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

• Zay Flowers is in a prime spot to shred the Lions' secondary: Baltimore’s No. 1 wide receiver is a mid-tier WR1 in a game that could lead Week 3 in combined explosive pass plays.

• George Pickens is ramping up: The Cowboys wideout finished as the half-PPR WR14 in Week 2 and has a fantasy-friendly matchup with the Bears' shaky cornerback unit in Week 3.

• 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 3.

WR/CB Matchups to Target

WR Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers vs. CB Mike Hughes, Atlanta Falcons 

McMillan is set to battle Falcons fill-in No. 1 cornerback Mike Hughes. He’s a WR2 in Week 3. McMillan’s 75.8 PFF overall grade through two weeks ranks fourth among 34 wide receivers with at least 110 offensive snaps, whereas Hughes’ 56.6 PFF overall grade ranks 42nd among 63 cornerbacks with at least 90 defensive snaps.

As detailed in the Week 3 fantasy-friendly offenses and defenses pieces, “Panthers head coach Dave Canales does quarterback Bryce Young no favors with his motionless, play-action-infrequent offense. Carolina’s featured skill position players remain fantasy-viable due partially to Canales’ top-five offensive play volume.” The PFF Scores and Schedule Tool lists the Panthers as a 5.5-point home underdog, reinforcing Carolina’s offensive play volume and pass-play percentage.

Falcons backup slot cornerback Dee Alford assumed perimeter coverage duties in Week 2 after No. 1 cornerback A.J. Terrell strained his hamstring late in the second quarter. Alford logged 10 snaps on the defensive right and nine on the defensive left, while Hughes mirrored him inversely. Terrell is off to a slow start, earning a 55.1 PFF coverage grade this season after logging a 68.6 mark last season.