Week 3 WR/CB Matchups: Rome Odunze is Ready to Burn The Cowboys
Chris Allen identified some of the most advantageous and toughest wide receiver/cornerback matchups for fantasy football in Week 3, including Rome Odunze.
I hate waking up late.
First of all, it’s disorienting to have to execute my normal routine at ludicrous speed. The inability to get into a rhythm throws my whole day off. Even worse, I forget simple tasks while going through the mental hurdles of being behind schedule. I’ve left my car key, work badge, and wallet inside my house on my desk as I sit down in my car. It’s aggravating. And I see myself doing the same thing to my fantasy rosters this week.
A slew of injuries rocked our timelines. Hoping to wake up and find Daniel Jones on my roster wasn’t on my bingo card for 2025. Anyway, rapid pivots have been our primary reaction to Week 2. However, I don’t want to miss a step before submitting my starting roster. And with fantasy production tough to find on the waiver wire, targeting the best matchups (and avoiding the hard ones) should keep my squad in a position to continue competing after Week 3.
Wide Receiver/Cornerback Matchups to Target
Rome Odunze vs Cowboys
Through two weeks, Rome Odunze appears to be on the breakout plan most predicted for his second year with Caleb Williams. And his boxscore isn’t the only piece of evidence. Ian and Dwain highlighted how often Williams is looking to his new WR1 earlier this week.
Odunze now leads the team in every fantasy-relevant opportunity metric. His 20 targets to DJ Moore’s 11 is a far cry from the slight edge the veteran receiver held over the rookie in ’24. Now, the younger WR is earning more looks with double the air yard share. Plus, his Week 3 matchup sets up well to keep the on-field magic going.
The Cowboys continue to employ a zone-heavy defensive scheme, which worked well in limiting the Eagles’ passing game in Week 1. However, the Giants used the speed of their young WRs to work downfield. Both Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson averaged over 15.0 air yards per target. Coincidentally, Odunze has operated in the intermediate part of the field (12.8 air yards per target) and has the highest efficiency marks against zone coverage (2.12 YPRR—12th amongst all WRs). In what should be a back-and-forth game environment, Odunze’s workload and defensive matchup should net him another top finish in the WR ranks.
Michael Pittman at Titans
So, let’s start here.
- Puka Nacua: 28.1% (target share), 17.1 (PPR FPTS)
- Davante Adams: 40.6%, 22.6
- Courtland Sutton: 24.3%, 18.1
The Titans have faced three different WRs who have earned +20.0% of their team’s targets. All three finished inside the Top 12 after going up against Tennessee’s DBs. But the case for Michael Pittman doesn’t rely solely on volume. How he wins on the field aligns with how his peers have picked up chunk gains against the Titans.
Bo Nix and Matthew Stafford not only looked for Sutton and Adams, respectively, at all levels of the field, but across the middle. Both WRs were able to generate explosives off crossing patterns. Pittman leads the Colts in targets between the numbers (29.2%) with an absurd 2.70 YPRR on those looks. His 6.9 air yards per target on those attempts are conducive to the same outcome: yards after the catch, giving us more points.
Daniel Jones is already using play-action concepts at the third-highest rate, creating high-percentage throws for him and his receivers. And Pittman is the main beneficiary of the up-tempo (68.5 plays per game), efficient aerial attack, creating a scenario for him to return top-12 results in Week 3.
Sneaky Matchups
Dontayvion Wicks at Browns
Two things to note with recommending Dontayvion Wicks.
First, I remember where I was the week we all picked up Wicks off the waiver wire just for him to give us a 2-20-0 stat line. He’s hurt me before. I’m ready for him to do it again.
Second, I’m admittedly basing this on three-quarters of a game. One where Jayden Reed’s sudden exit flipped whatever game plan HC Matt LaFleur had on its head. However, the instant void in opportunity gave us a glimpse into where Wicks might operate after a week of practice.
- Slot Snap Rate: 69.6% (Wicks), 44.4% (Golden), 9.7% (Doubs)
- Slot Target Rate: 14.3%, 0.0%, 0.0%
Wicks replaced Reed on the interior to close out the Packers' win over the Commanders. While Matthew Golden did align closer to the formation pre-snap on 44.4% of his plays, Wicks was the only Packers WR to earn a target from the slot. On the flip side of the line of scrimmage, the Browns’ passing success rate allowed skyrockets from 29.2% against perimeter receivers to 76.9% when faced with inside guys. Even with Tucker Kraft likely garnering most of the high-priority touches from the same area—keep an eye on the injury report, as Kraft sat out Friday's practice with a knee injury—Wicks will fly under the radar with a similar defensive matchup this weekend.
Cooper Kupp vs Saints
I realize Cooper Kupp is in the ‘sneaky’ section. In other words, I can go off the board a bit when looking for recommendations. However, there’s a logical path here. Kupp’s bump in opportunities was the first thing that caught my eye.
- Week 1: 14.0% (target rate), 11.0% (air yard share)
- Week 2: 29.0%, 28.0%
The former Triple Crown winner jumped from a UR Score of 36 in Week 1 to 75 against the Steelers. Granted, Sam Darnold did add 10 more attempts after a low-volume season opener. But Kupp’s expanded role was a (much-needed) positive sign. Plus, we’ve seen WRs with a similar profile perform well against the Saints secondary.
Ricky Pearsall took on New Orleans and returned a modest 4-56-0 stat line on 6 targets. The following week, the Saints’ slot CB Alontae Taylor allowed a 55.6% catch rate along with a touchdown while in coverage from the inside. So while the game sets up better for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kupp’s role as the 1B within a stable offense should put him in the WR3-FLEX conversation for Week 3.
Matchup to Avoid
Chris Olave at Seahawks
I’m approaching this matchup for Chris Olave as if it were 2024 or earlier. I’ll explain.
- aDOT: 14.2 (2022), 13.3 (2023), 10.3 (2024)
- Slot Rate: 32.5%, 38.0%, 21.1%
Olave has worked both on the perimeter and inside, but his route depths have made his production more volatile. Even with the dramatic drop in his aDOT, the tradeoff was that Olave spent even more time on the outside. And based on Seattle’s coverage through two weeks, the boundary is the last place I’d want to see Olave if he’s on my roster.
Passing Yards Allowed: 52.5, 4th-fewest
- Completion Percentage Allowed: 42.9%, 3rd-lowest
- QB Passer Rating: 29.5, Worst
Now, back to my original point. I said if this were any other year, I’d have little to no confidence in the Saints’ coaching staff to put Olave in a spot to produce. However, HC Kellen Moore has been a fantasy-friendly play designer. The former Buckeye’s aDOT is down even further to 9.5 air yards per target. Plus, he leads the team in target rate from the inside. The combination of Seattle’s defensive front (11th-best pressure rate) and coverage should have us concerned about Spencer Rattler and company in this game. But with Olave moving into more advantageous positions pre-snap, there’s a path for him to return value in Week 3.
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