Fantasy Football Wide Receivers: 3 cornerbacks to target in 2024

• Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson: Stevenson is Chicago’s weakest defensive link.

• Washington Commanders cornerback Benjamin St. Juste: St. Juste is perhaps the NFL’s worst starting perimeter cornerback.

• Get a head start on fantasy football: Use PFF's fantasy football mock draft simulator to create real live mock draft simulations to prepare for your live draft!

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Identifying exploitable NFL cornerbacks is crucial in making week-to-week lineup decisions but identifying these players well in advance can give fantasy managers an advantage even in drafts. Drafting wide receivers who play in soft divisions or face weak opponents late in the year can give one a season-long leg up. The article below breaks down three NFL cornerbacks who should be targeted for fantasy purposes in 2024. Wide receivers facing the NFC North’s Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers stand to benefit immensely.

CB Tyrique Stevenson, Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears boast a talented, ascending pass defense but second-year perimeter cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, shakily backed by rotating free safeties, is an easily exploited defender. His 60.1 PFF defense ranks 44th among 63 NFL cornerbacks with at least 700 defensive snaps.

Stevenson’s 2023 rookie season performance fell dreadfully short of his second-round 2023 NFL draft capital. 

Stevenson’s perimeter coverage data among 64 NFL perimeter cornerbacks with at least 320 perimeter coverage snaps:

Stevenson will most likely primarily face the opposition’s No. 2 perimeter wide receiver, but Chicago’s 2023 second-team All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson was rarely assigned shadow coverage last year, suggesting this is not a given. While Johnson likely faces the opposition’s No. 1 perimeter wide receiver on at least a plurality of snaps, last year’s trend creates the possibility that No. 1 wide receivers will also receive ample opportunities against Stevenson. 

Chicago’s front office signed free agent safeties Kevin Byard and Jonathan Owens to sidekick tight end-coverage specialist, strong safety Jaquan Brisker. Neither player offers Stevenson much help.

Among 65 NFL safeties with at least 350 coverage snaps, Byard ranks outside the top 50 in catch rate allowed (79.7%), forced incompletion rate (1.7%) and yards allowed per coverage snap (0.73). His 68.0 PFF coverage grade ties for 28th. Owens’ 59.6 PFF coverage grade ranks 52nd.

Among 34 NFL safeties with at least 90 tight end-coverage snaps, Brisker’s 0.58 yards allowed per coverage snap ranks sixth-best. 

Stevenson is a perimeter cornerback to target in 2024.

CB Keisean Nixon, Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers veteran slot cornerback Keisean Nixon enters his third season with the team, providing fantasy managers with sufficient data to target him as early as Week 1. His 60.0 PFF defense ranks 45th among 63 NFL cornerbacks with at least 700 defensive snaps.

Nixon’s 2023 slot-coverage data among 34 NFL slot-defensive backs with at least 200 slot-coverage snaps:

Nixon’s largely failed to improve from 2022-to-2023. In the prior season, he was targeted at a 17.2% rate, allowed an 80.0% catch rate, 1.55 yards per coverage snap, a 2.8% explosive pass plays allowed rate and produced just a 4.0% forced incompletion rate. He earned a 55.4 PFF slot-coverage grade. 

At 27 years old, Nixon is unlikely to suddenly become a reliable starter. Expect opponents to view him as a far more friendly defender than Green Bay’s No. 1 cornerback Jaire Alexander, who earned a 78.6 PFF coverage grade in 2023. Nixon is a cornerback to target in 2024.

CB Benjamin St-Juste, Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders defense possesses solid personnel groupings, but the perimeter cornerback unit makes a strong case for the league’s absolute worst. Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste edges out teammate Emmanuel Forbes as the headliner, but both players are included in the breakdown. St-Juste’s 59.9 PFF defense grade ranks 46th among 63 NFL cornerbacks with at least 700 defensive snaps.

Washington lost 2023 No. 1 cornerback Kendall Fuller this offseason and the front office made a half-hearted attempt to bolster depth by signing Los Angeles Chargers castoff Michael Davis, whose 56.6 PFF perimeter coverage grade sits outside the top 55, ranked among 64 NFL perimeter cornerbacks with at least 320 perimeter coverage snaps, as does his 1.51 yards allowed per coverage snap. Fuller’s 83.1 PFF perimeter coverage grade conversely ranks 10th.

St. Juste and Forbes’ 2023 perimeter coverage data among 73 NFL perimeter cornerbacks with at least 280 perimeter-coverage snaps:

Washington’s safeties offer inconsistent support.

Free safety Darrick Forrest is a budding talent, ranking 12th in yards allowed per coverage snap (0.31) among 107 NFL safeties with at least 135 coverage snaps. He is still developing though, as evidenced by his 58.4 PFF coverage grade, which ranks 81st.

Free agent signee, box safety Jeremy Chinn has spent time on injured reserve in each of the last two seasons with thigh and hamstring strains, which can recur. His 1.21 yards allowed per coverage snap ranks 103rd and his 48.3 PFF coverage grade ranks 102nd.

Washington’s talentless perimeter coverage unit is the unit target for fantasy purposes in 2024.