- There are a number of potential high-profile shadow matchups this week including Mike Evans vs. Marshon Lattimore, Ja’Marr Chase vs. Trevon Diggs and Michael Thomas vs. Carlton Davis.
- Julio Jones and Josh Palmer headline the week’s top waiver wire additions at the position.
- Don’t discount the possibility that both Brandon Aiyuk and Elijah Moore have major bounce-back performances.
Estimated reading time: 20 minutes
Happy Week 2; let’s break down all things wide receiver ahead of another electric slate of NFL football. What follows is a look at the week’s projected shadow matchups followed by answers to bunches of key questions before getting to the fantasy football rankings.
Week 2 Shadow Matchups
Wide receivers often can overcome difficult one-on-one matchups thanks to good ol’ fashioned volume. It’s also rare that a cornerback follows a single receiver around the field for each and every route. This leads to situations where Jalen Ramsey “shuts down” Justin Jefferson in their direct coverage (3-25-0), but Jefferson’s full game line (8-116-0) reflects the reality that fantasy managers were still better off playing him.
Last week 11 different defenses had at least one cornerback shadow the opposition’s No. 1 wide receiver all over the field:
- Falcons CB A.J. Terrell attempted to shut down Michael Thomas, but ultimately gave up a pair of scores and struggled to handle Thomas’ physicality. Note that Terrell shadowed just once all of last season.
- Panthers CB Donte Jackson surprisingly locked up with Donovan Peoples-Jones instead of Amari Cooper. Perhaps this is a sign that Jackson will take the opposition’s field-stretcher more weeks than not.
- Bengals CB Chidobe Awuzie and Eli Apple shadowed Diontae Johnson and George Pickens as expected.
- Broncos CB Patrick Surtain and Ronald Darby made it a rough Monday night for D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, respectively. Note that Surtain wasn’t used to shadow all last season.
- Lions CB Amani Oruwariye and Jeffrey Okudah had a tall task, particularly Oruwariye. Overall, PFF’s No. 1 WR/CB matchup in favor of the wide receiver of Week 1 was A.J. Brown against Oruwariye and it went down as exactly that. Credit to Okudah for goose-egging DeVonta Smith on the other side of the field.
- Colts CB Stephon Gilmore unsurprisingly followed Brandin Cooks all over the field. Note that Cooks’ 42-yard flea-flicker-induced reception didn’t come in Gilmore’s coverage.
- Chargers CB Asante Samuel Jr. and Michael Davis tracked Davante Adams and Mack Hollins all over the field. Note that Samuel registered just one shadow matchup in all of 2021.
- Dolphins CB Xavien Howard handled DeVante Parker on the outside with Byron Jones (leg, PUP) sidelined.
- Patriots CB Jonathan Jones was tasked with following Tyreek Hill all afternoon in the post-J.C. Jackson era.
- Giants CB Adoree’ Jackson took Robert Woods out of the game with some b-e-a-utiful one-on-one coverage throughout Sunday afternoon.
- Seahawks CB Michael Jackson tracked K.J. Hamler as opposed to either of the Broncos’ top-two receivers, perhaps signaling that he’ll be used on opponent’s field-stretching options throughout the season.
A good rule of thumb: Start your studs. Still, fantasy managers are always looking for an edge, so what follows is a breakdown of the week’s projected shadow matchups defined by instances in which a defense will ask one of their cornerbacks to travel with a specific opposing wide receiver for at least 50% of the game.
Pittsburgh Steelers WR Diontae Johnson vs. New England Patriots CB Jonathan Jones
New quarterback, same target-hog. Overall, Johnson was one of just 13 wide receivers to command a target share of at least 30% in Week 1; don’t expect the Steelers to shy away from continuing to feed their undisputed No. 1 receiver against Jones, who was a better snap away from giving up a house call touchdown to Tyreek Hill on the first play of the season. Johnson shouldn’t be downgraded for this matchup.
Carolina Panthers WR D.J. Moore vs. New York Giants CB Adoree’ Jackson
Perhaps the Giants view Robbie Anderson as the Panthers’ No. 1 receiver after he garnered most of Baker Mayfield’s attention in Week 1, but I doubt it. This means Moore should see plenty of Jackson, who did a good job shutting down Robert Woods (1-13-0) in Week 1. At Moore’s best he should be capable of defeating one-on-one coverage from just about anybody, but at a minimum don’t expect Jackson to make life overly easy. This is a neutral matchup from a pure coverage perspective.
Baltimore Ravens WR Rashod Bateman vs. Miami Dolphins CB Xavien Howard
Bateman turned two of his five targets into 59 yards and a score during the Ravens’ Week 1 win over the Jets. Now he’ll have to deal with a blitz-happy Dolphins defense that gave Lamar Jackson all sorts of problems in 2021. Howard is a damn good corner in his own right, and the added potential for Jackson to not be at his best has me downgrading Bateman just a bit for this tough Week 2 matchup.
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