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Mike Clay, ESPN Writer
Fantasy football is a weekly game, so knowing the matchups can help you make the best lineup decisions. By utilizing our play-by-play data, we’re able to identify defensive schemes and where each wide receiver and cornerback lines up on each play. By tracking these WR/CB matchups, including potential shadow situations, we can offer the best projections, rankings, sit/start advice and waiver wire suggestions each week.
To view the primary defenders the top three wide receivers for each team will see this weekend, be sure to check out our weekly WR vs. CB cheat sheet.
Unless otherwise noted, references to where teams rank in statistical categories adjusts to a per-game basis in order to avoid distortion due to bye weeks.
Projected Shadow Matchups
Packers’ Christian Watson vs. Broncos’ Pat Surtain II (Shadow)
I wouldn’t call this one a sure thing considering Watson’s small body of work this season, but he did enough to reestablish himself as Green Bay’s No. 1 wide receiver in Week 5 that I believe Surtain will shadow him on the perimeter this week. That’s how the star corner was deployed against Davante Adams in Week 1, Tyreek Hill in Week 3, DJ Moore in Week 4, Garrett Wilson in Week 5 and Travis Kelce last week. Adams had a relatively quiet game (6-66-0 on nine targets) and, while Hill exploded for a 9-157-1 line on 11 targets, only 3-45-0 came on four targets against Surtain. Moore also had a big game (8-131-1 on nine targets) and did some of that damage against Surtain (4-76-0 on five targets). Wilson posted a 3-54-0 line on seven targets. Watson has aligned on the perimeter on 81% of his 43 routes this season, so if Surtain shadows, it will be for a majority of the game.