Twelve years ago, I introduced "The Dirty Dozen" and "The
Delicious Dozen" around Thanksgiving time. The idea then -
as it is today - was to identify negative and positive receiver
matchups, respectively, as a way to prepare owners for the upcoming
stretch of fantasy games that usually determine fantasy championships.
Receiver-cornerback matchups are among the most critical ones
in the real game, yet very few fantasy analysts spend any time
breaking them down - and few do it in much detail. Even in an
era where teams play zone defense more than 70 percent of the
time, it does not mean we cannot isolate the matchups that could
help or hinder our fantasy receivers the most.
The fantasy industry as a whole tends to rely on name recognition
when it comes to avoiding a potential matchup rather than doing
enough research to find out which defenders are playing well consistently.
They also tend to stick with their opinions about struggling corners
for far too long when they finally break through and begin playing
well. The truth is that defensive players ebb and flow in much
the same way offensive players do.
Note: The cutoff for this piece
was 330 coverage snaps. At roughly 30 coverage snaps per game,
we should be able to eliminate any players who are not "full-timers."
Below each write-up is the remaining schedule and the projected
matchups each corner should see in coverage in that week. Keep
in mind that receivers move across the formation a lot, while
most defensive coordinators seem to favor keeping their corners
on one side of the formation, so this is far from an exact science.
In cases in which a receiver there isn't a discernible difference
in how often a receiver plays on one side of the field or the
other (which is quite common), the most likely player to see primary
coverage from the cornerback below will be listed first. Receivers
expected to see less of him will be listed second or third.
I have included the percentage of snaps that each receiver
lines up in the area that the cornerback usually defends. In other
words, if a cornerback plays lines up primarily on the right side
of the defense, the number to the side of the receiver indicates
how often he lines up on the left side of the offense.
All coverage data courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
*** - Denotes a potential shadow corner
# - All marks/grades are official through Week 12 and do not include
Thanksgiving Day games.
* Has logged 241 of his 726 defensive snaps for the season in
the slot and another 227 at free safety.
In case it was not already obvious, Ramsey has played all over
the place for Pittsburgh this season, although it should be noted
that free safety has been his primary position over the last month.
In what cannot be a coincidence, the Steelers DST has been much
better in fantasy over the four games since Ramsey moved to the
middle of the field. (Another thing that probably is not a coincidence
is that the move happened the week after Tucker Kraft posted a
7-143-2 line against this defense.) Unfortunately for the purposes
of this article (and those seeking juicy matchups for their wide
receivers), the fact that he is now playing less than 10 snaps
per game at cornerback means his primary matchups will be tight
ends. Unsurprisingly, putting a rangy, former all-world cornerback
- even if he is getting a bit older - on tight ends has done wonders
to limit production to that position. In Week 12, Colston Loveland
(14.9) became the first tight end to score more than 8.6 fantasy
points in four games versus the Steelers since Ramsey made the
move.
Week 13: Dalton Kincaid/Dawson Knox Week 14: Mark Andrews/Isaiah Likely Week 15: Darren Waller Week 16: Brock Wright Week 17: Harold Fannin Jr./David Njoku
11. Amik
Robertson, Lions (Passer Rating Against: 104.8) #
* Has played 371 of his 534 cornerback snaps on the perimeter,
including 211 on the right side.
Robertson was signed in the offseason with an eye on him playing
primarily in the slot, so the 5-8, 183-pounder gets a bit of a
pass for being on this list since he has been forced into a role
he should not be playing as Detroit deals with a multitude of
injuries at cornerback. The Bengals attacked him early and often
in Week 5 (allowed eight catches on 11 targets) and opponents
have shown little mercy since then. Beginning with that Cincinnati
game, he has been targeted 48 times - 20 more than any other Lion
- and given up 31 catches for 353 yards and four touchdowns. Over
the same stretch (seven games), he has been targeted at least
eight times in four contests. He surrendered 99 yards on 12 targets
(eight catches) in Week 12 versus the Giants, with Wan'Dale Robinson
(six catches for 62 yards on nine targets) responsible for doing
most of the damage. The man Robertson replaced on the outside
(D.J. Reed) just returned from a lengthy IR stint in Week 12,
so one would think Robertson will move back inside as soon as
Reed proves he is ready to play a full game again. When that happens,
fantasy managers hoping to take advantage of Reed would be wise
to identify the opponent's primary slot receiver (which is what
I am assuming below).
Week 14: KaVontae Turpin/CeeDee Lamb (69-34) Week 15: Jordan Whittington/Puka Nacua (58-36) Week 16: Calvin Austin/Roman Wilson (46-20) Week 17: Jalen Nailor/Justin Jefferson (56-23) Vikings
10. Mike
Sainristil, Commanders (Passer Rating Against: 104.9)
* Has played 369 of his 483 cornerback snaps in the slot.
Life comes at you fast in the NFL. In 2024, Sainristil finished
ninth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and was widely
considered a linchpin of the Commanders' secondary. He was going
to team up with Marshon Lattimore and Trey Amos to make the cornerback
group the strength of Washington's defense. About that …
Sainristil played on the perimeter on 86 percent of his cornerback
snaps last season. He made the move inside this year in part to
accommodate Amos and because he was widely considered one of -
if not the best - slot corners available in the 2024 draft. While
he has made quarterbacks pay on occasion (three interceptions),
the numbers Washington's opponents will care about more are the
43 catches he has allowed on 59 targets (72.9 percent completion
rate) and five touchdowns. He has allowed a catch rate lower than
60 percent only once since Week 1 and that was in a poor weather
game versus the Bears in Week 6. In Week 11 (for the first time
all season), Sainristil played considerably more snaps on the
perimeter (43 snaps at right cornerback). Sainristil is too good
not to get it figured out eventually, but he is a matchup fantasy
managers need to target until further notice.
Week 13: Courtland Sutton/Troy Franklin (45-26) Week 14: Justin Jefferson/Jordan Addison (44-36) Week 15: Darius Slayton/Isaiah Hodgins (40-31) Week 16: A.J. Brown/Jahan Dotson (45-30) Week 17: George Pickens/CeeDee Lamb (60-21)
9. Daxton Hill,
Bengals (Passer Rating Against: 106.5) #
* Has logged 350 snaps of his 541 cornerback snaps in the slot.
Inevitably, when a team finds a corner who can typically eliminate
receivers like DJ Turner has this season (46.3 percent catch rate
and 76.3 passer rating against allowed), the cornerback on the
other side pays the price. Some are up to the challenge. (Denver's
Riley Moss is a great example, although the Broncos' pass rush
makes his job considerably easier.) Hill, on the other hand, struggled
so much through 11 weeks in the slot that he was moved outside
in Week 12. (Jalen Davis made his season debut in Week 12 and
handled slot duties.) Hill played plenty of snaps in the slot
during his college days at the University of Michigan and it was
hoped he could carry that over to the next level (especially after
the team moved on from Mike Hilton). However, he has predictably
struggled as he continues to work his way back from a torn ACL
just over a year ago. Prior to Davis bumping him outside, Hill
endured a seven-game stretch in which receivers caught 27 of 35
targets in his coverage for 259 yards and four touchdowns. While
it is likely that some of Hill's struggles have to do with him
not being 100 percent and the lack of pressure the front seven
puts on quarterbacks, we don't care so much about what to blame
in fantasy so long as it continues. While his last two games have
been mostly uneventful, the pass rush probably is not going to
get any better in 2025. As such, fantasy managers should be able
to feel good about playing the opponent's No. 2 receiver moving
forward with Turner having established himself as someone capable
of significantly slowing down the other team's top wideout.
Week 14: Gabriel Davis/Josh Palmer Week 15: Rashod Bateman Week 16: Malik Washington/Nick Westbrook-Ikhine Week 17: Michael Wilson
* Has played almost equally at every cornerback spot: 169 snaps
in the slot, 161 snaps at left corner and 154 snaps at right corner.
Most of his snaps since the Week 10 bye have been on the perimeter.
The season started well enough for Bland, who gave up only one
touchdown on 20 catches and 199 yards on 30 targets through five
games. It has only been over Bland's last four outings that his
year began to go south. Beginning with Week 8 in Denver, the 26-year-old
has allowed 22 receptions on 31 targets for 283 yards and three
TDs. Surprisingly, one of the biggest changes has been much less
duty in the slot (which is usually more difficult for cornerbacks
to play because the sideline is less of a factor). He struggled
in particular against Arizona, giving up 10 catches on 12 targets
for 143 yards and a score in Week 9 against Arizona. (Marvin Harrison
Jr. and Michael Wilson were responsible for most of the damage.)
He bounced back against the Raiders in Week 11, but A.J. Brown
won his individual battle with Bland in Week 12 (three catches
on four targets for 41 yards and a TD). A somewhat ironic thing
about it is that his PFF coverage grades have been consistently
good outside of the Arizona debacle, so maybe there is some hope.
With that said, it is difficult to see the good when Bland ranks
inside the top 10 of qualified corners in receiving yards allowed
(482, fifth) and catch rate (68.9, T-eight). At worst, he appears
to be a prime target for bigger receivers. Especially with Dallas'
current situation at cornerback, it seems unlikely that his struggles
will end anytime soon.
Week 14: Jameson Williams/Kalif Raymond (41-26) Week 15: Justin Jefferson/Jordan Addison (44-36) Week 16: Quentin Johnston/Keenan Allen (58-21) Week 17: Terry McLaurin (76)
* Has logged 488 of his 618 cornerback snaps on the left side.
It was not long ago that Davis was one of the most feared cornerbacks
in the league. His arrival this season was supposed to put offenses
in a bind: throw at Christian Gonzalez (who is allowing only 48.1
percent of the passes in his coverage to be caught) or take your
chances against making more money than all but two players on
New England's roster. To be fair to Davis, he has not exactly
been a liability; a 60.4 percent catch rate and 321 yards allowed
through 12 games is not bad. The reason he appears on this list
is primarily that he has surrendered four touchdowns without recording
an interception. With even just one interception, his passer rating
against would drop almost 10 points. He is also coming off his
best game as a Patriot, recording three pass breakups versus only
two catches on seven targets in the Week 12 win over the Bengals.
Much like Dax Hill above, Davis is mostly paying the price for
working across the field from Gonzalez. Unlike Hill, he is not
giving up nearly as much after the catch (260-98). History also
tells us that Davis is pretty good and may just now be settling
into how the Patriots play defense. Unlike most of the players
on this list, I would not recommend targeting Davis in fantasy
matchups - unless the only other option includes trusting the
opponent's top receiver who spends most of his day lined up across
from Gonzalez.
* Has logged 512 of his 574 cornerback snaps on the left side.
The Buccaneers addressed their secondary in a big way this offseason,
using a second-round draft choice on Benjamin Morrison and a third-round
pick on Jacob Parrish. It was widely thought that Morrison would
replace McCollum at some point this season once he fully recovered
from a hip injury he suffered at Notre Dame. Unfortunately, he
has dealt with hamstring and quad issues during his first year
as a pro, which has kept that transition from happening and allowed
opponents to pick on McCollum while Jamel Dean (43.2 percent catch
rate allowed, zero touchdowns and three interceptions) is having
a year to remember on the other side. Much as is the case with
Carlton Davis above, McCollum has not been bad (60.7 percent catch
rate allowed), but it is the absence of an interception that has
his passer rating against number so high. Perhaps the one encouraging
sign for McCollum is that his six pass breakups are tied for the
most of any player on this list, so he is at least getting his
hands on the ball. As one might imagine, however, offenses will
continue to be incentivized to target McCollum until he begins
to make them pay as Dean has. As a result, fantasy managers should
feel reasonably good about matchups against McCollum - likely
until Morrison is ready to take over (assuming that happens at
some point this season).
* Has logged 489 of his 491 cornerback snaps on the right side.
It is debatable how much help a recap of Kelly will provide fantasy
managers after he was effectively benched in favor of rookie Darien
Porter in Week 12 and played a season-low 26 snaps. With that
said, it would be utterly shocking if Porter is not targeted in
the same way Kelly has been. Kelly's worst game was probably the
one most of the world saw on Monday Night Football in Week 11
versus the Cowboys (all five passes in his coverage were caught
for 75 yards and a touchdown). He had been respectable for a few
games prior, but he was one of the worst corners in the league
over a four-game stretch from Weeks 2-5. During that latter stretch,
14 of 19 targets in his coverage were caught for 279 yards and
a touchdown. If not for his two interceptions in Week 10 against
the Broncos, he could easily be No. 1 on this list. While Kelly
deserves to be cut some slack because this is the first time in
his three NFL seasons that he has played significant snaps, it
seems unlikely he (or Porter, for that matter) will improve so
much over the next month that right cornerback is not considered
a major weakness on this defense. Kelly (or Porter) should be
a player fantasy managers actively target in traditional or DFS
formats.
Week 13: Quentin Johnston/Keenan Allen (58-21) Week 14: Courtland Sutton/Troy Franklin (45-26) Week 15: A.J. Brown/Jahan Dotson (45-30) Week 16: Nico Collins/Jayden Higgins (44-37) Week 17: Darius Slayton/Isaiah Hodgins (40-31)
* Has logged 416 of his 611 cornerback snaps on the right side.
The Jets made the questionable decision to part with D.J. Reed
this offseason and replace him with a player who was a bit of
a target magnet in his final two years with the Ravens in Stephens.
Unsurprisingly, little has changed now that he plays on a defense
that creates less pressure and puts him in more compromising situations
than the one he left. Stephens gave up 926 yards and five touchdowns
in his coverage last season on 106 targets and would probably
be on a similar yardage pace this year if the Jets forced more
opponents into negative game scripts. The reason he appears so
high on this list, however, is that he has already surrendered
five touchdowns - two of which have occurred in the last three
weeks. For anyone looking for encouraging metrics from Stephens,
his 64 percent catch rate allowed is a few points lower than it
was last year and his PFF coverage grades have also consistently
been either average or very good. Opponents may be less likely
to target him relentlessly now that Sauce Gardner is no longer
in town, but that does not mean quarterbacks will give a second
thought to attacking Stephens or new starter Azareye'h Thomas.
Especially for a defense that has yet to record an interception
this season (!!!), fantasy managers' eyes should light up when
they see the Jets on the schedule. When you consider the number
of shocking performances this defense has given up to middling
receivers this season (Calvin Austin, Ryan Flournoy and Xavier
Legette, to name a few), it goes without saying that New York
is a good matchup despite what the numbers say about its ability
to defend the position.
* Has logged 491 of his 603 cornerback snaps on the perimeter,
including 247 on the left side and 244 on the right.
This player and the No. 1 overall player on this list are exactly
the reasons I like doing this article every season. If I had done
an end-of-season "Dirty Dozen" article last year, Murphy
would have been in it. His 70 percent catch rate allowed in 2024
was a bit of an eyesore, but he made up for it by picking off
six passes and allowing only four touchdown catches in his coverage.
This season, he has not come remotely close to playing at that
level despite yielding a modest three touchdowns. Receivers are
enjoying a 71.1 percent catch rate when targeted in his coverage.
In two games this season, he has allowed quarterbacks to post
a perfect 158.3 passer rating when throwing at him. Given his
struggles, he has oddly only been targeted 38 times and allowed
299 receiving yards. The real reason he is where he is on this
list is the lack of an interception after collecting six last
year and nine over the last two seasons combined. To his credit,
Week 9 against the Lions stands out as his only real nightmarish
game (eight catches on nine targets for 101 yards, most of which
came against Amon-Ra St. Brown). Murphy's recent history makes
it difficult to say he is a plus-matchup for fantasy purposes,
but there is nothing wrong with saying No. 1 receivers facing
Minnesota are set up for success more this year than they were
in 2024.
Week 13: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (46-31 left-right)/Rashid Shaheed
(29-34) Week 14: Terry McLaurin (76) Week 15: George Pickens (60-29)/CeeDee Lamb (21-46) Week 16: Darius Slayton (40-41)/Isaiah Hodgins (31-46) Week 17: Jameson Williams (41-34)/Kalif Raymond (26-38)
* Has played 557 of his 569 cornerback snaps on the perimeter
(300 on the left side and 257 on the right).
The Saints effectively decided to put McKinstry in this position
when they traded Marshon Lattimore last season. Then again, McKinstry
made it look like a good decision at the time with his play as
a rookie, as he allowed a modest 57.9 percent of throws to be
completed and only surrendered two touchdown throws in 430 coverage
snaps. It has been a far different story in 2025, as he has given
up 520 yards (404 last year), seven touchdowns and a 65.5 catch
rate on just 365 coverage snaps. Like Murphy above, he has allowed
quarterbacks to post a perfect 158.3 passer rating when throwing
at him in two games this season. In another, it was 156.3. In
two others, it was at least 135.4. What makes his passer rating
against particularly appalling is that he has two interceptions
(both in Week 5). Nevertheless, his 520 yards allowed is the second-highest
mark in the league, while no one else has given up more touchdowns.
Needless to say, the Saints are a very exploitable matchup for
receivers. The main reason they appear to be a tough matchup is
that they have only faced 306 pass attempts. (Eighteen teams are
over 350. Even facing so few passes, the Saints still rank inside
the top 10 in touchdown throws allowed.)
Week 13: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (26-34 left-right)/Jaylen Waddle
(41-37) Week 14: Tez Johnson (24-40)/Emeka Egbuka (35-29) Week 15: Xavier Legette (24-38)/Tetairoa McMillan (51-30) Week 16: John Metchie (32-30)/Adonai Mitchell (42-40) Week 17: Elic Ayomanor (43-42)/Van Jefferson (47-37)
* Has logged 539 of his 564 cornerback snaps on the perimeter
(258 on the left side and 281 on the right).
At worst, Benford has been a top-10 cornerback in the NFL over
the last two seasons. In what amounts to his first 2 1/2 years
in the league, he gave up five touchdowns and recorded five interceptions
across 1,439 coverage snaps. It has been the complete opposite
for him in 2025, as he has given up an unthinkable four touchdown
catches on 25 catches (and 38 targets). He has only surrendered
two of those scores since Week 1, but perhaps the most concerning
part of his profile is that he has yet to break up a pass in 332
coverage snaps. (Benford and Jaycee Horn are the only two cornerbacks
with zero PBUs who qualified for this list. The difference is
Horn has five interceptions and Benford has none.) Not much more
needs to be said. Granted, Buffalo's run defense has been bad
enough that opponents have not been incentivized to test Benford
more than they have, but it is difficult to look at his advanced
metrics this year and not make one of the following comments:
1) he is likely battling some kind of injury or 2) he should have
a big bull's-eye on his back when fantasy managers see Buffalo
on the schedule. Benford will shadow, so alpha receivers should
see a bump in their production until/unless Benford regains his
previous form.
Doug Orth has served as an analyst for FF Today since 2006 and joined the Fantasy Points team before the start of the 2024 season. He is also a highly successful high-stakes player who has not experienced a losing money season in any of his 25 years in this hobby.
