sleeper wide receivers – Syndication Server

Sleepers and Value Picks: Wide Receivers

2022 Sleeper and Value Play Wide Receivers

The Average Draft order shows a general picture of how your draft will unfold and where values/sleepers and bad values/busts likely exist. Any green highlight means the player is a good value that could be taken earlier. A red highlight signifies an overvalued player that is a bad value or just too high of a risk for that spot. No color means the pick is a reasonable value at that spot.

See also:
Sleepers and Value Plays: Quarterbacks
Sleepers and Value Plays: Running Backs
Sleepers and Value Plays: Tight Ends

Average Draft order – Value picks

ADP	Tm	Wide Receiver
1	LAR	Cooper Kupp	No.1 WR from last year earns this spot. And he was No. 1 by a mile.
2	MIN	Justin Jefferson	Two years in and never worse than No. 7. He gets drafted No. 1 on occasion and not hard to argue.
3	CIN	Ja’Marr Chase	Rookie Phenom. Top-5 when he really only played one big year in college. And that wasn’t even the previous year.
4	LVR	Davante Adams	Pass sponge leaves frigid Green Bay for sunny Las Vegas. Doesn’t sound all that crazy really.
5	BUF	Stefon Diggs	The top receiver with the top passer. Lock for a Top-10 if not Top-5.
6	DAL	CeeDee Lamb	Amari Cooper gone, Michael Gallup still healing and James Washington out for a month or three. Stage set for a major increase.
7	SF	Deebo Samuel	He runs, he catches, he wins fantasy games. No surprise this year.
8	MIA	Tyreek Hill	Trades Patrick Mahomes for Tua Tagovailoa and claims it’s no step down. At this spot, willing to discover the truth. Was No. 6 and No. 2 most recently.
9	TB	Mike Evans	Perfect spot for a WR that is right around No. 10 every year.
10	LAC	Keenan Allen	Like Mike Evans, consistently right around No. 10 as well.
11	PHI	A.J. Brown	Never better than No. 14 and leaves the simpler passing offense of the Titans for the complex scheme in Philly that already has DeVonta Smith to share targets. He may be fine at this spot, but a bit more risk and there are other safer options.
12	CIN	Tee Higgins	This feels high for a wideout that’s been the No. 24 and No. 28 wideouts these last two seasons. But he’s a lock for 1,000 yards and six scores. Ja’Marr Chase attracts the secondary so Higgins could see another increase in production.
13	IND	Michael Pittman Jr.	Posted 88-1082-6 last year playing with Carson Wentz and the No. 29 passing schedule. Gets Matt Ryan and the No. 6 schedule. That’s worth a bump.
14	SEA	D.K. Metcalf	Metcalf plenty talented, but was No. 15 last year with Russell Wilson. Now he steps down. Just a riskier situation and Seattle wants to run more to cover for a decline in passing.
15	PIT	Diontae Johnson	Johnson exceeded expectations with 107-1161-8 while Ben Roethlisberger practiced free throws instead of passing downfield. A change in QB certain to impact and the No. 31 pass schedule is no help. This spot assumes he still gets a high volume of passes that is no longer certain.
16	WAS	Terry McLaurin	McLaurin has the talent for this production and at least Carson Wentz helped Michael Pittman to a career year in 2021. Less upside here, but a safe pick.
17	MIA	Jaylen Waddle	Rookie was the No. 12 receiver but steps back with the addition of Tyreek Hill. Plenty of passes for the two to share so a minor decline isn’t a huge deal. Some upside from Hill clearing out the safeties.
18	CAR	D.J. Moore	He’s been rock solid at this level and topped 1,150 yards in each of the last three years. If Panthers ever get a top-tier QB, Moore would be Top-10 material. Baker Mayfield is no worse than what Moore has played with in Carolina.
19	ARI	DeAndre Hopkins	Hopkins was less productive last year even aside from the hamstring injury and eventual torn MCL. Now he is suspended for the first six games (AKA half of the fantasy regular season). He may return to being lights out in Week 7, but that’s a long time to wait.
20	TB	Chris Godwin	Returns from torn ACL last December. Top-12 when healthy, but that’s a quick turnaround to be back to form by Week 1. Bucs added Julio Jones and Russell Gage, so less need to rush him back.
21	NO	Michael Thomas	I do remember 2019 but it is fading. Was already less effective after his 149 catches and then injured his ankle and hasn’t played for almost two years. Plus Drew Brees is long gone. He’s only 28 and still has years, but an immediate return to form would be a surprise.
22	LAC	Mike Williams	Was the No. 14 last year and has both a great QB and an easier schedule. Had four 100-yard games and nine TDs last year. As a deep WR2? Very nice.
23	HOU	Brandin Cooks	Something Cooks does leads to his team cutting ties – three times. But it isn’t production with six 1,000-yard seasons. And he’s only 28 and in his prime. Played on lowly Texans with a rookie QB last year and had a career-high 90 catches.
24	MIN	Adam Thielen	At 31 years of age, Thielen is starting to age out, but he still scored ten times in 13 games last year and MIN looks to pass more in 2022. The catches get shorter and Justin Jefferson gets the most targets, but Thielen is a consistent contributor.
25	LVR	Hunter Renfrow	Third year was the charm when Renfro caught 103 passes during the Raiders most challenging year ever. He was a standard 55-catch, 650-yard slot guy for two years before they ran out of receivers. Adding Davante Adams changes everything, and Renfro is more likely to head back to his previous production than the one magic year.
26	CLE	Amari Cooper	Cooper steps into a very clear WR1 role with the Browns that ranked No. 31 in nearly all WR categories last year. Deshaun Watson is an obvious upgrade when he does play but this is an offense that is built to run. He was already the No. 27 fantasy WR last year and that was with Dak Prescott.
27	LAR	Allen Robinson	Yes. I welcome Robinson onto all my teams. Sure, he was terrible in Chicago last year, but was good for around 100 catches and 1,200 yards in the two previous seasons. Now he’s with the team that ranked No. 1 in WR last year. He’s impressed the coaches and no longer gets double teams. One of my favorite sleepers this year.
28	DEN	Jerry Jeudy	The former first-rounder hasn’t met expectations but finally gets a Top-Tier QB. There’s plenty of upside here and the first chance we get to see what Jeudy can really do after catching balls from a string of mediocre passers.
29	CHI	Darnell Mooney	Mooney managed 81 catches for 1,055 yards last year, somewhat miraculous considering no other CHI receiver had more than 410 yards. Second year of Justin Fields should be better without HC Matt Nagy around. Solid WR3 pick that could easily deliver WR2 production.
30	ARI	Marquise Brown	BAL committed to the pass last year and Brown ended with 91-1008-6 for career highs. He lands in Arizona where he’ll replace DeAndre Hopkins for six weeks, and then pair with him while catching passes from Kyler Murray. This could be a career move that can get him to that elite level expected as the first WR in the 2019 NFL draft.

Sleepers and overvalued players

ADP	Tm	Wide Receiver
31	DEN	Courtland Sutton	Like Jerry Jeudy, Sutton gets his first legitimate NFL QB with Russell Wilson. He topped out with 72 catches for 1,112 yards in 2019 and struggled last year after returning from the torn MCL of 2020. His best season was No. 19 so he’s worth a shot with his major upgrade in passer.
32	BUF	Gabriel Davis	Davis produced around 35 catches for 550 yards and six TDs in his two previous seasons, and the needle is pointing up for his third season since Emmanuel Sanders left. It’s a great offense with a great schedule, but it also has a lot of weapons. He was considered a sleeper my some this summer but he’s a safe grab at this level regardless.
33	PHI	DeVonta Smith	His rookie year was a big success with 64-916-5, but he topped 100 yards just twice and the addition of A.J. Brown is certain to cut into his workload. He’s still a very serviceable WR3 that should turn in at least a few big games along the way. But Brown will be the more consistent and productive of the pair.
34	NYJ	Elijah Moore	Moore was only the No. 50 fantasy WR as a rookie last year, and the Jets added Garrett Wilson, C.J. Uzomah, and Breece Hall who will impact the target share. He’ll improve by playing in all games but needs Zach Wilson to take a very big step forward if he’s going to be worthy of a weekly fantasy start.
35	DET	Amon-Ra St. Brown	Love this pick. The rookie on a talent-starved Lions team ended the year with six straight games of 8+ receptions. He caught 90 passes for 912 yards and five scores to rank No. 22. He’s joined by DJ Chark and Jameson Williams which will have an impact, but the Lions passing schedule got much easier and St. Brown is the only WR with any chemistry with Jared Goff. He could slow down later in the year as the others get more comfortable, but as a tail-end WR3 he is a great value.
37	TEN	Robert Woods	Tore his ACL last November but is expected to be healed for the season and has been talked up by his coaches. He leaves the pass-happy Rams for the run-heavy Titans though, and they drafted Treylon Burks to add to the mix that seeks to replace A.J. Brown. Long as the knee is okay, this is a reasonable spot.
38	BAL	Rashod Bateman	The rookie was limited to only 46-515-1 last year, but the departure of Marquise Brown promotes him into the WR1 spot for the Titans. Bateman is a sleeper to some, and he has a new opportunity, but BAL wants to return to their run-heavy ways and face a worst schedule. This WR4 level is good to see if he merits a fantasy start or just use as a solid bye week replacement.
39	KC	JuJu Smith-Schuster	Signed a one-year deal with KC hoping to recharge his career and cash in 2023. Nice balance of upside and risk leave him right after the fantasy starters at wideout.
40	SF	Brandon Aiyuk	He’s been worth around No. 35 in his two seasons, but has been inconsistent. Adding a new QB that may run more and pass less than Jimmy Garoppollo means fewer targets as the No. 3 or No. 4 read on most plays.
41	SEA	Tyler Lockett	Lockett has been a borderline fantasy WR1 for years, but losing Russell Wilson has him tumbling this far in ADP. It’s probably too far for such a reliable set of hands, but Seattle wants to run more and the QB situation is still not concrete.
42	PIT	Chase Claypool	This WR4 level is a good value for a receiver that was No. 24 as a rookie and then fell back to No. 38 last year when the TDs dried up. He produced around 60 catches for 850 yards as the deep threat on a team that had no QB that could throw downfield. Regardless of which QB starts, Claypool has new upside and should flirt with being a fantasy starter.
43	TB	Russell Gage Jr.	Gage was the rage this summer since Chris Godwin could be slow to return from his torn ACL and Tom Brady only has maybe eight to ten years left to play. But the Bucs added Julio Jones that should impact the target distribution.
44	DAL	Michael Gallup	The Cowboys fully intend on using Gallup after giving him a five-year, $63M contract. But his Week 17 ACL tear could see him remain out going into the season. Too many healthy options for this risk.
45	JAC	Christian Kirk	Left a career year in ARI with 77-982-5 and lands in Jacksonville on a four-year, $72M deal to be the new WR1. The Jags take a mulligan on their disastrous 2021 season, and the best college QB in the 2021 NFL draft has a new primary target. Great passing schedule, so Kirk has a big opportunity to be a fantasy starter at the price of a late WR4.
46	GB	Allen Lazard	Ton of targets to find new homes in GB after Davante Adams left and Lazard in line to be WR1. That’s gotta be worth more than the 46th WR taken. Maybe not a lot more, but Aaron Rodgers has never failed to produce at least one fantasy starter at WR.
47	NYG	Kadarius Toney	The Giants passing game has struggled but starts over with HC Brian Daboll importing some BUF offense. Toney mostly disappointed last year but had ne big game at Dallas. This deeply it worth swinging for the fence that something changed for the G-Men.
48	ATL	Drake London	QB situation may change midstream but Falcons are short on receiving talent outside of Kyle Pitts. This is a good spot for London to see if he develops into a fantasy option.
49	NO	Jarvis Landry	Michael Thomas is likely rusty, Chris Olave has to learn the NFL and Landry is the veteran presence that has been a great fit in camp. He may not offer any big games, but he should be a serviceable option as a flex play with consistent points.
50	TEN	Treylon Burks	Burks was drafted to replace A.J. Brown but struggled earlier this summer. Titans don’t throw much and Robert Woods should be the WR1. This offense doesn’t often produce two viable fantasy WR starters.
51	NO	Chris Olave	The 1.11 pick lands in a good spot but may remain behind Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry all season.
52	ATL	Calvin Ridley	Needed time off, bet on games, got suspended indefinitely for at least this season. And yet here he is in ADP.
53	NE	DeVante Parker	Not a bad depth pick for Parker who could use the change in scenery. Barring a big jump by Mac Jones, Parker won’t offer consistently relevant fantasy points.
54	GB	Christian Watson	Why not jump on the new guy for the Packers with their wide open depth chart? Davante Adams needed a few years to realize his potential, but Watson merits a pick this deep just to see if anything happens.
55	CIN	Tyler Boyd	Granted, Boyd is behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. But Boyd was still No. 31 last year as his worst in five years. He’s likely to do better than this, and could again flirt with being a consistent flex play.
56	KC	Skyy Moore	Tyreek Hill left and they drafted Moore which alone draws fantasy interest. But he missed most of the offseason with a hamstring injury, and then hurt his hip. Can’t fault swinging for the fence, but this feels like a waiver wire guy by Week 3.
57	TB	Julio Jones	Name alone gets him drafted. But 33 years old and last good year was 2019. I’d let someone else take him.
58	KC	Marquez Valdes-Scantling	Almost to WR6 area and MVS lands on a team that gave him a three-year, $30M contract while JuJu Smith-Schuster only got one year. The speed guy from GB was never better than 690 yards and four scores, but Davante Adams dominated. MVS also has a career 17.7 yards per catch. Buy him as depth, but know he is in a great situation and the Chiefs locked him up for three years.
59	ARI	A.J. Green	He’s 34 years old and won’t be better than the No. 3 receiver. He managed 54 catches for 848 yards last year, but he’s far more likely to decline than improve.
60	KC	Mecole Hardman	Gets a little better each year and reached 59 catches for 693 yards, but Chiefs brought on JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and drafted Skyy Moore. He’s another guy that finds the waiver wire by Week 3.

Best of the Rest

Robby Anderson (CAR) – After posting 1,096 yards on 95 catches in first year at Carolina, fell out of sight last year. Baker Mayfield won’t be any worse and likely better. Anderson deserves at least one more chance.

Nico Collins (HOU) – Big guy at 6-4 that looks to take the next step with the Texans. Has impressed in camp and Texans need the help.

Donovan Peoples-Jones (CLE) – More of a stash and wait for Deshaun Watson. As the WR2 for the Browns, should offer a flex option.

DJ Chark (DET) – One-year deal to rekindle his career and lands with the Lions. No chance of becoming the WR1 but worth rostering to see if the change in scenery helps.

Jalen Tolbert (DAL) – Cowboys spent their third-round pick on the South Alabama product for depth but Michael Gallup still on the mend and James Washington out for two or three months. Tolbert has impressed and DAL has no other options.

Sleepers and Value Plays: Wide Receivers

2021 Sleeper and Value Play Wide Receivers

A sleeper wide receiver is a player taken as a backup who ends up worthy of being a starter or at least far outplays the draft slot where you selected him. Average Draft Positions (ADP) are taken from MyFantasyLeague.com using only recent drafts.

Average Draft order – Value plays

ADP	Team	Wide Receiver
1	GB	Davante Adams	The No. 1 from last year is always the No. 1 draft pick the next year. And since Aaron Rodgers is back and Adams is in his final contract year, why not?
2	KC	Tyreek Hill	Been a lock for Top-5 if he stays healthy.
3	BUF	Stefon Diggs	Changing teams is not always a bad thing. And apparently Diggs was just what Josh Allen needed.
4	ARI	DeAndre Hopkins	A lock for the Top-5 and it doesn’t matter what team he is on.
5	ATL	Calvin Ridley	Third-year breakout in 2020 with 90-1374-9 thanks to a broken-down Julio Jones. Now he’s gone to the Titans and Ridley starts his own era.
6	SEA	D.K. Metcalf	Not only taken as the ninth wideout drafted in 2019, he remains better than any of the previously taken eight. A good rookie year became a great second season in 2020.
7	MIN	Justin Jefferson	The Vikings lost Stefon Diggs but didn’t really notice since the rookie Jefferson caught 88 passes for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns. That was the No. 2 best receiving yardage by a rookie in NFL history.
8	TEN	A.J. Brown	Brown has only ranked No. 14 and No. 21 in his two seasons, and now he has to share with Julio Jones while the Titans have the No. 29 passing schedule strength. Oh, and he had surgery on both knees in the offseason. Seems optimistic at No. 8.
9	LAC	Keenan Allen	Good spot for the guy that caught at least 97 passes in each of the last four years. He doesn’t gain a ton of yards with each catch, but he’s been high-volume for receptions regardless of quarterback
10	WAS	Terry McLaurin	He keeps missing a game or two each year, but he’s averaged around 1,000 yards while playing with a mishmash of sketchy quarterbacks. Ryan Fitzpatrick is an upgrade.
11	DAL	CeeDee Lamb	The Cowboys were lucky for Lamb to fall to the 1.17 pick. The five games with Dak Prescott averaged 74 yards for a rookie that didn’t really have a preseason thanks to COVID-19. He averaged six catches in those five first games of his career. Anything earlier than this may seem risky, but Lamb is the real deal on a team that likes to throw.
12	CHI	Allen Robinson	He’s Top-10 the last two years but Andy Dalton is named the starter even though both CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper had noticeable drops playing with him in Dallas for 2020. Justin Fields is a rookie and may not be a lot better, but Robinson has the talent and is the franchise player so he’s aiming toward a payday in 2022.
13	TEN	Julio Jones	Jones was a Top-7 wideout every year and a yardage monster. He broke down in 2020 with hip and hamstring issues. The difference now is that the Titans have a star wideout in A.J. Brown, prefer to run the ball with Derrick Henry, and have a bad passing schedule. Hard to believe that will result in two Titans placing in the Top-13 receivers as ADP suggests. Jones is 32 years old now, has the decline started?
14	TB	Mike Evans	Good spot for Evans who ended as the No. 12 wideout in his first season with Tom Brady. After seven years, he still has never failed to gain at least 1,000 yards.
15	LAR	Robert Woods	Woods came to life when he joined the Rams in 2017 and he’s been a lock for 90 catches and 1,000 yards. He’s placed between No. 10 and No. 14 for the last three years, and now gets a better quarterback, while the rushing offense has taken a major hit with the loss of Cam Akers. Woods is a great value here with upside for more.
16	DAL	Amari Cooper	This is likely a good value on Cooper(ankle) who was no worse than No. 15 the last two years. The emergence of CeeDee Lamb will cut into his targets, but he’s never failed to crest 1,000 yards in his three seasons in Dallas.
17	NO	Michael Thomas	Thomas was a Top-10 lock when he played with Drew Brees and was the No. 1 wideout in 2019 before his injuries started and Drew Brees declined. He needed ankle surgery and started training camp on the PUP list. Jameis Winston should keep Thomas busy, but the Saints are likely to run more this year. The more Taysom Hill plays, the less passing downfield. Lots of risk and questions for a receiver with 149 receptions just two years ago.
18	TB	Chris Godwin	Even this may be a bit high. Godwin blew up in 2019 as the No. 3 best fantasy wideout when Jameis Winston threw for 5,000 yards. Otherwise, he’s been just another 850-yard, seven-touchdown sort of receiver that misses a few games each year. He’s been better than No. 23 only that one time.
19	LAR	Cooper Kupp	The change in quarterback to Matt Stafford can only help, but Kupp has found his level at 90 catches for 1,000 yards or so. Not much more upside but almost no downside if he remains healthy.
20	MIN	Adam Thielen	If he remains healthy, this is low. Thielen was around No. 10 in three of the last four years including No. 11 just last season. He also comes off a career-best 14 touchdowns. Not a sexy pick, but a historically productive one.
21	PIT	Diontae Johnson	The second-year wideout was solid with 88 catches for 923 yards last year while Ben Roethlisberger took to short passes. That’s less likely the case this year with a major upgrade at running back (who can catch), and the intention to get back to deeper throws and to run more often.
22	CAR	D.J. Moore	Moore posted over 1,100 receiving yards in each of the last two years despite playing with a constantly changing quarterback situation. That’s true again this year, but Moore has always risen to the occasion and this is the second year for OC Joe Brady’s offense.
23	SEA	Tyler Lockett	Lockett has never been worse than No. 13 since 2017, but the emergence of D.K. Metcalf saw Lockett’s role shrink in the second half of last year. The Seahawks have one of the worst passing schedules, so Lockett may be hard pressed to return to his previous level of production.
24	CIN	Ja’Marr Chase	Okay, so he really only produced one big year at LSU but 84-1780-20 as a sophomore winning a national championship got him plenty noticed. Now back with the same quarterback as he had in college, expectations are very high. Chase was a COVID-19 opt-out in 2020, so he’s realistically very raw. It may all come together quickly and this draft slot says plenty of fantasy fans believe that. Great allure and tremendous natural talent, but risk all the same.

Sleepers and overvalued players

ADP	Team	Wide Receiver
25	NYG	Kenny Golladay	The ex-Lion cashed in for a four-year, $72 million contract with the Giants despite a down 2020 when he missed 11 games with hamstring and hip injuries. Golladay (hamstring) already will miss 2-3 weeks of practice. The jury is still out on Daniel Jones as a starting quarterback but they have no other options. The offense has been conservative with OC Jason Garrett, but that should favor the new No. 1 wideout for the Giants.
26	SF	Brandon Aiyuk	While Aiyuk’s production varied greatly, he impressed with four games over 90 yards and filled in for the absent Deebo Samuel and George Kittle last year. His stock has fallen a bit as the summer wears on, and the 49ers should spread the ball around more this year. And run the ball more as well. He’s talented, but the offense hasn’t produced any stud wide receivers in a long time.
27	CLE	Odell Beckham Jr	The move to Cleveland produced the lowest catch totals in his career. And he’s battled injuries since 2016 and then tore his ACL in Week 7 last year. The Browns have a dominating rushing offense, but the the passing stats are already some of the lowest in the NFL. And now he is rehabbing a torn ACL? No thanks.
28	CIN	Tee Higgins	Higgins already formed chemistry with Joe Burrow last year and ended with 908 yards as a rookie. The addition of Ja’Marr Chase will have an impact to be sure, but Chase did not play last year and will take time. Tyler Boyd will take the bigger hit. This is a great spot for Higgins who could go a bit earlier.
29	PIT	Chase Claypool	The 6-4 Notre Dame product turned in monster games and a few total whiffs as a rookie. No team threw more than the Steelers and that’s bound to decrease. Upgrading the running game alone will impact the passing. Claypool is still a bit risky given the offense, but he has plenty of upside to merit this pick.
30	PHI	DeVonta Smith	Smith may struggle through his rookie year with a quarterback who is still learning the job. And he’s oddly lanky at 6-1 but only 175 pounds. But all he has ever done is dominate when given the chance. He won the Heisman as a wideout after he posted 117-1856-23 over 13 games last year. Risk as a rookie? Of course. Upside to surprise? Always has so far.
31	DEN	Courtland Sutton	Was on the path to big things after posting 1,112 yards and six scores in his second season, but last year he tore his ACL. Until there is proof he is over the injury – physically and mentally – I’m not buying.
32	JAX	D.J. Chark	The Jaguars are all new for 2021 and Chark is the only receiver cemented in his role. His success rides on the arm of the rookie Trevor Lawrence, but he posted 1,000 yards in 2019 with far less pedigreed quarterbacks. The No. 1 wideout for any team should be this high. Chark has the best offense around him since he was drafted in 2018.
33	DEN	Jerry Jeudy	The 1.15 pick last year led the Broncos in receiving despite the offense crumbling around him with injuries. Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater are fighting to be the starter, so Jeudy may still be limited by his quarterback play. But he did post two 100-yard efforts as a rookie, including 140 yards in Week 17.
34	PIT	JuJu Smith-Schuster	Signed a one-year deal to stay in Pittsburgh, but his monster 2018 season is hard to recall. Smith-Schuster caught 97 passes last year while Ben Roethlisberger couldn’t throw deep, but he only averaged a paltry 8.6 yards. Falling this far may mean he is a value, but the Steelers want to run more this year and start throwing deeper again.
35	SF	Deebo Samuel	The 49ers passing game is hard to call with uncertainty at quarterback. But Brandon Aiyuk looked strong as a rookie and George Kittle will be back. Samuel missed nine games in 2020 because he couldn’t stay healthy. The 49ers want to run more, not pass more to the No. 3 target.
36	CAR	Robby Anderson	This is a steal if Anderson can repeat the 95 catches of last year, but a change in quarterback to Sam Darnold puts more risk into the equation. They played together at the Jets, so it won’t be all new. But a healthy Christian McCaffrey means fewer passes for the wideouts.
37	TB	Antonio Brown	Brown is 33 years old, so hardly a youngster. But he caught 45 passes in just eight games with Tom Brady and somehow kept completely out of the news for once. Too many mouths to feed in Tampa Bay to rely on the No. 3 wideout, but he merits a fantasy roster spot and a chance that he eventually offers enough reliabilty to consider starting.
38	IND	Michael Pittman Jr.	He’s big and fast, but was limited as a rookie to only 40 catches. Now a uncertain situation with Carson Wentz throws risk at least into the early portion of the season. He’s a great pick at this spot and has the talent level to do much more when the Colts secure a decent passing game.
39	JAX	Laviska Shenault Jr.	Managed to post 58 catches as a rookie on a deteriorating Jacksonville offense but only gained 10.3 yards per catch. Solid pick at this point with some upside if Trevor Lawrence can meet expectations.
40	CIN	Tyler Boyd	Was a 1,000-yard sort of receiver until last year when Tee Higgins showed up. Now Ja’Marr Chase reunites with his college quarterback and Boyd looks lost in the shuffle. Bigger concern is that he’ll start the season well enough but fade later on as Chase starts to get back into the groove.
41	HOU	Brandin Cooks	The Texans offense looks like a train wreck, but Cooks managed 1,150 yards and six scores in his first season there. Stepping down from Deshaun Watson to Tyrod Taylor or even Davis Mills naturally drops Cooks’ outlook. But a No. 1 wideout on a team that will need to throw is worth picking up here and maybe even earlier.
42	LAC	Mike Williams	He’s had touchdowns with no yards, and then yards with no touchdowns. First year with Justin Herbert ended with 48 catches for 756 yards and five scores so in the middle for once. The 6-4 Williams offers a nice target for the developing Hebert, and losing Hunter Henry may help Williams.
43	MIA	Will Fuller	Four 100-yard games last year, missed five others and was mediocre in the rest. Fuller has the talent but not the durability. He’s missed at least five games in each of the last four seasons. Suspended to open the year.
44	CLE	Jarvis Landry	Landry offers a safe WR3 production at the cost of a backup. He’s a great bye week filler and can offer double-digit fantasy points in a PPR league as the possession receiver. No real upside but a solid performer worth plugging in when needed.
45	WAS	Curtis Samuel	He gets dinged up, but Samuel enters his fifth season and yet is only 24 years old. He finally became a decent receiver with 77 catches in Carolina, and he ran 41 times for 200 yards. Washington needs the help and should have improved passing. Samuel is finally stepping beyond being just a gimmick.
46	MIA	Jaylen Waddle	This is almost certainly an appropriate spot for a wideout that never produced more than 45 catches in any season for Alabama. He reunites with Tua Tagovailoa, but the Fins don’t seem completely sold on the quarterback so far. But Waddle played on a talent-rich Crimson Tide and should become the No. 1 wideout in Miami, if only eventually. He runs a 4.3 40-yard time and was drafted 1.06. Tons of upside and the Fins have one of the lightest passing schedules and yet a mediocre-looking run game.
47	KC	Mecole Hardman	He has a better opportunity with Sammy Watkins gone but then again – what did Watkins do? Hardman hasn’t made much dent into the prolific passing offense for the last two years. Demarcus Robinson also figures in so someone else can let Hardman disappoint for the third year in a row.
48	BAL	Marquise Brown	He hasn’t remotely made good on his selection in 2019 when he was the first wideout drafted. The Ravens brought in Sammy Watkins and drafted Rashod Bateman, so Brown’s road to relevancy may be even harder this year. Still – he was dynamic at Oklahoma and the Ravens have a much better passing schedule.
49	LV	Henry Ruggs III	Ruggs was just another Marquise Brown who offered speed but delivered an underwhelming rookie season. His 26 catches for 452 yards suggest he’s due for only an incremental increase for Year 2.
50	ATL	Russell Gage	Gage is a great pick at this spot. He replaces Julio Jones and already totaled 72 receptions last year. Granted – he doesn’t tack on much after the catch and, like Julio, hasn’t added many touchdowns. But he’s in a solid situation to see an uptick in production. He’s a great bye week cover and potential weekly plug-in if your roster goes bad.
51	DAL	Michael Gallup	Gallup fell to No. 3 with the addition of CeeDee Lamb. His 59 catches for 843 yards of 2020 feels more like his ceiling than floor. He’ll still offer some fantasy value, but any chance of a big game is almost impossible.
52	CHI	Darnell Mooney	He’s small at only 5-10 and 176 yards, but the fifth-round pick from Tulane surprised with 61 receptions for 631 yards as a rookie. He holds onto the No. 2 role across from Allen Robinson and was the No. 49 fantasy wideout in his first year. Once Andy Dalton falls to the wayside, Mooney can start gaining chemistry with Justin Fields, who can buy time and let Mooney use his 4.38 speed.
53	IND	T.Y. Hilton	At 31 years old, Hilton is on the downside of his career and only managed around 50 catches in each of the last two seasons. That seemed to be looking up with the stronger arm of Carson Wentz but now he’s out for an unknown amount of time. Hilton’s fine as a backup to see if he is safe to play, but his time as a no-brainer fantasy starter is over.
54	NYJ	Corey Davis	Davis looked like moving to the Jets would help his career. But then they added Keelan Cole and drafted Elijah Moore and retained Jamison Crowder. Add in a rookie quarterback on a rebuilding team with new coaches and schemes, and Davis looks like more risk than reward.
55	NYJ	Elijah Moore	The Ole Miss product runs a 4.35 40-time and will become the slot receiver. But the Jets also kept Jamison Crowder so Moore’s path to more receptions may take some time. This deep, he’s a decent roster add if you can wait a month or two.
56	BUF	Cole Beasley	Beasley made references to retiring because of COVID restrictions but has remained. The Bills added Emmanuel Sanders and want more from Gabriel Davis, so Beasley’s role is more likely to decline than increase.
57	MIA	DeVante Parker	His freakishly productive end to 2019 did not repeat and Parker floated back down to a more standard 63 catches for 793 yards last year. Adding Jaylen Waddle and Will Fuller will not help Parker to rekindle the temporary mojo of 2019.
58	JAX	Marvin Jones	The 31-year-old moves to Jacksonville after a solid 2020 with 978 yards and nine touchdowns. But the aging receiver mixes in with DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault on a completely revamped offense with new coaches and a rookie quarterback. He signed a two-year deal, but the Jaguars can get out of it after this year.
59	BAL	Sammy Watkins	Moving from the Chiefs to the Ravens seems like a major downgrade, but Watkins had no chance behind Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. In Baltimore, all there is ahead of him is Marquise Brown, who has been a bust. Watkins drew rave reviews from the coaching staff and the Ravens want to throw more downfield. As a final draft pick, Watkins offers some upside.
60	NO	Tre’Quan Smith	The Saints haven’t decided on a quarterback and may not the entire year. Smith could actually benefit from Drew Brees leaving if they opt for Jameis Winston throwing deep balls. Worthy fantasy depth to see what happens.

Best of the Rest

Jakobi Meyers (NE) – Meyers caught 59 passes for 729 yards to lead an otherwise dismal passing offense for the Patriots last year. There are more targets in New England this year, but Jakobi already has earned a starting spot and meshed better with Cam Newton than any other receiver last year.

Darius Slayton (NYJ) – The Giants should keep Slayton as the split end this year while Kenny Golladay is the slot and flanker. Slayton’s 50-751-3 led the Giants’ receivers last year. He should maintain that level of production that ranked No. 53 last year. He’s only 25 years old and posted roughly the same stats as a rookie in 2019 as well.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling (GB) – Worthless if Jordan Love started, but worth owning as fantasy depth since Aaron Rodgers stayed. He has plenty of flops, but topped 100-yards twice last year.