This article will go game by game for the Week 16 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.
Washington Commanders vs. Philadelphia Eagles
COMMANDERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Terry McLaurin figures to get followed by Quinyon Mitchell when on the boundary, while Deebo Samuel might get shadowed by Cooper DeJean otherwise – the two would collide in the slot incidentally, and in two-wide DeJean would be the default remainder corner. It's a tough draw for the Washington wideouts. Adoree' Jackson is the corner more easily beaten, but the Commanders might not be able to isolate him in coverage.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel
Even: N/A
EAGLES WIDE RECEIVERS
It often means little or nothing, but this is another case where the Eagles receivers are far too much for the corners. Mike Sainristil is the best Washington corner but he's likely at a disadvantage against both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Noah Igbinoghene and Antonio Hamilton are probably much more easily beaten yet.
Uprade: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
BEARS WIDE RECEIVERS
DJ Moore might get an improved target share with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden both out. With Micah Parson and DeVonte Wyatt out the Packers pass rush is also badly compromised. The coverage interactions with Carrington Valentine and Keisean Nixon might not be easy exactly, but the surrounding details are favorable enough for Moore that the Packers corners should be at the disadvantage. Olamide Zaccheaus is not particularly threatening to these corners, however, and needs his playing time to drive whatever fantasy utility he might have.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DJ Moore, Olamide Zaccheaus
PACKERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Christian Watson (neck/shoulder) is evidently limited with his injury, though how meaningfully is not clear. If Watson can't be his usual self then it would hurt Green Bay substantially, because Watson's downfield presence opens up the rest of the field and his speed is the exact weakness of an otherwise very good corner like Jaylon Johnson. Nahshon Wright is a playmaker but plenty beatable, and the Bears have oddly limited the playing time of Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson to give Wright the lead snap count.
Romeo Doubs has at least a fighting shot against Johnson and Stevenson and probably better than that against Wright, but it's Watson's unique speed that the Bears would most struggle to counter. Jayden Reed in the slot gets the benefit of the doubt against Chauncey Gardner-Johnson but Reed might also need to lose some number of snaps to Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks, etc.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed
Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
PANTHERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Tetairoa McMillan appears fine to play and has earned substantial benefit of the doubt by now even in challenging matchups, but it should be noted that he'll likely face a more composed Tampa Bay secondary than the one who let Kirk Cousins torch them last week. Zyon McCollum and Jamel Dean both left that game while Benjamin Morrison was inactive, but in this case Morrison will be active and should do a good job of picking up the slack from McCollum's absence.
McMillan can likely land some punches even against Dean and Morrison, but he'd probably like to see slot corner Jacob Parrish even more – not because Parrish is bad, but because at 5-foot-10 Parrish is probably less capable of defending the rim than Dean or Morrison. Jalen Coker arguably has the easiest matchup against Parrish.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette
BUCCANEERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Mike Evans doesn't care if he's shadowed by Jaycee Horn, and the Panthers might not employ that strategy since it comes with the tradeoff of leaving Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka against Mike Jackson (boundary) and Chau Smith-Wade (slot).
Guessing the specific openings isn't easy, but there should be openings in the Carolina secondary on most of Baker Mayfield's dropbacks, and the question of who's open might be pending the answer of what strategy the Panthers employ. Horn is beatable, but generally that opening is more likely to occur for one of the receivers against a non-Horn corner.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin (arguable Upgrade if Horn shadows Evans), Emeka Egbuka (see Godwin)
Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills
BROWNS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jerry Jeudy can probably beat even an established starter like Christian Benford, let alone a declining one like Tre'Davious White, but between the offensive line and quarterback situation in Cleveland it probably isn't the ideal terrain for accumulating receiving yardage. Cedric Tillman barely played last week but would normally project as the WR2 over Isaiah Bond. Neither Tillman nor Bond have been effective enough this year to get the benefit of the doubt against any defense in particular.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Isaiah Bond
BILLS WIDE RECEIVERS
If Keon Coleman can't claim starter-level snaps and usage then it's difficult to expect anyone other than Khalil Shakir to draw more than a few targets in a game, and even in his case the playing time is severely limited because Buffalo rotates its receiver personnel so often. Shakir is liable to leave the field for the likes of Tyrell Shavers and Brandin Cooks, so with Gabe Davis also jamming things up it's not easy to see how a receiver is supposed to be especially useful for fantasy purposes in this offense.
With Denzel Ward (calf) out it makes it easier to throw on the Cleveland defense, which has the solid Tyson Campbell on one side and the fringe prospect Myles Harden on the other, with Harden playing the slot in three-wide situations and Sam Webb taking the outside.
It's possible neither of Harden or Webb ends up a viable starter in the NFL, and in the meantime Buffalo can probably pick on them. Whether any one player gets enough opportunity to accumulate numbers is a different question.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Khalil Shakir
Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Chargers
COWBOYS WIDE RECEIVERS
CeeDee Lamb is probably the Cowboys wideout who sees the most of Tarheeb Still, who is at once probably the best Chargers corner but also no real obstacle for Lamb. George Pickens should mostly see some combination of Donte Jackson and Cam Hart with maybe some Still thrown in.
The Chargers defense has been very good against the pass overall in 2025, so clearly the trio of Jackson, Still and Hart is working well as a group. The three are likely overachieving for schematic reasons, however, and the sum talent of Lamb and Pickens could be enough to strain those schematic details that normally help the Chargers corners. It requires extensive zone coverages to play up the otherwise unremarkable raw talent of the Chargers corners, so it's on Lamb, Pickens and Dak Prescott to identify and strike those zone gaps.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens
CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS
The Chargers offensive line is a mess but Ladd McConkey still needs to produce against a Dallas secondary without DaRon Bland, which likely leaves Reddy Steward as the main slot corner while the also-beatable Shavon Revel and Caelen Carson play the boundary.
If Quentin Johnston is out then it appears Tre' Harris would be the likely lead wideout on the boundary. It's a good matchup for him, too, but with just 31 targets on 426 snaps it might be presumptuous to expect Harris to draw more targets than Keenan Allen, even if Allen runs as the WR3 in terms of snap count.
Upgrade: Ladd McConkey
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Quentin Johnston, Tre' Harris, Keenan Allen
New Orleans Saints vs. New York Jets
SAINTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Chris Olave will likely get a big target share in a game where the WR2 apparently must be either Dante Pettis or Kevin Austin. You might see tight end Juwan Johnson as the primary slot wideout.
Olave can do a beating on corners like Brandon Stephens and Qwantez Stiggers.
Upgrade: Chris Olave
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A
JETS WIDE RECEIVERS
Adonai Mitchell is drawing targets at a rapid rate, including 10 on just 54 snaps in the Brady Cook offense. Corners like Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry are fairly good trait matches to Mitchell in terms of build, and Taylor especially has the wheels to run with Mitchell for a bit, but it seems like the Jets offense is built to chuck the ball at Mitchell almost regardless of the situation, if only because of the lack of alternatives.
John Metchie would see a lot of Taylor in the slot, moreover, so Mitchell should also get some shots at CB3 Quincy Riley in three-wide situations. WR3 Isaiah Williams has shown some elusiveness but probably can't draw more than dink-and-dunk targets.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Adonai Mitchell, John Metchie, Isaiah Williams
New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings
GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Darius Slayton can run past Byron Murphy but not Isaiah Rodgers. Although no matchup specifics are assured, it would make sense for the Vikings to try to keep Rodgers on Slayton as much as possible since Murphy's average speed is better suited to intermediate and underneath depths.
Wan'Dale Robinson might see the most of Murphy, who has a history of playing the slot and might need to do that more with Josh Metellus hurt. Fabian Moreau as the third corner (boundary) has to be quite beatable, though Moreau is very athletic if nothing else.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Wan'Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins
VIKINGS WIDE RECEIVERS
We've seen how Justin Jefferson and J.J. McCarthy are not yet on the same page, so even getting open isn't a sufficient condition for Jefferson to draw and convert a viable target. With that said, Jefferson will never stay covered or drop passes for long. Against Paulson Adebo and Cor'Dale Flott it's possible Jefferson sees largely competent coverage, but these corners are still well beneath the level of Jefferson's concern. Jordan Addison can probably make quick work of these corners when all else is equal, too. Whether Jefferson or/and Addison can draw enough targets away from Jalen Nailor is apparently an unsettled question, though Nailor's matchup of Andru Phillips is probably more challenging than Adebo or Flott are for Jefferson or Addison.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor
Tennessee Titans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
TITANS WIDE RECEIVERS
Chimere Dike might have trouble creating yards after the catch underneath against Chamarri Conner, but Conner doesn't want to chase Dike into the open field. Elic Ayomanor and Van Jefferson don't project well against Jaylen Watson but should be able to pose threats to rookie third-round pick Nohl Williams on the other side.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor, Van Jefferson
CHIEFS WIDE RECEIVERS
Who knows what Gardner Minshew is capable of, but Xavier Worthy can definitely run away from these corners. While both Darrell Baker and Marcus Harris are fairly toolsy they also have no history of covering a player like Worthy, or even Hollywood Brown for that matter. Worthy and Brown will need to pick up the slack along with JuJu Smith-Schuster, on some unspecified basis.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster
Miami Dolphins vs. Cincinnati Bengals
DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVERS
D.J. Turner might shadow Jaylen Waddle in this one, if only because the Bengals would be asking for trouble to let Waddle get shots at a former safety like Dax Hill. Similarly, Hil should be able to easily handle receivers like Malik Washington and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jaylen Waddle (Upgrade if not shadowed by Turner), Malik Washington, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
BENGALS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas cannot cover Ja'Marr Chase. They can cover Andrei Iosivas and Mitchell Tinsley.
Upgrade: Ja'Marr Chase
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Andrei Iosivas, Mitchell Tinsley
Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons
CARDINALS WIDE RECEIVERS
The pass blocking is a concern, but it didn't stop Jacoby Brissett from logging 40-plus pass attempts yet again last week. Concerning as the Atlanta pass rush can be, it's not on the level of Houston's. If Brissett is throwing 40-plus times then Michael Wilson is matchup-proof even if Marvin Harrison (heel) returns. The next Cardinals wideouts on the depth chart are completely incapable of drawing NFL targets.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marvin Harrison, Michael Wilson
FALCONS WIDE RECEIVERS
Drake London (PCL) seems likely to return and if he's truly himself then this defense presents no real concerns. Will Johnson and Denzel Burke are a good rookie duo on the boundary and Garrett Williams stands out in the slot, but when London is healthy he can beat corners better than these. The concern is whether that PCL is really recovered or if London is attempting to play injured. As Darnell Mooney showed this year with his clavicle injury, sometimes playing hurt isn't helpful.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Drake London, Darnell Mooney
Denver Broncos vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
BRONCOS WIDE RECEIVERS
Troy Franklin had probably the best game of his career against Green Bay last week, which is funny because it seemed like Franklin was about to get benched in the slot for the more rugged rookie Pat Bryant. Bryant missed the Packers game, though, clearing the way for Franklin's big game and complicating the Denver wideout rotation projection going forward.
Even if Bryant claims upwards of 20 snaps in the slot, it would be a little odd if Denver phased out Franklin as reward for his best NFL showing in a crucial game last week. It might be more likely that Franklin (speed) and Bryant (hands) split the slot reps based on the situation and play call.
Courtland Sutton can win even when covered, which is good news for when he faces Greg Newsome . Montaric Brown is probably more easily beaten on the other side. Between Jourdan Lewis and Jarrian Jones the Jaguars boast strong slot coverage.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant
JAGUARS WIDE RECEIVERS
The Broncos might or might not assign their corners to specific receivers in this game. Jakobi Meyers has arguably established himself as the Jacksonville WR1, and on that basis you'd normally suggest Patrick Surtain as a shadow assignment. Trait-wise, though, Surtain is more of a match for Brian Thomas – the size/speed specimen with the big-play ability to tear off the top of the defense.
Placing Surtain on Meyers would indeed lower Meyers' projection, but if the tradeoff is leaving Thomas against Riley Moss then it invites big-play complications that the Broncos don't need. Perhaps Meyers on Moss equals more first downs, but it might result in fewer points then Thomas on Moss.
The Broncos might just not bother at all, instead lining up Surtain and Moss on an incidental basis, assuming it all breaks even as long as they are on Meyers and Thomas in some combination. Ja'Quan McMillian is probably a tough matchup in the slot for Parker Washington.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jakobi Meyers (Downgrade if shadowed by Surtain), Brian Thomas (see Meyers), Parker Washington
Detroit Lions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
LIONS WIDE RECEIVERS
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams are both likely tough covers for Joey Porter, who might be a little too grabby to hold up well against a precise technician like St. Brown or a blurred speedsteer like Williams. Asante Samuel was considered a starter-caliber corner before his injury troubles but the fact that he was all but unwanted before signing with Pittsburgh is an indication that he's no concern for St. Brown or Williams.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams
STEELERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Aaron Rodgers' insistence on featuring Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling over Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson will make the Steelers offense worse, but it leaves so much slack on DK Metcalf that it significantly raises Metcalf's fantasy floor. The Steelers can't run on Detroit and there's nowhere to throw but Metcalf, against corners who can't run with him.
Upgrade: DK Metcalf
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A
Houston Texans vs. Las Vegas Raiders
TEXANS WIDE RECEIVERS
Sometimes we get an easy one: the Raiders corners cannot cover Nico Collins and probably can't hold up against Jayden Higgins either.
Upgrade: Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A
RAIDERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Going from Kenny Pickett to Geno Smith is a substantial upgrade, believe it or not. Against the Texans it probably doesn't matter, though. Tre Tucker has the speed to run right past Kamari Lassiter but the Texans will probably give Lassiter the necessary help, be it by safety or pass rush.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Jack Bech, Tyler Lockett
Even: Tre Tucker
Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots
RAVENS WIDE RECEIVERS
On the one hand, Christian Gonzalez is a better cornerback than Zay Flowers is a wide receiver. On the other, Flowers probably isn't the type of receiver Gonzalez would prefer to see. As a big corner Gonzalez would probably prefer to go against bigger receivers – shorter receivers like Flowers have shorter strides, sometimes making it difficult for a longer corner like Gonzalez to stop/start and match change of direction.
Still, the Patriots might want to shadow Flowers with Gonzalez if only because Flowers would make quicker work yet of Carlton Davis. Meanwhile, Davis can probably take care of business against Rashod Bateman.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman
PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Stefon Diggs was invisible against Buffalo last week in a game where the Patriots really could have used him. The Patriots continue to limit Diggs' snap count, even in max-leverage situations. It's not clear at this point whether it even has anything to do with his knee – for now the assumption has to be that Diggs is unlikely to play more than 30 or so snaps in a given game, which puts a lot of pressure on his per-play production.
Two quiet high-leverage games in a row would be quite surprising for Diggs, if only for how dubious the budgeting would be from New England's perspective. It's possible they already lost last week's game against the Bills due to limiting Diggs' presence – to make it two weeks in a row would be just indefensible. With that said, Nate Wiggins is probably a challenging matchup and it's not like Chidobe Awuzie is easy to beat on the other side. Marlon Humphrey in the slot might be the easiest Ravens corner to beat at the moment.
Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins probably aren't talented enough to get the benefit of the doubt against the Ravens corners in the way that you would apply with Diggs, but both players have proven good role-player fits and pop up intermittently if nothing else.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins
Indianapolis Colts vs. San Francisco 49ers
COLTS WIDE RECEIVERS
The quarterback situation is what makes this difficult for the Colts receivers. Michael Pittman is probably the Colts wideout who can tolerate Philip Rivers most, but we already saw last week how challenging it will be for even him. Alec Pierce probably takes the biggest hit of the group.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, Josh Downs
49ERS WIDE RECEIVERS
If Sauce Gardner is out again then it unsurprisingly leaves the Colts secondary in a difficult spot. Kenny Moore is a good rover from the slot but the duo of Mekhi Blackmon and Johnathan Edwards on the boundary is likely at a disadvantage against Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ricky Pearsall (Upgrade if Gardner is out), Jauan Jennings (see Pearsall)
