Fantasy Football: 3 WR/CB matchups to target and avoid for Week 2

• George Pickens is set to bounce back in Week 2: He gets a strong matchup with the Giants' perimeter cornerbacks, including the struggling Paulson Adebo.

• Be wary of starting Michael Pittman Jr.: It will be very difficult for Pittman to turn in a ceiling game against Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II.

• Unlock your edge with PFF+: Access Premium Stats, dominate fantasy with in-season tools and projections and make smarter bets with the new PFF Player Prop Tool. Get 25% off your PFF+ annual subscription with code PFFFANTASYPODCAST25.

Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Identifying advantageous and disadvantageous cornerback matchups is a critical facet of fantasy football’s lineup-setting process. This article details six wide receivers’ positive and negative environmental factors, with particular attention paid to their primary coverage foes.

These are three matchups to target and three to avoid for Week 2.

WR/CB Matchups to Target

WR George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys vs. CB Paulson Adebo, New York Giants

Pickens has a matchup to target against the Giants’ perimeter cornerbacks in Week 2, making him a high-upside WR3. Adebo, who largely plays on the defensive right, will serve as Pickens’ primary coverage foe. Pickens’ 58.1 PFF overall grade ranks 25th among 35 wide receivers with at least 55 offensive snaps. Adebo’s 56.5 PFF overall grade ranks 34th among 51 cornerbacks with at least 55 defensive snaps.

The PFF scores and schedule page implies Dallas will score 25.25 points as a six-point home favorite.

Pickens lined up wide left at a 51.8% rate and wide right at a 39.3% rate in Week 1. Adebo lined up on the defensive right at a 68.6% rate, while cornerback Cor'Dale Flott aligned on the defensive left at a 72.9% rate. Among 76 cornerbacks with at least 23 coverage snaps, Flott’s 67.5 PFF coverage grade ranks 29th. His 2.00 yards allowed per coverage snap places him 72nd, and his 7.7% explosive pass play rate ranks 73rd. Expect Pickens to maximize his opportunities against Flott.

The table below ranks Adebo’s coverage data in parentheses among 76 cornerbacks with at least 23 coverage snaps.

As detailed in the Week 2 offense–defense partner pieces, “Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott … led his team to the fifth-most EPA per play (0.199) among NFL offenses despite facing the Philadelphia Eagles’ efficient pass rush. Prescott’s 90.0 PFF overall grade ranks second among 32 NFL quarterbacks with at least 25 offensive snaps. His target distribution should diversify in Week 2.”