Fantasy Football: 3 Wide Receiver-Cornerback Matchups to Target in Week 8

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 8 WR-CB Matchups

Tee Higgins vs. Brandon Stephens

FanDuel Research Projection: 8.8 points (WR30)

• 45.8 Yards
• 3.7 Receptions (7.0 Targets)

In Joe Flacco's second week as the Cincinnati Bengals starting QB, the offense erupted for 33 points and 328 passing yards. Ja'Marr Chase took the headlines by posting an absurd 30.1 fantasy points (WR1). Tee Higgins turned in a productive performance, too, logging 18.6 fantasy points.

Attacking the New York Jets defense has been pretty black and white. Target their second corner Brandon Stephens; going away from Sauce Gardner is typically a wise idea.

New York ranks as the 5th-worst schedule-adjusted pass defense while giving up 7.1 yards per passing attempt (12th-most). Meanwhile, Cincy has the highest pass-play rate. Higgins should have his chances against this secondary.

Furthermore, the Jets feature man coverage at the eighth-highest rate. Pro Football Focus has Higgins with an 89.5 receiving grade against man coverage compared to a 56.4 grade when facing zone.

Higgins is getting valuable targets, too, boasting a 32.4% downfield target share and a 22.6% red zone target share. With the Bengals carrying a 25.5 team total for Week 8, Higgins should flourish against man coverage while getting red zone targets.

Khalil Shakir vs. Chau Smith-Wade

FanDuel Research Projection: 9.0 points (WR28)

• 48.8 Yards
• 4.4 Receptions (6.5 Targets)

The Buffalo Bills boast the 10th-best adjusted pass offense while posting 27.8 points per game (4th-most) and 7.9 yards per passing attempt (6th-most). Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers have the 10th-worst adjusted pass D. NFL Next Gen Stats credit Josh Allen with 0.18 expected points added per dropback (EPA/db).

Capped by Buffalo carrying a 27.5 team total, I'd like to get exposure to this passing attack. Khalil Shakir could have the best matchup among the Bills' wideouts. He has a 58.7% slot snap rate, meaning cornerback Chau Smith-Wade (64.1 coverage grade) should be his primary defender.

Carolina has done an excellent job of limiting big plays, giving up the sixth-fewest yards per downfield target. Shakir is taking a bulk of the intermediate routes with his 11.9% air yards share and average depth of target (aDOT) of 5.0 yards.

Attacking underneath the Panthers' zone coverage could be the name of the game on Sunday. Carolina runs zone at the second-highest clip. Shakir touts a 74.8 receiving grade against zone compared to 61.3 when seeing man.

His 19.4% target share and 22.6% red zone target share generates enough confidence for this pick.

Rashee Rice vs. Marshon Lattimore

FanDuel Research Projection: 11.8 points (WR8)

• 61.4 Yards
• 5.4 Receptions (7.7 Targets)

Rashee Rice had only a 39.0% snap share in his 2025 debut, but he wasted no time in providing excellent fantasy value. The Kansas City Chiefs' WR1 posted 10 targets, seven receptions, 42 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns, and 19.7 fantasy points (WR9).

The Chiefs have a 29.5 team total for Monday Night Football. Plus, the Washington Commanders carry the ninth-worst adjusted pass defense while giving up 8.3 yards per passing attempt (the most). Considering Rice's red zone work in his debut, he's loaded with scoring potential for Week 8.

This matchup goes beyond just Rice scoring a touchdown, though. Even on limited snaps he still stacked 10 targets in his debut. His snaps should only increase as he shakes off the rust, suggesting big-time target potential.

Furthermore, Washington's top cornerback Marshon Lattimore has struggled with a 42.0 coverage grade thus far. Rice has also posted a slot snap rate over 40.0% his entire career, and the Commanders' nickel Mike Sainristil has an underwhelming 50.9 coverage grade.

Anywhere Rice lines up, Washington is in big trouble. This feels similar to CeeDee Lamb's favorable matchup from a week ago as he's another target who excels in the slot and on the perimeter. Lamb went on to record 110 receiving yards and 19.5 fantasy points against the Commanders last week.

Targeting another versatile receiver against this struggling Washington pass D is atop my Week 8 priority list.

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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.