.
Titans at Texans
Outlook: We’ve got the lowest early total so far at just 40.5 points with Houston favored by a touchdown at home. Cam Ward was better in Week 3 as he targeted his wide receivers with 21 of his 38 attempts. As anyone who has shares of Calvin Ridley knows, though, it’s been far from perfect. It will be deeper leagues only for our Houston corners in Week 4, as Cam Ward is still working on his completion percentage and turning those targets into catchable passes (with our corners then making the tackle afterward).
For the reverse, CJ Stroud targeted his wide receivers with at least 23 of his 38 attempts in Week 3. It’s been a slow start for this Houston offense and passing attack, but we saw some improvement last week. I would lean towards deeper leagues only for our Tennessee corners, as we’re probably looking at a defensive struggle and not much action in this matchup to begin with.
Tennessee Titans
L’Jarius Sneed (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and deployed as a wide corner.
Roger McCreary (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 61% of snaps last week and lined up in the slot for every single snap. That utilization helps overcome the poor playing time.
Jarvis Brownlee/Darrell Baker Jr (CB): Brownlee was inactive last week with an ankle injury. He would be SOLID, but risky, if he can play this week. Baker Jr was his replacement and played 66% of snaps as a wide corner last week. He would be SOLID, deeper leagues only, if Brownlee is inactive again. Update, Brownlee was traded to the Jets today, SIT him for now while we see how this shakes out. SIT Baker Jr as well unless you're truly desperate, this slot is clearly in flux.
Houston Texans
Kamari Lassiter (CB): SOLID, he played 100% of snaps last week and lined up as a wide corner.
Derek Stingley/Tremon Smith (CB): Stingley suffered an oblique injury and is being described as “day to day”. He should be fine to play this week as a SOLID option; he typically lines up as a wide cornerback. Smith would be his direct replacement if he’s inactive again and would be SOLID, deeper leagues only.
Jalen Pitre (S/CB): SOLID. He only played 75% of snaps last week, but lined up all over the place. We’d like to see a bit more playing time, but his production and role have been fantastic so far this season.
Panthers at Patriots
Outlook: We’ve got a 44.5 point early total for this one with New England favored by almost a full touchdown at home. Bryce Young didn’t need to pass a whole lot last week as the Panthers blew away the Falcons. However, at least 13 of his 24 total attempts went to the Carolina wide receivers. We should lean towards “deeper leagues only” for our New England corners as they face off against an iffy Carolina passing attack that’s on the road in Week 4 and hasn’t done much to grab our attention to this point.
For the reverse, we can fire up our Carolina corners in medium to deeper leagues, as this New England passing attack has targeted their wide receivers an acceptable amount through three games. Hunter Henry, Stevenson, and Henderson are still getting the Lions’ share of targets each week, but we’re seeing enough action to Diggs, Boutte, and the New England wide receivers to justify that call.
Carolina Panthers
Chau Smith Wade (CB): SOLID, and a very positive trend. Wade shot up to 90% of snaps played last week, and all of his snaps came from the slot or box. If this continues, he’ll be a hot waiver addition.
Jaycee Horn (CB): SOLID. He played 89% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Mike Jackson (CB): SOLID. He played 89% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
New England Patriots
Christian Gonzalez (CB): SOLID, if healthy. He’s been inactive and hasn’t had his season debut as of yet, but we know what he’s capable of if and when he does play.
Marcus Jones (CB): SOLID, borderline ideal. The only hang-up I have is if this utilization and playing time remain once Gonzalez returns. Jones played 100% of snaps last week and lined up all over the place; he even returned a punt on top of that.
Carlton Davis (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Alex Austin/All Others (CB): SIT. Austin only saw 25% of snaps last week in relief of Gonzalez, who was inactive once more. That’s a huge reduction in snaps, and I didn’t see any injury news. If it’s not one of the guys above, sit them for now, and we’ll readjust after seeing more information.
Chargers at Giants
Outlook: The early total for this one is 44.5 points with Los Angeles favored by a touchdown on the road visiting the Big Apple. We can fire up everyone with a pulse for our New York corners, as this new-look Chargers passing attack has been showering everyone from QJ to Ladd with tons of targets so far this season. It will be “leagues of all sizes” for Paulson Adebo and our New York corners this week.
For the reverse, while it certainly wasn’t effective last Sunday night, we continue to see an acceptable number of wide receiver targets from Dangeruss through three games. He targeted his wide receivers with at least 15 of his 32 attempts last week and will be up against a similar level of defense this week. We can fire up our Los Angeles corners in medium to deeper leagues, and that should be about right for Week 4. Update: Wilson may not get the start this week. Demote all LAC corners to “deeper leagues only” if that ends up being the case and we get the rookie.
Los Angeles Chargers
Tarheeb Still (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week and had excellent utilization. This included wide corner snaps, box and slot snaps, and the occasional blitz.
Donte Jackson (CB): SOLID. He played 94% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Benjamin St Juste (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played just 51% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner. The deepest of deep leagues is the only place he makes sense.
New York Giants
Paulson Adebo (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week and deployed as a wide corner, although that doesn’t seem to matter for his production so far this season.
Cor’Dale Flott (CB): SOLID. He played 86% of snaps last week and deployed mostly as a wide corner.
Andru Phillips (CB): IDEAL, he played 75% of snaps last week, but was lined up in the box and slot for the majority of his snaps. That utilization, plus this matchup, combine to be a beautiful thing in Week 4.
Deonte Banks (CB): SIT, he’s still only at 26% of snaps played and not usable.
Eagles at Bucs
Outlook: The early total for this battle of undefeated NFC teams sits at 45.5 points with Philly favored by a field goal on the road. This one is pretty easy. We can start our Tampa Bay corners in medium to deeper leagues against this Philly passing attack that was among the worst in the league for wide receiver targets until just last week. We saw a massive improvement in that as they were in a negative gamescript against the Rams in Week 3. The hope is that the trend continues this week as Devonta and Brown saw 19 targets between them in Week 3.
For the reverse, we can fire up everyone who plays cornerback for the Eagles with confidence against one of the best passing attacks in the league that targets their talented wide receiver corps early and often. We may need to back off on that a bit if Mike Evans can’t play this week, but in general, Baker Mayfield loves to air it out to his talented wide receivers and targeted them with 23 of his 29 attempts last week, even with Evans exiting with that hamstring injury.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quinyon Mitchell (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Cooper DeJean (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week and lined up all over the place, and filled the box score. He remains one of the premier IDP cornerback options due to his utilization, talent, and production.
Adoree Jackson/Jakorian Bennett (CB): Jackson picked up a groin injury and had to exit early last week; Bennett was his replacement. If Jackson can play, he would be SOLID. If he is inactive, then Bennett would be SOLID, deeper leagues only. This is a wide cornerback slot.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Zyon McCollum (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Jamel Dean (CB): SOLID. He played 73% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner. He saw a reduction in snaps without any injury, but also had a pick-six, so I have no idea what that’s about. We’ll keep an eye on it.
Jacob Parrish (CB): SOLID. He played 73% of snaps last week, but was deployed in the slot and box, and also blitzed a good amount.
Tykee Smith (S): Smith is a safety in most places, and you should be starting him every week. His utilization and production are outstanding.
Colts at Rams
Outlook: We’ve got a higher total here at 47.5 points for the early over/under with Los Angeles favored by 4.5 points at home coming off that tough loss to the Eagles. We can fire up our Los Angeles corners in medium to deeper leagues against this Indy passing attack that targeted their wide receivers with about 14 of their 25 total attempts last week. Tyler Warren and JT are still seeing a big chunk of targets each week that would otherwise be going to their wide receivers, so it is not perfect.
For the reverse, we have an ideal stream for our Indianapolis corners against this Los Angeles passing attack that has targeted their wide receivers a ton through three weeks. Devante and Puka saw 23 combined targets just by themselves last week, and we’ve been seeing this trend with their passing offense since last season.
Indianapolis Colts
Kenny Moore (CB): SIT. He will be out for the next few weeks with a calf injury. Indy signed Mike Hilton to help, but we haven’t seen what that looks like yet. Hold for now on Hilton.
Chavarious Ward (CB): SOLID. He played 84% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Xavien Howard (CB): SOLID. He played 81% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Mekhi Blackmon (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He has had a small role in every game so far this season and could see a bump without Kenny Moore, but with the signing of Hilton, this is anything but a slam dunk for me. Blackmon was in for 48% of snaps last week with some wide snaps and some slot snaps.
Los Angeles Rams
Emmanuel Forbes (CB): SOLID. He played 82% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Cobie Durant (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 77% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Darious Williams (CB): SIT. He only played 37% of snaps last week.
Jaguars at 49ers
Outlook: The early total for this battle out West sits at 45.5 points with San Francisco favored by 4.5 points at home. Trevor Lawrence continues to pepper his wide receivers with targets, including 23 of his 40 attempts last week. We can fire up our San Francisco corners in close to an ideal matchup in Week 4.
For the reverse, it depends on whether Mac Jones is still under center, but he’s been serviceable so far. He targeted his wide receivers with 19 of 41 attempts last week, but in general, CMC and the tight end position are still seeing most of the targets. We can start our Jacksonville corners in medium to deeper leagues with this in mind, and give them a slight bump if Purdy can go in Week 4.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jourdan Lewis (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed all over the place. Most of his snaps came from the slot.
Tyson Campbell (CB): SOLID. He played 96% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Travis Hunter (WR/CB): SOLID. He played 68% of snaps as a wide corner defensively and only 53% of snaps offensively (seeing just two targets) last week. The IDEAL ship has sailed.
Jarrian Jones (CB): SIT. He only played 3% of snaps last week and has been displaced by Hunter, it appears.
San Francisco 49ers
Deommodore Lenoir (CB): SOLID. He played 97% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner, but also had a nice chunk of box snaps.
Renardo Green (CB): SOLID. He played 86% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Upton Stout (CB): SOLID. Much deeper leagues only. He played just 48% of snaps last week, but they were all from the slot or box, which offsets the horrendous playing time a bit.
Marques Sigle (S/CB) SOLID. He is incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo but plays full snaps at safety.
Ravens at Chiefs
Outlook: We’ve got the highest total of Week 4 to this point with a 49.5 point early over/under for this rematch of the 2024 AFC Championship. It will be “deeper leagues only” for our Kansas City corners, as Baltimore was one of the worst teams in the league for targeting their wide receivers last season and hasn’t improved much on that so far this season. Beyond Zay Flowers, there really aren’t any Baltimore wide receivers who see consistent targets week to week, the smattering to Hopkins and Bateman not being enough to move the needle for me.
For the reverse, Mahomes targeted his wide receivers with about 19 of his 37 attempts in Week 3. We should be getting Xavier Worthy back this week, and the dink and dunk nature of this year’s version of the Kansas City passing attack is working out well for opposing corners so far this season. We can fire up our Baltimore corners in leagues of all sizes and hope for a back-and-forth affair.
Baltimore Ravens
Nate Wiggins (CB): SOLID. He played 95% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Marlon Humphrey (CB): IDEAL. He played 94% of snaps last week and had excellent utilization with a nice chunk of slot and box snaps. The production hasn’t matched the role and responsibilities yet, but it will eventually, and we know what he’s capable of.
Chidobe Awuzie (CB): SOLID. He played 77% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Jaire Alexander (CB): SIT. He was inactive again last week and is always a re-injury risk if we do start him.
Kansas City Chiefs
Jaylen Watson (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Trent McDuffie (CB): SOLID. He would be IDEAL in a better matchup. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner, but also had a nice chunk of slot snaps.
All Others (CB): SIT. Christian Roland Wallace and Nohl Williams appear to be battling for the last slot, although in reality, it’s Chamarri Conner, who is designated a safety in most places (and why he isn’t discussed here, start him though, he’s excellent).
Bears at Raiders
Outlook: The early total for this matchup sits at 47.5 points with Chicago favored by 1.5 points on the road. That is what we like to see, historically, a higher total with a low spread suggests a shootout and a back-and-forth affair, which benefits our corners and IDP production positively.
We can fire up our Las Vegas corners in a close to ideal matchup against a Bears team that has been targeting their wide receivers a ton to start the season, including with 19 of 28 total attempts last week. For the reverse, it will be “medium to deeper leagues” for our Chicago corners against a Las Vegas passing attack that gives us an acceptable number of wide receiver targets each week but still favors Bowers, Mayer, and Zamir White out of the backfield a bit too much for our liking.
Chicago Bears
Tyrique Stevenson (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Nahshon Wright (CB): SOLID. With Jaylon Johnson hitting the short-term IR, this is Wright’s slot for the next month or so. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Kyler Gordon/Nick McCloud (CB): Gordon was inactive again last week, but would be SOLID, deeper leagues only to offset reinjury risk, if he can play this week. McCloud was his replacement and played 84% of snaps, mostly from the slot, and would be SOLID, deeper leagues only, if Gordon is inactive again.
Las Vegas Raiders
Eric Stokes (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Kelly Kyu Blu (CB): SOLID. He played 72% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
All Others (CB): SIT. No other corner saw North of 28% of snaps last week.
Packers at Cowboys
Outlook: The early total for this Green Bay blood bath victory sits at 48.5 points, with Green Bay somehow only favored by 5.5 points as they come to Jerry World in Week 4. We can fire up all our Green Bay corners against a Dallas team that loves to target their wide receivers, including 21 of 40 targets last week. We should keep an eye on the health of CeeDee Lamb, though, and demote them to “medium to deeper leagues” if he can’t go this week as he gets about 10 wide receiver targets himself each game without breaking a sweat.
For the reverse, this Green Bay wide receivers corps is shredded with injury, and it showed in the box score last week. Love targeted his wide receivers with only 10 of 25 total attempts in Week 3, and I don’t see that improving any time soon. An offsetting factor is that this Dallas defense is hot garbage, so that may help, but in general, we should only start our Dallas corners in deeper leagues only for Week 4.
Green Bay Packers
Keisean Nixon (CB): SOLID. He played 95% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Javon Bullard (S/CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only; his playing time has also decreased as Hobbs has increased. He played just 56% of snaps last week, but was deployed mostly in the slot, which offsets the bad playing time a bit.
Nate Hobbs (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He shot up to 72% of snaps played last week and was deployed as a wide corner for the most part. He does get hurt a lot, so we’ll go “deeper leagues only” to mitigate some of that risk.
Carrington Valentine (CB): SIT. His snaps went down dramatically last week to just 33%.
Dallas Cowboys
Kair Elam (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner with a nice chunk of box snaps as well.
Trevon Diggs (CB): SIT. He’s likely out this week anyway, and he had a different injury (knee) that was a concern before this most recent shoulder injury. He’s just too beat up at the moment.
DaRon Bland (CB): SOLID, if healthy. He is on track to return this week, and we all know what he’s capable of. I’d take the risk and start him if you need to.
Reddy Steward (CB): With Diggs getting hurt and Bland already inactive, we saw Steward record 79% of snaps last week. SIT for now. Let’s see it again before trusting it, not to mention they’re playing a Green Bay team that doesn’t have a wide receiver corps beyond Doubs at the moment.
Jets at Dolphins
Outlook: The early total for this AFC East showdown sits at 45.5 points with Miami favored by a field goal at home. Tua looked much better last week and targeted Hill/Waddle/Washington with 21 targets between them. We can fire up our New York corners in medium to deeper leagues and hope that trend continues.
For the reverse, Garrett Wilson saw 13 targets by himself last week, but beyond him, it was just a smattering for whoever else plays wide receiver for the Jets. It will be deeper leagues only for our Miami corners, as beyond Wilson, no one is involved enough from this New York wide receiver corps to strike our fancy. Whoever ends up being responsible for Wilson will be in for a busy day, but since I don’t work for the Dolphins, I doubt we’ll know that before kickoff.
New York Jets
Sauce Gardner (CB): SOLID. He played 86% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Brandon Stephens (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner with a nice chunk of box snaps as well.
Michael Carter (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 72% of snaps last week and was mostly lined up in the slot.
Jarvis Brownlee (CB): SIT. See above Tennessee section.
Miami Dolphins
Jack Jones (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Storm Duck/Rasul Douglas (CB): Duck was inactive again last week. I would SIT him in his first game back after a multi-week injury against a bad Jets’ passing attack. If Duck is inactive again, then Rasul would be SOLID, deeper leagues only.
All Others (CB): SIT. It’s a mess beyond what’s listed above. We’ll keep an eye on it.
Bengals at Broncos
Outlook: The final game of Week 4 has an early total of 44.5 points with Denver favored by a touchdown at home. We can fire up all our Cincy corners against this Denver passing attack that has been excellent at targeting their wide receiver corps to this point, including 16 of 25 targets last week against a stellar Chargers defense. It’s been maddening for offensive fantasy football as everyone who picked up Troy Franklin last week is going insane, but we do see a bunch of wide receiver targets most weeks from this Denver passing attack; we just never know where they’re going.
For the reverse, it was a disaster for Browning and the Cincy passing attack last week, but that was up against a phenomenal Minnesota defense that got out to a huge lead instantly and forced Cincy to be one-dimensional and predictable as they attempted to crawl out of their negative gamescript. We’ve seen Browning target his wide receivers and have success for sustained lengths of time in the past, and I think he’ll do much better against this Broncos defense that’s been good but not nearly as good as Minnesota was last week (medium to deeper leagues for our Denver corners).
Cincinnati Bengals
Cam Taylor Britt/Josh Newton (CB): Britt was inactive last week; he would be SOLID if healthy. Newton replaced him and played 90% of snaps, most of them at wide corner. If Britt is inactive again, then Newton would be SOLID, deeper leagues only, sit otherwise.
Dax Hill (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 85% of snaps last week (then sat due to the blowout) and was deployed in the slot and box.
DJ Turner (CB): SOLID. He played 85% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Denver Broncos
Patrick Surtain (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week and was deployed as a wide corner.
Riley Moss (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week, mostly as a wide corner, but with some slot and box snaps. He has tripled his projection at the minimum every game so far this season.
Jaquan McMillian (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 69% of snaps last week, nice, mostly from the slot with some box snaps.
Jahdae Barron (CB): SIT. He only played 18% of snaps last week and is the perfect example of a hyped rookie that hasn’t been an option for us yet due to a lack of playing time and being slowly eased into the lineup.
Byes this week: None
My Favorite Matchups, Week 4:
Las Vegas corners against Chicago
Baltimore corners against Kansas City
San Francisco corners against Jacksonville
Indianapolis corners against the Los Angeles Rams
Philadelphia corners against Tampa Bay
New York Giants corners against the Los Angeles Chargers
Week 4 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 Ramsey
Alontae Taylor
Tarheeb Still, Paulson Adebo, Andru Phillips
Cooper DeJean
Tykee Smith
Jourdan Lewis
Marlon Humphrey
Dax Hill, Riley Moss
SOLID (matchup or playing time isn’t perfect, best in medium to deeper leagues):
Devon Witherspoon/Derion Kendrick, Josh Jobe, Tariq Woolen, Coby Bryant, Max Melton, Will Johnson
Josh Metellus, Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rogers, Darius Slay, Brandin Echols (if Porter is inactive)
Quan Martin, Mike Sainristil, Trey Amos, Marshon Lattimore, Mike Hughes, Billy Bowman, Dee Alford (if Terrell is inactive)
Koolaid McKinstry, Christian Benford, Taron Johnson, Tre’Davious White (if Hairston is inactive)
Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, DJ Reed, Terrion Arnold
L’Jarius Sneed, Roger McCreary, Kamari Lassiter, Derek Stingley/Tremon Smith, Jalen Pitre
Chau Smith Wade, Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, Carlton Davis
Donte Jackson, Benjamin St Juste, Cor’Dale Flott
Quinyon Mitchell, Adoree Jackson/Jakorian Bennett, Zyon McCollum, Jamel Dean, Jacob Parrish
Chavarious Ward, Xavien Howard, Mekhi Blackmon, Emmanuel Forbes, Cobie Durant
Tyson Campbell, Travis Hunter, Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout
Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie, Jaylen Watson, Trent McDuffie
Tyrique Stevenson, Nahshon Wright, Kyler Gordon/Nick McCloud, Eric Stokes, Kelly Kyu Blu
Keisean Nixon, Javon Bullard, Nate Hobbs, Kair Elam, DaRon Bland
Sauce Gardner, Brandon Stephens, Michael Carter, Jack Jones, Rasul Douglas (if Duck is inactive)
Cam Taylor Britt/Josh Newton, DJ Turner, Patrick Surtain, JaQuan McMillian
TRAPS (sit these players):
Garrett Williams, Denzel Burke, Kei’Trel Clarke
Joey Porter Jr
Will Harris, AJ Terrell
Isaac Yiadom, Maxwell Hairston
Cameron Mitchell, Myles Harden, Amik Robertson
Alex Austin
Deonte Banks
Kenny Moore, Darious Williams
Jarrian Jones
Jaire Alexander
Carrington Valentine, Trevon Diggs, Reddy Steward
Storm Duck
Jahdae Barron
Jarvis Brownlee, Darrell Baker Jr
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!
hiya. safe to assume "wide corner" primarily means CB that plays at the outside?