Fantasy Football: 3 Wide Receiver-Cornerback Matchups to Target in Week 4

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 Justin Jefferson, 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 4 Wide Receiver-Cornerback Matchups

Nico Collins (HOU) vs. Ronald Darby/Montaric Brown (JAC)

numberFire Projection: 15.2 points (WR2)

• 91.3 Yards
• 6.0 Receptions (9.6 Targets)

FanDuel Props:

• O/U 81.5 Yards
• O/U 5.5 Receptions
• -105 Anytime Touchdown Scorer Odds

The Houston Texans are coming off an ugly outing against the Minnesota Vikings in which C.J. Stroud threw for just 215 yards and 2 interceptions.

But that didn't stop Nico Collins from cracking 85 yards for the third time in as many games. While that was actually his lowest yardage output of the season, the sky-high baseline he's established early in the year gives him one of the most stable production floors on a week-to-week basis.

But this week's matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars presents a ceiling opportunity for Collins. Jacksonville entered Week 3 with the league's No. 30 schedule-adjusted pass defense, and they've permitted the ninth most fantasy points to wide receivers.

The Jaguars have utilized man coverage at the highest rate in football, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That'll pit him up against corners Ronald Darby and Montaric Brown -- neither of whom we should shy away from. Darby's allowed the ninth-highest passer rating when targeted this season, while Brown's been targeted at the fifth-highest rate among qualified corners, per PFF.

When the Jags visited Houston last season, Collins torched them for 7 receptions, 104 yards, and a touchdown. Considering their rough start to the season, another big Nico game could be in the cards on Sunday.

This is a spot I'd be looking to target the over on his 81.5 receiving yards prop, currently priced at -113 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

He's gone over this mark in all three games this season, while the Jags have allowed the eighth most yards per route run to opposing receivers.

George Pickens (PIT) vs. Indianapolis Colts

numberFire Projection: 10.6 points (WR21)

• 64.0 Yards
• 4.2 Receptions (7.0 Targets)

FanDuel Props:

• O/U 52.5 Yards
• O/U 3.5 Receptions
• +220 Any Time Touchdown Scorer

Head-to-head matchups with Pat Surtain and A.J. Terrell have kept George Pickens in check to open the season after he ended 2023 on such a torrid pace. But his utilization remains strong, and he finally gets an advantageous matchup this week against the Indianapolis Colts.

Entering Week 4, Pickens leads the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 25.1% target share and is third league-wide with a 49.5% air yard share. Half of his 6.0 targets per game have come at least 10 yards downfield, so he's again profiling as a big play waiting to happen.

He figures to have a few chances to bust one open against a Colts secondary that will be without their top defensive back, Kenny Moore, this week.

Even with their slot corner active, the zone-heavy Colts limp into Week 4 with the 22nd scheduled-adjusted pass defense. They've surrendered the ninth most yards per route and second highest average depth of target (aDOT) in football, and we just saw several Chicago Bears pass catchers produce strong yardage totals against them.

Now, Pittsburgh's -10.6% pass rate over expectation (PROE) does put a cap on Pickens' volume, but he's still the clear top target in the passing game. We also saw them more willing to throw last week, as Justin Fields attempted a season-high 32 passes and they posted a sub-10% PROE for the first time in three games.

That sets Pickens up for a nice all-around day, and he's one of my favorite DFS values for Week 4's main slate on FanDuel. I'll have some exposure to his yardage prop, but his +220 anytime touchdown odds are also mighty appealing against such a disheveled secondary.

Xavier Legette (CAR) vs. Dax Hill (CIN)

numberFire Projection: 8.6 points (WR38)

• 50.7 Yards
• 3.9 Receptions (6.1 Targets)

FanDuel Props:

• O/U 35.5 Yards
• O/U 2.5 Receptions
• +290 Any Time Touchdown Scorer

With the Andy Dalton renaissance fully under way, the Carolina Panthers suddenly look like a passing attack we can target in fantasy. Though Diontae Johnson was the primary beneficiary in Week 3, rookie Xavier Legette is firmly trending up in the wake of Adam Thielen's injury.

Legette only saw 3 targets last week, but he ran a route on 51.3% of dropbacks and saw his snap share increase in the second half after Thielen left the game. His 13.4-yard aDOT leads Carolina on the season, and he's second on the team in air yards share (21.2%).

Assuming more playing time is on the way, this week presents a strong opportunity for Legette to do some damage against a suspect Cincinnati Bengals secondary. The Bengals sit at No. 29 in schedule-adjusted pass defense entering Week 4, and they've permitted the fifth most yards per route run to opposing receivers.

Carolina passed at a +5.2% clip over expectation in Dalton's first start after sitting at -10.4% PROE in Weeks 1 and 2. That bodes well for Legette's chances of seeing an increase in targets, especially considering Carolina is a 4.5-point underdog and the total is up at 47.5.

Against the Bengals, Legette should see a ton of outside corner Dax Hill. A converted safety, Hill's in the bottom 20 of qualified corners in passer rating allowed when targeted on the season, and he was among PFF's 15 lowest-graded coverage safeties in 2023.

Considering how pass-friendly the Bengals have been and how sharp Dalton looked last week, I'm interested in the over on Legette's receiving yards prop, currently set at 35.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook.

We saw Legette clear this line with just 2 receptions last week, and he fell one-yard shy off 3 receptions in Week 1. With a soft matchup, better quarterback play, and increased volume incoming, Week 4 is shaping up to be a potential breakout game for the first-round pick.

Opt-in to the Gronk Profit Spike and apply a 50% Profit Boost on an Anytime Touchdown Scorer wager on NFL games happening September 29th! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Looking for the latest NFL odds? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and check out all of the NFL betting options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

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.