AJ Green owned the Steelers’ secondary in 2015

Welcome to the first installment of Cornerback (CB) Matchups. I was going to focus on individual matchups (Josh Norman vs. Antonio Brown), but with the complexity of both offenses and defenses now, those mano-a-mano matchups do not occur often. Well, Bill Belichick often has Malcolm Butler shadow the top receiver. Any wonder why he’s won four Super Bowls? Instead, I will share my thoughts on some collective cornerback matchups for each game. Hopefully, some of the information can assist you in making those tricky wide receiver start/sit decisions.

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JETS VS BILLS
My guess is Darrelle Revis will shadow Sammy Watkins in this game. Revis was embarrassed by A.J. Green in Week 1, but I think that has to do more with the awesomeness of Green than anything else. Has Revis declined? For sure, but he’s still a good cornerback. With Watkins hobbled by a foot injury, I could see Revis Island opening back up for business. Marcus Williams and Buster Skrine are not that good, so in theory, Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin could have good games. BUT…I have little faith in the Bills coaching staff making that happen. Why did they let Chris Hogan go again? The Bills have a great cornerback tandem in Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby. Nickell Robey-Coleman is no slouch in the slot. With that said, Fitzmagic or Fitzcraptrick is going to feed his horses. Here are the numbers for Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall in two meetings last year:

SAINTS VS GIANTS
The Saints had a historically-bad defense last year. If the first game of 2016 is any indication, they could match or exceed last year’s futility. After losing their first-round pick, Sheldon Rankins, in August due to injury, their best cornerback, Delvin Breaux, is expected to miss six weeks after breaking his left fibula during Sunday’s game against the Raiders. The depth chart at cornerback is now P.J. Williams, Ken Crawley, and De’Vante Harris. The combined experience of those three players? Three games. Now, they have to travel to NYC to face Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. and co. In last year’s meeting, Manning threw for 350 yards and six touchdowns with OBJ hauling in eight passes for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Time for someone to eat after a disappointing Week 1.

COWBOYS VS REDSKINS
The Cowboys held Eli Manning to 207 yards passing and OBJ to four receptions for 73 yards. Granted, Manning threw three touchdowns but, for the most part, the Cowboys like to stay in their shell and keep everything in front of them. Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne graded out decently in Week 1, but Orlando Scandrick did not. This could be a Jamison Crowder game. On the other side, we have Josh Norman, Bashaud Breeland, and Kendall  Fuller in the slot. We saw what happened against Antonio Brown and the Steelers. Why did the Redskins sign Norman again? If they keep the same scheme, then Dez Bryant should feast on Breeland with Beasley continuing to soak in targets. 12 targets in Week 1? Wow.

DOLPHINS VS PATRIOTS
While the Dolphins defense did well in holding the Seahawks to 12 points on Sunday, the short-to-intermediate passing game for the Seahawks was very effective. The Dolphins only forced one three-and-out and allowed three drives of 10+ plays. Doug Baldwin went 9/92 while Jermaine Kearse hauled in 5/57. What do the Patriots do best? Jimmy Garoppolo showed that the Patriots quick passing attack will continue to hum without Tom Brady at the helm. PFF graded slot corner Michael Thomas decently for Week 1 (70.6), but he will be no match for Julian Edelman. Byron Maxwell was one of the worst cornerbacks in Week 1 (43.9), so Chris Hogan could have a productive day. On the other side is rookie Xavien Howard. With the strength of the Dolphins defense being on the defensive line, I’d expect this to be a Dunkin Donuts kind of game for the Patriots. Lots of dink-and-dunking with little to no run game.

49ers VS PANTHERS
All the 49ers cornerbacks looked good in Week 1. Thanks Rams! The only thing that would worry me about the Panthers’ receivers this weekend is game script. There could be plenty of running with a few shot plays mixed in. It’s been well documented that the Panthers are starting two rookie cornerbacks. It shouldn’t matter against SF, as the Panthers D will probably make Blaine Gabbert look like Case Keenum did against the 49ers Monday night.

BUCCANEERS VS CARDINALS
Brent Grimes graded out very well in Week 1 (82.2 PFF score) while rookie Vernon Hargreaves did not (38.7). Alterraun Verner came in for nickel formations, with Hargreave moving to the slot. The Cardinals run a ton of three-receiver sets, so Larry Fitzgerald could be in line for another big game. On the other side, Patrick Peterson is one of the best cornerbacks in the game. I’m guessing he will shadow Mike Evans around the formation, which would leave Vincent Jackson to go up against Brandon Williams, who was picked on and torched by the Raiders in the preseason and by the Patriots Week 1.

FALCONS VS RAIDERS
None of the Falcons’ cornerbacks graded out well Week 1 against the Buccaneers. While there is talent there, it’s tough when the front seven can’t get any pressure on the quarterback. That unit did not register a sack against Jameis Winston. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree should both eat in Week 2. Julio Jones is going to get his. David Amerson and Sean Smith are good corners, but they are no match for Jones. Smith had a terrible day against Brandin Cooks Week 1, but he should bounce back in this game. The area of weakness for the Raiders is in the slot, where D.J. Hayden resides. Whoever the Falcons choose to matchup there, will eat. I’m thinking we see plenty of Julio there.

COLTS VS BRONCOS
The Colts secondary is a mess. No Vontae Davis, and Patrick Robinson left Sunday’s game with a concussion. Antonio Cromartie graded out well Sunday, but he’s 32 years old and past his prime. Darryl Morris and Rashaan Melvin joined the Colts last week. Unless Andrew Luck can put up points against the vaunted Broncos secondary, this sets up for a ground and pound game for Kubiak’s offense.

TITANS VS LIONS
Start all your Lions. All three Titans’ cornerbacks, Brice McCain, Jason McCourty, and Perrish Cox graded poorly in Week 1, according to PFF. Stefon Diggs went 7/103 against them with Shaun Hill throwing him the ball. On the other side of the ball, Tajae Sharpe could run into some resistance if Darius Slay shadows him. If that’s the case, Rishard Matthews or Andre Johnson could have a nice day, as Nevin Lawson and Quandre Diggs did not play well in Week 1.

CHIEFS VS TEXANS
The Chiefs could only muster one sack against Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense. It could be a long season until Justin Houston returns. Marcus Peters, Phillip Gaines, and Steven Nelson all graded out poorly in Week 1, according to PFF. Things are looking good for Will Fuller, DeAndre Hopkins, and Brock Osweiller. For the Texans, Johnathan Joseph and Kevin Johnson are both good cornerbacks. The weakness of the crew is probably Kareem Jackson, but I’m not sure Albert Wilson can exploit that matchup. The Chiefs will probably have to attack with Travis Kelce and the running backs out of the backfield.

RAVENS VS BROWNS
The Ravens defense looked great against the Bills in Week 1, but I think much of that credit should be given to the Bills for being so simple and conservative. A banged up Sammy Watkins didn’t help but….C’mon man! One of my favorite videos of all time. The Browns get Josh McCown back at quarterback, who happened to drop 669 yards with three touchdowns in two meetings with the Ravens last season. Hue Jackson is now calling plays in Cleveland, so you know he’s going to be aggressive. PFF graded Shareece Wright out well in Week 1 (85), but Jimmy Smith did not look good on the other side. Terrelle Pryor caught a long 44-yard pass on the left sideline in Week 1. If McCown takes shots, it will probably be to that side of the field, which is where Smith lines up. I think this game has the makings of another shootout, as there are holes in both secondaries. For the Browns, Haden has played much better this year, but he is not an elite defender. Jamar Taylor and Tramon Williams both struggled last week against the Eagles. Combined, they allowed rookie QB Carson Wentz to go 22-for-37 for 278 yards with two touchdowns in his debut.

BENGALS VS STEELERS
The Bengals and Steelers met three times last season. The Bengals did a nice job limiting the Steelers passing game, holding Ben Roethlisberger to 247 yards/game with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Antonio Brown caught one touchdown and eclipsed the 100-yard mark only once, despite garnering double-digit targets in each game. Joshua Shaw and Adam Jones graded out well Week 1, but Dre Kirkpatrick did not. With that said, they limited Eric Decker to 2/37 with a touchdown and Brandon Marshall to 3/32. Brown is going to get his, but I’d temper expectations this week. For the Steelers, the weak link appears to be Ross Cockrell. How will Keith Butler scheme to stop A.J. Green? The Steelers mostly took away the deep stuff from the Redskins and kept everything in front of them. With that said, Green went 11/118 TD on 17 targets in the first meeting, 6/132 TD on nine targets in the second meeting, and 5/71 TD on eight targets in the playoffs.

SEAHAWKS VS RAMS
No need to talk about the Seahawks. For the Rams, Trumaine Johnson played okay but Lamarcus Joyner and Coty Sensabaugh were terrible. This smells like a big Doug Baldwin day, but Tyler Lockett could go off as well. I guess it depends on who they matchup in the slot.

JAGUARS VS CHARGERS
Prince Amukamara graded out well against the Packers, but Davon House and Jalen Ramsey did not. With Keenan Allen done for the year, Tyrell Williams should be matched up against House and could have success this week. On the flip side, the Chargers have a very solid cornerback crew with Jason Verrett, Brandon Flowers, and Casey Hayward. Allen Robinson will still get his because he’s awesome, but I’d temper expectations with the wide receivers on the Jaguars. I’m thinking this is a big Julius Thomas game.

PACKERS VS VIKINGS
Damarious Randall of the Packers was one of the highest-graded cornerbacks in Week 1. Quinten Rollins was average and Ladarius Gunter was bad. The concern for the Packers is that Sam Shields may be out for Week 2 due to a concussion suffered on Sunday. With that said, the group held Allen Robinson to 6/72 on 15 targets. Stefon Diggs is really good, but I wouldn’t expect a huge game. Last season, the Vikings did a great job on the Packers’ passing game. Aaron Rodgers averaged 251 yards/game and threw three touchdowns with one interception. Randall Cobb caught a combined eight passes on 17 targets for 61 yards and a touchdown. BUT, Jordy Nelson is back this year. In addition, the Vikings will probably be without Xavier Rhodes due to a knee injury. Captain Munnerlyn graded out okay Week 1, but Terence Newman and Trae Waynes were bad. I don’t think the Packers’ passing game will explode, but some decent production should be expected.

Thanks for reading and good luck this week.

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Stan Son is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Stan, check out his archive and follow him @Stan_Son.