Week 1 was certainly entertaining, and it is great to see football back with a bang. However, one thing that surprised us all was the negative playcalling by some teams in the second half of games when trailing. While the New England Patriots really went for it after falling too far behind against the Philadelphia Eagles, teams like the Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears opted for a more cautious approach to their playcalling.

Part of that caution was that all three teams had difficult defensive back matchups. I mentioned Stefon Diggs and D.J. Moore and their tough matchups last week. Wide receiver/cornerback matchups generally aren’t looked at enough in the analysis for fantasy football managers, but we’ve got your back here at FantasyPros.

Here are WR/CB three matchups to exploit and three to be more cautious about this week:

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WR/CB Matchups: Week 2 (Fantasy Football 2023)

Advantageous Wide Receiver Matchups

A.J. Brown (PHI) vs. Akayleb Evans (MIN)

This is the best matchup to target this week. Akayleb Evans had a torrid time last week against Mike Evans, and he is likely to struggle even more this week against Brown. Tonight’s game really looks advantageous for all four main wide receivers in this game. However, it is A.J. Brown that has the best matchup of the four. According to the FantasyPoints Data Suite, Evans allows 0.38 fantasy points per route run. This is the fifth most by corners so far this season. By the end of tonight, that number should look a lot worse.

Deebo Samuel (SF) vs. Ahkello Witherspoon (LAR)

This divisional matchup should see Deebo Samuel’s usage go through the roof. The Rams’ defense looked good last week but is still vulnerable at cornerback. Samuel has been a bit of a conundrum for fantasy managers over the past couple of seasons. However, this week should see a return to past fantasy football glory. Ahkello Witherspoon is giving up 0.43 fantasy points per route run, which is the third most by qualifying corners. Start Samuel with confidence this week.

Zay Jones (JAX) vs. L’Jarius Sneed (KC)

Zay Jones shocked a lot of fantasy managers in Week 1 with his usage and playing time ahead of Christian Kirk. However, if you had been watching the Jaguars in the preseason and in camp, you would not have been surprised. Jones is the No. 2 receiver on this team for now. And this week, he looks to back up a fine Week 1 outing against L’Jarius Snee, who does tend to line up in the slot more often than not.

However, expect him to play more on the left side to cover Jones. Sneed conceded 0.23 fantasy points per route run in Week 1 but was only targeted on 13% of the routes run against him. That is mostly due to how the Lions play. Expect Jones to get significant usage and targets this week.

Challenging Wide Receiver Matchups

George Pickens (PIT) vs. Denzel Ward (CLE)

While George Pickens’s status has certainly been elevated due to the injury to Diontae Johnson, be careful putting him in your lineups this week. He’s facing arguably the best corner in football right now in Denzel Ward. Though Ward is getting targeted at 20.7% per route run, he is still only giving up 0.11 fantasy points per route run.

In addition, the Steelers currently have one of the most-challenged offenses in the NFL. Since 2021, they are the only team not to have recorded a 400-yard game on offense. Every other team in the NFL has done it at least three times. Nine teams have done it 10-plus times. This has been since Matt Canada has been the offensive coordinator. Start Pickens with caution this week.

CeeDee Lamb (DAL) vs. Michael Carter (NYJ)

Yes, the Jets have two Michael Carter’s. And this Carter is a very good slot cornerback. CeeDee Lamb is one of the best route runners in the game and is an elite talent that all fantasy managers should start this week. However, be cautious of this matchup vs. Carter. Carter only gave up 0.17 fantasy points per route run in Week 1 against a very good Bills offense. You always start your studs, and talent usually prevails, but expect the ceiling to be capped a little on Lamb this week.

Zay Flowers (BAL) vs. Mike Hilton (CIN)

The wide receiver most fantasy managers were talking about not named Puka Nacua this week was Zay Flowers. His usage versus the Houston Texans was incredible, and he came out of that game as the clear WR1 in that offense. However, this week is where we really get to learn how good the rookie is. The first-round pick is up against one of the best slot corners in the game, Mike Hilton.

Hilton barely got off the field last week due to the Bengals’ appalling offensive display. However, he still only conceded 0.19 fantasy points per route run. A targets-per-route run of 12.3% showed that the Browns didn’t want to throw the ball often at Cincinnati’s standout defensive back. Flowers should still be started this week. However, don’t be surprised if he is targeted less this week and has a reduced ceiling as a result.

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Adam Murfet is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Murf, check out his archive and follow him @Murf_NFL.