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

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 3 WR-CB Matchups

George Pickens vs. Tyrique Stevenson

FanDuel Research Projection: 10.9 points (WR18)

• 64.7 Yards
• 4.3 Receptions (7.3 Targets)

Week 1 was a meh Dallas Cowboys debut for George Pickens, posting three receptions and 30 receiving yards on four targets. In a Week 2 shootout against the New York Giants, Pickens racked up nine targets, five receptions, 68 receiving yards, and one touchdown. After totaling 12.8 fantasy points while finishing as WR14 in weekly rankings for half-PPR leagues, Pickens' fantasy hype is back and better than ever.

Will this continue in Week 3?

The Chicago Bears have allowed the 11th-most passing yards per game and 2nd-most yards per passing attempt through two games. Advanced numbers are urging more concern as Chicago has ceded the third-highest pass success rate, fourth-highest completion percentage over expectation (CPOE), and sixth-highest expected points added per dropback (EPA/db) -- per NFL Next Gen Stats. Top cornerback Jaylon Johnson is always a bright spot of this secondary, but he's now out indefinitely due to a groin injury.

Dallas has the seventh-highest pass-play rate, and Dak Prescott carries solid efficiency with 0.08 EPA/db. The Cowboys are armed to take advantage of this secondary, and Pickens should continue to benefit from CeeDee Lamb demanding a ton of attention.

Pickens enjoyed a 31.9% air yards share, 23.5% downfield target share, and an average depth of target (aDOT) of 12.7 yards. As usual, he's best down the field, and the Bears are allowing the seventh-highest aDOT and second-highest yards per downfield target. According to Pro Football Focus, Prescott's best passing grades have come on passing attempts of 10 to 19 yards (86.2) and on 20 or more yards (90.3).

After getting a boost in usage last week, Pickens could feast on downfield targets against a struggling Chicago secondary.

Rome Odunze vs. Trevon Diggs

FanDuel Research Projection: 10.9 points (WR17)

• 56.6 Yards
• 4.6 Receptions (8.1 Targets)

I have Sunday's meeting between the Cowboys and Bears highlighted for receiver play. Similar to Chicago's struggles to defend the pass, Dallas' secondary was like Swiss cheese in Week 2 -- allowing 422 passing yards and 9.6 yards per passing attempt against the New York Giants.

Ahead of the 2025 season, the Cowboys' secondary was gearing up to be one of the worst units in the NFL. This weakness only became more of a concern following the trade of Micah Parsons. Dallas is currently allowing the 2nd-highest EPA/db, 5th-highest pass success rate, 10th-highest aDOT, and most yards per downfield target.

The pass D could improve with DaRon Bland potentially returning from a foot injury on Sunday. Regardless, Trevon Diggs will likely draw the most snaps against Chicago's Rome Odunze.

Caleb Williams continues to provide up-and-down play, leading to an inconsistent passing attack. But Odunze's production has been exciting with 12.7 and 28.3 fantasy points to begin the season. He's leading the team by a wide margin with a 29.9% target share, 47.0% air yards share, and 60.0% red zone target share.

After posting a 60.3 PFF coverage grade in 2024, Diggs has a 50.7 coverage grade through two games. Odunze should have plenty of opportunities to flourish in the matchup thanks to 10.0 targets per game. Furthermore, his 50.0% downfield target share gives him a good shot to expose the Cowboys' struggles against deep balls. Williams sports an 86.9 passing grade on passing attempts of 20 or more yards.

Sunday could prove that Odunze's overall WR3 finish from Week 2 was no fluke.

Emeka Egbuka vs. Brandon Stephens

FanDuel Research Projection: 12.4 points (WR12)

• 67.1 Yards
• 5.3 Receptions (7.7 Targets)

Rounding out our top WR-CB matchups is another wideout riding a hot streak. Emeka Egbuka has drawn praise thanks to three receiving touchdowns over his first two games. This has led to Egbuka carrying the third-shortest odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (+500).

Week 2's 10.9 fantasy points didn't provide the same punch as his 21.6 total in the season opener. Still, Egbuka's quickly become a key piece of this offense with a 19.7% target share, 26.5% air yards share, and 25.0% red zone target share.

While Egbuka has impressed, a lack of production from Mike Evans had led to increased opportunities. Big-time performances are bound to come from Evans. However, he continues to draw matchups against elite cornerbacks.

Evans lined up against A.J. Terrell Jr. in Week 1 followed by Derek Stingley Jr. last week. Week 3 could be just as tough with Sauce Gardner likely defending Evans. He's lining up against three of the NFL's best corners to open up 2025.

For now, Egbuka could keep thriving with attention on Evans. The Buccaneers haven't hesitated to move the rookie around the field as he has the 10th-most slot snaps at his position. One-on-one matchups with cornerbacks Brandon Stephens (51.7 coverage grade) and Michael Carter II (44.9 coverage grade) should lead to more success for Egbuka's fantasy totals.

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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.