The top 100 Week 1 cornerback rankings are live. The model takes into account a number of cornerback metrics that you can find on PlayerProfiler. Here are the top 10 according to that model.
1. Sauce Gardner, NYJ
Gardner made his mark on the league by winning the 2022 DROTY. He finished top eight in Catch Rate allowed, Passer Rating Allowed, Coverage Rating, and was first in Pass Breakups. The second year cornerback is tall, fast, has long arms, and will create issues for opposing wide receivers all year.
2. Jaire Alexander, GB
The Packers have been able to rely on their top corner since 2018. Alexander has played in 15 or more games in all but one of his years as a professional. He has been one of the best cover corners in the league since he was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft and 2023 projects to be business as usual for Alexander.
3. James Bradberry, PHI
James Bradberry had a fantastic 2022 campaign that helped the Eagles make it all the way to the Super Bowl. He posted a 41.3-percent Catch Rate Allowed (no. 2 amongst qualified cornerbacks), 4.6 Fantasy Points Allowed per Game (no. 6), and 0.15 Fantasy Points Allowed per Cover Snap (no. 1). Bradyberry defended over 525 routes last season and he is going to defend a lot in 2023.
4. Charvarius Ward, SF
San Francisco has one of the best defenses in the world, and Ward is a difference maker. He is one of the best all-around cornerbacks in the game today. In 2022, Ward defended the No. 12 most routes and was top 20 in a multitude of defensive metrics. He shadowed the opposing wide receivers just over 50-percent of the time.
5. Darius Slay, PHI
Just like his teammate James Bradberry, Slay causes nightmares for the wide receivers he goes up against. He had 17 Pass Breakups (No. 2) and has the speed to stick with almost anyone. Slay’s biggest concern is his age (32.7), but if he can repeat his 2022 performance fantasy managers are going to dislike the weeks their receivers play the Eagles.
6. Jaycee Horn, CAR
The top 10 pick from the 2021 NFL Draft proved why he was selected so high. Horn had the highest Athleticism Score in his class and is already one of the most physically imposing corners in the game. After an injury plagued rookie season, he finished in the top 15 in Receptions Allowed and Coverage Rating in 2022. Horn allowed a catch just about half of the time which is top 10 in football.
7. Patrick Surtain, DEN
When looking at Surtain’s stats from last year, many may not be overly enthusiastic. But that’s why folks come to PlayerProfiler. He defended the No. 3 most routes in the NFL despite only being targeted less than 13-percent of the time. When he is on a receiver, that receiver doesn’t tend to have a big fantasy game.
8. Marshon Lattimore, NO
Lattimore was hurt for a big portion of the 2022 season. He played in just seven games for the Saints. Make no mistakes about it, he is still an uber talented cornerback. Lattimore loves two things, man coverage and making Mike Evans miserable. He is great at disrupting the opposing passing game and is poised to have a good year in 2023.
9. Tariq Woolen, SEA
It boggles my mind to this day that Woolen fell to the fifth round of the NFL Draft. He is 6’4”, 205 pounds and posted a 100th-percentile 40-Yard Dash and Speed Score. Woolen is one of the most athletic cornerbacks in the sport’s history. He had an impressive rookie season. Woolen posted the second lowest Target Rate and gave up the No. 6 least amount of Fantasy Points Allowed per Cover Snap.
10. Trent McDuffie, KC
The 2022 CB draft class has three players represented in the top 10 heading into the 2023 season. Trent McDuffie surrendered the No. 7 least amount of yards and only 25 receptions in the 11 games he played. He held his opponents to under 50 yards in 10 of those 11 games where he was on the field for the Chiefs.
These cornerbacks are the players that fantasy gamers are going to avoid. Get access to PlayerProfiler’s ranks to see the rest of the top 100 including the players fantasy managers should be attacking here:
Fantasy Football Player Rankings: Dynasty, Rookie, Seasonal & Weekly (playerprofiler.com)
Photos taken from the Wikipedia Commons – Source: flickr.com | Author: All-Pro Reels | Creative Commons License: Compatible Licenses – Creative Commons
Source: flickr.com | Author: All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA | Creative Commons License: Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic — CC BY-SA 2.0
