Training camps are underway and preseason games are on the horizon. With that, fantasy football draft season is here. To help you prepare, this four-part series will feature redraft rankings, targets, fades, sleepers, and overall strategy for each of the positions (QB, RB, WR, TE).
The series began with quarterback and continued with running back and tight end. We now wrap things up with wide receiver. Discussions assume redraft, start one tight end, PPR, no TE premium. Targets, fades, and sleepers are all based on how I see a player’s value in relation to their current ADP.
There are very few players that I am completely out on. There is almost always a point where a player would slide far enough in a draft that I would select him. However, based on ADP, there are several players at each position that I am likely to not roster in a single league; those players make up my “fade” list.
In the same way, my “targets” and “sleepers” are players I see as being undervalued, and as such, I am bound to be heavily invested in them this year, barring a significant change to their ADPs.
Don’t agree with some of the rankings or advice—let us know your thoughts on our message board, found at the end of the article.
Rankings
| Rank | Name | Team |
| 1 | Ja’Marr Chase | CIN |
| 2 | Justin Jefferson | MIN |
| 3 | CeeDee Lamb | DAL |
| 4 | Malik Nabers | NYG |
| 5 | Puka Nacua | LAR |
| 6 | Brian Thomas Jr. | JAC |
| 7 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET |
| 8 | Nico Collins | HOU |
| 9 | Ladd McConkey | LAC |
| 10 | Drake London | ATL |
| 11 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA |
| 12 | A.J. Brown | PHI |
| 13 | Garrett Wilson | NYJ |
| 14 | Mike Evans | TB |
| 15 | Tetairoa McMillan | CAR |
| 16 | Tee Higgins | CIN |
| 17 | Xavier Worthy | KC |
| 18 | DK Metcalf | PIT |
| 19 | Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI |
| 20 | Tyreek Hill | MIA |
| 21 | Davante Adams | LAR |
| 22 | Rashee Rice | KC |
| 23 | Terry McLaurin | WAS |
| 24 | Calvin Ridley | TEN |
| 25 | DJ Moore | CHI |
| 26 | Courtland Sutton | DEN |
| 27 | Jordan Addison | MIN |
| 28 | DeVonta Smith | PHI |
| 29 | Jaylen Waddle | MIA |
| 30 | Chris Olave | NO |
| 31 | Khalil Shakir | BUF |
| 32 | Zay Flowers | BAL |
| 33 | Jerry Jeudy | CLE |
| 34 | Jauan Jennings | SF |
| 35 | Josh Downs | IND |
| 36 | Jayden Reed | GB |
| 37 | Jameson Williams | DET |
| 38 | George Pickens | DAL |
| 39 | Emeka Egbuka | TB |
| 40 | Travis Hunter | JAC |
| 41 | Rome Odunze | CHI |
| 42 | Jakobi Meyers | LV |
| 43 | Stefon Diggs | NE |
| 44 | Chris Godwin | TB |
| 45 | Ricky Pearsall | SF |
| 46 | Kyle Williams | NE |
| 47 | Cooper Kupp | SEA |
| 48 | Matthew Golden | GB |
| 49 | Tre’ Harris | LAC |
| 50 | Cedric Tillman | CLE |
| 51 | Keon Coleman | BUF |
| 52 | Wan’Dale Robinson | NYG |
| 53 | Luther Burden III | CHI |
| 54 | Jack Bech | LV |
| 55 | Deebo Samuel Sr. | WAS |
| 56 | Brandon Aiyuk | SF |
| 57 | Michael Pittman Jr. | IND |
| 58 | Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN |
| 59 | Jayden Higgins | HOU |
| 60 | Joshua Palmer | BUF |
| 61 | Darnell Mooney | ATL |
| 62 | Christian Kirk | HOU |
| 63 | Rashid Shaheed | NO |
| 64 | Jalen Royals | KC |
| 65 | Adam Thielen | CAR |
| 66 | Dont’e Thornton Jr. | LV |
| 67 | Quentin Johnston | LAC |
| 68 | Rashod Bateman | BAL |
| 69 | Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | MIA |
| 70 | Dyami Brown | JAC |
Targets
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Jaxon Smith-Njigba broke out in his second season, finishing as the WR7 overall, thanks to his reaching the 100-reception threshold. Seattle sent DK Metcalf to Pittsburgh, replacing him with an aging Cooper Kupp. With question marks surrounding the supporting receiving cast, and with him poised for positive regression (his 100 receptions only netted 1,130 yards and six scores), JSN is undervalued in the late third and one of my top wide receiver targets.
Calvin Ridley
Calvin Ridley was 97th amongst wide receivers in catchable targets (playerprofiler.com), with only 59.2% of his 120 targets deemed catchable. His quarterback situation was a mess, as was the Tennessee offense. There is hope for a bounce-back season for the locked in Titans WR1 with the addition of Cam Ward. Ridley finished as the PPR WR30 last season, which is right where his ADP currently stands. If Ward can bring stability to the Tennessee passing game, Ridley should smash his ADP.
Fades
Matthew Golden
Reports out of Packers training camp have been glowing for the talented rookie receiver, selected with the 23rd overall pick. Yes, Matthew Golden possesses elite speed (4.29 at 191 pounds), first-round draft capital, and landed on a talented Packers offense. This makes it easy to argue Golden’s case to be productive right away. However, while reports have been strong for Golden, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Tucker Kraft, and Luke Musgrave have all received positive reports. Given Jordan Love’s tendency to spread the ball around, coupled with Green Bay’s balanced offense, how confident will you be plugging Matthew Golden into your lineup? I am much more comfortable taking Golden at value in best ball than I am in traditional redraft, and will be fading him at cost.
Travis Hunter
Is Travis Hunter primarily a wide receiver that occasionally plays corner, or is he a corner with offensive packages? We are now into August and we still do not have the clarity that we were hoping for when the Jaguars traded up for the elite athlete. So, while the potential of Travis Hunter as primary receiver is tantalizing, the reality is that his expected snap share is murky and he will be, at best, the second option in the passing game behind Brian Thomas. With a Dataforce ADP in between Calvin Ridley and Jerry Jeudy, I simply will not be having any Travis Hunter redraft shares.
Sleepers
Joshua Palmer
Joshua Palmer signed a 3-year, $36 million dollar contract to join the Bills wide open wide receiver depth chart. Early reports have Palmer penciled in as a starter in three receiver sets and he has been one of Josh Allen’s favorite targets. Palmer will likely be too inconsistent to plug into a traditional lineup with confidence. He does, however, make for a fine late-round target in best ball.
Jalen Royals
Jalen Royals has been making frequent appearances with the Chiefs first-team offense. It’s one thing for a late-round rookie (Royals was drafted at the end of the fourth round) to get a few snaps with the ones that result in a highlight reel play; it’s another when a rookie quickly earns consistent starter-snaps usage. With Rashee Rice’s likely suspension, Marquise Brown’s and JuJu Smith-Schuster’s injury histories and declining productions, and Travis Kelce nearing the end of his career, there is both early and long-term opportunity for Jalen Royals to become an integral part of the Kansas City offense.
Overall Strategy
With most leagues requiring at least three starting wide receivers, with the potential for one or more in a flex spot, targeting wide receiver early and often, especially in full PPR, is a necessity. Even if I were to find myself in a draft where the running backs were screaming values, I would still want to lock in at least three, high-volume, every-week receivers before spending too much draft capital on running backs.
In best-ball, ensuring a deep roster of wide receivers is even more important as all the teams will be drafting 6-9 wide receivers, each one needing to have the ability to post several boom weeks throughout the season. Securing three to four high-volume receivers is not as critical in best ball as traditional redraft, as long as your roster is full of receivers with secure roles in their offenses. However, knowing that WR-heavy is such a popular strategy, fantasy gamers should have the bulk of their receiving corps drafted before they near the double-digit rounds.
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Matthew Hill
Fantasy Sports Writer