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Worst wide receiver strength of schedules for 2022 fantasy football

Which wide receivers have the hardest schedules against pass defenses for the 2022 NFL season? We break them down.

Cooper Kupp #10 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during training camp at University of California Irvine on July 29, 2022 in Irvine, California. Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

There are nearly an infinite amount of things that you can choose to consider as you approach your fantasy football drafts this year. As you are looking at players, you could be looking at their projected numbers for the season. Diving deeper into that, you can analyze a player’s matchups for the upcoming season. Tough matchups could limit someone’s fantasy football upside, and here are four wide receivers with the worst matchups for the upcoming season.

Worst wide receiver schedules

Elijah Moore, New York Jets

As much as the Jets are trying to improve this year, it will be tough for that to translate to fantasy success for Moore. Don’t get me wrong, he is a talented player, but his division will do him no favors. The New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills gave up the fewest receiving yards per game last season. With games against the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks, who were all adept at limiting wide receivers in fantasy football last year, it could be a tough season for Moore.

JuJu Smith Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs

Smith-Schuster finds himself on a new team as he signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency. He sees a vast improvement at quarterback with Patrick Mahomes, but the schedule will be tough. He will play six games total against the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Broncos, who all ranked in the top-10 for limiting wide receivers in fantasy a year ago. Despite giving up the second most passing yards per game, the Seahawks actually gave up the eighth-fewest fantasy points last season, so their game in Week 16 could come at a bad time for those trying to make the playoffs with Smith-Schuster.

Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

Hill also finds himself on a new team as he was traded to the Miami Dolphins in the offseason and signed to a massive extension. While he was a reliable deep threat in Kansas City, he now has to contend with the Bills and Patriots defenses four total times a season. In 2022, the Dolphins will also face the Steelers and Browns, who ranked in the top nine for limiting wide receivers in fantasy. All told, Hill will face 10 defenses this year that ranked in the top-15 fewest fantasy points allowed for wide receivers.

Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

Keep in mind that these rankings are based on worst schedules, not necessarily players performing horribly. Kupp will still be a fantasy demon, especially in any form of PPR scoring formats. That being said, he and the Rams draw a tough schedule. The San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals gave up the sixth and seventh-fewest passing yards a game last season. In addition, Kupp will face seven other defenses that ranked in the top half of the league for limiting wide receivers in fantasy football.