Fantasy Football: 3 Wide Receiver-Cornerback Matchups to Target in Week 1

Matchups are everything in the NFL, especially at the receiver position.

For fantasy purposes, being able to identify which receivers have advantageous (or disadvantageous) matchups is a sharp way to get a leg up on your opponent.

Each week, we'll run through the best wide receiver-cornerback matchups for the upcoming week. It doesn't take a genius to tell you to start your true studs, but there will be weeks when some WR1s have better matchups and other weeks when typical WR2 or WR3s have matchups that bump them up in our weekly rankings.

Pro Football Focus' (PFF) Player Grades and their WR/CB Matchup chart are great starting points for identifying which specific matchups we want to target.

Projections and rankings come from our NFL projections. All statistics via NFL Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise stated. NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Week 1 WR-CB Matchups

Nico Collins vs. Darious Williams

FanDuel Research Projection: 13.6 points (WR6)

• 80.1 Yards
• 5.6 Receptions (9.1 Targets)

After finishing as WR9 in half-PPR leagues in 2023, Nico Collins took a step back in 2024 as WR22. However, this wasn't from a big dip in production as he missed five games due to injury.

In fact, his numbers were similar to 2023, averaging 5.7 catches, 83.8 receiving yards, and 0.6 receiving touchdowns per game. Collins' 14.7 fantasy points per game from a season ago was the exact same total as his breakout 2023 campaign. According to PlayerProfiler, Collins had the 9th-highest target rate last season compared to the 14th-highest mark in 2023.

We shouldn't be concerned about Collins' volume going into the 2025 season. His volume could even increase as the Houston Texans are without Tank Dell (knee), meaning his main competition for targets will come from Christian Kirk and Jayden Higgins. That's certainly a downgrade from playing alongside Dell and Stefon Diggs to begin 2024.

Collins could feast to open 2025 as the Los Angeles Rams gave up the 6th-most expected points added per dropback (EPA/db) in 2024 while allowing the 11th-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. The cornerback room still doesn't yield a ton of confidence, featuring Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon.

Williams will likely be the primary corner defending Collins. He posted meh coverage numbers in 2024, including a 61.5 coverage grade, via Pro Football Focus. Witherspoon isn't much of a threat either, posting a 58.8 coverage grade last season.

Houston also has a shaky running back room with Joe Mixon injured, perhaps meaning more passing attempts for C.J. Stroud. Collins should have a large workload awaiting against a vulnerable secondary.

Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. Keisean Nixon

FanDuel Research Projection: 13.6 points (WR6)

• 75.3 Yards
• 6.8 Receptions (9.7 Targets)

Uncertainty surrounds the Detroit Lions' offense with John Morton taking over as offensive coordinator while some expect the offensive line to decline in 2025. Still, this unit has its stars like Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The Green Bay Packers will be a tough Week 1 matchup as they've pulled away with the shortest odds to win the NFC North (+165). However, this doesn't mean Detroit is lacking advantages. Green Bay's secondary thrived by giving up the sixth-fewest EPA/db in 2024, but it may lack the tools to repeat this success in 2025.

Enter St. Brown, who has finished in the top nine of targets and target share in back-to-back seasons. As his 6.8-reception and 9.7-target projections suggest, his volume should keep up as Detroit returns Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta as his top competition for work.

Most of this matchup is about the Packers' secondary. The defense is buzzing after acquiring Micah Parsons, but we don't know how many snaps he will take in Week 1. Of course, his pass rush has a direct impact on the secondary's coverage. After releasing cornerback Jaire Alexander, Green Bay's starting corners are expected to be Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs. Nixon posted a 60.7 coverage grade while Hobbs logged a mark of 61.5 last season.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley features a heavy man coverage scheme. In fact, the Packers deployed man coverage at the third-highest rate. This could mean bad news as Nixon (48.2) and Hobbs (49.1) posted dreadful man coverage grades last season.

While Green Bay is certainly on the climb with the Parsons trade, I'm still questioning the cornerback room. A heavy dose of man coverage could mean St. Brown turning Nixon and Hobbs into burnt toast. I'll take my chances on Detroit's WR1 to post gaudy numbers.

Emeka Egbuka vs. Mike Hughes

FanDuel Research Projection: 11.6 points (WR13)

• 63.2 Yards
• 5.5 Receptions (8.2 Targets)

Among FanDuel Research's Week 1 projections, Emeka Egbuka boasts the top value in FanDuel DFS contests among receivers at 2.32. As if the hype surrounding the first-round rookie wasn't enough, we have even more juice to back Egbuka.

In our buy low wide receiver candidates for Week 1, Egbuka appeared on the list. From teammates praising Egbuka to the Ohio State product running with starters for most of the offseason, his role has oozed potential for months. Injuries have further added to the hype, including Chris Godwin recovering from an ankle setback while Jalen McMillan will be absent from a neck injury.

Firmly listed as a starter, Egbuka should have a healthy dose of targets in his Tampa Bay Buccaneers debut. Plus, getting exposure to this passing attack is a good idea with Baker Mayfield projected with the third-most FanDuel points (18.3) while the Atlanta Falcons gave up the fifth-most EPA/db in 2024.

Egbuka should also have the luxury of facing Atlanta's CB2 Mike Hughes. As a former All-Pro, A.J. Terrell is always going to cause some hesitation for WR/CB matchups, but this should be Mike Evans' worries. Hughes comes off a solid 2024 campaign with a 71.4 coverage grade. However, he posted grades of 49.1 and 51.4 in 2022 and 2023. There should be questions about regression in the upcoming season.

Ultimately, the Falcons tied for PFF's second-worst pass rush grade while allowing a concerning EPA/db. Getting exposure to Mayfield feels like a must in Week 1, and Egbuka brings good value against Atlanta's CB2.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.