Johny The Greek's Cornerback Corner: Week 9
What are the best CB options for IDP fantasy football leagues in Week 9?
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 70 calls for leagues of all shapes and sizes. Of those 70 calls, 4 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 66 “adjusted” calls.
Of those, 50 were correct (matched, beat, or were within a slim margin of their projection on Yahoo and MFL), and 16 were incorrect (didn’t match or beat projection and weren’t even close), giving us 75% accuracy for Week 8.
Of those 50 correct calls, 15 were “massive hits” (doubled, tripled, or more, their projection), giving us a 30% massive hit rate on correct calls for Week 8.
We are 72% accurate overall for the season, with 38% of all correct calls resulting in “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
Please see THIS if you need a primer in cornerback streaming or what’s being discussed in this article (for new readers).
If you notice a player playing safety who is designated a corner in your league of merit, please feel free to comment below, and I’ll update the article with that information.
Alignment & utilization metrics are from PFF.com, which is an outstanding resource for all things fantasy football related.
Ravens at Dolphins
Outlook: The Thursday night game to kick off Week 9 sits at 48.5 points for the early total with Baltimore favored by a touchdown on the road. Both teams are within the worst third of the league for passing yards per game. Miami is among the middle of the pack for wide receiver targets, while Baltimore is the 4th worst team for this ranking.
It will be “deeper leagues only” for our Miami corners, and we can fire up the Glizzy gobbler himself, Marlon Humphrey, and our Baltimore corners in medium to deeper leagues this week.
Baltimore Ravens
Marlon Humphrey (CB): SOLID. He played 95% of snaps last week and was deployed mostly as an outside cornerback but also had a nice chunk of slot snaps.
Nate Wiggins (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps last week and was deployed as an outside cornerback.
Chidobe Awuzie/Jaire Alexander/All others (CB): SIT. Awuzie didn’t see North of 31% of snaps last week while Jaire was a healthy scratch. Wiggins does appear to have a slight ankle injury. If he’s somehow inactive, then Awuzie should get some action.
Miami Dolphins
Rasul Douglas (CB): SOLID. He played 96% of snaps last week and was deployed as an outside cornerback. With the Storm Duck injury news, see below, he appears to be safe for the rest of the season.
Jack Jones (CB): SOLID. He played 70% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback and then sat due to the blowout.
Storm Duck/All others (CB): Duck did make his season debut last week, but immediately injured his ankle and is now out for the rest of the season. Our Rasul Douglas’ shares should be safe for the rest of the year.
Bears at Bengals
Outlook: The early total for this battle in Cincy sits at 49.5 points with Chicago favored by just 2.5 points on the road. That’s what we like to see: a higher total and a lower spread. Both teams are among the middle of the pack for passing yards per game. These two teams are 6th and 2nd, respectively, in targeting their wide receivers each week. That Cincy wide receiver targets ranking has skyrocketed into the top 3 from outside the top ten since Flacco has taken over.
This is a fantastic matchup on paper; neither defense is all that great, and both teams love to target their wide receivers. We can fire up all of the usual suspects in leagues of all sizes and hope we get the shootout that Vegas thinks we’re getting.
Chicago Bears
Kyler Gordon (CB): SIT. He was sent to IR last week and will be out for at least the next four weeks.
Nick McCloud (CB): SOLID. He played 88% of snaps last week as the primary slot corner and should retain that role for at least the next month as Kyler Gordon heads to IR.
Tyrique Stevenson (CB): SOLID if healthy. He was inactive last week with a shoulder injury, but would be a nice option this week if healthy as an outside cornerback in a great matchup.
Jaylon Johnson/Nahshon Wright (CB): SOLID if healthy. He was inactive last week but is now in the window to come off of IR and regain his role as a starting outside cornerback. It would be risky to start him immediately after missing the last five weeks. I would only do so in much deeper leagues if possible. If Johnson is inactive again, then Wright would be a SOLID option.
Jaylon Jones (CB): SIT, he was only an option last week due to losing Stevenson, Kyler, and not having Jaylon Johnson to begin with. He didn’t play a ton, beyond that.
Cincinnati Bengals
Dax Hill (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 94% of snaps last week and lined up mostly in the slot and box, with a few wide corner snaps as well. His utilization has been fantastic, and the matchup is pretty good as well.
DJ Turner (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Cam Taylor Britt/Josh Newton/DJ Ivey (CB): SIT. This final cornerback slot in Cincy has been in flux all season long. Britt locked it down last week to the tune of 76% of snaps as an outside cornerback, but he was a healthy scratch the week prior, and has been down to 6% of snaps out of left field at another point this season. It’s beyond dangerous to trust him with any of your cornerback slots as things stand currently.
Vikings at Lions
Outlook: The early total for the NFC North showdown sits at 47.5 points with Detroit favored by 8.5 points at home. Detroit is just outside the top ten for passing yards per game, while Minnesota is in the middle of the pack. Minnesota is among the middle of the pack for wide receiver targets, while Detroit is now within the worst third of the league after that “running Lions” performance last week, where they barely needed any wide receiver help.
We can fire up our Minnesota corners in medium to deeper leagues and hope we get the “passing version” of the Lions this week. And for the reverse, it will be “deepest leagues humanly possible” for our Detroit corners as JJ McCarthy gets the start. Carson Wentz is heading to IR, which is terrible news for our Jefferson/Addison shares and our opposing Detroit corners in Week 9.
Minnesota Vikings
Josh Metellus (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week as a starting safety and is incorrectly designated as a cornerback in Yahoo. His snaps came from the box and slot for the most part, with just a handful from deep safety.
Byron Murphy (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback with a nice chunk of box/slot snaps as well.
Isaiah Rogers (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played 79% of snaps as an outside cornerback last week and appears to have given up some snaps to Jeff Okudah (who was cooked on a long touchdown pass, so we’ll see if that lasts).
Detroit Lions
DJ Reed/Terrion Arnold (CB): SIT them both. However, both are eligible to come off the short-term IR starting this week. I would SIT them both if that does end up happening, as the matchup isn’t worth chasing, and the odds that they’d be “eased back into the lineup”, in terms of playing time, are high. Feel free to add Reed in most leagues and Arnold, in much deeper leagues, as streaming options for down the road, though.
Amik Robertson (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside cornerback with some bonus slot snaps the last time we saw him (bye last week). Robertson is the most likely to retain some kind of role when either Reed or Arnold returns, either or both.
Nick Whiteside/Arthur Maulet/Rock Ya Sin/Avonte Maddox (CB): SIT them all. None of them cleared 58% of snaps played the last time Detroit took the field. And this cornerback corps will look entirely different once Reed and Arnold return from IR. Beyond that, the matchup isn’t great at all, so we don’t need to chase this.
Panthers at Packers
Outlook: The early total for this one sits at just 42.5 points with Green Bay favored by 11.5 points at home. Green Bay is just outside the top ten in passing yards per game, while Carolina is now the 4th worst team in the league for this ranking. Carolina does have a top-ten ranking for targeting their wide receivers, while Green Bay is second-worst in the league for this ranking at the time of writing.
Wide receiver targets being by far the more important stat of those two, it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Carolina corners this week. And we can fire up our Green Bay corners in medium to deeper leagues and hope Carolina continues to shower Tet McMillan, Legette, and Coker with targets, as they have been.
Carolina Panthers
Jaycee Horn (CB): SOLID. He played 87% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback and then sat a little early due to the blowout.
Mike Jackson (CB): SOLID. He played 88% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback and then sat a little early due to the blowout.
Chau Smith Wade (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only. He played just 42% of snaps last week, but they were all from the slot or box. He typically sees more action against pass-happy offenses (that target wide receivers, not tight ends, this isn’t the week to trust him).
Green Bay Packers
Keisean Nixon (CB): SOLID. He played 96% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Nate Hobbs/Carrington Valentine (CB): SIT THEM BOTH. Hobbs was seemingly benched last week, with Valentine displacing him as the other full-time outside cornerback. This is what I mean when I talk about how volatile this position is and how, on some of these items, we just have to take it on the chin. Only Green Bay knew they were going to do this; they sure as heck didn’t tell me, and anyone who started Hobbs last week took it on the chin. It happens. We need to see it for at least another week or two before trusting Valentine as the new starter in this slot.
Javon Bullard (S/CB): SOLID. He played 77% of snaps last week as a slot cornerback with some box snaps as bonus value.
Broncos at Texans
Outlook: The early total for this matchup in Houston sits at a measly 38.5 points, with Denver favored by 1.5 points on the road. These are two of the best defenses in the league, so a defensive struggle does appear likely. Both teams are among the middle of the pack for passing yards per game. Denver is now the 8th best team in the league for targeting their wide receivers, while Houston has climbed the rankings to just outside the top-ten for wide receiver targets.
We may not get many points, but the wide receiver targets will be there, it looks like. This matchup certainly isn’t ideal, but we can fire up the usual suspects in medium to deeper leagues, and we should be looking good.
Denver Broncos
Patrick Surtain/Kris Abrams Draine (CB): Surtain suffered a knee injury last week after about 50% of snaps. He would be SOLID if he could play this week as an outside cornerback. Abrams Draine was his direct replacement and would be SOLID as a replacement if Surtain is inactive this week. I’ve seen that before, last season to be precise, several times. We can trust Abrams Draine if Surtain is inactive.
Riley Moss (CB): SOLID. He played 97% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback and smashed his projection; the gut feeling was correct.
Jaquan McMillian/Jahdae Barron (CB): SIT them both in this matchup; they’re still essentially splitting that last cornerback slot. McMillian does play enough to be started in deeper leagues, though. He was in for 62% of snaps as a slot corner last week.
Houston Texans
Derek Stingley (CB): SOLID. He played 95% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Kamari Lassiter (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Jalen Pitre (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 95% of snaps last week and lined up in the box or slot for all but 2% of those snaps.
Falcons at Patriots
Outlook: The early total for this one in Foxboro sits at 45.5 points with New England favored by 5.5 points at home. New England is a top-ten team for passing yards per game, while Atlanta is among the middle of the pack. Both teams are among the middle of the pack for wide receiver targets.
We can fire up the normal options in medium to deeper leagues for this one. I actually think we get a slight boost to our New England corners if Michael Penix is inactive again this week. Cousins has always been a completion machine, but not having London last week and the slow start against Miami didn’t give him a chance to show that off.
Atlanta Falcons
AJ Terrell (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Mike Hughes (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Billy Bowman/Dee Alford (CB): SOLID. Bowman was inactive last week, and Alford replaced him as is tradition, while playing just 47% of snaps as the slot corner. He likely sat early due to the blowout. Bowman would be SOLID if healthy, Alford would be SOLID, deeper leagues only, if Bowman is inactive again this week.
New England Patriots
Christian Gonzalez (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Carlton Davis (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Marcus Jones (CB): SOLID. He played 72% of snaps as the slot corner last week. He only had 8 return yards, so that aspect of his value continues to be diminished, but he’s been extremely productive this season, and his utilization is excellent.
49ers at Giants
Outlook: The early total for this battle in the Big Apple sits at 45.5 points with San Francisco favored by a field goal on the road. San Francisco throws for the second most passing yards per game, while New York is among the middle of the pack. Both teams are among the middle of the pack in targeting their wide receivers.
We can fire up the normal cornerback options in this one for medium to deeper leagues, and we should be looking good.
San Francisco 49ers
Deommodore Lenoir (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Renardo Green (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Upton Stout (CB): SOLID. He played 60% of snaps as the slot corner last week, and likely missed a few snaps due to blowout rest.
New York Giants
Paulson Adebo/Deonte Banks (CB): Adebo was inactive last week with a knee injury, but would be SOLID if he can play this week. Deonte Banks replaced him and played almost every snap as an outside corner. He would also be SOLID as a backup option if Adebo is inactive again this week.
Cor’Dale Flott (CB): SOLID, if healthy. He suffered a concussion last week and likely won’t clear protocol in time for this game. He would be playable if he could clear concussion protocol as a full-time outside cornerback. There was no direct replacement worth discussing when it comes to playing time.
Andru Phillips (CB): SOLID. He played just 52% of snaps last week as Philly blew away New York (possible blowout rest) and ran the ball enough that Phillips saw reduced playing time to begin with. His utilization was excellent, though, and like many other slot corners, we can expect elevated playing time against more pass-happy teams (and fewer snaps against teams that run more often or prefer to target their tight ends).
Colts at Steelers
Outlook: The early total for this battle in the Steel City sits at 47.5 points with Indianapolis favored by a field goal on the road. Indy is the 5th-best passing offense in yards per game, while Pittsburgh is among the middle of the pack. Pittsburgh is dead last in wide receiver targets per game, while Indy is among the middle of the pack.
We can probably get away with calling this one “medium to deeper leagues” across the board as the one area that would demote this matchup, the Pittsburgh wide receiver targets ranking, may work itself out if and when they fall behind against the best offense in the league to this point in the season.
Indianapolis Colts
Mekhi Blackmon (CB): SOLID. He played 83% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback before sitting due to the blowout.
Kenny Moore (CB): SOLID. He played 52% of snaps as the slot corner last week before sitting due to the blowout.
Chavarious Ward/Jonathan Edwards/Chris Lammons/Cameron Mitchell/Jaylon Jones (CB): SIT them all. With Ward on short-term IR, we got a gaggle of random corners last week. When we add in the blowout on top of that, and second and third stringers getting snaps, I have zero idea who to trust here beyond Kenny and Blackmon currently. Besides, Pittsburgh has a terrible wide receiver targets ranking, so we can skip this mess and sleep well at night.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jalen Ramsey (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps last week and only spent about one-third of those at outside corner; the rest were in the slot, box, or were a blitzing attempt. We love to see that.
Joey Porter Jr (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Darius Slay (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He was down to just 50% of snaps last week and saw decreased playing time for the second week in a row. This appears to be the new normal with Porter Jr back in the lineup. Slay will be “deeper leagues only” going forward unless we see a return to his prior playing time.
Chargers at Titans
Outlook: The early total for this showdown in the Music City sits at 42.5 points with Los Angeles favored by 8.5 points on the road. Los Angeles is the 4th best passing offense for yards per game, while Tennessee is now the second-worst across the league for this ranking. Los Angeles targets their wide receivers the most in the league, while Tennessee is among the middle of the pack.
This is an ideal matchup for our Tennessee corners, but it will be “deeper leagues only” for our Los Angeles corners in Week 9.
Los Angeles Chargers
Tarheeb Still (CB): SIT. He was injured last week and will “miss some time” with a knee injury.
Benjamin St Juste (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only due to the matchup. He played 65% of snaps as an outside corner last week and should have some kind of role with the fallout from the Still injury.
Donte Jackson (CB): SOLID, much deeper leagues only due to the matchup. He played 59% of snaps as an outside cornerback last week and should also maintain some kind of role now that Still is out for a bit.
Ja’Sir Taylor (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, risky. He is the replacement for Still and finished the game for him in the slot. We’ve only seen it once, and this is Cam Ward and the Titans, not 2019 Jameis Winston, so it’s not a great setup to begin with.
Tennessee Titans
L’Jarius Sneed (CB): SIT, he remains on IR.
Jaylyn Armor Davis (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Roger McCreary (CB): SIT. He was traded to the Rams today. He likely won’t play a ton for them in his first possible game action, as we’ve traditionally seen in this kind of scenario.
Darrell Baker Jr (CB): SOLID if healthy. He played 75% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback, then suffered a concussion. He likely won’t clear protocol in time to play this week, and his replacement wasn’t apparent.
Marcus Harris (CB): SIT. However, with McCreary now traded and Baker Jr suffering a concussion last week, it’s a good bet that Harris will have some kind of role this week, and the matchup is pretty good on top of that. I’d only pursue him in the deepest of leagues, as we’ve never seen it before, and it could easily be a different corner getting the promotion.
Saints at Rams
Outlook: The early total for this matchup sits at 44.5 points with Los Angeles favored by two touchdowns at home. New Orleans is within the worst third of the league for passing yards per game and could be rolling out the rookie quarterback this week. Los Angeles is the third-best team in the league for passing yards per game. This is a picture-perfect (ideal) matchup for our New Orleans corners against the 4th-best in the league Rams wide receiver targets ranking.
And we can fire up our Los Angeles corners in medium to deeper leagues against this Saints team that can’t score points, but is just outside the top-ten for wide receiver targets each week, and has been in that area or better for this entire season. The uncertainty as to who will be under center for New Orleans is the negative factor that moves our Los Angeles corners out of the “ideal” category in this matchup.
New Orleans Saints
Alontae Taylor (CB): IDEAL. He played 96% of snaps last week, and about half of them were from the slot, box, or were a blitzing attempt.
Koolaid McKinstry (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Quincy Riley (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played just 44% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback, but the matchup is correct, and he likely sat early due to the blowout last week.
Los Angeles Rams
Roger McCreary (CB): SIT. He likely won’t play much, having just been traded on Monday, and not having much time to learn the defense before his first game in Los Angeles.
Quentin Lake (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps the last time we saw him (bye last week) and lined up all over the place. He’s been massively productive this season.
Darious Williams (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played just 70% of snaps as an outside cornerback the last time we saw him.
Cobie Durant (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only. He played just 66% of snaps as an outside cornerback the last time we saw him.
Emmanuel Forbes (CB): SIT. His playing time has been in flux all season, and if we get the “28% of snaps” Forbes this week in this matchup, it won’t go well for whoever starts him.
Jaguars at Raiders
Outlook: The early total for this battle at the Death Star sits at 43.5 points with Jacksonville favored by a field goal on the road. Jacksonville is among the middle of the pack for passing yards per game, while Las Vegas is within the worst third of the league for this ranking. Jacksonville is a top-five team for wide receiver targets, while Las Vegas is within the worst third of the league once more.
We can fire up our Vegas corners in an ideal matchup this week, but it will be deeper leagues only for Jourdan Lewis and our Jacksonville corners in Week 9.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Hunter (WR/CB): IDEAL. He played barely any corner the last time we saw Jacksonville, but went crazy as a wide receiver, and that’s why we drafted him. It’s a starting wide receiver that we can use as a cheat code in our cornerback-specific slot; we should be doing that every opportunity we get.
Jourdan Lewis (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps the last time we saw him. His snaps were mostly from the slot, but he also had some box and outside corner snaps as well.
Montaric Brown/Greg Newsome (CB): SIT them both. Brown played 100% of snaps out of left field the last time we saw Jacksonville (bye last week). And Newsome barely played at all after just getting traded there. I expect that to flip-flop, but with this (bad) matchup, and until we’ve seen it, it’s better to play it safe.
Las Vegas Raiders
Eric Stokes (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside cornerback the last time we saw him (bye last week).
Kyu Blu Kelly (CB): SOLID. He played 84% of snaps as an outside cornerback the last time we saw him.
All others (CB): SIT. No other corner crossed 27% of snaps the last time Las Vegas took the field.
Chiefs at Bills
Outlook: The early total for this possible shootout sits at a massive 51.5 points with Buffalo favored by 1.5 points at home. Kansas City is a top-ten team for passing yards per game, while Buffalo is among the middle of the pack. Kansas City is a top-ten team for targeting its wide receivers, while Buffalo is among the middle of the pack. That tracks with the season that James Cook is having.
We can fire up our Buffalo corners in an ideal matchup this week, and we can fire up our Kansas City corners in medium to deeper leagues and hope we get the shootout that Vegas thinks we’re getting.
Kansas City Chiefs
Trent McDuffie (CB): SOLID. He played 90% of snaps last week and was deployed as an outside cornerback.
Jaylen Watson (CB): SOLID. He played 90% of snaps last week and was deployed as an outside cornerback.
Chamarri Conner (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 90% of snaps last week, most of them from the slot or box, and surpassed his bloated and unrealistic projection once more.
Buffalo Bills
Tre’Davious White/Maxwell Hairston (CB): SIT them both; this slot is in the process of displacement as White was down to 67% of snaps last week and Hairston was up to 44% of snaps in his season debut. This is Hairston’s slot; it’s just going to probably take a minute for him to get up to full snaps.
Christian Benford (CB): SOLID. He played 88% of snaps last week and was deployed as an outside cornerback.
Taron Johnson (CB): SOLID. He played 73% of snaps last week as the slot cornerback.
Brandon Codrington (CB/Kick Returns): SIT. He did not play at all last week and only has value as a kick returner to begin with.
Seahawks at Commanders
Outlook: The early total for this one sits at 45.5 points with Seattle favored by a field goal on the road. Seattle is a top-ten passing attack (YPG), while Washington is now within the worst third of the league for this ranking. Backup quarterbacks, inactives for McLaurin and Deebo, and other negative factors have combined to diminish this once-great offense. Both teams are among the middle of the pack for wide receiver targets.
We can fire up the usual suspects in medium to deeper leagues and hope we get a healthy Jayden Daniels, McLaurin, and Deebo, to give this one a shot at giving us “enough to eat” for our opposing Seattle cornerback production in Week 9. And we should be fine rolling out our Washington options in medium to deeper leagues as well.
Seattle Seahawks
Devon Witherspoon/Nick Emmanwori (CB/S): Witherspoon was inactive the last time Seattle played (bye last week), but should be healthy this week and is always IDEAL if he’s breathing and playing football. Emmanwori was his direct replacement and would be SOLID if Witherspoon is inactive again, but he’s also a safety in most places.
Tariq Woolen (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps as an outside corner the last time Seattle played.
Josh Jobe (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps as an outside corner the last time Seattle played.
Coby Bryant (S/CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps, mostly as a deep safety, the last time Seattle played. He is incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo.
Washington Commanders
Quan Martin (S/CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps and smashed his projection last week as a deep safety that’s incorrectly designated a cornerback in Yahoo. He excels against teams that can push the ball downfield, and with JSN/Darnold cooking, that’s what we’ve got this week.
Will Harris (S/CB): SIT. He is eligible to return from IR any day now. He has also been traditionally a box safety that’s incorrectly designated as a cornerback in Yahoo. He may not play a ton in his first game back in a month-plus, so just add him for now, and we’ll wait to play him.
Marshon Lattimore (CB): SOLID. He played 100% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Trey Amos (CB): SOLID. He played 98% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Mike Sainristil (CB): SOLID. He played 71% of snaps last week as a slot cornerback with a nice chunk of box snaps. The utilization continues to be fantastic, but the playing time and production have taken a hit in the past couple of games, so we’ll demote him a bit.
Cardinals at Cowboys
Outlook: The early total for the Monday night game in Jerry-world sits at a massive 51.5 points with Dallas favored by a field goal at home. Dallas is the best yards per game passing offense in the league at the time of writing, while Arizona is among the middle of the pack. Dallas is a top-ten team for targeting their wide receivers, while Arizona is the third-worst across the league for this ranking.
It should be “deeper leagues only” for Bland and our Dallas corners, but with the current state of this defense in Dallas (it’s essentially nonexistent), we get enough of a back-and-forth affair here for medium to deeper leagues to be fine for our Cowboys corners. And we’ve got an ideal matchup for our Arizona corners to round out Week 9.
Arizona Cardinals
Will Johnson (CB): IDEAL. He played 100% of snaps the last time Arizona played. He lined up mostly outside, but also had a nice chunk of box snaps.
Max Melton (CB): SOLID. He played 96% of snaps as an outside cornerback the last time Arizona played.
All others (CB): SIT. Kei Trel Clark barely played at all the last time Arizona took the field, and it’s been a mess beyond Johnson and Melton.
Dallas Cowboys
DaRon Bland (CB): IDEAL. He played 98% of snaps last week and lined up in the slot or box for the vast majority of those snaps. He’s smashed his projection two weeks in a row now, and those also happen to be the two weeks where he’s been moved back to the slot, the same role where he made a name for himself setting the record for pick-sixes a couple of seasons ago.
Kair Elam (CB): SOLID, deeper leagues only, risky. He played 95% of snaps last week as an outside cornerback.
Trevon Diggs (CB): SIT. He officially moved to IR last week and will be out for at least a month.
All others (CB): SIT. Beyond Bland and Elam, it’s a mess. And it’s Kyler Murray, not 2018 Patrick Mahomes. Trikweze Bridges did play 76% of snaps as an outside corner last week, but I trust that zero percent.
Byes this week: Browns, Jets, Eagles, Bucs
My Favorite Matchups, Week 9:
Chicago Bears vs Cincinnati Bengals, either side
Houston Texans Corners vs Denver Broncos
Tennessee Titans Corners vs Los Angeles Chargers
New Orleans Saints Corners vs Los Angeles Rams
Las Vegas Corners vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Buffalo Bills Corners vs Kansas City Chiefs
Arizona Cardinals Corners vs Dallas Cowboys
Week 9 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):
Dax Hill
Josh Metellus
Jalen Pitre
Jalen Ramsey
Alontae Taylor, Quentin Lake
Travis Hunter
Chamarri Conner
Devon Witherspoon, Quan Martin
Will Johnson, DaRon Bland
SOLID (matchup or playing time isn’t perfect, best in medium to deeper leagues):
Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Rasul Douglas, Jack Jones
Nick McCloud, Tyrique Stevenson, Jaylon Johnson/Nahshon Wright, DJ Turner
Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rogers, Amik Robertson
Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith Wade, Keisean Nixon, Javon Bullard
Patrick Surtain/Kris Abrams Draine, Riley Moss, Derek Stingley, Kamari Lassiter
AJ Terrell, Mike Hughes, Billy Bowman/Dee Alford, Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones
Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, Paulson Adebo/Deonte Banks, Andru Phillips, Cor’Dale Flott
Mekhi Blackmon, Kenny Moore, Darius Slay, Joey Porter Jr
Benjamin St Juste, Donte Jackson, Ja’Sir Taylor, Jaylyn Armor Davis, Darrell Baker Jr
Koolaid McKinstry, Quincy Riley, Darious Williams, Cobie Durant
Jourdan Lewis, Eric Stokes, Kyu Blu Kelly
Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Christian Benford, Taron Johnson
Tariq Woolen, Josh Jobe, Coby Bryant, Marshon Lattimore, Trey Amos, Mike Sainristil
Kair Elam, Max Melton
TRAPS (sit these players):
Chidobe Awuzie, Jaire Alexander, Storm Duck
Kyler Gordon, Jaylon Jones, Cam Taylor Britt, Josh Newton, DJ Ivey
DJ Reed, Terrion Arnold, Arthur Maulet, Nick Whiteside, Rock Ya Sin, Avonte Maddox
Nate Hobbs, Carrington Valentine
JaQuan McMillian, Jahdae Barron
Chavarious Ward, Jonathan Edwards, Chris Lammons, Cameron Mitchell, Jaylon Jones
Tarheeb Still, L’Jarius Sneed, Roger McCreary, Marcus Harris
Roger McCreary, Emmanuel Forbes
Montaric Brown, Greg Newsome
Brandon Codrington, Tre’Davious White, Maxwell Hairston
Will Harris
Kei’Trel Clark, Trevon Diggs
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!