Fantasy Football: 3 Wide Receiver-Cornerback Matchups to Target in Week 10

Matchups are everything in the NFL, especially at the receiver position.

For fantasy purposes, being able to identify which receivers have advantageous (or disadvantageous) matchups is a sharp way to get a leg up on your opponent.

Each Friday this piece lists the best wide receiver-cornerback matchups for the upcoming week. It doesn't take a genius to tell you to start Ja'Marr Chase, but there will be weeks when some WR1s have better matchups and other weeks when typical WR2 or WR3s have matchups that bump them up in our weekly rankings.

numberFire's player matchups chart helps to identify advantageous matchups for specific positions. Then, Pro Football Focus' (PFF) Player Grades and their WR/CB Matchup chart are great starting points for identifying which specific matchups we want to target.

Projections and rankings come from our NFL projections, which are powered by numberFire. All statistics via NFL Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise stated. NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Week 10 Wide Receiver-Cornerback Matchups

Justin Jefferson (MIN) vs. Ronald Darby (JAC)

numberFire Projection: 16.9 points (WR2)

• 99 Yards
• 7.2 Receptions (10.5 Targets)

FanDuel Props:

• O/U 92.5 Yards
• O/U 6.5 Receptions
• -105 Any Time Touchdown Scorer

I typically try to avoid the truly elite wide receivers for this piece. You know -- the guys who have been cemented in fantasy lineups since Week 1. The few studs we'd label "matchup-proof."

But this week's Minnesota Vikings-Jacksonville Jaguars calls for a deeper dive into Justin Jefferson. With Jacksonville ranking dead-last in schedule-adjusted pass defense (per numberFire), JJ has a chance to go absolutely nuclear on Sunday.

Considering their schedule-adjusted numbers, it's no surprise that the Jags have permitted the third-most fantasy points per target and sixth-most yards per route run to opposing wide receivers. They've allowed the most fantasy points to perimeter wide receivers (per Razzball) and the fourth most to the position as a whole.

A lot of that damage has come at the hands of corner Ronald Darby. Among 112 qualified corners, Darby ranks 97th in PFF coverage grade. Entering Week 10, he had allowed the third-most yards, fourth-most touchdowns, and fifth-highest passer rating when targeted, according to PFF.

Jefferson, meanwhile, has the second-highest target share (33%) in the NFL. He's averaging a robust 97.9 yards and 4.9 downfield targets per game while seeing a 12.4-yard aDOT (average depth of target).

Everything's lined up for Jefferson to explode this week, putting several of his receiving props on the table. I'm especially eyeing his -105 anytime touchdown scorer odds. After scoring in five of six games to start the year, Jefferson's been held out of the end zone in consecutive weeks. Look for him to snap that drought in Week 10.

Darnell Mooney (ATL) vs. Alontae Taylor (NO)

numberFire Projection: 11.3 points (WR15)

• 63 Yards
• 4.8 Receptions (7.8 Targets)

Darnell Mooney could see a usage bump this week if Drake London (questionable) is unable to suit up, but he's in a nice spot to produce regardless of London's status.

Mooney is right with London in terms of target share (24.3%) and leads the Atlanta Falcons in air yards share (39%). He's pacing the team in yards (66) and downfield targets (4.7) per game, too.

That sets him up to feast against a New Orleans Saints side that's 12th in adjusted pass defense but just traded top corner Marshon Lattimore. Even with Lattimore locking down the perimeter, the Saints have allowed a below-average 1.61 yards per route run to wide receivers. They've been the third-best matchup for slot receivers, according to Razzball.

Mooney has lined up in the slot on nearly a third of his snaps this season, setting him up for plenty of action opposite Alontae Taylor. Taylor is PFF's second lowest-graded coverage corner this season, having allowed the fourth-most yards in football. Among qualified slot corners, Taylor has been targeted at the fifth-highest rate and permitted the fifth-highest passer rating when targeted. No slot corner has given up more yards than Alontae Taylor this season.

Per PFF, Mooney's matchup with Taylor is the 11th-most advantageous in Week 10.

Now, Mooney didn't produce a noteworthy stat line in an earlier matchup with New Orleans, though he still managed 56 yards off just 3 receptions. But he's exceeded 85 yards in three of five games since, and the Saints are down two corners from that first meeting.

That sets him up well heading into Sunday, making him a strong option in season-long or DFS contests for Week 10.

Rome Odunze (CHI) vs. Marcus Jones (NE)

numberFire Projection: 8.1 points (WR33)

• 46 Yards
• 3.4 Receptions (5.6 Targets)

FanDuel Props:

• O/U 40.5 Yards
• O/U 3.5 Receptions
• +270 Any Time Touchdown Scorer

Rome Odunze is coming off a breakout performance in Week 9, catching 5 of 7 targets for 104 yards. He managed to outproduce both D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen despite seeing fewer targets than both veterans. That was largely thanks to his deep work as 6 of Rome's 7 targets were 10-plus yards downfield, culminating in a 16.3-yard aDOT.

Perhaps most notable was Odunze's utilization. He again ran a route on nearly 90% of dropbacks, but he's now lined up out of the slot 41% of the time since Chicago's Week 7 bye. Before the bye, his slot rate was just 30% in games Keenan Allen was active.

I'm under the assumption this has been an intentional move by the Bears offense, so we can expect to see more slot work for Rome going forward. If that's the case, he's in a sneaky-strong spot this week against the New England Patriots.

New England has given up the fewest fantasy points to the slot this season, but they're league-average in fantasy points allowed to receivers as a whole. In fact, against all wideouts, the Pats are bottom 10 in target rate and yards per route run allowed. They're just 28th in adjusted pass defense.

Odunze will line up opposite Marcus Jones when deployed in the slot, and that's not a matchup we should shy away from. Among 42 qualified slot corners, Jones has been targeted at the fourth-highest rate and ceded a lackluster 98.4 passer rating when targeted. There's a real size mismatch here, too. Marcus Jones stands at just 5-foot-8 while Odunze is 6-foot-3.

Assuming standout corner Christian Gonzalez shadows D.J. Moore, Rome shouldn't face much trouble when he shifts to the perimeter, either. That will likely match him up with Jonathan Jones -- someone who's bottom-20 in yards per reception and catch rate allowed and has permitted the third highest passer rating when targeted.

It is fair to be concerned with Chicago's offense as a whole, and that should simmer some of the excitement with Odunze in DFS. And while we saw them struggle to block a Cardinals front that was bottom-five in pressure rate last week, this is another matchup Caleb Williams should have time to throw. New England ranks 27th in pressure rate and 28th in sack rate.

But even if the Bears don't set the world on fire, Rome's someone I'm looking at on FanDuel Sportsbook due to his manageable lines. His receiving yards prop is set at just 40.5 this week, and he's gone for at least 40 yards in five of his last six games, including four straight.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.