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Fantasy Football Week 7: 5 WR/CB matchups to target and 5 to avoid

Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) runs with the ball after a catch during the second half against the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

Green Bay Packers WR Romeo Doubs: The Packers' 69.4 PFF pass-blocking grade ranks No. 6 overall since returning both tackles in Week 3. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers should stay safe en route to a fruitful outing for Doubs.

New England Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers: (79.7 PFF receiving grade) gets a projected 27 snaps to work his magic against Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon (50.3 PFF coverage grade).

Houston Texans WR Brandin Cooks: (62.9 PFF receiving grade) is a no-go versus Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (63.5 PFF coverage grade).

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

Welcome to Week 7 of the 2022 NFL season. The sections below highlight five targets and players to avoid with data gleaned from PFF’s WR/CB matchup chart.


5 WR/CB MATCHUPS TO TARGET

WR Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers vs. CB Kendall Fuller, Washington Commanders
  • Green Bay at Washington opened with a 41.5 over/under. The Packers are 4.5-point road favorites.
  • Washington’s pass rush (75.2 PFF pass-rush grade, No. 9) has played as well as the unit's opponents have allowed it to. 
  • The table below lists Washington’s per-game PFF pass-rush grades, compared to the season-long PFF pass-blocking grades of its opponents. Note: The PFF pass-blocking grade shown for Detroit is the Lions' in-game PFF pass-blocking grade produced versus Washington. This was done due to a trio of offensive line injuries suffered by Detroit in Weeks 1, 2 and 3 that caused significant variance in their season-long grading.
Opponent Pass-Block Grade JAX 74.8 (No. 3) DET 64.5 (T-No. 19) PHI 78.5 (No. 1) DAL 62.0 (T-No. 20) TEN 49.7 No. 31) CHI 53.7 (No. 27)
WSH PFF Pass-Rush Grade 68.4 (No. 12) 62.5 (No. 22) 55.8 (No. 29) 66.8 (No. 13) 74.2 (No. 7) 88.6 (No. 1)
  • Green Bay tackles David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins debuted as majority-snap starters in Week 3. The Packers' 69.4 PFF pass-blocking grade ranks No. 6 overall since then. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers should play from a clean pocket.
Doubs vs. WSH CBs PFF Matchup Adv. Projected Snaps vs.
Kendall Fuller 22.5 22
Benjamin St-Juste 41.3 20
Rachad Wildgoose 54.9 10
  • Among 93 NFL cornerbacks with at least 100 coverage snaps, Fuller’s 4.1% explosive pass plays allowed rate, 1.76 receiving yards allowed per coverage snap and 137.1 NFL passer rating allowed when targeted all rank him as one of the 15 worst cornerbacks in the NFL. Fuller’s 389 passing yards allowed are also the second-highest in the league.
  • St. Juste’s team-best 61.3 PFF coverage grade ranks 56th among qualifying NFL cornerbacks
  • Second-year cornerback Rachad Wildgoose has logged 87 coverage snaps in his career. Rodgers will aggressively test the green youngster.
  • Doubs is the No. 6 wide receiver on Josh Hermsmeyer’s Air Yards Buy-Low Model, Week 7.

WR Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. CB C.J. Henderson, Carolina Panthers
  • The Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened as 11-point road favorites over the Carolina Panthers with a 40.5-point over/under. 
  • Carolina’s defensive backs are in a state of injury-induced disarray. 
Panthers CB Injuries (Recent-Current)
C.J. Henderson (48.2 Cov. Grade) Jaycee Horn (77.2 Cov. Grade) Donte Jackson (56.2 Cov. Grade)
Knee – Concussion N/A – Ribs Hamstring – Ankle
  • Safety Myles Hartfield (64.2 PFF coverage grade) has frequently filled in at slot cornerback.
  • The table below compares Carolina’s coverage statistics among all 32 NFL teams. Their league-wide ranking is shown in parentheses.
NFL Team Coverage PFF Coverage Grade Passing Yds Allowed – TDs Allowed INTS – Forced Inc. % Passer Rtg. Allowed Explosive Pass Play % Allowed – Explosive Pass Plays Allowed
Carolina Panthers 62.0 (18th overall) 1,384 (15th-most) – 8 (T-14th-most) 3 (T-20th-most) – 7.2% (T-22nd-most) 102.6 (13th-worst) 14.7% (15th-most) – 33 (T-13th-most)
  • Evans’ 76.7 PFF receiving grade ranks 21st among NFL wide receivers with at least 25 targets, and his 125.6 NFL passer rating when targeted ranks No. 3. 
  • Evans has eviscerated Carolina over their past three meetings.
Evans vs.  Panthers Rec./Tgts-Rec. Yards-TD Explosive Pass Plays of 15+ Rec. Yds Yds/Route Run Tgts/Route Run %
Week 18, 2021 6/7-89-2 2 2.62 20.6%
Week 10, 2020 6/12-77-1 2 1.83 28.6%
Week 2, 2020 7/10-104-1 2 3.15 30.3%

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