This article will go game by game for the Week 6 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.
New York Jets vs. Denver Broncos
JETS WIDE RECEIVERS
Garrett Wilson is a candidate to see a lot of Patrick Surtain, especially with the Jets posing no credible secondary threats. Riley Moss plus a double team might be enough to challenge Wilson, but having Surtain cover the likes of Josh Reynolds would be a waste of Surtain's abilities.
Wilson is still a player who should probably be started in fantasy since the Jets have hardly anywhere else to throw the ball, but the efficiency might lag a bit.
This article will go game by game for the Week 6 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.
New York Jets vs. Denver Broncos
JETS WIDE RECEIVERS
Garrett Wilson is a candidate to see a lot of Patrick Surtain, especially with the Jets posing no credible secondary threats. Riley Moss plus a double team might be enough to challenge Wilson, but having Surtain cover the likes of Josh Reynolds would be a waste of Surtain's abilities.
Wilson is still a player who should probably be started in fantasy since the Jets have hardly anywhere else to throw the ball, but the efficiency might lag a bit.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Garrett Wilson (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by Surtain), Josh Reynolds (arguable Downgrade if Surtain does not shadow Wilson)
BRONCOS WIDE RECEIVERS
Courtland Sutton was shadowed by Quinyon Mitchell last week and Mitchell even played well, yet Sutton still snatched eight of 10 targets for 99 yards. That Sauce Gardner might shadow Sutton in this game is at once not ideal yet probably not grounds for benching him in fantasy. If Sutton's production lags here it might not be so much because of Gardner but rather because whoever is on Brandon Stephens might simply get open so easily that the target goes to Troy Franklin or Marvin Mims instead. Backup slot corner Isaiah Oliver is probably a viable matchup for whoever is in the slot.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Courtland Sutton (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by Gardner), Troy Franklin (arguable Upgrade if Gardner shadows Sutton), Marvin Mims (see Franklin)
Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Rams
RAVENS WIDE RECEIVERS
Zay Flowers should be okay more or less, even in difficult conditions. The conditions would more so be challenging due to Cooper Rush and perhaps the Rams pass rush than it would be their corner personnel, though Darious Williams and Cobie Durant are good trait matches to Flowers overall. Rashod Bateman is less likely to withstand such strains.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A
RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS
Puka Nacua is matchup-proof so a favorable matchup like this in a weird way means less to Nacua than it would to even a fellow standout receiver like Davante Adams – Nacua is the unconditional variable, so it's the more conditional ones like Adams who truly stand to gain or lose production based on the matchup. The real question here is whether Nate Wiggins follows either of the Rams wideouts in particular. Even if Marlon Humphrey returns for this game, Nacua can overrule Humphrey when in the slot. The concern for Adams would be that when Nacua is in the slot, Wiggins might go to Adams so that Adams can't get cracks at the likes of T.J. Tampa. Adams can probably beat Wiggins here and there, but Nacua against anyone might be an easier target than anyone else against Wiggins.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Puka Nacua (arguable Upgrade if Humphrey is out), Davante Adams (arguable Upgrade if not shadowed by Wiggins)
Carolina Panthers vs. Dallas Cowboys
PANTHERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Tetairoa McMillan projects well enough here – the Dallas pass defense has arguably been the worst in the NFL to this point – and the boundary corner duo of Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland are beatable even at their best. Perhaps more importantly, the Panthers don't have many other places to throw the ball – Xavier Legette can only make occasional appearances and fewer yet that are actually productive, while Hunter Renfrow has been miserable.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Hunter Renfrow
COWBOYS WIDE RECEIVERS
George Pickens versus Jaycee Horn would be quite an interesting matchup – the players are strong trait matches to each other and present a lot of strength-on-strength interactions. Horn probably isn't as good as Sauce Gardner, though, and Pickens has a touchdown in four straight games despite facing the Jets last week. Mike Jackson would get the benefit of the doubt against Jalen Tolbert perhaps but Ryan Flournoy might have changed the formula with his big game last week. Tolbert should mostly see Chau Smith-Wade in the slot, to no obvious effect, while Flournoy should mostly see Jackson if Horn shadows Pickens.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: George Pickens (arguable Upgrade if not shadowed by Horn), Ryan Flournoy (arguable Upgrade if Horn shadows Pickens), Jalen Tolbert
Indianapolis Colts vs. Arizona Cardinals
COLTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Michael Pittman would probably rather face Kei'Trel Clark or Max Melton (hamstring) than Will Johnson (groin) – Johnson is bigger than the former two – but all of these three project for the disadvantage against Pittman, for various reasons. Melton and Johnson should be fine against a receiver like Ashton Dulin or even Alec Pierce (concussion), but in the slot safety Jalen Thompson probably can't cover Josh Downs.
Upgrade: Michael Pittman, Josh Downs
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Alec Pierce, Ashton Dulin
CARDINALS WIDE RECEIVERS
Charvarius Ward has moved around a lot this year, which is bad news for Marvin Harrison. Harrison might well be blameless for his struggles, but the Cardinals are committed to changing nothing and in the meantime Ward is one of the last corners Harrison wants to see – a strong trait match and a strong skill set to boot. Mekhi Blackmon would be the preferable target, so it would make sense for Indianapolis to deny Arizona the opportunity. Blackmon versus Michael Wilson has no obvious effect.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marvin Harrison (arguable Downgrade if shadowed by Ward), Michael Wilson
New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots
SAINTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Christian Gonzalez is a corner all wide receivers would like to avoid, even ones as good as Chris Olave. The good news for Olave is that through two games New England has not used Gonzalez as a shadow corner but rather the right-side corner – the offense's left. As long as Olave or Rashid Shaheed line up on the right side or in the slot on a given play they should avoid Gonzalez on the play in question. Then again, Gonzalez seems to have aggravated the hamstring injury that kept him out the first three weeks, and it's possible Gonzalez won't be at 100 percent for this one even if he's active.
Carlton Davis probably would rather avoid both Olave and Shaheed – evasive, explosive receivers who can avoid the jam and create quick separation are the bane of bigger, speed-challenged corners like Davis. If Gonzalez is out it leaves Alex Austin as the likely second starter – a corner in the same genre as Davis, just likely worse in all regards. Davis and Austin are not built to run with Olave and Shaheed. If Olave and Shaheed can't get anything going it will be due to the fact that Spencer Rattler has been incredibly inept at throwing downfield.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chris Olave (arguable Upgrade if Gonzalez is out), Rashid Shaheed (see Olave)
PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVERS
Stefon Diggs has been outrageous the last two weeks, blazing his way to 247 receiving yards on just 61 snaps. That's not sustainable exactly, but in his current form Diggs is clearly too much for corners like Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry. McKinstry had a great Week 5 game, intercepting two passes against the Giants, but if Diggs doesn't produce here it won't be due to losing the cornerback matchup. Diggs might also get cracks at rookie Quincy Riley in three-wide sets.
If Diggs has a down game it would probably be due to others doing more of the lifting – Kayshon Boutte has a homecoming narrative to consider, while the tight end duo of Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper both usually contribute more as pass catchers than "wide receiver" Mack Hollins.
Upgrade: Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Mack Hollins
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Seattle Seahawks
JAGUARS WIDE RECEIVERS
Travis Hunter might need to play corner full-time for a week after the trade of Tyson Campbell for Greg Newsome. Newsome is good and will be on a three-down snap count soon enough, but the Jaguars' 2025 scheme is a little more involved with zone peculiarities and Newsome might need a week to get it all locked in. Hunter played only 25 defensive snaps in Week 5 and only nine in Week 4, but in Weeks 3 and 4 he played 43 snaps.
When on offense Hunter should mostly see Nick Emmanwori – a very promising rookie, but one who's only playing there because standout starter Devon Witherspoon is out. If Hunter's snaps are limited on offense then those slot reps would probably split close to evenly between Brian Thomas, Dyami Brown and Parker Washington, even though that particular rep only suits Washington of the three.
Indeed, Thomas and Brown are simply too fragile to go over the middle. Perhaps Liam Coen will accept that at some point, and this would be a good game to start getting Thomas going on the boundary against Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen. If Woolen is out with his concussion then Derion Kendrick is a significantly easier matchup yet.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Brian Thomas (arguable Upgrade if Woolen is out), Dyami Brown (see Thomas), Travis Hunter, Parker Washington
SEAHAWKS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jaxon Smith-Njigba probably doesn't need to worry about matchups, but it will be interesting to see how he interacts with a Jacksonville pass defense that has been strong as a group despite lacking dominant individual components. Travis Hunter has only played the left side when on defense, meaning Hunter likely won't follow JSN, but on the right side Jourdan Lewis has arguably been Jacksonville's best defensive back. Montaric Brown is likely to play the snaps Hunter does not – Brown is the one with the bull's eye on him. In the slot Lewis projects as a challenging matchup for Cooper Kupp, though Kupp's functions are mostly that of a role player rather than a featured target, anyway. Tory Horton can hurt Brown and maybe Lewis downfield a bit but against Hunter or Greg Newsome it would be less likely to work.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (the less Hunter plays the better), Tory Horton (see JSN), Cooper Kupp
Miami Dolphins vs. Los Angeles Chargers
DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVERS
These Chargers corners can't cover Jaylen Waddle, but the Chargers know that and will account accordingly with countermeasures. Namely, they'll instruct Donte Jackson and Cam Hart to keep Waddle in front of them at all costs, confident that Tua Tagovailoa can't hurt them with tight-window throws underneath. If you get caught in a chase with Waddle he'll get you twisted up, but if you just keep enough cushion to keep him comfortably in front Tagovailoa can't make you pay for the dishonest defense. Hart in particular needs to be careful anyway, though.
Tarheeb Still is probably the toughest Chargers corner and figures to make things tough for Malik Washington, who has yet to find a matchup he didn't find overwhelming. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is probably the main boundary wideout opposite Waddle and does not project well here.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jaylen Waddle, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Malik Washington
CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS
The Chargers OL is still a mess and the Dolphins have serious pass-rush ammo. This will make it tough for the Chargers to push the ball downfield. Keenan Allen should be able to pile up eight or more targets both due to the pass rush forcing quick releases and because he should be able to get the better of corners like Storm Duck, Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas. Those three also need to be careful around the 2025 version of Quentin Johnston. Ladd McConkey is also better than whoever covers him.
Upgrade: Keenan Allen
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ladd McConkey (Upgrade if not for pass rush), Quentin Johnston (see McConkey)
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns
STEELERS WIDE RECEIVERS
DK Metcalf isn't faster than Denzel Ward but he's a lot bigger, and it's possible Metcalf's big Ireland game was the start of a breakout pattern. Tyson Campbell on the other side can defend the rim a little better but can't run quite like Ward. More than the corner matchup, Cleveland's pass rush on Aaron Rodgers might be the most worthwhile concern.
The WR2 without Calvin Austin (shoulder) is "???" but if it's Ben Skowronek it's probably best to not bother.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DK Metcalf
BROWNS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jerry Jeudy is not having a good time and visiting Pittsburgh with a rookie quarterback probably isn't the change of scenery he had in mind. If Jalen Ramsey (hamstring) is out it would help a little, but Darius Slay and Joey Porter can be problematic for Jeudy, too. Isaiah Bond as the WR2 is interesting due to his speed, but the Steelers pass rush figures to make things difficult.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. San Francisco 49ers
BUCCANEERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Emeka Egbuka will see all the attention he can handle, but with nowhere else to throw the ball the Buccaneers have little or no choice but to force the ball to Egbuka regardless of how tight the coverage is. Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green are probably a solid starting duo, but neither is unbeatable and slot corner Upton Stout can probably be picked on. Sterling Shepard could get something going if he's the one facing Stout.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Emeka Egbuka, Sterling Shepard
49ERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Jauan Jennings might struggle to create separation against Jamel Dean and won't run away from Jacob Parrish either, but at least Parrish is a rookie and one much smaller than Jennings. Kendrick Bourne probably interacts similarly with those two corners, though Bourne should get more slot looks than Jennings, who should mostly stay on the boundary with Demarcus Robinson. Kindle Vildor is probably the CB3 from the outside, and he's the one with the bull's eye on him.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, Demarcus Robinson
Las Vegas Raiders vs Tennessee Titans
RAIDERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Tre Tucker will need to pick up the slack whenever the production is lagging for Jakobi Meyers, but as last week showed this is not a good approach for the Raiders offense. Roger McCreary is probably the best Tennessee corner but they won't let him out of the slot, so L'Jarius Sneed and Jalyn Armour-Davis play more snaps. Sneed gets no benefit of the doubt at this point and JAD has never played well.
Upgrade: Tre Tucker
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jakobi Meyers, Dont'e Thornton
TITANS WIDE RECEIVERS
Calvin Ridley finally got going last week, and there's no obvious reason why he shouldn't keep the momentum here. If the Titans manage the Raiders edge rush then they should be able to pick on the mediocre corners – both Ridley and Elic Ayomanor are probably better receivers than Kyu Blu Kelly or Eric Stokes are corners.
Upgrade: Calvin Ridley
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Elic Ayomanor
Green Bay Packers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
PACKERS WIDE RECEIVERS
Romeo Doubs and Matthew Golden are probably a better duo than DJ Turner and Josh Newton, though at least Turner can match the blazing speed of Golden. It's probably Dontayvion Wicks who gets the toughest draw, mostly running against Dax Hill in the slot. The Packers passing game has no good reason to struggle here.
Upgrade: Romeo Doubs
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks
BENGALS WIDE RECEIVERS
Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins can both dust the Green Bay corners in man coverage, but the Packers to this point have done a good job of putting their corners in positions where they execute a broad assemblage of assignments in concert instead of needing to manage man coverage on an island. Throw in Chase's illness and it's not clear what would be a fair expectation for the star wideout duo here.
Nate Hobbs and Keisean Nixon on the boundary are not concerns, though in the slot Javon Bullard probably has the advantage over Andrei Iosivas.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Detroit Lions
CHIEFS WIDE RECEIVERS
If Xavier Worthy can get around the jam at the line of scrimmage he could be tough on the Lions secondary here. D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold are out, leaving the Lions to start two backups on the boundary in Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin. Hollywood Brown and Tyquan Thornton also have the wheels to do big per-target damage against these corners, but Brown, Thornton and JuJu Smith-Schuster tend to split snaps.
Upgrade: Xavier Worthy
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton.
LIONS WIDE RECEIVERS
Chamarri Conner is probably overmatched by Amon-Ra St. Brown in the slot, and running St. Brown there would additionally be a good way for Detroit to get St. Brown away from Trent McDuffie, who is otherwise the most challenging Chiefs corner. McDuffie can definitely play the slot, but if the Chiefs assign McDuffie to St. Brown in the slot then they need to vacate Conner's rep on the play. Jaylen Watson is a bit long-legged to mirror the movements of St. Brown or Jameson Williams.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Amon-Ra St. Brown (the less McDuffie the better), Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond
Atlanta Falcons vs. Buffalo Bills
FALCONS WIDE RECEIVERS
Drake London can likely get the better of Tre'Davious White, who has been a major liability to this point. Christian Benford on the other side is the tougher matchup but probably doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt against London. If Darnell Mooney (hamstring) can't play then he'd give way to more snaps for Casey Washington, who seemed to run ahead of Ray-Ray McCloud in Week 4. Kyle Pitts is a better slot receiver than McCloud – the Falcons might make it a goal to use that 2TE loadout to get Pitts more wideout looks.
Upgrade: Drake London
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Darnell Mooney, Casey Washington, Ray-Ray McCloud
BILLS WIDE RECEIVERS
Keon Coleman led the Bills in receiver snaps every week until last, when Khalil Shakir led the team with 43 snaps to Coleman's 42. With Curtis Samuel out there could be more snaps for both players and potentially WR3 Joshua Palmer, but the Bills have shown a tendency in other weeks to get guys like Elijah Moore and Tyrell Shavers involved.
In this matchup Coleman might see a lot of AJ Terrell, who tends to take the top boundary receiver. Shakir goes to the slot often enough that his main matchup figures to be rookie Billy Bowman – a good prospect but one who faces a uniquely tough challenge in Shakir. If Terrell is on Coleman and Bowman is on Shakir, it might leave Mike Hughes as the primary matchup for Palmer – advantage Palmer.
Rather than the corners, the first concern for the Buffalo passing game here would be the Atlanta pass rush, but the Bills tend to stonewall even the toughest pass rushes.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman (arguable Upgrade if not shadowed by Terrell), Joshua Palmer (see Coleman)
Washington Commanders vs. Chicago Bears
COMMANDERS WIDE RECEIVERS
If Kyler Gordon (hamstring) could return then it would allow the Bears to reduce Nahshon Wright to a backup role, which definitely suits him better than starting. Tyrique Stevenson will be one of the boundary corners regardless – Gordon would move into the slot in three-wide situations.
Deebo Samuel would be a major mismatch against Wright if the Bears allow that matchup when Washington goes three-wide. Gordon is probably the toughest cover, and to a lesser extent Stevenson, but even those two aren't truly concerning for Samuel. For the likes of Luke McCaffrey and Noah Brown, though, the likes of Gordon and Stevenson might be challenging to beat.
Upgrade: Deebo Samuel
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Luke McCaffrey, Noah Brown, Chris Moore
BEARS WIDE RECEIVERS
Marshon Lattimore and Trey Amos probably don't get the benefit of the doubt against Rome Odunze and DJ Moore. Both Odunze and Moore should see the slot a fair amount – they basically split it with Olamide Zaccheaus – and in the slot Mike Sainristil might find Moore and especially Odunze challenging for build reasons.
Sainristil should be able to take care of Zaccheaus, however, which would potentially funnel some pressure to the boundary, where it would become that much more important for Lattimore and Amos to hold their own against Odunze and Moore.
Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, Mike Sainristil
