This article will go game by game for the Week 14 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.
Be sure to keep an eye on our NFL injury report and the latest fantasy football news. For player usage updates and roster context, check out RotoWire's NFL Depth Charts, and don't miss the Weekly Projections to see how this week's matchups shape up.
Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks
FALCONS WIDE RECEIVERS
Darnell Mooney played and produced extensively with Kirk Cousins in 2024, yet be it because of Mooney's training camp clavicle injury or Cousins' progressed age, Mooney has proven ineffective with Cousins so far in 2025. Perhaps it's overexposure from the absence of Drake London (PCL) and the enormous dropoff from London to David Sills, but so far Mooney has been all screwed up in a way that makes it difficult to give him any benefit of the doubt against any defense, let alone the Seahawks.
No one can outrun Riq Woolen but double teams and stop/start situations can be hard on Woolen. Devon Witherspoon on the other side is less likely to slip but lacks Mooney's speed. There are theoretical ways the Falcons could get Mooney some viable opportunities here if the various parts work together. Sills has no angle on these guys or slot freak Nick Emmanwori.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Darnell Mooney, David Sills
SEAHAWKS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jaxon Smith-Njigba ran into a speedbump last week but probably for reasons that we'd attribute to variance rather than anything meaningful. Even if the Vikings scheme had some sort of angle on JSN, the Falcons don't have the same means. A player like A.J. Terrell is perhaps tougher to beat than Mike Hughes on the other side, but the disguised formations and varied coverages of the Vikings defense isn't present with Atlanta's, and it's much more likely that the Brian Flores' playcalling is the explanation for Minnesota's relative success against JSN rather than their corner personnel.
There's a noticeable trend in the NFL's increased usage of two- and three-tight end formations this year, and at this point Cooper Kupp is almost like a second (three-wide) or third (two-wide) tight end as much as he's a route runner in earnest at this point. Corners like Hughes or Dee Alford aren't concerning exactly, but Kupp's role doesn't really aspire to that much from-scrimmage production, so his opportunities are at best difficult to predict. Rashid Shaheed has been even more difficult to spot from scrimmage, but it's easier yet to imagine him beating these corners if given the opportunity.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed
Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
RAVENS WIDE RECEIVERS
Lamar Jackson probably isn't fully healthy and Zay Flowers probably can't produce to his fullest abilities as long as that's the case. It will be interesting to see if the Steelers try to shadow Flowers with Joey Porter – Porter has improved this year but still might be hard-pressed to keep his bearings against the start/stop and change-of-direction posed by Flowers' route running. Then again, the Steelers might still prefer that Porter faces Flowers as opposed to Flowers getting cracks at Asante Samuel or James Pierre.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Zay Flowers
STEELERS WIDE RECEIVERS
DK Metcalf continues to operate as the clear WR1 for Pittsburgh but in an offense with wishbone-like passing ambitions there often isn't much to go around. Nate Wiggins can match Metcalf's stride and Chidobe Awuzie has shown this year that his own standout athleticism remains intact, too. Calvin Austin has struggled badly enough lately that matchups aren't his primary concern at the moment.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin
Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee Titans
BROWNS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jerry Jeudy can definitely beat these corners, and Cedric Tillman probably can too, but it's possible that nothing can grow in Cleveland at the moment. The offense is run so primitively and with such minimal ambitions that the 'good case' outcomes still barely register.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman
TITANS WIDE RECEIVERS
Chimere Dike is chasing Darren Sproles' single-season all-purpose yardage record, so that's something we can root for. Dike can probably even beat Myles Harden from the slot to some extent, but from the boundary corners like Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell are likely too much for Elic Ayomanor and Van Jefferson.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Elic Ayomanor, Van Jefferson
Even: Chimere Dike
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts
JAGUARS WIDE RECEIVERS
It should be easy for Brian Thomas when not facing Charvarius Ward, but last week was an easy matchup for Thomas too and it meant nothing. No favorable matchup has mattered for Thomas this year, in fact. Thomas has been so irrelevant that the Colts have reason to assign Ward to Jakobi Meyers specifically, which would be less than ideal for Meyers. Mekhi Blackmon probably can't cover Thomas if Thomas shows up in earnest, but Thomas has botched similarly easy matchups multiple times already. If Parker Washington can suit up he should mostly see Kenny Moore, which doesn't really move the needle either way.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jakobi Meyers (Upgrade if Ward shadows Thomas), Brian Thomas (arguable Upgrade if Ward shadows Meyers), Parker Washington
COLTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Michael Pittman might or might not get followed by Greg Newsome in this one – it's not as if Alec Pierce is easily accounted for by the speed-challenged Montaric Brown. Jarrian Jones can probably run better than Brown but to this point the Jaguars have used him as the fourth corner behind Newsome, Brown and slot defender Jourdan Lewis.
Josh Downs doesn't seem to have any room in this offense, so his application is largely moot. This is mostly about Pittman and Pierce against Newsome and Brown, in some combination. Brown is doubtlessly the one more easily beaten.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Michael Pittman (the more Brown the better), Alec Pierce (see Pittman)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Commanders
VIKINGS WIDE RECEIVERS
J.J. McCarthy has rendered Justin Jefferson something like a fantasy WR3, and the otherwise talented Jordan Addison has become close to useless in most formats. It's possible, though, that this Washington defense is bad enough that even McCarthy can look vaguely like an NFL quarterback.
Jonathan Jones and Antonio Hamilton can't cover these receivers, so any failure here can be strictly attributed to the quarterback.
Upgrade: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A
COMMANDERS WIDE RECEIVERS
The Vikings gave Jaxon Smith-Njigba some trouble last week, but not because they thwarted him with sound man coverage. The Vikings use smoke and mirrors to keep their corners in favorable spots, and their responsibilities in coverage are often simplified. Byron Murphy is their top corner but he lacks the athleticism to run with Terry McLaurin in man coverage, while Isaiah Rodgers has the speed to run with McLaurin but is much smaller. Deebo Samuel would probably see some amount of Murphy in the slot, though the Vikings have run a lot more base lately, seemingly to get Josh Metellus out of the slot and back to the safety position after proving a liability in slot coverage.
In any case, whether McLaurin or/and Samuel produces here is pending a question like Washington's pass blocking more than the ability of either receiver to beat the coverage.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel
New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins
JETS WIDE RECEIVERS
Adonai Mitchell can definitely get open and will probably get the chance to prove it against lesser corners like Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas. The toughest matchup in the Miami secondary is likely against Minkah Fitzpatrick in the slot, which would probably be the most common matchup for John Metchie.
Upgrade: Adonai Mitchell
Downgrade: N/A
Even: John Metchie
DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jaylen Waddle can definitely beat up these corners all day, though the run-heavy approach of the Miami offense limits Waddle's upside and floor both. Brandon Stephens and Azareye'h Thomas straight up cannot cover Waddle, and slot corner Ja'Sir Taylor isn't really a concern for Malik Washington.
Upgrade: Jaylen Waddle
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Malik Washington
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints
BUCCANEERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Kool-Aid McKinstry and Alontae Taylor should see the most of Emeka Egbuka, while the duo should see about an equal amount of Chris Godwin and Tez Johnson. The third corner is the rookie fifth-round pick Quincy Riley, who's probably more easily beaten yet.
Godwin appears set to get a lot more slot work than Egbuka, who seems stuck in an 'X' type role while Johnson simply takes the third spot Godwin does not. It's generally easier to draw targets from the slot than the boundary, but all three Buccaneers receivers arguably have the advantage otherwise.
Upgrade: Chris Godwin
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson
SAINTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Chris Olave doesn't have any help between his quarterback, offensive line or run game, and Devaughn Vele will never draw away coverage to free up Olave, but Vele's emergence last week can only be a good thing.
With that said, it's difficult to see how Vele can get an angle on Jamel Dean or Zyon McCollum, both of whom match Vele's size but easily exceed his athleticism. Olave's shorter strides and stop/start ability is harder on bigger corners like Dean and McCollum, and Jacob Parrish in the slot will need to be careful around both Olave and Vele.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele
Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals
BILLS WIDE RECEIVERS
The Bills heavily rotated at receiver last week, with Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers playing most of the snaps but ceding enough reps each for Keon Coleman to reach 33 snaps as the WR4. Khalil Shakir, as always, remains banished to the slot for whatever reason.
Shakir will always be highly productive on a per-snap basis, but under Joe Brady Shakir's snap count will always struggle to reach 40 in a given game. Meanwhile, Coleman was the one of the boundary wideouts who was supposed to be useful this year – no one would have gotten their hopes up for Davis or Shavers – so that Coleman is running behind them tells pretty much the whole story. The diluted workload of each player arguably matters more than the favorable matchup otherwise.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Khalil Shakir, Gabe Davis, Tyrell Shavers, Keon Coleman
BENGALS WIDE RECEIVERS
Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins can both do big damage to Tre'Davious White. Christian Benford is likely better than White, but both players are too slow to run with Chase in man coverage. Benford's build could be helpful in defending Higgins, but Higgins is capable of separation too and Benford has not been great in 2025. It would be easy to argue for the Upgrade in this case if not for the weather.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Denver Broncos
RAIDERS WIDE RECEIVERS
It barely matters who plays for the Raiders at this point – they are just hopelessly bad. Tre Tucker has the speed and quicks to pose a big-play threat at all times, but the defense knows that and even a player like Riley Moss probably ranks higher at corner than Tucker does at wideout. Tyler Lockett against Ja'Quan McMillian is not any more encouraging.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Tre Tucker, Tyler Lockett
Even: N/A
BRONCOS WIDE RECEIVERS
Long-arm Cover-3 corners like Eric Stokes and Kyu Blu Kelly are theoretically supposed to line up well against big 'X' receivers like Courtland Sutton, but the truth is the practice probably doesn't translate in this case given the major talent differentials between Sutton and the corners. Troy Franklin warrants less benefit of the doubt, but Bo Nix has eagerly accepted all year when defenses off the chance to throw to Franklin for worse returns. If Pat Bryant can't play the slot then Franklin figures to see more slot reps while someone like Marvin Mims picks up the vacated boundary snaps, presumably for Nix to ignore him entirely.
Upgrade: Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A
Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
PACKERS WIDE RECEIVERS
A normal team would line up Romeo Doubs (X), Christian Watson (flanker) and Jayden Reed (slot) when they're all healthy, but Matt LaFleur likes to dilute the effectiveness of each by rotating in Dontayvion Wicks and others on an unclear basis. Doubs, Watson and Reed are respectively Green Bay's best options at the reps in question, but guessing what that's worth isn't as easy.
It's also not an easy matchup for the Packers receivers now that Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are back at corner for the Bears, with Gordon heading to the slot in nickel formations. Nahshon Wright is probably the corner most easily beaten, but even he matches the frames of Doubs and Watson. Neither Johnson nor Wright can run with Watson, however, and might be slower than Doubs, too.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs
BEARS WIDE RECEIVERS
DJ Moore will need to step up with Rome Odunze out, with Luther Burden the other base-package player and Olamide Zaccheaus chipping in for most of the rest of the wideout snaps.
The Packers use zone coverages to hide the limitations of Keisean Nixon and to a lesser extent Carrington Valentine, so it might not be many times that Moore or Burden get shots at clear man coverage. Instead they might need to guess the coverage and run to its opening, all while needing Caleb Williams to make the same determinations at the same speed. Moore and Burden can beat these corners in man coverage, in other words, but the Packers understand they should alter that formula to tilt the situation more to their benefit. Zaccheaus is not as likely to beat these corners in man coverage, on the other hand.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DJ Moore, Luther Burden, Olamide Zaccheaus
Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams
CARDINALS WIDE RECEIVERS
The Rams design their zones well and will no doubt have their corners assigned to spam the areas Jacoby Brissett has thrown to most often, but even if the Rams secondary continues to wildly overachieve this should still be a viable setup for Michael Wilson. Wilson is a solid all-around receiver who doesn't necessarily need to separate to present a viable catch window, and against smaller corners like Cobie Durant, Darious Williams and Emmanuel Forbes he should be able to bully at the catch point if necessary. More importantly than any matchup considerations, Wilson projects for major volume with Marvin Harrison and Greg Dortch both out.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Michael Wilson, Xavier Weaver
RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS
The rule is that Puka Nacua is always matchup-proof and Davante Adams has shown the ability to score even against tougher defenses this year, but there's little doubt that the Arizona secondary is one of the best in the league. Garrett Williams in the slot can probably make Nacua work a little harder than most slot corners, and on the boundary the likes of Will Johnson, Max Melton and Denzel Burke all look good.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Puka Nacua, Davante Adams
Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
TEXANS WIDE RECEIVERS
Nico Collins won't bully Trent McDuffie but McDuffie's grit can only do so much when Collins is just as fast and with much greater catch radius. McDuffie is under 6-feet and with short arms, so hopefully Collins can make some contested catches even if he can't truly separate. Jaylen Watson on the other side might not be able to slow Collins but could prove challenging for the otherwise very promising Jayden Higgins. There remains a bull's eye on Chamarri Conner in the slot, though who knows if Christian Kirk is physically able to capitalize at the moment.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Christian Kirk
CHIEFS WIDE RECEIVERS
Rashee Rice is probably one of the more matchup-proof wideouts given his extreme target frequency and high yardage after the catch, but this is just about the toughest matchup Rice could see league-wide. The YAC Rice accumulates so easily might prove more elusive against a Houston corner duo who are plenty comfortable crashing down – Derek Stingley can track Rice downfield if necessary, while Kamari Lassiter on the other side probably isn't missing many tackles. Jalen Pitre in the slot has a safety background that could also put some pressure on Rice's YAC numbers.
Xavier Worthy can run right past all of these guys, on the other hand, and the Chiefs really ought to try to line up some shots downfield. Lassiter runs a 4.65 who he can't keep up with Worthy for so many as 20 yards, and Pitre's safety background can be turned against him when facing downfield speed. Of course, the Houston pass rush has a way of arriving before any wideouts get downfield, and the Chiefs offensive line is beat up at the moment.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Rashee Rice
Even: Xavier Worthy
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Ladd McConkey is probably capable of landing punches against the likes of Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, but the current state of the Chargers offensive line makes it difficult to get any hopes up. That would be the case if said offensive line hadn't already left Justin Herbert with a broken left hand. Beyond McConkey the pickings are challenging at best – Quentin Johnston seems to have a more clearly defined role than Keenan Allen or Tre' Harris, but Johnston's downfield routes are made much more challenging by the Chargers' offensive line collapse. If Johnston or/and McConkey have time to get open against Adoree' Jackson then they will, but it's constantly easier said than done with this Chargers offense.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Keenan Allen, Tre' Harris
EAGLES WIDE RECEIVERS
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith shall remain trapped in this static state where they are both open all the time and rarely thrown toward – an absurd standoff that seems easily enough avoided but difficult to repair this deep into the season. If Jalen Hurts starts throwing the ball at a starter-caliber level than this situation fixes itself no questions asked, but Hurts seems stuck in his current state. It's therefore not automatic that Brown or/and Smith would get viable targets despite the fact that the zone-heavy Chargers defense can't cover them with Donte Jackson and Cam Hart. Even the otherwise good base/slot corner Tarheeb Still lacks the length and athleticism to mirror guys like Brown or Smith in man coverage.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith
