Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 13: Nico Collins, Garrett Wilson, Christian Kirk, Tee Higgins, Brandon Aiyuk

December 4, 2022

Ryan's favorite WR vs. CB matchups to exploit for Week 13 of 2022 - DFS wide receivers to target on DraftKings & FanDuel. These WR/CB matchups are GPP and cash game sleepers.

Week 13 will be full of exciting and unexpected games like the NFL has given us all year. The NFL has been full of surprises between the Eagles' 10-1 start and Cleveland leading a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Buccaneers in OT last week.

Hopefully, this DFS article will help you win some money while we watch our favorite teams and players this Sunday. Matchups for the wide receiver position aren't always as black and white as they can be for other positions. Receivers sometimes move around the formation or may face shadow coverage, meaning these matchups need to be broken down deeper based on that data.

Now, here are the top WR vs. CB matchups for Week 13. Use these to set season-long lineups, as well as gain a competitive edge in the DFS games. The matchup data used in this article is from PFF.

Nico Collins, Houston Texans

DraftKings $4200 / FanDuel $5800 - vs. Martin Emerson

Nico Collins has been slowly trending towards becoming the WR1 for the Texans, and will get the title officially this week as Brandin Cooks has been ruled out. Over the past three weeks, Collins has run the most routes among all Houston receivers and has been averaging 8.7 targets per game (team-high). He has averaged 5.3 receptions and 47 yards per game in that span.

With Cooks ruled out, and with Houston likely falling into a negative game script early in the contest, Collins could be in line for a big performance. Martin Emerson will likely be the primary defender this week, with a respectable 75.9 PFF coverage grade this year.

Even with the solid coverage, the sheer volume that Collins should see warrants him a spot in this column, as he could put together a nice game. Collins can be a great lineup filler, especially with his $4200 price tag on DK.

Garrett Wilson, New York Jets

DraftKings $5300 / FanDuel $6600 - vs. Akayleb Evans

A player featured in the column last week, Garrett Wilson is again in another smash spot. In his first game with Mike White under center, Wilson finished with five receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns against the Chicago Bears.

This week, the Jets will be up against the Minnesota Vikings, who currently give up the fifth-most fantasy points (on average) to wide receivers this year. Akayleb Evans will likely be the primary defender, who now has a poor 50.4 PFF coverage grade this year.

Evans currently allows 11.1 yards per reception this year, with the Vikings allowing 7.8 as a whole (highest in the league). The New York Jets have found some new life with the change to Mike White, and Wilson is a huge beneficiary.

Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars

DraftKings $6300 / FanDuel $7500 - vs. Will Harris

Christian Kirk had a bit of a disappointing outing last week but is in a smash spot against the powerless Detroit Lions' defense this week. Kirk has been putting together a very solid season, totaling 56 receptions, 725 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns through 11 games.

Over the past three weeks alone, Kirk is averaging seven receptions, 75 yards, and one touchdown per game. With a 25% target share this year, he is the clear WR1 on the Jaguars and has a great matchup against Will Harris and the Lions.

The Lions currently allow the third most fantasy points to wide receivers, with one of the worst overall defenses in the entire league. This game should be full of offense (51.5 projected total), and Kirk should see a good amount of targets.

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

DraftKings $7200 / FanDuel $8300 - vs. Joshua Williams

Tee Higgins was featured in this column last week and had a huge game. In Week 12 against the Titans, Higgins finished with seven receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown. With Ja'Marr Chase ruled out, Higgins took full advantage of being the team's WR1. Chase has a good chance of suiting up this week, which may work in Higgins' favor.

Kansas City has been burned by Chase before and will likely focus more of the defense on him if he suits up. Last year, in Week 17 against the Chiefs, Chase finished with 11 receptions for a whopping 266 yards and three touchdowns.

In what was easily the best game of his career, he followed it up with a six reception, 54-yard, one-touchdown game against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. In a game with the highest projected total on the slate (52.5), Higgins should see a ton of targets and could be in for another big game.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

DraftKings $7100 / FanDuel $8000 - vs. Darious Williams

Amon-Ra St. Brown has been on a roll over the past few weeks and is in a great spot on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Over the past three weeks, St. Brown is averaging 8.6 receptions and 105.6 yards per game.

He has finished as a WR1 in two of the last three games and should be treated like one this week. The Jaguars currently allow the ninth most fantasy points to wide receivers (on average), with Darious Williams likely the primary defender.

This game should be full of offense (51.5 projected total), and St. Brown should have his usual stream of targets (9.6 per game in the last three). Confidently fire up the Sun God in all forms of fantasy this week.

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

DraftKings $6100 / FanDuel $6700 - vs. Keion Crossen

Brandon Aiyuk has been the most consistent receiver for the San Francisco offense this year and has been racking up many more yards than star teammate Deebo Samuel. Since Week 6, Aiyuk has been averaging 69 yards per game as opposed to Samuel's 49.

Samuel is a little banged up and has a questionable tag as of today. Aiyuk is a good start if Samuel is in, and a great start if he's out. The 49ers will be taking on the Miami Dolphins this week in what looks to be a potential shootout.

Miami has allowed the twelfth most receiving yards this year and has allowed 100-yard games to five different pass-catchers. Keion Crossen will likely be the primary cover on Aiyuk, who currently allows a sky-high 18.9 yards per reception to opposing receivers. Aiyuk is a great start this Sunday.

All data is from PFF, FantasyData and Player Profiler. Thanks for reading, and good luck with your DFS contests!

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