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Fantasy Football: 5 WR/CB matchups to target and 5 to avoid in Week 8

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) catches a pass for a first down as Detroit Lions cornerback Amani Oruwariye (24) defends during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Week 8 of the fantasy football wide receiver-cornerback matchups to target and avoid features a star option with a WR1 ceiling and several widely available players with legitimate starting upside.

Utilize PFF’s WR/CB matchup chart and in-depth coverage data to help you set the best lineups for Week 8 and the rest of the season.

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Rankings & ProjectionsWR/CB Matchup ChartNFL & NCAA Betting DashboardsNFL Player Props toolNFL & NCAA Power Rankings


5 WR/CB Matchups to Target

Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson vs. Dallas Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs

Jefferson is an easy start every week, but his ceiling and floor are more stable than usual in this contest. The Cowboys' cornerback room has flashed this season — particularly through Diggs' seven interceptions — but those turnovers aren’t entirely indicative of his coverage ability. In fact, Diggs and teammate Anthony Brown rank inside the bottom four in terms of receiving yards allowed to outside wide receivers this season.

Jefferson is the perfect target in this matchup, whether it’s in fantasy football or DFS, because of his 26.8% target share and team-leading 2.22 yards per route run (YPRR) average.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Tyler Johnson vs. New Orleans Saints CB Paulson Adebo

Johnson, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will be a full-go in this contest. And Johnson just happens to be available in most leagues and is cheapest in DFS tournaments, which leads to a fun contrarian option in GPPs. Tom Brady threw Johnson just two passes this past week, but the second-year receiver ran a route on 69.4% of dropbacks with Antonio Brown out.

The Saints field a good defense in general, but they’ve struggled to cover the position at times.

New Orleans Saints defense vs. opposing wide receivers | 2021
Category Fantasy Points Allowed (Rank)
Week 1 29.5 (5th)
Week 2 46.8 (28th)
Week 3 43.7 (25th)
Week 4 48.2 (26th)
Week 5 32.6 (14th)
Week 7 29.5 (17th)

Sean Payton's team is trending in the right direction, but they have faced Geno Smith and a subpar Washington Football Team offense over the last two weeks. Fire up the Bucs with comfort this weekend.

Jacksonville Jaguars WR Marvin Jones Jr. vs. Seattle Seahawks CB Sidney Jones

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