• Dallas Cowboys slot receiver CeeDee Lamb (86.5 PFF receiving grade): He is set for liftoff against Indianapolis Colts backup slot cornerback Tony Brown (43.8 PFF coverage grade).

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers slot receiver Chris Godwin (74.0 PFF receiving grade): He has a cake-walk matchup versus New Orleans Saints slot cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (47.6 PFF coverage grade).

• Cincinnati Bengals slot receiver Tyler Boyd (72.0 PFF receiving grade): He is an avoid versus Kansas City Chiefs slot cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (82.4 PFF coverage grade).

Estimated Reading Time: 13 mins

Welcome to Week 13 of the 2022 NFL season. The sections below highlight five players to target and five to avoid with data gleaned from PFF’s WR/CB matchup chart.

5 WR/CB MATCHUPS TO TARGET

WR CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys vs. CB Tony Brown, Indianapolis Colts

• Dallas boasts a sky-high 27.25-point implied team total versus Indianapolis.
• PFF’s OL/DL matchup chart projects Dallas for a 23.0% pass-blocking matchup advantage rating over Indianapolis’ defensive line, seventh-best on the week.
• As detailed in the Top-Five WR vs. CB matchups to Target & Avoid: Week 12 piece, Indianapolis’ stud cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore (73.0 PFF coverage grade) and Isaiah Rodgers (87.5 PFF coverage grade) cover the slot on less than 10.0% of snaps. The trend held true in Week 12.
• Indianapolis slot cornerback Kenny Moore II (46.3 PFF coverage grade) exited Week 12 with a shin injury and will be out for at least one week.
• Journeyman Tony Brown (43.8 PFF coverage grade) replaced Moore for the final two snaps of last week’s game and is the favorite to start.
• Though Brown is not the team’s only option for slot duties, he is No. 2 on the depth chart and none of Indianapolis’ remaining defensive back backups have even totaled 45 career slot coverage snaps. 
• Brown operated primarily as a slot cornerback in his final three seasons (2015-2017) at Alabama.
• The table below shows Brown’s NFL coverage data from 2018-2020. His two total snaps in 2021 and 2022 have been excluded.

• Among 113 NFL cornerbacks with at least 150 coverage snaps in 2022, only Brown’s 2020 and 2018 catch-rate-allowed figures would rank inside the position’s top 48. Ten of Brown’s 15 data points ranked outside the position’s top 90.
• Dallas No. 1 wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (86.5 PFF receiving grade) has run 58.0% of his routes lined up in the slot pre-snap. 
• The table below ranks Lamb’s slot receiving data in parentheses among 31 NFL wide receivers with at least 25 slot targets. “No. 1” represents the position’s best performance.

• Lamb has developed into a complete No. 1 wide receiver, boasting a versatile 40.1% out-wide rate. The table below ranks Lamb’s perimeter receiving data in parentheses among 64 NFL wide receivers with at least 25 targets when lined up out wide. 

WR Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints vs. CB Carlton Davis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• New Orleans garners an 18.5-point implied team total at Tampa Bay, and rookie phenom wide receiver Chris Olave (84.5 PFF receiving grade) is set to face all three of the Buccaneers' starting cornerbacks on Monday night. 
• PFF’s OL/DL matchup chart projects New Orleans for an 18.0% pass-blocking matchup advantage rating over Tampa Bay’s defensive line, tied for seventh best in Week 13.
• Olave’s pre-snap alignments feature a 41.4% wide-right plurality followed by a 32.3% slot rate and a 26.1% wide-left rate. 
• Olave’s wide-right lean will lead to a bout with the league’s best wide-right cornerback, Jamel Dean (85.2 PFF wide-right-coverage grade, No. 1 among NFL cornerbacks with at least 150 wide-right coverage snaps).
• Olave’s majority snap share will come against lesser coverage defenders wide-left cornerback Carlton Davis (62.5 PFF wide-left-coverage grade) and slot cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (51.4 slot-coverage grade). 
• The table below ranks Olave’s receiving data among 54 NFL wide receivers with at least 50 targets. 

• Olave’s PFF receiving grade, targets per route run rate and yards per route run rate are No. 1 among qualifying rookie wide receivers.
• The table below ranks Davis’ wide-left coverage data in parentheses among 52 NFL cornerbacks with at least 100 wide-left coverage snaps and Murphy-Bunting’s slot-coverage data in parentheses among 42 NFL cornerbacks with at least 70 slot coverage snaps.

WR Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. CB Chris Harris Jr., New Orleans Saints

• Tampa Bay has a 22.0-point implied team total versus New Orleans.
• Tampa Bay’s injury-plagued offensive line took another hit in Week 12, losing 2021 All-Pro right tackle Tristan Wirfs (90.0 PFF pass-blocking grade) to a multi-week high ankle sprain.
• PFF’s OL/DL matchup chart gives Tampa Bay a slight 11.0% pass-blocking matchup advantage rating versus New Orleans.
• Slot receiver Chris Godwin’s (74.0 PFF receiving grade) nine targets when quarterback Tom Brady (77.8 PFF coverage grade) is under pressure, as well as Godwin’s 39 targets when Brady throws the ball in less than two seconds, lead the Tampa Bay wide receiver corps.
• Godwin runs 74.1% of his routes from the slot.
• New Orleans slot cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (47.6 PFF coverage grade), now in his 12th season, has a 100% slot snap rate. 
• The table below ranks target-hog Godwin’s slot-receiving data in parentheses among 31 NFL wide receivers with at least 25 slot-receiving targets.

• The table below ranks the lackluster Harris Jr.’s slot coverage data in parentheses among NFL cornerbacks with at least 100 slot coverage snaps.

• The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Godwin should dominate the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Harris Jr. with his elite contested catch rate.

WR Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers vs. CB Xavien Howard, Miami Dolphins

• San Francisco boasts a beefy 25.25-point implied team total.
• Do-it-all wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (80.3 PFF receiving grade) is taking reps across the formation. A duel with wide-left cornerback Xavien Howard (54.9 PFF coverage grade) is likely, as Aiyuk currently registers a 39.4% wide-left plurality. 
• San Francisco No. 1 wide receiver Deebo Samuel (quadriceps) was not seen practicing on Thursday and No. 1 running back Christian McCaffrey is nursing a knee injury. 
• The table below ranks Aiyuk’s receiving data in parentheses among 57 NFL wide receivers with at least 50 targets. 

• Miami’s current starting cornerback trio consists of wide-left cornerback Howard, wide-right cornerback Keion Crossen (46.4 PFF coverage grade) and slot cornerback Kader Kohou (77.1 PFF coverage grade). The table below ranks the perimeter cornerbacks’ coverage data in parentheses among NFL cornerbacks with at least 60 coverage snaps according to each man’s respective out-wide side. It also ranks Kohou’s slot coverage data in parentheses among 37 NFL cornerbacks with at least 100 slot coverage snaps.

• Aiyuk’s target-earning and after-the-catch abilities will be a problem for Howard and Crossen. He should also be able to take advantage of Kohou’s charitable yardage donations.

WR Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts vs. CB DaRon Bland, Dallas Cowboys

• Indianapolis at Dallas features a moderate 44.5-point implied team total. 
• Indianapolis slot wide receiver Parris Campbell (61.6 PFF receiving grade) has run 85.4% of his routes from the slot since Jeff Saturday was named head coach.
• Backup slot cornerback DaRon Bland (59.4 PFF coverage grade) took over after Dallas starter Jourdan Lewis (55.9 PFF coverage grade) suffered a season-ending injury in Week 7. 
• The table below ranks Bland’s bland slot coverage data in parentheses among NFL 37 cornerbacks with at least 100 slot coverage snaps.

• The table below ranks Campbell’s slot receiving data in parentheses among NFL wide receivers with at least five slot targets since Saturday’s arrival.

• Campbell’s run-after-catch, big-play abilities will be difficult for Bland to handle. 

5 WR/CB MATCHUPS TO AVOID

WR Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. CB A.J. Terrell, Atlanta Falcons

• Pittsburgh has a mild 21.5-implied team total at Atlanta.
• Atlanta has employed varying shadow coverage strategies since acquiring cornerback Rashad Fenton (46.1 PFF coverage grade) via trade ahead of Week 9 and getting No. 1 cornerback A.J. Terrell (53.9 PFF coverage grade) back from injured reserve in Week 11. 
• Whether Atlanta issues a specific coverage assignment for wide receiver Diontae Johnson (64.0 PFF receiving grade) remains to be seen. 
• Since Pittsburgh jettisoned third-year wide receiver Chase Claypool (63.6 PFF receiving grade) to the Chicago Bears in Week 9, Johnson has logged a 49.2% wide-right plurality, putting him in line for a right-side showdown with Terrell, who has registered a 55.2% wide-right majority over the past two weeks.
• Johnson runs routes lined up wide-left on 38.7% of snaps and from the slot on 12.1% of snaps. 
• PFF’s WR/CB matchup chart gives Johnson a below-average 36.0 matchup advantage rating versus Terrell, and Johnson failed to earn even a 40.0 matchup advantage grade against primary left-side cornerback Darren Hall (65.7 PFF coverage grade) and upstart slot cornerback Isaiah Oliver (60.3 PFF coverage grade).
• The table below ranks Johnson’s receiving data in parentheses among 45 NFL wide receivers with at least 15 targets in Weeks 10-12.

• The table below ranks Terrell’s coverage data in parentheses among 63 NFL cornerbacks with at least 50 coverage snaps in Weeks 11 and 12.

WR Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals vs. CB L’Jarius Sneed, Kansas City Chiefs

• Cincinnati offers a robust 25.25-implied team total versus Kansas City.
• Cincinnati’s offensive line garnered an unhelpful -11.0% pass-blocking matchup advantage rating in PFF’s OL/DL matchup chart.
• Cincinnati slot receiver Tyler Boyd (72.0 PFF receiving grade) runs 82.2% of his routes from the slot pre-snap.
• Kansas City cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (82.4 PFF coverage grade) has played 67.7% of his coverage snaps in the slot.
• The table below shows Boyd’s two-game receiving data versus Kansas City with Sneed on the roster.

• Boyd’s catch rates mildly make up for low-quality target totals and an abominable yards per route run efficiency.
• The table below ranks Sneed’s 2022 slot coverage data in parentheses among 37 NFL cornerbacks with at least 100 slot coverage snaps. 

WR Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans vs. CB Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns

• Update: Brandin Cooks appeared on Houston’s injury report with a calf injury on Thursday, registering a Limited Participant practice designation. He was unable to practice on Friday and has been ruled out.
• Houston brings a worrying 20.0-point implied team total versus Cleveland. 
• Veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks (68.0 PFF receiving grade) is no longer the clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver in Houston. 
• Second-year wide receiver Nico Collins (71.7 PFF receiving grade) is now running alongside Cooks as a co-No. 1 of sorts. 
• The table below ranks Cooks’ and Collins’ receiving data in parentheses among 52 NFL wide receivers with at least 25 targets between Weeks 7-12.

• PFF’s WR/CB matchup chart projects Cooks to face Cleveland cornerback Denzel Ward (49.4  PFF coverage grade) on 14-of-39 receiving snaps, giving Cooks a below-average 41.8 matchup advantage rating. 
• PFF’s Ian Hartitz notes that Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski has asked Ward to in just three games this year.
• Cooks has run 26.0% of his routes from the slot this year, which puts him in line to face slot cornerback Greg Newsome II (62.7 PFF coverage grade) on at least a quarter of his routes. Newsome took his first step toward clearing the NFL’s concussion protocol Wednesday, registering a “Limited Participant” practice.
• Rookie cornerback Martin Emerson (75.9 PFF coverage grade) is in the midst of a breakout season. 
• With Ward’s shadow status unknown and Cleveland’s secondary playing well overall, Ward and Emerson’s perimeter coverage data, along with Newsome’s slot coverage data, has been ranked in parentheses in the table below. The former players are ranked among NFL cornerbacks with at least 150 perimeter-coverage snaps, and the latter is ranked among NFL cornerbacks with at least 150 slot-coverage snaps.

WR Quez Watkins, Philadelphia Eagles vs. CB Roger McCreary, Tennessee Titans

• Philadelphia versus Tennessee has a moderate 44.5 over/under.
• Philadelphia slot receiver Quez Watkins (59.1 PFF receiving grade) has been the primary beneficiary of tight Dallas Goedert’s (81.2 (PFF receiving grade) Week 10 shoulder injury. Watkins had earned just a 7.5% targets per route run rate in Weeks 1-10. Since Goedert’s injury, he has effectively doubled that rate, producing a 14.9% targets per route run rate in Weeks 11 and 12.
• Watkins owns a 66.7% slot route rate during that span.
• Update: Tennessee slot cornerback Elijah Molden (groin) has been ruled out. The matchup remains an avoid, as Roger McCreary is also a top-tier slot cornerback.
• The scrappy Watkins has a near-impossible task in Week 13 versus Tennessee’s outstanding slot cornerbacks Elijah Molden (66.2 PFF coverage grade) and breakout rookie Roger McCreary (62.9 PFF coverage grade).
• Molden’s second season (active in Weeks 10 and 12) has been slowed by a preseason groin injury, but the promising cornerback has played well in limited action. 
• The table below ranks McCreay and Molden’s slot coverage data in parentheses among 59 NFL cornerbacks with at least 35 slot coverage snaps.

• The table below ranks Watkins’ slot receiving data in parentheses among NFL wide receivers with at least 25 slot-receiving snaps in Weeks 11 and 12.

WR Richie James, New York Giants vs. CB Bobby McCain, Washington Commanders

• New York garnered a 19.0-point implied team total versus Washington.
• Breakout rookie slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson (70.9 PFF receiving grade) suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 11, and backup slot receiver Richie James (68.1 PFF receiving grade) has filled in admirably, posting PPR WR17 results during that span despite a playing through a knee injury of his own.
• James is on track to play after registering a “Limited Participant” designation on Thursday, but the injury is a concern. 
• Washington defensive back Bobby McCain has excelled in his slot coverage role since being moved there from strong safety in Week 8. 
• The table below ranks McCain’s slot coverage data in parentheses among 21 NFL slot defensive backs with at least 75 slot coverage snaps.

• The table below ranks James’ slot-receiving data in parentheses among 31 NFL wide receivers with at least 25 slot targets.