RADIO
Week 1 of the NFL season is upon us and it feels like things are really starting to come into focus since final roster cutdowns were made on August 31st. Entering 2021, cornerbacks like James Bradberry, Marcus Lattimore, Jaire Alexander, Jalen Ramsey, and Marlon Humphrey are likely to be matchups we want to avoid when making lineup decisions with wide receivers. For the first week or two of the season, we will need to utilize 2020 statistics to make lineup decisions, while factoring in what we know about players that changed teams during the offseason until things shake out and we have a representative sample we can evaluate.
Nothing is more important than matchup analysis when it comes to fantasy football. Playing your team's best players on a regular basis is important, but picking apart the top matchups on a week-to-week basis can win you a championship, or even better, some cold hard cash in DFS. Matchups for the wide receiver position aren't always as black and white as they can be for other positions. Receivers sometimes move around the formation or may face shadow coverage, meaning these matchups need to be broken down even deeper based on that matchup data.
Now, here are the top WR vs CB matchups for Week 1. Use these to set season-long lineups, as well as gain a competitive edge in the DFS games. The matchup data used in this article is from PFF.
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Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
$5,300 FanDuel / $4,100 DraftKings - vs Tre Flowers
In 2020 the Seahawks boasted one of the better rush defenses in the league, surrendering just 3.9 yards-per-carry. While the Colts do have a strong offensive line and Jonathan Taylor who is one of the best running backs in the league, they may find it easier to pass against the Seahawks than it is to run the ball in Week 1. The Colts are 2.5-point underdogs in a game that might be a shootout (49-point o/u) since the Colts are a little banged up in the secondary which means the Colts may need to throw a lot anyways. Carson Wentz will be without the services of T.Y. Hilton, which means Michael Pittman Jr. should lead the team in targets. D.J. Reed is the best cover-corner on the Seahawks and Pittman should avoid him on about 70% of his routes this week, seeing coverage mainly from Tre Flowers who is the weak link in the secondary.
D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers
$6,400 FanDuel / $6,100 DraftKings - vs Isaiah Dunn
The Jets brought in a lot of fresh faces to their secondary this offseason, including an undrafted free agent, Isaiah Dunn. Dunn missed some time during training camp and was a little rusty in preseason action for the Jets. D.J. Moore and Sam Darnold may be able to exploit this matchup against the rookie cornerback on Sunday as he works his way back into game shape. Even if Moore kicks inside and runs routes out of the slot, he will see fourth-round rookie Michael Carter II (the other Michael Carter) who can also be exploited. The Jets defense surrendered an eighth-worst 7.6 yards-per-attempt through the air in 2020 and that stat likely won't improve immediately with the youth movement going on in their secondary.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team
$6,900 FanDuel / $6,400 DraftKings - vs Michael Davis
The Chargers no longer have Casey Hayward on their roster who has been a cornerback to avoid in recent years. Chris Harris Jr. and Michael Davis are now the starting corners on the outside for the Chargers, and between them, Davis is the guy you want to go after. Terry McLaurin figures to line up against Davis on most of his pass routes in Week 1 which bodes well for him. On top of this good matchup, Curtis Samuel is going to miss the game due to injury which means McLaurin will likely see more targets in the passing game. While this game doesn't figure to be a shootout with an over/under set at just 44.5 points, the Chargers have a formidable defensive front which means Washington will likely need to throw a lot to score.
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
$6,500 FanDuel / $5,700 DraftKings - vs Amani Oruwariye
The Lions defense looks like it's going to be one to target with wide receiver matchups early this season as they gave up an NFL-worst 8.5 yards-per-pass and 38 passing touchdowns in 2020. The Lions did trade for Michael Brockers this offseason which should help their rush defense but they didn't do much to improve their pass defense which bodes well for the 49ers receivers in this contest. The 49ers are 7.5-point favorites this weekend with an implied total of 27 points which means they are expected to score three to four touchdowns. Given the Lions woes in the secondary both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel have a decent chance score and put up big yardage totals. Aiyuk appears to have a more favorable matchup than Samuel this week as he should see more of Amani Oruwariye in coverage than Jeff Okudah which leads me to favor Aiyuk over Samuel, but only slightly.
Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons
$5,700 FanDuel / $5,300 DraftKings - vs Avonte Maddox
The Falcons are hosting an explosive Eagles team in Week 1 and are three-point underdogs. While there's many questions around Jalen Hurts' ability to be the Eagles franchise quarterback, he won't see much resistance against the leaky Falcons defense and the Eagles should put plenty of points on the board. The Falcons are without the services of Julio Jones for the first time since 2011, leaving Russell Gage as their No. 2 wide receiver opposite Calvin Ridley. Ridley should see Darius Slay in coverage for most of the afternoon on Sunday which means Gage will have a much easier time against Avonte Maddox in a game where the Falcons will likely be throwing a lot.
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
$8,000 FanDuel / $7,700 DraftKings - vs Chidobe Awuzie
The Bengals defense will be without Trae Waynes in Week 1 which is a blow to their secondary. While Justin Jefferson should see Chidobe Awuzie on about 40% of the routes he runs, the Vikings do tend to move him all over, which means he will see Mike Hilton and Eli Apple as well, neither of which should give Jefferson much of a problem. The Bengals rush defense was terrible in 2020 but the unit should get a boost now that D.J. Reader is back from injury which may force the Vikings to pass it more than they would like. The Bengals are also capable of making this game a shootout and if that happens, Jefferson will have a day.
Pivot: D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks - $7,700 FanDuel / $7,500 DK – vs Xavier Rhodes
Justin Jefferson is the high-end wide receiver I am looking to build my lineup around this week. However, if the Bengals rush defense struggles even with D.J. Reader back in the fold and Dalvin Cook has a day, then the Vikings may not need to throw the ball a ton. I am optimistic that the Bengals will compete in Week 1, but if you aren't in that camp, D.K. Metcalf has a great matchup against the Colts. While Kenny Moore is a legitimate cover-corner, he lines up primarily in the slot which means Metcalf should avoid him for most of the game. With Xavier Rhodes listed as a DNP in Colts practice on Thursday and unlikely to play, Metcalf will likely see coverage from Rock Ya-Sin or T.J. Carrie which bodes well for the Seahawks standout receiver.
Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans
$6,300 FanDuel / $5,300 DraftKings - vs Tre Herndon
This is pretty simple. The Texans are a very bad football team and are underdogs against a young Jaguars team which is loaded with talent on the offensive side of the ball. The Texans should get blown out in this contest which means they will be throwing the ball a lot trying to catch up. Brandin Cooks still has the ability to get separation deep which bodes well for him because Tyrod Taylor likes to throw the deep-ball. To be clear, I am not excited about playing Brandin Cooks in DFS, but it just makes sense. Cooks is the No. 1 wide receiver on a team that will be throwing the ball a ton while playing from behind and his cost on the DFS sites is rather low.
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