• Johny The Greek’s Cornerbacks Corner Week One (1)

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    This seasons CB1 or was last year a fluke? 


    Welcome to Johny the Greek's cornerback corner week one. Last season we streamed corners for every IDP fantasy relevant week all season long and ended the season with a 72% average for matching or beating projections based off these weekly decisions. We also averaged more than a third of those correct calls ending up as "massive hits" (when a streaming corner decision doubles, triples or more their projection).

    We had many great weeks and some bad ones as well, we rode the wave and turned our entire thought process behind our starting corners into an art form. Where others "set and forget" we find the best matchups and options and take those extra IDP points week after week, season after season and as a result are more likely to win our matchups when compared to other less motivated or informed players.

    I ended the last article of this series last season saying this article series likely wouldn't be coming back simply due to the busy life I'm leading these days. Between being promoted and traveling for work and all the other coals I've got in the fire (volunteering with kids with Autism, walking minimum four miles a day every day and as a result losing over 65 pounds since covid happened, keeping up the golf game, DND nights, PS5 and my other articles and podcast appearances, enjoying a life beyond the hell hole that is fantasy Twitter) it really didn't look like this article series would be coming back this season. That announcement in the week 16 version of this article last season went over like a poopy on OBJ's chest.

    Between the fellas at The IDP Show (Big 3 IDP) and multiple other readers sending their thoughts through our Idpguys site slack chat, Twitter DMs and league chats I was barraged by people asking to bring this series back again this year. The true degenerates out there wanted to compare notes and find those ideal corner streams week to week and grab those easy extra IDP points we get by putting more than two minutes of thought into one of the most ignored and disrespected positions on any IDP roster. They told me that this article helped them win matchups, and that's what we're all really supposed to be doing here, helping people win not engagement farming and click baiting. So I caved, and here we are. Let's do it again. Apologies for the longer than usual preamble, next week's article will be strictly business, just wanted to mention those things before we get the season going.


    If you’re new to this article series the idea behind it is that in the IDP world cornerbacks are the red headed step child, often neglected or scoffed at. Not here. We love streaming corners and have for some time now, it's a key component of playing big boy IDP. This is not an article for the Sleeper IDP players of the world, the "DB" people, baby IDP if you will, although in deep enough leagues a CB stream at DB is still a decent option. This is more for your true degenerate, CB and DT required, a few points a week is going to make a difference, type of player. And while I do enjoy my Sleeper leagues and those kinds of leagues as well (variety is the spice of life), the vast majority of what I play in these days is those advanced, individual position, best possible competition, need every edge you can get type leagues. That's the audience here. If that's not you or you're not a fan of my approach the exit button is top right on PC, it looks like an X, close window on mobile.

    I've been doing this long enough that I have my audience, I know my readers, we talk in and out of the season and I live a perfectly happy and fulfilling life beyond fantasy football, this is just a hobby for me and I am so far from interested in arguing about any of this that if that stuff were a star it would take the light from that star billions of years to reach me, save yourself the time on Twitter I'll just block and move on. Apologies to those of you that don't need this disclaimer but this is the world we live in these days, just making things clear up front. 

    We’re going to be looking at things like expected game script, opposing offensive tendencies, snap counts, teams that are more or less likely to target wide receivers and historical production to inform our weekly decisions on what corners are an “ideal” streaming option. By giving this entire thing more than two seconds thought we will have a distinct advantage over our opponents who are not doing this over the course of the season. We are going to put ourselves in the best position possible every week to score the most IDP points humanly possible from our cornerback slots. 

    Just a little background, I’ve been playing IDP for 18 years now and streaming corners for well over a decade of that time. In that time I have won clear of 25 titles in both redraft and dynasty traditional IDP leagues and many many more in best ball, DFS and college fantasy football. I am a true degenerate. Add an additional 50 plus second and third place finishes also in traditional IDP leagues, most of them with money prizes attached, and you'll start to envision how deep my degenerate tendencies go. I am absolutely NOT an analyst, I'm just a guy who loves playing IDP fantasy football and has been pretty decent at it for a long time. 

    Personally I like to stream not only whatever the current week is but if my bench is big enough I’ll load up two more ideal streamers for the following week and by doing so I’ve already taken my pick of the litter a week before anyone else also streaming is even thinking about their corners for that week. Corner is a naturally spotty position but by looking at all the factors I listed above we will have better outcomes than the majority of IDP owners who simply put in a “known” corner with a big name (Richard Sherman for example) into their corner slots and ride out the production whether or not that matchup makes sense each week. Richard Sherman against last years Falcons or Chiefs makes sense, Richard Sherman against last years Jets or Patriots does not. 

    It looks like we’ll have some pretty solid matchups this week and we’ll continue to target those for our ideal matchups but in today’s NFL, where passing is the name of the game, I’m sure we’ll find solid streaming options in just about every matchup so even those of us in the deepest of leagues have some options. I always give last weeks results as well as an overall season long accuracy because it’s important to be honest and up front with stuff like this, if I’m in a slump and making bad decisions you’ll know it and can decide if you want to follow these streaming suggestions or not. 


    Starting week two you will see the results from my last week of corner streams in this box here. It will look like this:

    Last week I made (  ) recommendations, of those (  ) were declared inactive or injured, (  ) were correct (met or exceeded projection) and (  ) were incorrect (below projection). We don’t count acts of God here (injuries) and I specifically ask people to check for inactives before each game so discounting those I was (  )% correct last week, (  )% accurate for the season overall. Of those (  ) correct calls last week (  ) of them were “massive hits” (doubled or tripled projection) for a (  )% massive hit rate.


    Disclaimer Time! I’m not going to get all of these correct. Cornerback especially is a wildly inconsistent position for production in IDP fantasy football. That’s why most people hate it with a passion. My whole thing is to put yourself in the best position to succeed by looking at all the variables and making the absolute best streaming call possible. After that you pray. Your team is your responsibility and yours alone, you set the lineup not me. 

    Take ownership if things go south, these are only suggestions. I will do my absolute best to make sure that these recommendations are the best possible and will base these on factual information and statistics from places like NFLGsis.com, PFF and other fantasy and NFL data and statistics sites. I will also use the force, sometimes a gut feeling is all I have to go on in an unknown situation but if it comes down to that just know this isn’t my first rodeo. 

    I don’t work for the NFL, I don’t get to sit in on defensive team meetings for all 32 teams, I don’t get inside information. If a player has been producing all season and has been playing a ton of snaps and they get yanked right before a game obviously I had nothing to do with it and since I don’t work for said team no one told me. (See Vernon Hargreaves 2019). If someone goes down with an ACL it’s not because I made a voodoo doll of them and stuck it with pins. These decisions are the same ones I’m making for my teams so if things go bad for you they go bad for me as well. I’m just here to help, don’t kill the messenger.


    Article Key:

    Outlook: This will be a brief overview of the two offenses and how that will effect the outlook for each teams cornerbacks corps. We’ll look at offensive ranks for passing, expected game scripts, time of possession, competency of the quarterbacks and their WR corps and this will help us guess how the game should go. This will help us identify if this is a matchup we want to target for streaming corners or not. Also after last season's issues with weather causing problems with passing in some games we'll try and look at that as well (Raiders/Browns 2020 ring a bell?).

    Ideal Matchup: This is the best possible matchup for this teams cornerbacks, streaming corners from this team, especially guys that are talented and play all the snaps gives you the best chances at excellent production from those corners.

    Solid Matchup: This isn’t a perfect matchup to stream corner but it’s still pretty good, if you’re in a deeper league and have fewer options to stream from this matchup is still a better option than most.

    Avoid: This matchup will likely be terrible to stream corner from, due to anything from a god awful opposing quarterback who can’t complete passes to a banged up wide receiver corps or even a run first offense like the 2019 Ravens were there’s something that makes this a bad matchup to stream corners from, avoid if possible. However there may be specific corners who get a “solid” in an otherwise “avoid” matchup simply due to their talent and ability to make plays in all aspects of the defense (see Marlon Humphrey, he always starts, doesn't matter who's in town).

     

    Perfect Stream: This is one of the best matchups this week. I will be streaming from these matchups in my own leagues almost exclusively.

     

     

     

    Poop stream: This is one of the worst matchups this week. I will very likely have zero corners from this matchup streaming anywhere.

     

     

     

     


    ***There will be games where I don't recommend streaming from one team or another but still have someone listed as solid despite that, in those situations it's talent over matchup. Tre'Davious White (CB) might be up against the leagues worst passing attack but at the end of the day he's still Tre'Davious White (CB) so I'd start him if I didn't have any better options***

    ***Week one is especially difficult to make good calls on since we're going off training camp reports, preseason snaps and beat writer info and that's it. I will be erring on the side of caution for week one, there will be exponentially more corners I feel comfortable making calls on from week two onwards.***

    ***Week one information taken from unofficial team depth charts from team websites, ourlads.com and any tidbits I could find from beat writers etc***

    Shout out to @djkelltown for the suggestion to cross reference with overall team targets at WR. There aren't many of us that get into the weeds with the art of streaming CB but @djkelltown is one of them and one of the brightest. Follow him on Twitter for some really advanced stuff and chit chat with a solid gentleman. Much appreciated.


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    @Lanny1925 is the premier Carlton Davis disciple, he saw the future.

    Cowboys @ Bucs

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Outlook: The 8th and 2nd overall passing attacks respectively from last season square off outside in beautiful Tampa Bay in front of the entire nation on opening night. The fact that the Cowboys ended the season as a top ten passing attack even with Dak having been injured early in the season really highlights the weapons on this team and the season he was having prior to that injury.

    That wide receiver corps is the best in the league easily and the Cowboys also had the third highest wide receiver targets as a team last season, great news for Tampa Bay corners all around. On the other side we have Mr. Brady and another excellent wide receiver corps. The Bucs had the 11th most targets for wide receivers last season so good news there as well.

    Both passing defenses are middle of the pack and this game promises to be a shootout of epic proportions. I wouldn't be surprised if this one has the highest over/under for week one. (The third highest behind KC/CLE and GB/NO, both of which are also perfect streams). This matchup along with the other two I just mentioned are where nearly all of my corners are streaming from this week.

    Side note, as a Cowboys fan I can't tell you how excited I am to watch my team get destroyed immediately in week one in front of the entire nation after a pre season filled with the usual hype and blind optimism, that all comes crashing down to earth Thursday week one.

    Dallas Cowboys:

    Trevon Diggs (CB): Ideal

    Anthony Brown (CB): Solid

    Jourdan Lewis (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

    Carlton Davis (CB): Ideal

    Sean Murphy Bunting (CB): Solid

    Ross Cockrell (CB): Avoid, will know more after week one

    Jamel Dean (CB): Avoid, will know more after week one

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    AJ Terrell had an excellent season in 2020 and benefits from playing for a team that ends up in many shoot outs.

    Eagles @ Falcons

    Outlook: The 28th and 5th overall passing attacks square off inside at Atlanta. While last seasons Eagles passing attack was steaming hot garbage they start this season with help at wide receiver from Alabama standout Devonta Smith and will have Jalen Hurts slinging it instead of "Just look at the flowers" Wentz.

    I expect a much better passing attack from the Eagles this season and being in a dome against a team with a bad passing defense (dead last for 2020) that has a really nice passing offense themselves leads me to believe there will be points aplenty here as well. (Over/Under of 48). On the other side the Falcons may be down Julio Jones but they are plus Kyle Pitts and their opponents passing defense is also nothing special, middle of the pack last season.

    The Falcons targeted wide receivers 4th most of any team last season so the Eagles corner options here go from already looking good to looking really good, for the reverse the Eagles were middle of the pack targeting their wide receivers last season but that was with Wentz and minus Devonta Smith or a healthy Jalen Reagor for several games.

    I like this matchup a ton, almost enough to call it a perfect stream, the only couple things holding me back are the same questions we all have with Jalen Hurts and a lack of clarity as to what post-Julio Jones life will look like for this Falcons passing attack. Really good matchup to stream from, not perfect though.

    Philadelphia Eagles:

    Darius Slay (CB): Solid

    Avonte Maddox (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Steven Nelson (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Atlanta Falcons:

    AJ Terrell (CB): Solid

    Fabian Moreau (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Kendall Sheffield (CB): Avoid, will know more after week one

    Isaiah Oliver (CB): Avoid, will know more after week one

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    With all the uncertainty at corner between these two teams this week the JackRabbit, now a Titan, seems the best option

    Cardinals @ Titans

    Outlook: Surprisingly neither of these teams were in the top half of the league for passing offense last season which is shocking with players like AJ Brown and DeAndre Hopkins around, regardless both teams are more than capable of airing it out, both quarterbacks are solid borderline excellent and both wide receiver corps improved in the offseason.

    Neither pass defense was excellent and while the Cardinals targeted their wide receivers quite a bit last season the Titans were in the bottom half of the league for 2020 in that area, Jackrabbit looking better and better this week.

    With an over/under of 52.5 Vegas thinks shootout, can't argue there. But factoring in the uncertainty for Cardinals corners with the sudden retirement of Malcolm Butler and Patrick Peterson leaving for Minnesota in the offseason and some of the same in Tennessee with Adoree Jackson and Malcolm Butler exiting in that same offseason I think we can probably just go with Jenkins and Murphy in this one in most places and leave the rest, we'll see how it looks going into week two.

    This is a really nice matchup but there are a lot of questions about who's playing and how much that won't be answered until after this week so despite a likely shootout I'm not recommending much beyond the couple we know are locked in.

    Arizona Cardinals:

    Byron Murphy (CB): Solid

    Robert Alford (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    All others: Avoid, will know more week two

    Tennessee Titans:

    Janoris Jenkins (CB): Solid

    Kristian Fulton (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    All others: Avoid, will know more week two

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    Will the Bills embarrass the Steelers again week one? Is water wet? Is fantasy Twitter littered with useless engagement farmers?  These are the questions of our time.

    Steelers @ Bills

    Outlook: Last seasons version of this game was the first of many late season embarrassing nails in the coffin for the Steelers and was a defensive struggle for most of the game. The current Over/Under is listed at 48.5 so Vegas thinks there will be more points and likely a closer game this time around, I don't know how much I buy that but on paper this does look promising. The 15th and 3rd ranked passing offenses from last season respectively face off in Buffalo weeks before weather is an issue there, thank God for small favors.

    The Steelers pass defense was ranked 3rd last season but the Bills were able to carve it up regardless and as for the Bills they ended the season middle of the pack for passing defense so this one could go either way, points aplenty or defensive struggle. The factor that pushes this into one of the better streams this week overall is that these teams ranked first and second overall respectively in wide receivers targeted for all of last season, great news for both cornerback corps.

    This could be a terrific game to stream corner from but since it just as easily could be a 10-7 affair so I'm beyond hesitant to come even close to calling it a perfect stream. I would target this one in deeper leagues, dynasty and whatnot, there are better places to stream from this week that feel safer.

    Pittsburgh Steelers:

    Joe Haden (CB): Solid

    Cameron Sutton (CB): Solid

    Justin Layne (CB): Avoid

    James Pierre (CB): Avoid

    Akhello Witherspoon (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

    Buffalo Bills:

    Tre'Davious White (CB): Solid

    Taron Johnson (CB): Solid

    Levi Wallace (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

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    Patrick Peterson joins the Vikings this season and immediately gives their secondary an upgrade.

    Vikings @ Bengals

    Outlook: The 14th and 27th ranked passing attacks from last season go to battle and we get not only the return of Mr. Burrow but the addition of Jamar Chase to an already excellent Bengals passing attack. Last season they were top ten while Joe Burrow was at the helm, sadly after his injury the drop off was sudden and significant.

    Neither pass defense is good at all, middle to end of the pack for both, and weather shouldn't be a factor yet. Vegas expects many points with an Over/Under of 48 and I tend to agree, this one could be a shootout and be a blessing for many fantasy teams in week one. The Bengals targeted their wide receivers 5th most of any team last season which is further good news for the Vikings corners however the Vikings only targeted theirs 23rd most in 2020 which doesn't bode well for the Bengals corners.

    Factor in the fact that the Bengals were ranked 28th against the run last season and this one could have Dalvin Cook monster week written all over it. I would be interested in the Vikings corners here, the Bengals not so much. One half of a good matchup won't cut the cheese for a perfect stream, decent matchup not great.

    Minnesota Vikings:

    Patrick Peterson (CB): Solid

    Bashaud Breeland (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Cameron Dantzler (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

    Mackenzie Alexander (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

    Cincinnati Bengals:

    Mike Hilton (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Chidobe Awuzie (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Trae Waynes (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

    Eli Apple (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

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    Jeff Okudah is one of the few bright spots on the Lions and could be an excellent streaming option this season.

    San Francisco @ Detroit

    Outlook: While the Lions did have the 10th best passing attack last season that ship sailed with Mr. Stafford to Los Angeles, the 49ers have always been a run first, second and last team that was middle of the pack for passing last season but could put up some fireworks in week one against a 30th ranked Lions pass defense (2020).

    On the other side of things the 49ers had the 4th best pass defense last season sans Nick Bosa and many other key defensive starters at different points of the season, they are healthy and ready to absolutely annihilate the Lions week one in what should be the lock of the week and what is currently the most popular week one survivor league pick nationwide (nearly 25% of all survivor league players have selected the 49ers in week one). Neither team targeted their wide receivers all that often last season, the 49ers likely won't have to all that much to win this week and the Lions don't have any wide receivers.

    The Over/Under of 45.5 is one of the lower point totals this week and my guess is the vast majority of those 45.5 points will land under the 49ers section of the box score. This has all the makings of a blood bath with San Francisco dominating time of possession and not having to pass much at all so beyond Okudah I have zero interest in the Lions corners, as for the other end of things I believe there is some value in the 49ers corners this week since odds are good the Lions will be in a hole early, often and forced to try and pass their way out of it all game long. One half of a decent matchup, there are better options elsewhere.

    Trying to figure out who those 49ers corners will be with this new look unit week one is a different story, couldn't tell you. Below is what the current prediction is based off the information available.

    San Francisco 49ers:

    Emmanuel Moseley (CB): Avoid, contradictory information on the starter at this CB slot

    Thomas Ambry (CB): Avoid, contradictory information on the starter at this CB slot

    Jason Verrett (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    K'Waun Williams (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Detroit Lions:

    Jeff Okudah (CB): Solid

    Amani Oruwariye (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    No earthly idea who will be on the field besides these two, will know more week two

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    For an inconsistent IDP position overall this is one man who bucks that norm. Mr. Reliable.

    Seattle @ Indianapolis

    Outlook: The 16th and 11th ranked respectively (2020) passing offenses face off inside at Indy. The Colts passing rank is a mirage though, those were laser face numbers, it's Carson Wentz's team now and he's been awful since that Philly Super Bowl run years back.

    TY Hilton is banged up and it's slim pickings beyond him in terms of non running back weapons. The only saving grace for the Colts is that the Seahawks passing defense was 31st in the league last season and hasn't improved much on paper since then. On the other end the Seahawks had a truly roller coaster season in 2020 in terms of passing offense, they started red hot and let Russ cook and cooled down as the season progressed.

    They face a middle of the pack Colts passing defense that is more than capable of slowing things down to a crawl if everything lines up right, the talent is there all over this defense so it's a possibility for sure. With a 48.5 Over/Under it looks like Vegas expects a shoot out, both teams were middle of the pack in regards to targeting their wide receivers.

    That's a lot of uncertainty when I read all that. This could be a really solid shoot out or it could be a defensive affair with the Colts trying to run and play defense and take the air out of this one. It's not a lock so it's not perfect. Decent option here, stream the studs in deeper leagues and leave the rest.

    Seattle Seahawks:

    DJ Reed (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Tre Flowers (CB): Avoid, contradictory information on the starter at this CB slot

    Sidney Jones (CB): Avoid

    Tre Brown (CB): Avoid, contradictory information on the starter at this CB slot

    Indianapolis Colts:

    Kenny Moore (CB): Ideal

    Xavier Rhodes (CB): Solid

    TJ Carrie (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

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    One of my favorites and one half of the excellent Fuller brothers.

    Los Angeles @ Washington

    Outlook: The 6th and 25th (2020) ranked passing offenses square off outside in Washington, still too early for weather shenanigans but I'd still prefer a dome whenever possible. And while the Chargers passing attack was excellent last season the Redskins pass defense was even better, second overall in the league last year with everyone back healthy and ready to roll.

    The Chargers finished the 2020 season with the 9th overall passing defense so they aren't too bad either at all, and while the Washington passing attack was beyond awful last season they benefit from a little Fitzmagic to start off this season. This one is tough, two passing offenses that could put up some yards but two really solid passing defenses as well.

    Vegas thinks this more a defensive struggle with the 44.5 Over/Under, one of the lowest for week one, and neither team was in the upper echelon for targeting their wide receivers, middle of the pack for both. Too many factors pointing towards a lower scoring defensive struggle here for my liking, start the studs in deeper leagues and leave the rest, avoid entirely if in a shallower league with more options available each week to stream corner from. Decent matchup overall, not great by any means.

    Los Angeles Chargers:

    Michael Davis (CB): Solid

    Chris Harris Jr (CB): Solid

    Asante Samuel Jr (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

    Te'Vaughn Campbell (CB): Avoid

    Washington Football Team:

    Kendall Fuller (CB): Solid

    William Jackson (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    All others: Avoid, will know more week two

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    Most definitely a man to keep an eye on this season, could be an excellent option for years to come.

    New York @ Carolina

    Outlook: The 31st and 18th (2020) ranked passing offenses do battle in Carolina, which should be fine weather-wise, in a possible revenge game for Sam Darnold. Neither pass defense was all that good last season, 28th and 18th respectively so no worries there.

    New quarterbacks for both teams so we can take the middle of the pack targeting of wide receivers for both squads with a grain of salt. Vegas thinks this will be one of the lower scoring games in week one with the 44.5 Over/Under but I tend to disagree, I think Carolina at the minimum will be able to score plenty this week and the Jets should be able to complete some passes as well.

    The Jets were dead last in time of possession last season and their defense hasn't improved in any real appreciable manner, Jets corners will make a good option simply because availability is the best ability, they'll likely lose the time of possession battle and be on the field a good amount which can't hurt. As for Panthers corners I'm hesitant starting any of them against a rookie in his first ever real NFL game but Horn and Jackson could be decent options in much deeper leagues.

    Perfectly acceptable matchup for streaming in much deeper, more degenerate leagues, but in shallower places there are much better options to stream from this week.

    New York Jets:

    Bryce Hall (CB): Solid

    Javelin Guidry (CB): Solid

    Brandin Echols (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

    Carolina Panthers:

    Donte Jackson (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Jaycee Horn (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    All others: Avoid, will know more week two

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    The only good news here is Jacksonville finally has a solid option at corner, welcome Mr. Griffin.

    Jacksonville @ Houston

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Outlook: If you had been in a coma since last January and just woke up now this might have looked like a promising matchup to stream from, unfortunately a lot has changed since then. The 4th ranked Texans passing offense from 2020 is now led by Tyrod Taylor (Maybe? I think? Who cares?) instead of Deshaun Watson so we can go ahead and completely ignore that.

    The Jaguars start a true rookie in his first ever NFL game against a passing defense that was pretty bad last season and didn't improve this offseason but it's still a rookie so I'm hesitant to start any Texans corners. For Jags corners same deal different problem, whether it's Tyrod Taylor or whoever else plays quarterback there with Watson sidelined I still find it hard to be confident that passes will be completed or attempted as much as we need them to be for ideal streaming.

    Both teams were middle of the pack in targeting their wide receivers last season but once again the offenses will look completely different with new quarterbacks at the helm. Vegas thinks this will be a lower scoring affair with a 44.5 Over/Under and I would bet the under on that if I were forced to make a call one way or the other. Lots of uncertainty, bad quarterback play, no real stars at wide receiver are the bad news with the only real good news being both pass defenses are end of the pack bad in regards to last seasons ranking.

    On top of all that this matchup right here is probably (along with the Patriots CB situation) the one I have the least confidence in even picking which corners will play enough to be relevant this week. Too many negative factors and not enough good ones, this right here is a poopy stream. Avoid if possible.

    Jacksonville Jaguars:

    Tre Herndon (CB): Avoid

    Shaq Griffin (CB): Avoid

    All others: Avoid, will know more week two, matchup is crap anyways.

    Houston Texans:

    Desmond King (CB): Avoid

    Terrance Mitchell (CB): Avoid

    Vernon Hargreaves (CB): Avoid

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    This is a beyond juicy matchup for an already excellent and productive young phenom. This is the way.

    Cleveland @ Kansas City

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Outlook: While the Browns only had the 24th best passing attack last season that was sans Big Dump Premium number two overall pick Odell Beckham Jr for the majority of the season and Mr. Mayfield has shown he's capable of slinging it in recent years, they will absolutely need to if they want to keep up with last seasons number one overall passing attack in the Chiefs.

    Both passing defenses were middle of the pack nothing special and Vegas has this one at 53 for an Over/Under which is the highest total for week one, they think this will be a shootout and I tend to agree. Neither team targeted their wide receivers all that much last season, Cleveland in particular with their 30th overall 2020 ranking in that department, however once again that was without the BDP star Beckham, having him back in the fold commands targets simply because he'll lose his mind if they don't and regardless they're going to have to throw early and often to keep up in this one I reckon.

    This is my second favorite matchup to stream from overall this week and I have Denzel Ward going in almost every single cornerback required league I'm in, paired with Carlton Davis or Trevon Diggs in many of them. I love Cleveland's corners in this one and would be perfectly fine with going with Kansas City's in deeper leagues as well. Perfect stream.

    Cleveland Browns:

    Denzel Ward (CB): Ideal

    Troy Hill (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Greedy Williams (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Greg Newsome (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

    Kansas City Chiefs:

    L'Jarius Sneed (CB): Solid

    Chavarious Ward (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Mike Hughes (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

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    While another stellar season is likely in the books for Mr. Howard it probably won't start off well against a dumpster fire Pats passing offense.

    Miami @ New England

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Outlook: The 30th and 20th (2020) overall passing offenses square off outside in New England with a pair of inexperienced quarterbacks facing legit defenses on either side. I don't know about you all but I remember Tua's 2020 season, those stat lines were terrible and a suspended Will Fuller, rookie Alabama receiver and always hobbled Devante Parker aren't enough to change that for me, as for the Patriots while I do believe that Mac Jones is the future I highly doubt he'll come out the gate with a Justin Herbert like rookie season for his passing numbers.

    Rookies really don't light up the box score their first season all that often, Herbert's 2020 was the exception not the norm and Mac Jones doesn't have Keenan Allen and Mike Williams either, he has two mediocre tight ends and a bunch of hot garbage at wide receiver. Vegas has this at 44 exactly as the Over/Under so they think it will be a lower scoring affair as well. Neither team was in the top half of the league for targeting wide receivers either in 2020.

    This will be a run and play defense black and blue type game, that would be my bet if I had to make one. Besides there are many other much better places to stream from this week. I get it though, if we're talking crazy deep dynasty leagues Xavien Howard is doable, Byron Jones as well if a deep enough league, and on the Pats side with no Gilmore to start the season it may be tough to even figure out who they're starting this week so I'm avoiding them entirely no matter what kind of league we're talking. Pass, poopy stream.

    Miami Dolphins:

    Xavien Howard (CB): Solid

    Byron Jones (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Justin Coleman (CB): Avoid

    All others: Avoid

    New England Patriots:

    JC Jackson (CB): Avoid

    Jalen Mills (CB): Avoid

    Jonathan Jones (CB): Avoid

    Embed from Getty Images

    Mr. Alexander starts the season with a possible shootout with the return of Fire and Forget Winston across the field.

    Green Bay @ New Orleans

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Outlook: The 9th and 19th ranked passing offenses from 2020 face off in Jacksonville due to the hurricane.

    The Saints 19th ranked passing attack from last season is a deceiving stat because it was Taysom Hill at the helm for a good portion of that, this season we get "Fire and Forget" Winston for week one at least, and man does he air it out. Both pass defenses are solid, 5th and 7th respectively in 2020 but these teams also played each other last season and there were plenty of points so I tend to agree with Vegas here, who has this Over/Under at 50, one of the highest totals for the week.

    This has all the makings of a shootout and while neither team was special in 2020 for targeting their wide receivers, middle of the pack for both, the change at quarterback for the Saints and the Packers finally drafting a wide receiver with decent draft capital plus the return of one of Rodgers favorites, Randall Cobb, are all positive factors here. I like it a lot, overall third favorite place to stream from this week behind Dallas/Tampa Bay and Cleveland/KC. Perfect stream.

    Green Bay Packers:

    Jaire Alexander (CB): Solid

    Kevin King (CB): Solid

    Eric Stokes (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

    Chandon Sullivan (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

    New Orleans Saints:

    Marshon Lattimore (CB): Solid

    Ken Crawley (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Paulson Adebo (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

    Embed from Getty Images

    While you all know I LOVE James Bradberry I do not love his week one matchup.

    Denver @ New York

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Outlook: The 26th and 30th (2020) ranked passing attacks featuring extremely boring and bland quarterbacks face off outside in New York week one. Both pass defenses were middle of the pack but both teams should be better and healthier in the secondary (addition of Fuller, Surtain for Denver, addition of Jackson & healthy McKinney for New York) so I would move that more towards the better end of things in my brain box.

    Vegas thinks only 42.5 points will be scored here, I believe that is the lowest Over/Under week one, and I tend to agree. This will be a boring defensive struggle with completed or accurate passing being harder to come by than a morning without bubble guys after eating Chipotle. Neither team was in the top half of the league for targeting their wide receivers and Teddy Bridgewater or Daniel Jones aren't the first names that come to mind when you think of quarterbacks that are able to move the ball down the field consistently to their wide receivers.

    It's unfortunate because there are many of our favorite corners to stream between these two defenses, James Bradberry, Kyle Fuller, Logan Ryan and I'm sure many a new & inexperienced IDP player will start Patrick Surtain this week with expectations of CB1 production. Sure it could happen but the factors we look at to find ideal streams are all missing from this one, I'll be passing on this poopy stream, however in much deeper leagues I can't argue with starting the studs here and hoping it works out.

    Denver Broncos:

    Kyle Fuller (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Ronald Darby (CB): Avoid

    Patrick Surtain (CB): Avoid, will know more week two

    New York Giants:

    James Bradberry (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Adoree Jackson (CB): Avoid

    Logan Ryan (CB/S): Solid (Deeper leagues) if designated CB

    All others: Avoid

    Embed from Getty Images

    Jalen Ramsey is always capable of a nice week in the land of streaming, the quarterback across from him is the issue this week.

    Chicago @ Los Angeles

    Outlook: While I am very much looking forward to this game and fully expect the Rams to obliterate the Bears on national television I am not as into it for streaming corner purposes in week one. This is half of a good matchup. Both passing offenses were middle of the pack last season but with the addition of Stafford to the Rams I would be interested in the Bears corners this week, the Bears middle of the pack pass defense (now minus Kyle Fuller) won't be an obstacle at all.

    If we can figure out the starters and full time guys on the Bears I'm all aboard in medium to deeper leagues. As for the reverse the Rams first ranked (2020) pass defense did lose a couple pieces in their secondary but still should have plenty enough firepower to destroy Andy Dalton's week one plans. The Bears don't have much for offensive weapons and Dalton has never been a gunslinger. There likely won't be enough passing production from Chicago for the Rams corners to be useful this week.

    Vegas thinks this will be a low scoring game with a 44.5 Over/Under and while both teams were in the top ten for targeting their wide receivers last season that still doesn't move the needle for me beyond my current call, stream the Bears corners and pass on the Rams corners in week one. Should be fun to watch the reigning defensive player of the year (and far better player than TJ Watt) Aaron Donald wreck havoc in this one as well. Great matchup for fans of Stafford or the Rams, mediocre for streaming corner purposes.

    Chicago Bears:

    Jaylon Johnson (CB): Solid

    Kindle Vildor (CB): Solid

    All others: Avoid

    Los Angeles Rams:

    Darious Williams (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    Jalen Ramsey (CB): Solid (Deeper leagues)

    All others: Avoid

    Embed from Getty Images

    While Marlon Humphrey is great Marcus Peters is almost as great and shares cost a fraction of the price.

    Baltimore @ Las Vegas

    Outlook: The 32nd and 7th (2020) ranked passing attacks end week one in the death star in Las Vegas. The Raiders pass defense is bad, end of the pack for 2020 bad and hasn't improved much in the off season but even in conjunction with the Dobbins injury I still plan on passing on the Raiders corners this week simply due to the Ravens offensive style.

    On the other side we had a 6th ranked Ravens pass defense with two of my absolute favorite corners to stream in one place with Peters and Humphrey, and while this defense could definitely slow down the Raiders the sharks in Vegas have this one at 51.5 for an Over/Under so they expect plenty of points. Unfortunately those points are likely to come from the tight end and running back positions as these teams were 31st and 32nd in targeting their wide receivers last season.

    So despite the odds being good that there will be some scoring here the other factors point at positions other than wide receiver scoring said points. I would still be comfortable with Peters or Humphrey because I'm always comfortable with them, they're both excellent, but beyond that there isn't a ton to see here in this one. Decent matchup overall, nothing special though, plenty of other better options this week.

    Baltimore Ravens:

    Marcus Peters (CB): Solid

    Marlon Humphrey (CB): Solid

    All others: Avoid

    Las Vegas Raiders:

    Casey Hayward (CB): Avoid

    Tre'Von Mullen (CB): Avoid

    Nate Hobbs (CB): Avoid


    ***Pretty hilarious the two teams that don't have their unofficial depth charts out at the time of writing were the Lions and Jaguars, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but neither team is going anywhere but the toilet this season, it's not a national secret gentlemen.***


    Remember to check inactives before kickoff to avoid any surprise zeroes! The information here is usually only accurate up until Thursday evening each week, then it gets published and I won't be editing and updating with any injury news that occurs after that point, it's your responsibility to track injuries for your own team. Good luck this week!

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    Johny The Greek

    Non-delusional Cowboys Fan. Been playing Fantasy since 2003, IDP since 2004 and watching football for 35 years. Being a firm believer in "you should know if the person you're taking advice from actually knows or wins anything" I'd like to present exhibit A: I have a diamond rating in Yahoo (976) with 29 plus titles in redraft/dynasty across Yahoo, Sleeper, Fantrax and MFL and an additional 57 plus 2nd/3rd place in redraft/dynasty, same platforms. I also play in and have won several all-IDP leagues. I started playing FanDuel with a free entry and have won almost a grand since. I've also won many leagues on the draft app (RIP Draft App, we miss you) and play the maximum number of free college fantasy leagues on Yahoo every year as well with 3 titles and 9 trophies in just two years of playing before Yahoo discontinued those leagues. My profile includes multiple titles in survivor and pick em leagues as well. I was a finalist in the 2021/22 IDP Guys Invitational and the best ball tournament. Also a MFL & Sleeper best ball & eliminator degenerate with many titles there as well. I just started playing All-22 this season and I would bet the mortgage I'll be good at that too. (Update, I did fine, 9-5 first season and made playoffs). What does all that mean? Nothing except when I do something I tend to overdo it. I have been at this for a long time though so I'll help you with your IDP roster and questions however I can whenever I can. I write a weekly streaming IDP corners article (Johny The Greek's Cornerbacks Corner) and whatever I feel like in the offseason. You can find me @OrangeMan3142 on Twitter. Feel free to reach out for any questions or just to talk some football. Check out my articles on Friday mornings all season long. And new this season and going forward stick around for "Johny The Greek's Free Real Estate" where I interview the best and brightest from FF Twitter, and by that I mean the interesting people who actually help you win and not the useless engagement farmers. I am not an "analyst" I'm just a crazy person/degenerate who has been doing this a long time, has been pretty good at it and is dialed in because I have to be to not sound like an idiot writing all these articles and doing all these shows. My style is straightforward & conversational, IDP isn't complicated and you're not trying to win an argument on Twitter you're trying to win your league. Come join me weekly in season for Johny the Greek's Cornerbacks Corner, where we look at the fine art that is streaming corners or finding ways to maximize your production from your CB slots each week. Also in season check out the IDP Pros Podcast on SGPN network. I hope you enjoyed the article. Let us praise our Messiah Babu Frik and give worship to Baby Yoda. Jimmy G would make a fine husband. Thanks for reading. -Johny the Greek-

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