This article will go game by game for the Week 10 slate looking at the top wide receivers from an offense and, based on the inside/outside and left/right splits of those receivers, identify the WR vs. CB matchups likely to occur.
Receivers rarely see the same corner every play, be it due to formation quirks or zone coverage calls by the defense, so a receiver's fortunes depend on much more than just the quality of the corner they're likely to see the most in a given game. Even against a bad corner, a good receiver can be denied the opportunity if the pass rush or something else outside his control complicates things. But it's part of the puzzle, and it's worth keeping track of.
Receivers are left with an Upgrade, Downgrade, or Even verdict based on their projected wide receiver vs. cornerback matchup. This shouldn't be read as 'good' or 'bad' but rather a measured tweak from the receiver's baseline projection.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Atlanta Falcons
COLTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Michael Pittman almost always has a durable projection in a given game as long as the Indianapolis offense throws its usual volume of pass attempts, in large part by overruling coverage with physicality at the catch point. If A.J. Terrell follows Pittman it's not a real issue in my opinion. Pittman would probably beat Mike Hughes more easily yet, but it's not as if Alec Pierce harmless. The Falcons might just rotate the assignments based on play design – someone will always need help in whatever look and assigning that help effectively might be more important to them than the specific CB:WR interaction. Josh Downs can probably get the better of Billy Bowman or/and Dee Alford.
The concern against Atlanta isn't the coverage nearly as much as it is the pass rush. The Colts' pass blocking should be up to the test somewhat, especially if they run the ball enough early to tenderize the Atlanta front-seven personnel a bit first.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, Josh Downs
FALCONS WIDE RECEIVERS
It's possible Christian Gonzalez wasn't at 100 percent last week, but if Drake London can have the best game of his NFL career to this point while largely running against Gonzalez then it's pretty difficult to tell anyone they should worry about Sauce Gardner here. You'd of course prefer to have London run against Mekhi Blackmon, but if you have London you can't be deterred on the basis of matchup at this point. For Gardner to play a full snap count immediately, though, the Colts might need to leave him with a simplified application – ie, man coverage with a specific player assignment rather than zone-based coverages. In other words, the more snaps Gardner plays, the more I'd assume he's specifically on London.
Darnell Mooney has been a puzzling disappointment – last year's version of Mooney would easily project for an Upgrade against any non-Gardner corner here, but this year's version to this point doesn't really get the benefit of the doubt against anyone. If Mooney has just been shaking off rust then now would be a good time to really lose it for full effect, because if Gardner is haranguing London all day then Mooney should see favorable coverage and with slack waiting for him.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Drake London (Upgrade against all non-Gardner corners), Darnell Mooney (arguable Upgrade if Gardner shadows London)
Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints
PANTHERS WIDE RECEIVERS
If Tetairoa McMillan (hamstring) is out then that leaves the Panthers in a difficult spot, even against a weaker defense like this. Xavier Legette does not deserve the benefit of the doubt, even against the likes of Kool Aid McKinstry and Alontae Taylor.
Jalen Coker might be able to get open a little bit, especially against Taylor in the slot, and if McMillan is out the Panthers might not really have anywhere else to throw the ball.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette
SAINTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Devaughn Vele figures to get a promotion with Rashid Shaheed off to Seattle. Vele played the slot mostly as a rookie, though with the Saints he might need to play more like an X or flanker on the boundary with Juwan Johnson and even Brandin Cooks taking so many slot reps.
Chris Olave figures to draw most of the attention of Jaycee Horn, to unclear effect. There's reason to believe Horn can't really cover Olave, but there's also reason to fear Tyler Shough just can't really get the ball to Olave. The Saints passing game looks bad, unsurprisingly.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, Brandin Cooks
Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants
BEARS WIDE RECEIVERS
Rome Odunze is usually open, including against corners better than these, but the sad fact is that Caleb Williams cannot read the field right now and is liable to botch the structure of any particular play design.
Dru Phillips and Cor'Dale Flott are solid corners but probably not good enough to cover Odunze or DJ Moore. When in the slot Olamide Zaccheaus should catch Phillips, but rather than Phillips or Flott the desirable Giants target would be Deonte Banks.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Rome Odunze (Upgrade if not for QB reasons), DJ Moore, Olamide Zaccheaus
GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Wan'Dale Robinson should have a good matchup here, regardless of whether he's on the slot or the boundary. With no Kyler Gordon (slot) or Jaylon Johnson (boundary), there's no one in the Bears corner group who looks challenging for Robinson.
Tyrique Stevenson is the best remaining Bears corner, and he might need to focus on neutralizing the deep threat posed by Darius Slayton.
Upgrade: Wan'Dale Robinson
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Darius Slayton
Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
TEXANS WIDE RECEIVERS
Nico Collins gets the benefit of the doubt even if he's shadowed by Greg Newsome, but every non-Newsome corner for the Jaguars just about has no prayer against Collins. Jourdan Lewis is out, making the slot vulnerable, though Jarrian Jones played the slot reasonably well in 2024.
Christian Kirk can probably get the better of Jones and Montaric Brown, but with Davis Mills at quarterback the upside for Houston wideouts in this game might mostly be theoretical.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Nico Collins (Upgrade if not for QB reasons), Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins
JAGUARS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jakobi Meyers might play a decent number of snaps in this, but he and Parker Washington could be at odds as they both try to fight for reps at the slot and flanker positions. That seems to leave just Dyami Brown for the X rep...? It's not great.
Whoever gets the slot reps in this game is probably set up best. The boundary could be brutal for underneath-oriented receivers – Derek Stingley is one of the best corners generally and Kamari Lassiter is one of the best corners against underneath targets. Lassiter is vulnerable downfield, but neither Meyers nor Washington have the speed to hurt him there. Brown does, but Lassiter's physicality could challenge Brown before he escapes downfield.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Dyami Brown
Even: Parker Washington (arguable Downgrade if pushed out of slot), Jakobi Meyers (arguable Downgrade if pushed out of slot)
Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills
DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jaylen Waddle might see an assignment from Maxwell Hairston, the only Bills corner with a prayer of running with Waddle, but Waddle is more than just pure speed and Hairston is not really a blue-chip prospect despite his sub-4.3 speed. With that said, Waddle would rather see Tre'Davious White and probably even Christian Benford.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jaylen Waddle, Malik Washington
BILLS WIDE RECEIVERS
Keon Coleman has been awfully disappointing by this point. A few weeks ago it'd be easier to assume Coleman will get the better of the likes of Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas, but after such extensive struggles the faith is waning. Still, this is a good matchup for Coleman. It's unclear whether the likes of Joshua Palmer or Tyrell Shavers would get enough snaps to make any impact themselves.
Khalil Shakir in the slot probably gets the benefit of the doubt against Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman
Minnesota Vikings vs. Baltimore Ravens
VIKINGS WIDE RECEIVERS
Same deal as last week, only this time the secondary is a lot better than the Lions corners Minnesota faced last week. J.J. McCarthy started the game great, but as the game went on McCarthy reliably regressed to his true form, which is just unplayable in his current state, in my opinion.
Justin Jefferson can beat any of Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie or Marlon Humphrey, though Awuzie is almost certainly the easiest target of the three. It would be quite an endorsement of Wiggins if Baltimore had him shadow Jefferson on the boundary, and the Ravens might not bother since Jordan Addison can get the better of Awuzie anyway.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison
RAVENS WIDE RECEIVERS
Byron Murphy might be a tough draw for Zay Flowers, because Flowers is not a vertical threat and Murphy is mostly vulnerable to downfield speed. If Flowers is mostly comfortable in underneath or/and intermediate depths, that suits Murphy just fine. Rashod Bateman can high-point passes occasionally but isn't nearly as physical as DeAndre Hopkins, who is the better player of the two. If the Ravens don't give snaps to Hopkins here then Murphy/Rodgers can probably handle Flowers and Bateman, in my opinion, whereas at least Rodgers would be vulnerable to Hopkins on jump balls.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, DeAndre Hopkins
New York Jets vs. Cleveland Browns
JETS WIDE RECEIVERS
Garrett Wilson (knee) will be back, so it will be interesting to see how the Jets handle their remaining wideout reps in light of Tyler Johnson emerging in recent weeks. Wilson and Johnson might be the starters, with the two rotating between flanker and slot in three-wide looks. Arian Smith isn't exactly a traditional X receiver but the Jets might want to use his speed to clear space rather than make the field smaller by giving the remaining snaps to Allen Lazard.
Against the Browns you'd rather run from the slot than the boundary. Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell are both tough outside.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Arian Smith
Even: Garrett Wilson, Tyler Johnson (arguable Downgrade if Wilson gets all the slot reps)
BROWNS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman and even Jamari Thrash probably deserve the benefit of the doubt against the CFL-caliber corners the Jets have at this point. Brandon Stephens was once the worst Jets corner and a clear liability, but now he's probably their best corner with Sauce Gardner and Michael Carter gone.
The Cleveland passing game will always have its volume limitations due to its bad quarterbacks, but these receivers should get open.
Upgrade: Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jamari Thrash
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New England Patriots
BUCCANEERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Drake London was able to get the better of Christian Gonzalez. Can Emeka Egbuka do the same? I'm not convinced, but at the very least Egbuka has slack and urgency on his side. Even if Gonzalez follows Egbuka, the Buccaneers might have to throw to Egbuka anyway. Moreover, Egbuka should get enough slot reps to get away from Gonzalez for upwards of 20 routes.
Sterling Shepard will get the slot reps Egbuka does not, but with few boundary reps to claim it's difficult for Shepard to go over 30 snaps in a given game. Tez Johnson will likely play more snaps, and probably on the boundary for the most part. It's not that easy to give Johnson the benefit of the doubt against Carlton Davis, but Davis is far from a shutdown corner.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson, Sterling Shepard
PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Stefon Diggs might need to play the slot less than he has in recent weeks, both to create more slot reps for the suddenly scorching DeMario Douglas and to replace some of the boundary reps vacated by the absence of Kayshon Boutte. That should be fine – good as they are, Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum prefer to go against bigger receivers who can't change lanes as quickly as Diggs can. The start/stop and lateral movements of Diggs should prove challenging to bigger corners like Dean and McCollum.
Kyle Williams might have more trouble creating any separation as the presumed primary replacement for Boutte. Dean and McCollum have long reach and can really run, especially Dean.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams
Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals
SEAHAWKS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jaxon Smith-Njigba has no matchup-related concerns, even with the return of standout slot defender Garrett Williams. Williams might need to play the boundary in this one, as Max Melton (concussion) and Will Johnson (back) are both out. Williams should be fine there, but he's presumably worse on the boundary than in the slot, and Denzel Burke is definitely a big downgrade from Melton/Johnson.
If Cooper Kupp (hamstring/heel) can play then he would probably benefit from Johnson moving to the boundary, allowing Kupp to see safety Jalen Thompson instead of Johnson.
Upgrade: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Cooper Kupp
CARDINALS WIDE RECEIVERS
Devon Witherspoon might be a permanent boundary corner from the Seahawks, because last week they played rookie safety Nick Emmanwori as the new slot defender. Emmanwori is a crazy athlete but it's difficult to believe he's as natural or polished of a slot defender as Witherspoon would be.
For that reason, Michael Wilson might project better in the slot this week than he would have in a previous matchup with Seattle, when he would run into Witherspoon more so. Riq Woolen and Witherspoon on the boundary figure to be a challenge for any of Wilson, Marvin Harrison or Zay Jones, just probably not enough to warrant a Downgrade verdict.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marvin Harrison, Michael Wilson, Zay Jones
San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams
49ERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Kendrick Bourne and Jauan Jennings are your boundary receivers, with the 49ers only occasionally using three-wide looks lately. That means Bourne and Jennings should both see relatively little of slot safety Quentin Lake and more so run against Darious Williams and Cobie Durant. Williams and Durant are both smaller and at nearly 33 Williams probably can't run that well anymore, but both players have gotten good results in the Rams' zone-heavy scheme despite modest coverage abilities.
Rather than receivers beating corners, this matchup will probably come down to the ability of Kyle Shanahan and Mac Jones to anticipate the weak spots in the Rams' zone coverages.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Kendrick Bourne, Jauan Jennings
RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS
Puka Nacua is matchup-proof, as always, so it's probably not worth fussing much here about the corners. As far as they go rookie slot guy Upton Stout is definitely the most beatable, but when Nacua runs against the boundary duo of Renardo Green and Deommodore Lenoir you still give Nacua the easy benefit of the doubt.
Davante Adams should more so run against Green and Lenoir. Again, Adams has earned the benefit of the doubt there. Green and Lenoir are good, but Adams is still a better receiver than they are corners.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Puka Nacua, Davante Adams
Washington Commanders vs. Detroit Lions
COMMANDERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Chris Moore has the skill set to play as a vertical boundary receiver but lacks the speed necessary to outrun anyone. Jaylin Lane can outrun most corners, meanwhile, yet lacks the skill set to reliably apply as much more than a gadget/novelty type. Together, these two warrant no benefit of the doubt, even against relatively vulnerable corners like Terrion Arnold and Amik Robertson.
Deebo Samuel might be able to beat those corners. The problem is he also spends about half of the time in the slot, where Brian Branch could be a serious issue.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Deebo Samuel (the less Branch the better), Chris Moore, Jaylin Lane
LIONS WIDE RECEIVERS
Amon-Ra St. Brown should see around half of his reps against Mike Sainristil in the slot and the other half split up between Jonathan Jones and Trey Amos. None of the three is concerning for St. Brown, so as long as Jared Goff keeps it together this should be a setting more favorable for St. Brown than not.
Jameson Williams is more difficult to forecast, of course. I still suspect Williams is a good all-around receiver and can beat up on corners like these, but if the underneath/intermediate areas are more so cut out for St. Brown and Sam LaPorta and if most of Williams' routes trend downfield, then it will be an ongoing issue for Williams that Goff just doesn't throw the ball well to where Williams gets open the most. Isaac TeSlaa mostly remains a decoy/meme.
Upgrade: Amon-Ra St. Brown
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS
This could be a difficult spot for the Chargers passing game due to the Pittsburgh pass rush. The entire Chargers offensive line is backup-caliber, and not a particularly helpful category of backups either. The Steelers pass rush has five stronger reps on any given play than the vast majority of defenses, and this could be a spot where it's a particularly bad time to have the Chargers' offensive line depth tested.
With that said, the coverage personnel for the Steelers defense is not great. Joey Porter is on Bust Watch by now while the best days of Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey are clearly in the past. Ladd McConkey is probably dangerous to Ramsey, and I think you'll see the snaps scaled back here from Tre' Harris to give more reps to Keenan Allen, who might prove a necessary safety outlet against the pass rush here. Quentin Johnston is probably the kind of receiver Porter and Slay prefer to see – someone neither too quick nor too fast – but if the Chargers land something deep it seems like Johnston would be the best candidate to get it.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ladd McConkey (Upgrade if not for pass rush reasons), Keenan Allen, Quentin Johnston
STEELERS WIDE RECEIVERS
DK Metcalf can't outrun Donte Jackson and can't just easily push aside taller corners like Cam Hart or Benjamin St-Juste, but he can bully Jackson and can definitely outrun the latter two. Calvin Austin is definitely someone Hart and St-Juste would prefer to avoid, but Austin should spend about half of his time in the slot, where he might mostly see Derwin James... which is somewhat intimidating for Austin.
Whatever the case, the Chargers tend to use varied coverages and frequent zones. Using the speed of Metcalf and Austin to just skip those zones and blast downfield off the playaction might be the best way to do damage, though easier said than done given the strength of the Chargers interior run defense.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin
Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
PACKERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Romeo Doubs might have distinguished himself enough at this point to draw an assignment from Quinyon Mitchell, but Doubs has earned some benefit of the doubt by now and Christian Watson has made enough noise the last two weeks to convincingly argue that the Eagles would be asking for trouble to let Watson get too many shots at Kelee Ringo or Adoree' Jackson. As much as Cooper DeJean is normally a deterrent in the slot, Watson's speed could be a challenge for DeJean vertically that he doesn't see often. Matthew Golden seems to be settling into the slot and his speed would of course be challenging to DeJean, too, but the difference is Watson's reach really amplifies the effect of his speed the farther downfield you go, and it's specifically downfield that you want to take DeJean.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Romeo Doubs (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by Mitchell), Christian Watson (arguable Uprade if Mitchell shadows Doubs), Matthew Golden
EAGLES WIDE RECEIVERS
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are both probably too much for either of Keisean Nixon or Carrington Valentine to hold up against in man coverage for long, so the Packers as usual will probably use a heavy assortment of zone-based coverages so that the corners can cover field instead of the receivers specifically.
It will mostly be on Jalen Hurts to decipher these coverages and know where the opening will be despite Green Bay's attempts to confuse him. Green Bay's formula largely depends on that confusion and the Micah Parsons-led pass rush forcing the quarterback to make a rushed decision. The good news is the Eagles offensive line is still one of the best, and one of the strongest at tackle specifically. The ongoing absence of center Cam Jurgens is a concern, but if the Packers try to line up Parsons over the center excessively there are ways to hurt them for that.
