Fantasy Football Week 8 WR/CB Matchups: Ja'Marr Chase Looks Up, DK Metcalf Falls Down

No player will consistently go off, or struggle week in and week out. This is because the matchups differ. Sometimes, this is easily projected on paper and some weeks, it is not. The best we can do is run the numbers for you and try to pull the best possible projections. These are the matchups to appear to be clearly good, or bad for either players. If any player is not listed than we suspect that they have a moderate matchups and can be played with relatively reliable upside.

PROJECTED SHADOW COVERAGES

CeeDee Lamb vs Patrick Surtain II

This is the only projected shadow matchup on the week. It will come at the expense of Lamb. Surtain is very clearly (to me) the best cornerback in the NFL. He plays no shenanigans to draw penalties and he is no one-dimensional. This guy is the real deal and he will make it hard on Lamb. Surtain stands top ten in Fantasy Points Allowed per Route Run, and that says a lot since he is the only one at the top that shadows the best receiver week in and week out.

HIGH-LEVERAGE WR/CB MATCHUPS

Drake London vs Dolphins Secondary

Some things have stood out this year. The Colts are elite on offense. The Cowboys are bad on defense. Well, the Dolphins are also bad on defense and that has stood out with 20/20 vision. Sometimes it is as simple as just knowing that a team is bad and lacks confidence. We know that and so we can expect London to have a nice outing. Michael Penix Jr. is questionable, but even with Kirk Cousins, we like London.

Ja'Marr Chase vs Jets Secondary

After seven weeks, Ja’Marr Chase is…

🏅1st in the NFL in receptions
🏅1st in targets
🥈2nd in receiving yards
🥉3rd in YAC

With three different starting QBs. pic.twitter.com/Ty56OMedu7
— SleeperBengals (@SleeperBengals) October 21, 2025

The Jets have played better on defense, but they still are not good by any means. Sauce Gardner is in concussion protocol and so the backups must step up. We are not going to be scared of Brandon Stephens, Jarvis Brownlee, or Azaraye'h Thomas. Chase will school them with Flacco sending unlimited targets his way.

Courtland Sutton vs Cowboys Secondary

As we alluded to earlier, the Cowboys are awful on defense. I had thought that perhaps they would have been playing better and so I reviewed their past couple games. Well, no, they are still bad. Sutton benefits in a big way against the worst secondary in the league. In fact, Troy Franklin may benefit as well. Sutton has 2-TD upside.

Josh Downs* vs Roger McCreary (Slot)

We first must see Downs get activated from concussion protocol. Good news is that he is expected to be cleared. Downs is among the most underrated receivers in the NFL and I stand by that. Downs has an EPA of 15.3 on the season, which is a very good number, especially for a slot corner with low Average Depth per Reception. We can list all his statistics, but just know that McCreary continues to prove himself among the worst slot cornerbacks in the NFL.

LOW-LEVERAGE WR/CB MATCHUPS

DK Metcalf vs Steelers Secondary

Few players have impressed more than Metcalf has this season. However, he may not impress much in Pittsburgh. The Packers stand as arguably the best coverage defense in the NFL. Green Bay also stands 6th in pass rush win rate. We all know that the key to Rodgers is to rush him. The Packers will come in with some extra energy to stop their former quarterback from winning the game. Maybe they throw it up to Metcalf and have success, but I do not expect it to happen with high probability. If he sees' Keisean Nixon, he is 2nd in the NFL is batted ball rate.

Jauan Jennings vs Texans Secondary

The 49ers have been awesome in their pass game, but this will be their toughest test yet. The Texans are the best pass rush in the NFL which will project to ding up Mac Jones or Brock Purdy. The Texans are also allowing just 179 Passing Yards per Game. Meanwhile, we suspect that Jennings is not yet 100%. This matchup can get physical and difficult for Jennings and all of the 49ers pass catchers.

Deebo Samuel vs Chiefs Secondary

Samuel is another player in a very difficult matchup. Steve Spagnuolo is arguably the best gameplanning defensive coordinator in the NFL. He very well knows that Samuel is the key to this passing game as of now. The Chiefs have the 4th best pass defense. Their starting three cornerbacks combine to allow less than 0.2 Fantasy Points per Route Run, which is elite. For reference, 0.3 is about league average.