Fantasy Football: Top 20 Rookie Wide Receivers 1-5

Robinson had a highly productive college career, leading the Big 10 in receiving during his final two seasons (2012 and 2013). Robinson has prototypical size at 6’2 and 220 lbs, and he has exceptional leaping ability which will make him difficult for defensive backs to cover in the NFL. Robinson had a decent combine where he ran a 4.60 40 yard dash, had a 39 inch vertical, and ran a 7.00 3-cone. Robinson is a very talented receiver, and is very comparable to Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green. He can out jump defenders to make unbelievable catches downfield, and due to his leaping ability, he is a great redzone option as well. Robinson is explosive after the catch and can take it to the house whenever he has the ball in his hands. Allen Robinson is only 21 years old and he could possibly be fantasy relevant for the next 7-8 years. Robinson was drafted in the 2nd round (61 overall) by the Jaguars, which means his value will be insulated due to the Jaguars spending a 2nd round pick on him.<p>If you own Robinson on any of your dynasty teams, consider yourself lucky. I would be doing everything thing in my power to try and obtain Robinson, but more than likely he’s going to cost you a hefty premium. I wouldn’t think anything negative about you if you traded away the 1.3 for him, because Robinson is that talented. I would be looking to draft Robinson in the late 2nd to the mid-3rd round in startup drafts. I love Allen Robinson. He was one of my favorite players coming out of last year’s draft. He should have been drafted in the first round in every rookie draft last year, but he fell to the early 2nd in some drafts, which is a huge value.</p>. Wide Receiver. Jacksonville Jaguars. Allen Robinson. 5. player. 52

Wide Receivers. New Orleans Saints. Brandin Cooks. 4. player. 15. Cooks was the 20^th pick in the draft by the New Orleans Saints. One of the most athletic receivers in this rookie class, Cooks set the combine ablaze with a 4.33 40 yard dash, a 36 inch vertical and 6.76 3-cone. Cooks doesn’t have the prototypical size at 5’10 189 pounds, but he’s thick for his size and strong enough beat the jam of most corners in the NFL. Cooks demonstrated his strength at the combine with 16 reps of 225 on the bench press, which equates to a 340 pound max bench press. Cooks had a very productive college career. During his sophomore season, he totaled 67 receptions, 1151 yards, and 5 TDs. For his junior season, he tallied up 128 receptions, 1730 yards, and 16 TDs. He won the 2013 Fred Biletnikoff Award and was a 2013 Consensus All-American.Cooks is a workaholic, and he demonstrated this trait by doing private workouts with QB Drew Brees last offseason.<p>Everybody has a man crush, and mine is Brandin Cooks. There’s a lot to like about him. He has elite athleticism, massive amount of college production, a vigorous work ethic, and has the best situation a wide receiver can be placed in. Which is with the New Orleans Saints offense with Drew Brees at QB. Cooks finished the season with 53 receptions 550 yards and 3 TDs, which was during a 10 game sample size that was cut short due to a hand injury. Cooks’ numbers would have prorated to 84 receptions, 880 yards, and 4 TDs if he would have finished the rest of the season. Those are fantastic stats for a rookie wide receiver, and he’s going to be a fantasy stud in the near future. Due to being placed on IR, I bet you can receive Cooks with a small discount on the trade market. I would think a mid-1^st would get the deal done for a lot of owners. I own him in all my dynasty leagues but one, and the league I don’t have him in I will be throwing the kitchen sink at the owner trying to get Cooks on my roster. Cooks turned 21 years old in September, which make him very young and he will be a staple on your fantasy team for almost a decade.</p>

16. Watkins was drafted as the 1.1 in most rookie drafts, and he would be the 1.1 in the 2015 rookie class as well. Watkins is a very talented receiver, who displays excellent short area quickness. Sammy Watkins destroyed the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2013 Orange Bowl, and landed on the radar of a lot of draft enthusiasts. During the draft process, Watkins was the most talented receiver and had the highest stock amongst all the wide receiver prospects. He killed the combine with a 4.43 40 yard dash, 34 inch vertical, and a 6.95 3-cone. Watkins was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 1^st round (4^th overall), and was the first receiver drafted. Watkins has wide receiver 1 upside, and will be a key component to your dynasty team.<p>I don’t own any shares of Watkins currently. I didn’t have any teams that had that 1.1 pick, so I couldn’t acquire him come draft day. That being said, I would love to have him on all of my teams. He has the potential to be in the top 5 overall in dynasty if he develops. Watkins finished his rookie season with 65 receptions, 982 yards, and 6 TDs, which is a very good rookie season. Some people are a little down on Watkins because he didn’t explode his rookie season, but he posted great numbers in a bad offense. Watkins will develop, and will have a great fantasy career for years to come.</p>. Wide Receiver. Buffalo Bills. Sammy Watkins. 3. player

48. Mike Evans was drafted 7^th overall in the NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was considered a high end prospect during last offseason. He went to college at Texas A&M where he was partnered up with current Browns QB Johnny Manziel. Evans is a big wide receiver at 6’5, 231 pounds, which makes him very hard to cover because he is a lot bigger than the average defensive back in the NFL. Evans impressed at the combine like a lot of his fellow rookie wide receivers with a 4.53 40 yard dash, 37 inch vertical, and a 7.08 3-cone. A person that is his size is not supposed to move like him. Evans is a monster. Evans was highly productive during his college career totaling 151 receptions, 2499 yards, and 17 touchdowns in two seasons for the Texas A&M Aggies. Evans was drafted at the 1.2 spot in most drafts, and he would be drafted as the 1.1 in this year’s rookie draft. Evans is another young wide receiver at the age of 21, and he will have a lot of time to develop in to a stud wide receiver.<p>I had the 1.2 in a rookie draft last year and gladly accepted Mike Evans onto my roster. I ran to the podium so quick to make my selection I almost pulled a hamstring. Evans is going to be a stud wide receiver for years to come, and I would draft him in the first round of a startup draft right now, without hesitation. Evans is currently ranked higher than Watkins because he is showing his potential at a more accelerated rate. Mike Evans has the chance to develop into the elite wide receiver group of Calvin Johnson, A.J. Green, Julio Jones, and Dez Bryant. A smart dynasty strategy would be trading one of these elite receivers for Evans and a little more. Evans is 21, and you will get elite wide receiver production from him for a lot longer than any of these wide receivers and you will get a little extra with it, like a 2^nd round draft pick or a prospect you like. Evans had great stats to finish out the season, finishing with 68 receptions 1,051 yards and 12 TDs. Amazing stats for Evans, considering the horrific quarterback situation he endured this season. His productivity should only increase as he develops and gets better QB play throwing to him.</p>. Wide Receiver. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mike Evans. 2. player

Wide Receiver. New York Giants. Odell Beckham Jr.. 1. player. 31. Odell Beckham Jr. was drafted 12^th overall by the New York Giants. Like many of these prospects, Beckham’s combine metrics were through the roof with a 4.43 40 yard dash, 38.5 vertical, and a 6.69 3-cone. Beckham is 5’11 and 198 pounds,  and the impressive thing about Beckham is that his hands are 10 inches, which is huge. Making difficult catches comes a little easier when your hands are 10 inches. Beckham finished his junior season at LSU with 57 receptions 1,117 yards, and 8 TDs.<p>Beckham had a historic rookie season, which rivaled Randy Moss as one of the best rookie seasons ever for a wide receiver. In 12 games Beckham caught 91 passess for 1305 yards and 12 TDs. These stats are astronomical and hard to believe. If he played a full 16 games, his stats would look like this; 124 receptions, 1740 yards, and 16 TDs. Those are video game numbers, and hard to wrap your head around that a rookie could generate so much productivity. I have seen people stating that his production will drop when Victor Cruz comes back next year. Well, when you rack up 1305 yards and 12 TDs in 12 games, and you’re a talented rookie, I’m pretty sure that you’re going to be the focal point of the offense for the following year. After a few dismal seasons from Eli Manning, Beckham rejuvenated Manning and made him look like a QB1 again in fantasy. Beckham is going to be special, and if you can acquire him from a non-believer, then do so. I would trade an elite WR for Beckham because Beckham is already producing like an elite WR. Beckham is going to get a lot of targets from Manning, and he’s going to continue to develop and get better. I think you could get a little more if you offered an elite wide receiver for Beckham, so I would shoot for an extra draft pick or prospect. Beckham should go in the first round in startup drafts this spring, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the 1.1 in a lot of them. As I have previously stated, Beckham is a stud, and he’s going to be a special talent for years to come.<br />Please follow me on Twitter @bmatz08 for tons of news, philosophy, and advice pertaining to fantasy football.</p>