Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 7: Alec Pierce, Brandon Aiyuk, Allen Lazard

October 22, 2022

Ryan's favorite WR vs. CB matchups to exploit for Week 7 of 2022 - DFS wide receivers to target on DraftKings & FanDuel. These WR/CB matchups are GPP and cash game sleepers.

Week 7 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 Giants' surprising 5-1 start or the Rams and Bengals looking the way they do after coming off a SuperBowl trip.

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 7. 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.

Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts

DraftKings $4600 / FanDuel $6100 - vs. Terrance Mitchell

Alec Pierce has been making his mark on the Colts' offense and was a popular waiver wire target over the past few weeks. Pierce has garnered at least six targets in each of the last three games, including turning one into the game-winning touchdown against the Jaguars last week.

Over the past three games, he has either finished with at least 80 yards or a touchdown and will look to continue his solid play against a weak Titans defense in Week 7. In the Titans' last game (Week 5), they gave up 359 passing yards to Carson Wentz and the Washington Commanders, allowing Dyami Brown to go over 100 yards and score two touchdowns.

Terrance Mitchell should be the primary defender on Pierce in this contest, who gave up seven receptions and 101 yards to Mack Hollins in Week 3. Mitchell currently has a sky-high 21.0% target rate and allows a 108.9 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks.

In the last meeting between these two teams (Week 4), Matt Ryan threw for 356 yards, while Alec Pierce finished with four receptions for 80 yards. Pierce should be in for another productive day in Week 7.

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

DraftKings $6000 / FanDuel $6300 - vs. Joshua Williams

Brandon Aiyuk has shown some real flashes this year, most notably last week against the Falcons, where he finished with eight receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns. The 49ers will be up against the Kansas City Chiefs and will likely play from behind for most of the contest.

Aiyuk has had his ups and downs this year but could be in for a great opportunity against rookie cornerback Joshua Williams. Williams currently allows 15.8 yards per reception to opposing receivers and a sky-high 131.3 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks; He also has a 37.9% target rate and gave up six receptions for 98 yards against Gabriel Davis last week.

The 49ers have most recently traded for star running back Christian McCaffrey this week, and reports say he will be available this week. It is unclear how much he will be used, but if he is, he will command a lot of attention on defense and should help Aiyuk get even more open. Confidently fire up Aiyuk – especially for his price on FanDuel.

Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers

DraftKings $6100 / FanDuel $6600 - vs. Benjamin St-Juste

Allen Lazard was a big topic this offseason, as many people were going back and forth on whether he would be the Packers' WR1 this year. Lazard has had a pretty solid season so far, scoring a touchdown or going for over 100 receiving yards in every game.

Lazard finished Week 6 with four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown and will look to continue his solid play against a weak Washington defense. Randall Cobb suffered an ankle injury last week and has already been confirmed out for Week 7, which should funnel even more targets in Lazard and Romeo Doubs' directions.

This week, Benjamin St-Juste will likely be the primary defender, allowing 13.2 yards per reception to opposing receivers. St-Juste has a high 19.4% target rate and allowed four receptions for 54 yards to Dante Pettis last week. Confidently fire up Lazard in DFS in what should be an absolute get-right game for the Packers.

Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers

DraftKings $7200 / FanDuel $7800 - vs. Tariq Woolen

Mike Williams remains the ultimate boom-or-bust receiver. In six games this year, he has had three games with over 100 receiving yards and three games with under 20 yards. He is inconsistent as ever, but after coming off a 17-yard game against the Broncos, he could be in for a splash this week against the Seahawks.

The Seahawks allowed 222 passing yards to Kyler Murray last week, and Justin Herbert should be able to take apart this Seattle secondary. Furthermore, Joshua Palmer is reportedly out for this game with a concussion, and Keenan Allen’s status for the game is still up in the air.

Allen may sit this game as the Chargers have a Week 8 bye; if he does, Williams will have even more opportunity than ever. Tariq Woolen will likely be the primary defender and currently allows 12.9 yards per reception. Woolen is a solid defender, but Mike Williams should practically be force-fed targets this week with the Chargers receiving corps depleted.

Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys

DraftKings $5100 / FanDuel $6100 - vs. Jeff Okudah

Michael Gallup was in this article last week in what was a letdown as he only finished with 18 yards. The bright side was that he garnered seven targets, second highest on the team, only behind CeeDee Lamb. Gallup was returning from an injury and slowly integrating himself in the offense, and will likely get back starting quarterback Dak Prescott in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions.

The Lions have one of the worst defenses in the NFL, and all Cowboys offensive weapons will have a huge opportunity. Jeff Okudah will likely be the primary defender for Gallup and has been burned a few times this year.

Okudah currently allows 13.1 yards per reception and has a very low 54.1 PFF coverage grade. In Week 4, Okudah was utterly burned by DK Metcalf, allowing five receptions for 133 yards. Prescott being back under center will ignite this Dallas offense, and Gallup will be a big beneficiary this weekend.

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

DraftKings $6400 / FanDuel $7100 - vs. Darren Hall

Tee Higgins has had a rough season up to this point, but things are going in the right direction. He was a full participant at practice and is officially good for Sunday's game against the Falcons. In the three games in which Higgins played more than 70% of the snaps, he garnered at least nine targets and brought down at least six.

The Falcons have given up the sixth most fantasy points to wide receivers this year (as per Pro Football Reference), and the Bengals receiving corps should absolutely feast on Sunday. Darren Hall will likely be the primary defender on Higgins this week.

Hall currently allows 12.3 yards per reception to opposing receivers and a 78.9 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks. Hall currently has an 18.2% target rate this year and will have his hands full in this spot start (due to Casey Hayward Jr. being placed on IR earlier this week).

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

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