The 2022 fantasy football season is now in full swing. With bye weeks upon us and injuries piling up, decisions are only getting increasingly difficult. Let’s take a look at our WR start/sit Week 7 plays, which include Alec Pierce and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Be sure to also check out our full Week 7 wide receiver rankings.
Week 7 Fantasy Football WR Start ’ems
Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns (at BAL)
Last week, Amari Cooper salvaged his underwhelming day with a touchdown. He only caught four passes for 44 yards. However, he faced a solid Patriots pass defense and, most importantly, saw 12 targets for the second consecutive game.
Cooper has now seen double-digit targets in four of his last five games and is the clear WR1 on a team without much receiving talent around him.
This week, the Browns are road underdogs against an angry Ravens defense that is allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers. I expect Cleveland to be trailing and throwing.
Jacoby Brissett was forced into a season-high 45 pass attempts last week due to negative game script. We could see something similar this week, except the Ravens won’t be as effective at neutralizing Cooper. I anticipate picking Cooper to go higher than his receiving projection on Underdog Fantasy to be one of my plays this week.
Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts (at TEN)
Another week. Another bump up in usage for the Colts’ rookie wide receiver.
Alec Pierce played a season-high 71% of the snaps last week. I won’t put too much stock into his 43 routes run because Matt Ryan attempted 58 passes. But it’s still encouraging that Pierce was on the field so much.
Pierce has now seen six, nine, and seven targets, respectively, over his last three games. He’s finished as a WR3 or better in all three.
MORE: Fantasy Football Sleepers Week 7
The Colts now take on a Titans defense allowing the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers. Of their receiving yards allowed, 67.8% have gone to WRs. While Michael Pittman Jr. is the clear WR1, Pierce has the same number of red-zone targets.
After the offensive disaster that was the game against the Broncos, head coach Frank Reich wisely made changes to the offensive game plan. The Colts went pass-heavy with a focus on getting the ball out of Ryan’s hands early. They are now fourth in neutral game script pass rate at 63%. Jonathan Taylor’s impending return may change that, but the way to beat the Titans is through the air. Start Pierce with confidence this week.
Week 7 Fantasy Football WR Sit ’ems
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders (vs. GB)
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. Carson Wentz has not played well. Through six weeks, Terry McLaurin is averaging a career-low 11.1 PPR fantasy points per game. With that said, Taylor Heinicke is not the savior.
In his career with Heinicke, McLaurin averages 13.1 ppg, just 0.4 ppg lower than his career average in general. He’s the same player, regardless.
The Packers may not be a good team this year, but their defense has limited opposing wide receivers. They allow the sixth-fewest fantasy points to the position.
McLaurin hasn’t caught a touchdown since Week 1. While his snap share remains elite, he ran just 22 routes last week. His 16.4% target share ranks outside the top 50 at the position. There are just too many concerning metrics surrounding McLaurin to trust him with a backup quarterback in a tough matchup.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs (at SF)
Five catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. JuJu Smith-Schuster finally had his breakout game. Surely this is a sign of things to come, right? Right! Wrong!
Last week, it was the same old story with JuJu and the Chiefs’ wide receivers. Smith-Schuster saw just five targets, and his entire day was made on his 42-yard touchdown catch that was a result of poor tackling. Without that, he has another middling 5-80ish day without a score.
MORE: Week 7 Fantasy RB Start/Sit Recommendations
While 5-80 is certainly useful, it’s something Smith-Schuster has done in only half his games. He’s still seeing just an 18.5% target share and being targeted on a mere 20.5% of his routes.
Smith-Schuster’s average depth of target is a paltry 8.5 yards, 77th in the league. For a guy who used to be a splash-play threat, Smith-Schuster has just one downfield target on the season.
Patrick Mahomes can break down any defense, but that doesn’t mean it helps facing a difficult one. The 49ers allow the fifth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. Their opponents have actually been attacking them by throwing to running backs, which they do at a 23.7% clip. As for WRs, they account for just 57% of targets against San Francisco.
Starting Smith-Schuster last week was good process, given the matchup and shootout potential. While any Mahomes receiver is a threat to produce on any given week, chasing last week’s points with JuJu is not the way to go in Week 7.