Fantasy Football: 5 Receiver-Cornerback Matchups to Exploit in Week 7

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 Friday I'll be listing out the best wide receiver-cornerback matchups for the upcoming week. It doesn't take a genius to tell you to start Tyreek Hill, 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.

But how do we know what to look for?

First, the numberFire (nF) Player Matchups chart helps to identify advantageous matchups for specific positions.

Then, we dive deeper into the specific cornerbacks. 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.

For receivers, the three key statistics we'll be citing are Target Share, average depth of target (aDOT), and Net Expected Points (NEP). For cornerbacks, we're mainly looking at the percentage of targets caught (REC%), Forced Incompletions per Target (FI%), and the opposing quarterbacks' NFL Passer Rating against them.

Projections and rankings via numberFire.

Week 7 Receiver-Cornerback Matchups

DK Metcalf (SEA)-Marco Wilson (ARI)

numberFire Projection: 13.7 fantasy points (WR12)

• 61.8 yards
• 4.9 receptions (7.9 targets)

Assuming D.K. Metcalf is good to go Sunday, he could be in for his biggest game of the season up against the Arizona Cardinals.

It's not that Metcalf has been bad -- he's averaging 11.3 fantasy points per game (WR23 on a per-game basis) -- but he hasn't had one of those signature DK Metcalf blow-ups. He's yet to finish higher than WR21 in a given week, but he has been incredibly consistent. Metcalf has either 69 yards or a touchdown in all five of his games thus far, and only has he finished with fewer than 10 fantasy points.

The usage (and this week's matchup) indicates a big effort is imminent.

Through five games, Metcalf ranks second on the team in target share (20.9%) and first in air yard share (38.8%). Per PlayerProfiler, he's seen the 16th-most deep targets (8) and the 12th-most red zone targets (7) despite already having his bye week. On top of that, he's seen the highest aDOT (14.0) of his career.

This week Metcalf is expected to spend most of his time across Marco Wilson.

Wilson has performed poorly, to say the least. Among corners with at least 50 coverage snaps, Wilson has allowed the most yards (466) and receptions (35). On top of that, he's surrendered the 15th-highest passer rating (133.3) when targeted and has the 10th-lowest PFF grade (41.4).

Wilson's biggest collapse this season came against an athletic monster in the same vein as Metcalf -- Ja'Marr Chase. In Week 5, Chase torched Wilson for 9 receptions, 73 yards, and a pair of touchdowns.

Wilson won't be the only Arizona defender he has to deal with as the Cardinals play the 10th-highest rate of zone coverage (78.4%) in the league, per Next Gen Stats. However, that only bolsters his case for a big day. Metcalf is PFF's 15th-highest graded (82.4) receiver against zone this season, having secured 15 of his 16 targets at a clip of 16.7 yards per reception.

In general, the Cardinals have been putrid against wideouts. They've allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game (32.5), third-highest catch rate (74.6%), and fourth-most yards per route run (2.01) to the position. For three consecutive weeks, an opposing wide receiver has finished as a top-12 wide receiver against the Cardinals.

DK has WR1 upside on a weekly basis, but I think Week 7 is when he finally delivers.

Amari Cooper (CLE)-Indianapolis Colts

numberFire Projection: 13.1 fantasy points (WR20)

• 65.0 yards
• 4.4 receptions (7.2 targets)

Amari Cooper was someone I wasn't eager to play in season-long or DFS last week. He was facing a stout defense (San Francisco) with a backup quarterback (P.J. Walker). We'd just seen that same recipe turn disastrous in Week 4, as Cooper only managed 1 reception for 16 yards with Dorian Thompson-Robinson at the helm.

However, Walker proved to be a substantial upgrade over DTR, funneling 8 targets Cooper's way and propelling him to 12.8 fantasy points (WR20).

That makes me confident in Cooper's ability to thrive this week whether or not Deshaun Watson plays -- though, it would help if he did.

With Watson under center from Weeks 1-3 this season, Cooper led the team with a 25% target share, 41% air yard share, and 25% air yards. Even including the two games with DTR and Walker, Cooper is on pace to shatter his previous career-high aDOT. He's at 15.9 through five games, having previously never surpassed 12.5.

That usage makes me confident that Amari can thrive this week in a much easier matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Indy kept the Jacksonville wide receivers in check last week, but they've allowed an opposing wide receiver to finish in the top 12 in four of their six games overall.

Per Next Gen Stats, the Colts run the lowest rate of man coverage (13.8%) in the league, so this isn't so much about targeting a specific Colts defensive back -- it's their secondary as a whole. He hasn't been as effective this season, but Cooper received a top-30 PFF receiving grade against zone each of the past two seasons.

Even with their zone-heavy scheme, Cooper projects to spend most of his time on the outside initially lined up against either Julius Brents (66.0 PFF coverage grade) or Jaylon Jones (60.9). Both have surrendered a passer rating north of 100 when targeted and allowed at least 67% of targets to be caught.

If Watson plays, Amari Cooper has WR1 upside given the heavy bye week. Even if Walker is under center, don't fade Amari. He proved fully capable of delivering a solid performance last week and has one of the safer floors you'll find up against a mediocre Colts secondary.

Romeo Doubs (GB)-Damarri Mathis (DEN)

numberFire Projection: 10.5 fantasy points (WR33)

• 47.1 yards
• 4.0 receptions (6.5 targets)

FanDuel Props:

• O/U 37.5 yards
• O/U 3.5 receptions

The Green Bay Packers are playing the Denver Broncos fresh off a bye.

Time to play "Who's Damarri Mathis defending?"

Denver's No. 2 wide corner has struggled mightily this season, and there's an argument to be made that he's the most advantageous wide receiver matchup in the league.

Through six games, Mathis has the third-lowest PFF coverage grade (37.6) among corners with at least 50 coverage snaps. He's surrendered the fifth-most receptions (27), the fourth-most yards (361), and the most touchdowns (4) in the NFL.

On top of that, opposing quarterbacks have a 143.4 passer rating when targeting Mathis. Not only is that the seventh-highest mark in the league, but it's nearly 40 points higher than Patrick Mahomes' (the NFL's all-time passer rating leader) career rating.

So, yeah. We want a piece of whoever Damarri Mathis is responsible for.

This week, that luxury belongs to Romeo Doubs. Doubs looked great through the first four weeks of the season. During that span, he turned in three top-13 weekly finishes and led Green Bay in target share (25.6%) and air yard share (29.5%). On top of that, Doubs commanded an absurd 45.5% end zone target rate.

He posted a dud in Week 5, but the Packers offense struggled as a whole in their loss to the Raiders. Coming off a bye and up against one of the worst defenses in the NFL, I'm expecting a huge bounce-back for Doubs and company.

Doubs has already shown off some great chemistry with Jordan Love, commanding 25 targets between Weeks 3 and 4. I don't expect that heavy a workload this week, but even if he dips down to the 5-8 range, I like him to have a big day.

In arguably the most advantageous receiver matchup in the league, Doubs is a safe WR3 with the upside to be a top-15 receiver.

Rashee Rice (KC)-Ja'Sir Taylor (LAC)

numberFire Projection: 8.6 fantasy points (WR42)

• 39.2 yards
• 3.2 receptions (5.0 targets)

Kansas City Chiefs rookie Rashee Rice is a recurring member of our list, but this may be the most excited I've been about him.

For one, Rice continues to see his usage trend in a positive direction. He's played at least 47% of snaps and had a route participation north of 50% in three of the last four weeks. Over that span, Rice's target leads KC receivers with a 14.6% target share and a 23.3% red zone target share.

On a normal team, that wouldn't be anything to boast about, but this isn't a normal team; these are the Mahomes-led Chiefs.

There's a chance Mecole Hardman takes up some slot snaps -- he split time inside and out during his prior two seasons in Kansas City -- but with Justin Watson looking unlikely to play, there should still be more than enough action for Rice to be productive.

That's because Rice will spend most of his time up against Ja'Sir Taylor. Taylor has been one of the least effective slot corners in the league this season. His overall PFF coverage grade (40.2) is the fifth-worst among corners with at least 50 coverage snaps, and he's been targeted the fifth-most (23) times among slot defenders. That's translated to the fourth-most yards allowed (189) by any slot defender -- a good omen for Rice.

Rice has been a startable fantasy asset each of the two weeks, clocking in as the WR23 (11.3 points) and WR34 (9.2 points). Coming off the best yardage game of his career (72), I'm expecting another step in the right direction this week.

It helps that the Chiefs have the second-highest implied team total (26.5) of the week, paving the way for Rice to capitalize on his 20.0% red zone target rate.

That touchdown upside, coupled with his soft matchup and ever-growing role, make Rashee Rice an intriguing FLEX play this week.

Trey Palmer (TB)-Dee Alford (ATL)

numberFire Projection: 5.5 fantasy points (WR61)

• 25.1 yards
• 2.1 receptions (3.8 targets)

If you've been following along this season, you're likely familiar with Dee Alford. Atlanta's primary slot defender is someone we're targetting each and every week, and for good reason. Simply put, he's one of the most slot-friendly corners in the league -- just check out his slot coverage stats:

• 21 receptions (third-most in the NFL)
• 181 yards (seventh-most)
• 2 touchdowns (second-most)
• 111.4 passer rating (ninth-highest; min. 70 snaps)

That's not good for the Falcons, but it's great for fantasy managers and player prop enthusiasts.

This week, Alford is expected to spend a good amount of time defending Trey Palmer.

The sixth-round pick was a late bloomer in college but quickly earned playing time in the slot. He's played 70.9% of snaps over Tampa's last three games, and his target share just peaked at 18.9% last week. While that only translated to 2 receptions and 47 yards, Baker Mayfield missed him on two deep balls -- one of which would've netted Palmer a 65-yard score.

Maybe last week's usage was just a flash in the pan, but his playing time has been trending up all season. Palmer is someone who can be had in nearly every fantasy league but could produce WR3 numbers. With such an advantageous matchup, and given his recent usage, Palmer is a sneaky FLEX choice for rosters ravaged by the six bye weeks.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

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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.