Corner Report: Week 16

This article will go game by game looking at the top wide receivers from an offense and, based on the inside/outside and left/right splits in the alignment data of those receivers, identify the cornerbacks most likely to face them in man coverage. The corners named will parenthetically cite the rank of their coverage grade from Pro Football Focus from the 2019 season. The snap counts listed are the totals from so far this year.

Receivers very rarely see the same corner every play, be it due to formational 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 matchup. This shouldn't be read as 'good' or 'bad' but rather a measured tweak from the receiver's baseline projection.

TB vs HOU

TAMPA BAY WR SNAPS

Gareon Conley (72.9 PFF) and Johnathan Joseph (61.8 PFF) appear locked into a timeshare at left cornerback, while Bradley Roby (64.4 PFF) should be the primary corner on the defense's right. Vernon Hargreaves (54.0 PFF) has been the primary slot corner for Houston lately, a shift that resulted in Roby moving from slot to right corner. Hargreaves' main assignment should be Justin Watson, who figures to start opposite Breshad Perriman and play the slot snaps when in three-wide sets. With even left/right splits, Watson and Perriman should both see Roby and (Conley + Joseph) about an even amount. It's fair to wonder about the quality of Roby, Conley, and Joseph, but it's equally fair to question Perriman and Watson as far as that goes. I'll have to call it even. Rather than the specific matchups, the obvious draw for Perriman and Watson is the potentially huge target share promotion in store for them with Chris Godwin and Mike Evans both out. Ishmael Hyman may be the third receiver and the outside receiver opposite Perriman in three-wide sets, but I'm not sure what you can do with a guy who was a backup at James Madison.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Breshad Perriman, Justin Watson, Ishmael Hyman

HOUSTON WR SNAPS

Carlton Davis (73.1 PFF) has generally worked as Tampa's shadow corner of late, following around the likes of Julio Jones and Kenny Golladay in recent weeks. Davis showed up as a limited Thursday practice participant with an ankle issue, though, and heads into Saturday questionable. If available we might expect Tampa to line up Davis against DeAndre Hopkins, though this probably doesn't matter much for Hopkins' owners. His target volume and talent level allow him to overrule difficult matchups, and as promising as he might be, Davis isn't exactly time-tested in his new role. If Davis shadows Hopkins, then Jamel Dean (80.8 PFF) would be left with the other outside receiver, and the most likely matchup in that case would appear to be Will Fuller and to a lesser extent Kenny Stills. All three Houston wideouts see their share of time in the slot, but based on last week we can generally expect Stills to play that position in three-wide sets. Sean Murphy-Bunting (65.6 PFF) is the slot corner for Tampa. Murphy-Bunting is very toolsy (4.42-second 40, 41.5-inch vertical), so the Texans wideout in question will need to twist up SMB with their route running if they want to create separation. If Davis is out then we'd probably see Ryan Smith (40.6 PFF) or M.J. Stewart (61.7 PFF) up next, but whether they'd place inside (pushing SMB to outside corner) or outside (leaving SMB in the slot) can't be known from afar. Whatever the arrangement Tampa would settle on in that case, you want Davis to miss this game if you're invested in the Houston passing game, because it'd result in an upgrade for at least one of Houston's three primary receivers.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: N/A

Even: DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, Kenny Stills

NE vs BUF

NEW ENGLAND WR SNAPS

After initially playing outside and on the right upon his arrival to New England, Mohamed Sanu is showing more variation in his alignments, getting into the slot and onto the left side more often. Part of this is because of the near benching of Phillip Dorsett, who formerly ran as the left-side specialist. His exit from the rotation subsidized Sanu's left-side snaps, as well as those of N'Keal Harry, who seemed to run in a role near the same as Sanu against the Bengals, albeit on 18 fewer snaps (56 to 38). Julian Edelman had a lighter workload last week (40 snaps), which might have been due to injury (shoulder/knee), or might have had to do with a game script where Cincinnati failed to threaten. If Edelman can play through his injuries then he could be back to his customary three-down workload against a more potent Buffalo squad, and in that role he should mostly run against slot corner Taron Johnson (62.6 PFF). Tre'Davious White (77.5 PFF) is the Buffalo corner everyone rightly fears, but he has no extensive history of playing the slot (31 of 804 snaps at corner in 2019, per PFF), so Edelman should usually avoid him. White might shadow Sanu if Buffalo assigns him on the basis of general reputation, but White's standout athleticism would arguably be better used against the explosiveness posed by Harry. If White shadows neither then he'd probably default to the left side of the defense. In that scenario White should split his snaps somewhat evenly between Sanu and Harry. If you're a Harry investor you probably want White to shadow Sanu, because Harry's athleticism is more likely to burn Levi Wallace (67.1 PFF) than White. Kevin Johnson (79.9 PFF) usually plays 20-30 snaps per game at outside corner, where he should split his time between Sanu and Harry.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, N'Keal Harry

BUFFALO WR SNAPS

John Brown seems like the presumable matchup for Stephon Gilmore (87.6 PFF), and it's difficult to remember the last time it went poorly for the esteemed corner. Little hope as there might be, Brown's traits are maybe the best sort to counter Gilmore's strengths. Cole Beasley gets a break in the slot, where Jonathan Jones (groin) is out. It's also unclear how much Jason McCourty (80.8 PFF) can play through his groin injury, which limited him to three snaps against Cincinnati. J.C. Jackson (74.0 PFF) is the second-best healthy Patriots corner, and he should take the leftover outside receiver in most cases. That might mean Beasley a handful of times, but Jackson might otherwise mostly face some uncertain split between Isaiah McKenzie, Robert Foster, and Andre Roberts. Aside from Jackson, Beasley should otherwise face a committee of safeties.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: John Brown

Even: Cole Beasley

SF vs LAR

SAN FRANCISCO WR SNAPS

Emmanuel Sanders and Deebo Samuel should line up with relatively even left/right splits, playing outside versus the slot at a ratio of about 3:1. Samuel will probably see a bit more on the left, Sanders a bit more on the right. Jalen Ramsey (64.6 PFF) might shadow Sanders when outside, but if not then Ramsey should mostly stay on the left side of the defense, which would incidentally result in more Sanders than Samuel anyway. I'd presume Sanders mostly sees Ramsey, but to what effect is less clear. Kyle Shanahan showed the ability to scheme open Sanders against a tougher Baltimore matchup previously. Troy Hill would normally be the other outside corner, but he's out with injury. That seemingly leaves the Rams with Darious Williams (80.4 PFF) as the remaining outside corner. Williams is an interesting fringe prospect but it's generally asking him a lot to cover someone like Samuel, who has 30 pounds on Williams. Nickell Robey-Coleman (73.4 PFF) is a tough slot corner and could pose a significant obstacle for Kendrick Bourne.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: Kendrick Bourne

Even: Emmanuel Sanders, Deebo Samuel (upgrade if Ramsey shadows Sanders)
 

RAMS WR SNAPS

Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods both got bad news when, respectively, slot corner K'Waun Williams (73.0 PFF) and left corner Richard Sherman (88.7 PFF) were both declared back from injury this week. While they're both good enough to hold their own, it's not as if Kupp or Woods needed any additional difficulties with how Jared Goff has been playing. Goff and Brandin Cooks have struggled to connect in matchups much easier than this one this year, so it's hard to like Cooks' chances that much against Ahkello Witherspoon (70.7 PFF).

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks

Even: N/A

ATL vs JAC

ATLANTA WR SNAPS

D.J. Hayden (76.7 PFF) grades as the toughest Jaguars corner, which might be bad for the chances of Russell Gage getting open in man coverage. Gage and Christian Blake have both badly struggled for Atlanta, and it was probably foreseeable in both cases. Blake projects poorly against any NFL corner, even left corner Tre Herndon (48.2 PFF), and certainly against A.J. Bouye (59.9 PFF). Bouye should see more of Julio Jones, though, especially if they choose to shadow Jones with Bouye. It might not matter either way, but it's something they might want to consider. The Falcons, meanwhile, should seriously consider benching Blake for anyone, Olamide Zaccheaus and Justin Hardy included.

Upgrade: Julio Jones

Downgrade: Russell Gage

Even: Christian Blake

JACKSONVILLE WR SNAPS

D.J. Chark (ankle) is expected to play, but it's unclear how close to full health he'll be after practicing in a limited capacity all week. When at full strength Chark plays 90 percent or more of the snaps, and around 60 percent of the time on the right side. If that persists here he should see left corners Blidi Wreh-Wilson (57.7 PFF) and Kendall Sheffield (47.9 PFF) a few more times than he sees Isaiah Oliver (58.0 PFF) on the defense's right side. They're all matchups that a healthy Chark would project quite well against, perhaps especially Wreh-Wilson. Sheffield was the main slot corner when Wreh-Wilson played the left outside spot last week, and if that occurs again here then Dede Westbrook should primarily run against Sheffield. Sheffield is a great athlete, but his PFF grade implies vulnerability. Chris Conley should run against all three of Atlanta's corners when in three-wide sets, but probably Oliver a bit more than the other two. Armed with only 4.50 speed versus Conley's 4.35 speed and 45-inch vertical. Seems favorable across the board for the Jaguars wideouts, and Keelan Cole would stand to benefit too if he should see a decent snap total.

Upgrade: D.J. Chark, Dede Westbrook, Chris Conley

Downgrade: N/A

Even: N/A

MIA vs CIN

MIAMI WR SNAPS

DeVante Parker should generally run against right corner William Jackson (59.7 PFF) and left corner B.W. Webb (58.6 PFF) on a fairly equal basis. Jackson has the height and speed to match up fairly well with Parker, while Webb is a bit shorter and slower and might be a little more vulnerable as a result. Additionally in Parker's favor is the fact that slot corner Darqueze Dennard (76.2 PFF) has played well this year, so it might be easier to throw outside on Cincinnati than toward the middle, where Albert Wilson draws the main matchup against Dennard. Allen Hurns and Isaiah Ford split the outside snaps opposite Parker last week, and who knows where that's headed. Ford has For what it's worth, Ford has 14 targets on his last 86 snaps while Hurns has nine on his last 90 snaps.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: Albert Wilson

Even: DeVante Parker, Allen Hurns, Isaiah Ford

CINCINNATI WR SNAPS

Who knows if the weather will cooperate enough for downfield strikes to be viable in this game, but John Ross should be able to get open against these Miami corners. Primarily running outside, Ross projects for a roughly even split between the left and the right. It's not clear whether Nik Needham (61.2 PFF) will play in a shadow role of whatever sort or if he'll play just the left side, as he did last week. Ross ran a 4.22 at the combine, Needham ran a 4.67 at the UTEP pro day. Miami basically cannot let this matchup happen without mandatory safety help. On the right side of the defense the Dolphins used a rotation between Nate Brooks (39.8 PFF) and Linden Stephens (59.8 PFF) last week, and letting Ross run against them seems similarly problematic for Miami. Alex Erickson projects well against all of these corners too, and Tyler Boyd has a major green light against Jomal Wiltz (41.1 PFF). It's possible that none of these Miami corners is in the league in two years.

Upgrade: Tyler Boyd, John Ross, Alex Erickson

Downgrade: N/A

Even: N/A

TEN vs NO

TENNESSEE WR SNAPS

A.J. Brown doesn't seem stoppable, and all of a sudden even a high-grade corner like Marshon Lattimore (71.7 PFF) isn't especially intimidating. Assuming Lattimore shadows Brown, then Corey Davis would likely be left running against Eli Apple (59.6 PFF). That's assuming Davis plays through his ankle issue, through which he's been a limited practice participant this week. Adam Humphries is out again, so Davis should get every snap he can handle. It's not clear where Janoris Jenkins might play, but replacing P.J. Williams (44.2 PFF) in the slot has to be a top priority.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: N/A

Even: A.J. Brown, Corey Davis

NEW ORLEANS WR SNAPS

Adoree' Jackson (foot) remains out, leaving Tennessee short its left corner and its best corner generally. Tramaine Brock (63.1 PFF) was the replacement last week, while at right corner the Titans rotated LeShaun Sims (41.8 PFF) and Tye Smith (83.0 PFF). Sims is the incumbent there, but Smith is obviously earning the much higher grade from PFF. Neither has much hope against Michael Thomas, who runs against the right corner around 60 percent of the time. Slot corner Logan Ryan (59.2 PFF) is probably the best healthy Titans corner, but he shouldn't slow Thomas on their matched-up snaps, and primary slot receiver Tre'Quan Smith doesn't see many targets otherwise. It seemed like Smith may have displaced Ted Ginn as the WR2 in New Orleans, though, logging 45 snaps to Ginn's 19.

Upgrade: Michael Thomas

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Tre'Quan Smith

IND vs CAR

INDIANAPOLIS WR SNAPS

T.Y. Hilton played only 29 snaps last week while Marcus Johnson played 45, the two of them largely fighting over the same outside snaps. Expect Hilton to take that and more if healthy. Zach Pascal should remain ahead of Johnson for outside snaps even if Hilton takes the lead over them both, and Pascal otherwise split the slot snaps with Dontrelle Inman last week. Going to the slot would be a good way for Indianapolis to keep Pascal away from James Bradberry (63.6 PFF), who might otherwise shadow Pascal outside. That's not because anyone thinks Pascal is better than Hilton – Bradberry just has a similar athletic profile to Pascal, whereas Bradberry on Hilton is asking to get burned. Donte Jackson (55.2 PFF) is a much better candidate to match Hilton's speed (or that of Johnson, for that matter). Whoever runs from the slot will see Ross Cockrell (61.2 PFF), an 'even' draw at worst.

Upgrade: T.Y. Hilton

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Zach Pascal, Marcus Johnson, Dontrelle Inman

CAROLINA WR SNAPS

Curtis Samuel (knee) is expected to play despite missing Friday's practice, and if so you should continue to usually see a look where Samuel is on the right and D.J. Moore the left, with Samuel making more stops into the slot than Moore. The Colts really needed some good news at corner, but slot man Kenny Moore remains out, and fifth corner Quincy Wilson is out too. Seems like Pierre Desir (47.6 PFF) will generally line up on the defense's left and rookie second-round pick Rock Ya-Sin (58.1 PFF) on its right. That should leave Moore on Ya-Sin and Samuel on Desir as much as 60 percent of the time. Jarius Wright is generally the slot receiver when Moore and Samuel are outside, and while Wright's specific matchup is unclear, the promising rookie Marvell Tell (72.2 PFF) is a decent guess.

Upgrade: D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Jarius Wright

NYJ vs PIT

JETS WR SNAPS

Robby Anderson is questionable with an illness, but if active he should lead the Jets in air yardage as he typically does. In this case he'd mostly be running against Steven Nelson (76.5 PFF) and Joe Haden (69.7 PFF) – probably Nelson a bit more than Haden. All of the regular Steelers corners play well, including slot man Mike Hilton (71.0 PFF), who poses a difficult test to Jamison Crowder. The matchups are concerning for both big name Jets receivers, but there's maybe reason for some desperate optimism, especially if you're looking for GPP logic. Strong as Nelson and Haden have been this year at outside corner, neither has the speed to run with Anderson beyond 20 yards or so. The Pittsburgh pass rush tends to prevent the bad-case scenarios there, but if the rush doesn't get there then you just have Anderson racing with someone who can't match his pace. In Crowder's case there's no obvious skill set opening to exploit – Hilton just seems like the perfect counter to a receiver like Crowder – but the target volume is so high that at least in PPR it's maybe not as bad of a projection as someone might suspect. Demaryius Thomas is out for this game, so Vyncint Smith should in any case serve as the WR3. If Anderson sees more of Nelson than Haden, then Smith should see more of Haden than Nelson. Smith's skill set is unproven at best right now, but he's definitely fast and has shown some life lately (seven catches for 122 yards on 12 targets in last 109 snaps). 

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: Jamison Crowder

Even: Robby Anderson, Vyncint Smith

PITTSBURGH WR SNAPS

JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) had his injury designation removed from the report, so he should be able to return against the Jets here. If so, it should all but delete the role of Tevin Jones, who had played 30 snaps per game over the last five weeks. It should also displace James Washington from the slot more often, increasing tension for usage between Washington and Diontae Johnson. Whereas Washington has fairly even left/right splits, Johnson has a leftward slant to his splits that might hint at a general (from left to right) Johnson-JSS-Washington loadout. If there's a pinch for playing time in two-wide sets, I'd expect Johnson to get the worst of it. Johnson and Washington should in any case run mostly against Blessuan Austin (74.2 PFF) at right corner and Maurice Canady (69.1 PFF) at left corner. It's hard to gauge how good Austin and Canady might be this early, but it's safe to say they've done well so far. JSS could have a tough matchup if Brian Poole (concussion) gets cleared to return, otherwise he could get an easy matchup against Nate Hairston (51.3 PFF).

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: N/A

Even: JuJu Smith-Schuster (upgrade if Poole is out), James Washington, Diontae Johnson

WAS vs NYG

WASHINGTON WR SNAPS

It's a big green light for Terry McLaurin, who poses a profound danger to rookie right corner DeAndre Baker (44.2 PFF), who McLaurin should see a few more times than left corner Sam Beal (55.9 PFF). Kelvin Harmon gets an 'even' draw at worst with Beal his primary matchup, and he could get a few prime cracks at Baker too. Steven Sims should mostly run against rookie sixth-round pick Corey Ballentine (34.4 PFF) who has mostly struggled so far. Sims' per-target efficiency numbers look awful, but I'm mostly encouraged by his high per-snap target rate and extensive history of standout production at Kansas. Not to marginalize Harmon, but this looks like a great setup for McLaurin and Sims especially.

Upgrade: Terry McLaurin, Steven Sims

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Kelvin Harmon

GIANTS WR SNAPS

A questionable Washington secondary is annihilated further by injuries to their top three remaining corners. The absence of elite right corner Quinton Dunbar turns a red light into a green light, the benefits of which should be claimed by Sterling Shepard and maybe even more so Darius Slayton, who tends to play the left side of the offense a bit more often than the right. The replacement at right corner appears to be Danny Johnson (58.5 PFF), a 5-foot-9 former SMU product at a significant size disadvantage even to a skinny guy like Slayton. But it's not just Dunbar who's out – left corner Fabian Moreau is doubtful, which could necessitate the return of Josh Norman (43.4 PFF), or at least I don't know who else is left. Norman and Johnson are highly encouraging matchups for Slayton and Shepard. Slot receiver Golden Tate looks great too, but I don't know who he's running against with Jimmy Moreland also out. One candidate is Aaron Colvin (61.5 PFF), a player who burned out in Houston but used to grade well for the Jaguars, but would in any case be an upgrade for Tate.

Upgrade: Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Golden Tate

Downgrade: N/A

Even: N/A

CLE vs BAL

CLEVELAND WR SNAPS

Odell Beckham lines up everywhere and should see all of the Ravens big three corners as a result. Jimmy Smith (67.7 PFF) is probably the most vulnerable at right corner, while Marlon Humphrey (76.1 PFF) and left corner Marcus Peters (88.4 PFF) is somewhere in between. Given the struggles of the Browns offense this year, I see all three as downgrades. As long as Humphrey doesn't shadow Beckham, then Humphrey might primarily be the problem of Jarvis Landry in the slot. 

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry

Even: N/A

BALTIMORE WR SNAPS

The Browns haven't used Denzel Ward (68.0 PFF) as a shadow corner, usually leaving him on the left side, but they might want to consider using him as a shadow against Marquise Brown, who poses a major burn risk to the other Browns corners. Rookie Greedy Williams (53.0 PFF) is the right corner, and although fast (4.37-second 40), at 6-foot-2 Williams isn't the ideal build to track a dart like Brown. Barring the shadow scenario, Brown should split his time fairly evenly between Ward and Williams, and also could get a few looks at the highly burnable T.J. Carrie (47.2 PFF) in the slot. Willie Snead should be Carrie's main matchup, while Seth Roberts and to a lesser extent Miles Boykin should be the primary assignments of Williams.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Marquise Brown, Willie Snead, Seth Roberts

LAC vs OAK

CHARGERS WR SNAPS

Keenan Allen has a seemingly great matchup against Oakland's slot coverage, where Lamarcus Joyner (43.7 PFF) has really struggled. At 5-foot-8, Joyner might have some more struggles ahead against Allen. Rookie left corner Trayvon Mullen (59.8 PFF) has struggled a bit in recent weeks after a fast start this year, and both Mullen and right corner Daryl Worley (67.6 PFF) are arguably upgrades for Mike Williams outside. Worley has done reasonably well this year, but he struggled for most of his three NFL seasons prior to this one. As ugly as Philip Rivers has been this year, he has a nice setup for what could be his home finale.

Upgrade: Keenan Allen, Mike Williams

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Andre Patton

OAKLAND WR SNAPS

Tyrell Williams continues to manage his plantar fasciitis and Derek Carr as best as he can, but the struggles have been enormous lately, with just 17 targets on his last 223 snaps. Casey Hayward (84.6 PFF) is a candidate to shadow Williams in this one, and while Williams has a major height and speed advantage over Hayward, that's been the case many times this year where Carr still didn't throw the ball to Williams. Zay Jones gets the leftover outside corner, presumably Michael Davis (51.2 PFF), but Jones has been a complete non-factor. Slot wideout Keelan Doss would normally project against Desmond King (67.8 PFF), but after Anthony Lynn suspended King last week it's not clear what should be assumed there. Derwin James will be in on that task regardless.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: Tyrell Williams, Keelan Doss

Even: Zay Jones

DEN vs DET

DENVER WR SNAPS

Courtland Sutton figures to draw the shadow of Darius Slay (59.6 PFF), but who cares. The Detroit pass rush doesn't exist, so Sutton should be able to bully whoever he's against. Rashaan Melvin (49.3 PFF) was back in at the other outside corner spot last week, and he'd make for an easy target for Sutton if the Lions don't shadow Sutton with Slay. Tim Patrick would stand to benefit from the Melvin matchup otherwise. Justin Coleman (52.3 PFF) has struggled lately but giving up anything to DaeSean Hamilton would mark a new low.

Upgrade: Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick

Downgrade: N/A

Even: DaeSean Hamilton

DETROIT WR SNAPS

Chris Harris (64.8 PFF) has the reputation of a shadow corner but might not function as one here, where his qualities largely go to waste against a receiver as big and fast as Kenny Golladay. Regardless of whether it's Harris or right corner Isaac Yiadom (51.5 PFF), Golladay projects just fine with the cornerback matchups specifically. It just wouldn't be surprised if Vic Fangio has a plan for doubling Golladay in light of Marvin Jones' absence. I'm hesitant to call it an upgrade for that reason. Will Parks (57.5 PFF) has been the slot corner lately, and he might be at a disadvantage against Danny Amendola.

Upgrade: Danny Amendola

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Kenny Golladay

PHI vs DAL

PHILADELPHIA WR SNAPS

I still think Jourdan Lewis (64.0 PFF) is better than his PFF grade, and I give him the advantage over Greg Ward for their applicable slot matchups. Ward should spend about half of his snaps outside and therefore avoid Lewis plenty, but I'm skeptical that Ward is the sort of talent who can claim an upgrade against the likes of left corner Chidobe Awuzie (67.1 PFF), let alone Byron Jones (72.1 PFF) on the right. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside should be the primary assignment of those two corners, and it seems like a downgrade for the rookie in each case, especially Jones.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: Greg Ward, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside

Even: N/A

DALLAS WR SNAPS

Ronald Darby (42.1 PFF) should be the right corner and Jalen Mills (58.9 PFF) the left corner, and they both appear vulnerable to the likes of Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. Whereas Gallup should play almost exclusively outside and with a leftward slant, Cooper should get a few cracks at the slot at various points. It's not clear what Philadelphia is doing there, where slot corner Avonte Maddox (53.9 PFF) is questionable with a Friday practice injury. They could activate recent healthy scratch Sidney Jones (58.8 PFF), but they also might give more safety snaps to Marcus Epps and have Malcolm Jenkins play more slot corner. It's upgrade matchups for Dallas, though it's quite plausible that the advantages get erased by Dak Prescott's bum shoulder. I just don't know what to add there other than that the Cowboys receivers should be open.

Upgrade: Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb

Downgrade: N/A

Even: N/A

SEA vs ARZ

SEATTLE WR SNAPS

The departure of Josh Gordon leaves more snaps for David Moore and Malik Turner, but maybe more so Moore since he seems the top backup at outside receiver while Turner seems the top backup at slot receiver. With DK Metcalf playing mostly on the left, three-wide sets with Moore would almost necessarily put him on the right, whereas if Turner is in for the three-wide set it might move Tyler Lockett outside to right receiver. Lockett will generally run from the slot when it's available, and from there his matchup appears rookie second-round pick Byron Murphy (46.8 PFF), who ran a 4.55-second 40 at the combine. Patrick Peterson (61.9 PFF) might not be what he used to be, but I think he's still an obvious shadow call against Metcalf, whose strengths don't really play to Peterson's weaknesses. Chris Jones (74.1 PFF) is the remaining outside corner, and he should get the leftover outside receiver from whoever Peterson covers.

Upgrade: Tyler Lockett

Downgrade: N/A

Even: DK Metcalf, David Moore, Malik Turner

ARIZONA WR SNAPS

Christian Kirk (ankle) seems legitimately questionable at right outside receiver, where standout left corner Shaquill Griffin (hamstring, 81.9 PFF) is highly questionable himself. Akeem King (55.7 PFF) appears the replacement for Griffin if necessary, while Kirk's backup plan just isn't obvious. KeeSean Johnson has the second-most right-side snaps for the Cardinals this year, but he hasn't played in over a month while the likes of Damiere Byrd and Andy Isabella soaked up the snaps on the left side, where Tre Flowers (49.6 PFF) is vulnerable to whoever runs over there this week. Larry Fitzgerald should see a lot of K.J. Wright and Ugo Amadi (65.9 PFF) in the slot. The basic deal is that these Seahawks corners are bad but we're not sure who might take advantage, if anyone.

Upgrade: Christian Kirk, Damiere Byrd, Andy Isabella

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Larry Fitzgerald

CHI vs KC

CHICAGO WR SNAPS

Taylor Gabriel is out again, once again locking Anthony Miller into a three-down role alongside Allen Robinson. The two of them both get into the slot regularly, especially Miller, while last week at least Cordarrelle Patterson and Riley Ridley positioned outside. With so many slot looks it's tough to tell how the coverage will split up between Miller and Robinson, but the lead slot corner for Kansas City is Kendall Fuller (55.7 PFF). Whatever plan the Chiefs go with, I'm inclined to give the advantage to Robinson and Miller. Charvarius Ward (67.0 PFF) is somewhat imposing at right corner, but it would be easy for Matt Nagy to get Robinson and Miller away from him and more so on Fuller and torch-prone left corner Bashaud Breeland (44.4 PFF).

Upgrade: Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Cordarrelle Patterson, Riley Ridley

KANSAS CITY WR SNAPS

Prince Amukamara (69.3 PFF) can't quite seem to shake his hamstring issue, and if he's out or misses snaps in this one his replacement will be Kevin Toliver (56.5 PFF) at right corner. Kyle Fuller (58.7 PFF) continues to weather a down season at left corner. We know he has talent, but maybe he just has too many things to deal with to fix it all in 2019. Slot corner Buster Skrine (59.9 PFF) is beatable, too. The Chiefs receivers tend to move around a lot, but Fuller and Amukamara/Toliver should mostly see Demarcus Robinson and Tyreek Hill, while Sammy Watkins figures to be the main matchup for Skrine. It's hard to identify anything concerning for the Chiefs route runners here.

Upgrade: Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Demarcus Robinson

MIN vs GB

MINNESOTA WR SNAPS

Adam Thielen (hamstring) is off the injury report, so he should take up his lead slot receiver role against Green Bay. When running inside Thielen gets a challenging draw against Tramon Williams (78.2 PFF), and in such cases the Packers would be free to shadow Stefon Diggs with Jaire Alexander (76.3 PFF). If you're Minnesota you want to avoid that outcome and get Thielen or Diggs matched up against right corner Kevin King (57.2 PFF), the turkey of the Packers secondary. The way you do that is probably to go three-wide as much as possible, perhaps with Irv Smith in the slot, daring Green Bay to move Williams to right corner and attacking King there if they don't. Because I can't know what Minnesota will do ahead of time, I have to assume there's a substantial risk of Diggs catching Alexander's shadow and Thielen facing Williams a great deal. I'm going to call it even while acknowledging I can't know much in this case. Thielen and Diggs are both great players, so even a date with Williams and Alexander wouldn't quite serve as cause for proper alarm.

Upgrade: N/A

Downgrade: N/A

Even: Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs

GREEN BAY WR SNAPS

Davante Adams just needs to get open before the Minnesota pass rush gets to Aaron Rodgers, because these Vikings corners have struggled too much this year to project well against a receiver like Adams. That's especially true outside, where Xavier Rhodes (46.1 PFF) has struggled at right corner and Trae Waynes (59.8 PFF) the same on the left. Rhodes (calf) and Waynes (ankle) both played through injury recently, so we might see more of Mike Hughes (59.7 PFF) and Holton Hill (64.0 PFF) a bit more than usual. Slot corner Mackensie Alexander (61.5 PFF) might be a little better than his grade, and in any case projects for the advantage against a player as weak as Geronimo Allison. Allen Lazard is kind of the first man up after Allison at slot ,while serving as the leftover outside receiver after they decide where they want Adams to line up. Jake Kumerow is a candidate to see more playing time going forward, but it'd be a mistake on Green Bay's part if they subsidized his workload with Lazard's snaps rather than Allison's.

Upgrade: Davante Adams, Allen Lazard

Downgrade: Geronimo Allison

Even: N/A