This year’s receiving crop doesn’t look set to have an instant impact in the fantasy world, but there could be some gems.
10. ArDarius Stewart, New York Jets
Who are the names at the top of the wide receiver depth chart in New York right now? We know Eric Decker starts in the slot and is the only proven veteran star, but apart from him would you be able to name the outside receivers due to line up in September? The state of this group is abysmal right now, with Quincy Enunwa leading the way and your best guess of Charone Peake, Robby Anderson, Jalin Marshall or Quinton Patton lining up across from him.
There’s an opportunity here for one of the rookies in the Jets receiver room to make an impact, and Stewart is the best of the bunch. He was added in the third round, followed by Chad Hansen in the fourth and more recently KD Cannon as an undrafted free agent. It’s a crowded group, but that means an open competition and a chance for someone to emerge as a fantasy weapon.
Why ArDarius? Because he’s a stand out player – his speed, full-steam-ahead attitude and ability with the ball in his hands combine to form a player who should outplay his competition from day one. Alabama used him in a variety of ways including screens, reverses, and more traditional routes from the outside, and New York should adopt the same mindset. Don’t be surprised if he turns into one of Josh McCown’s favorite targets. While he shouldn’t be drafted right now, keep a close eye on the Jets’ receivers.
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9. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
Like New York, the Rams have a receiving group that’s hard to figure out. In Jared Goff’s rookie campaign, veteran Kenny Britt emerged as the top receiver, hauling in 68 balls for 1,002 yards. Now Britt has moved on to Cleveland, and the team is left with Robert Woods (the Britt free agency replacement), perennial fantasy disappointment Tavon Austin, and a bunch of unproven youngsters including Kupp and fellow rookie Josh Reynolds.
While Reynolds, a deep threat, might boast the most “upside”; Kupp is the more refined possession-type receiver of the two. He comes from a smaller school (Eastern Washington), but brings huge stats (428 receptions, 6,464 yards and 73 touchdowns). He didn’t test very well at the combine across all the drills (including a 4.62 40-yard dash), but proved his ability to turn and get in and out of routes by performing strongly in the three cone drill and 20-yard shuttle.
With a new head coach in Sean McVay, his new offense, and a quarterback looking to make a huge leap in year two, don’t be surprised if a youngster like Kupp is thrown into the fray early. Like Stewart, he’s not draftable to begin the year, but if the Rams offense looks improved from 2016, he must be monitored.
8. Chad Williams, Arizona Cardinals
Williams is a wildcard. You just need to head to YouTube to see what looks like 80s college tape – when it’s actually grainy footage from Grambling State. Analysts were surprised to see him taken in the third round, but the Cardinals have had success with small school players in this spot in recent years with David Johnson and John Brown.
Of Williams, head coach Bruce Arians said:
"“I don’t like slow guys. I don’t give a s–t how big they are. You’ve got to be able to run past people, and if you come in a big, strong, physical package, that’s even better.”"
We didn’t hear too much about Williams in the pre-draft process, and that’s partly because he wasn’t invited to the NFL combine due to legal issues before his senior season. However, he reportedly ran two sub-4.4 40-yard dashes at his pro day, so it’s no surprise Arizona was enamored.
With Michael Floyd gone and uncertainty on Brown’s future, Williams could contribute immediately across from Larry Fitzgerald. See how he develops over the summer, and if pencilled in as a starter, he could be worth stashing at the end of your rosters.
7. Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions
The Lions have one of the least ‘traditional’ offenses in the NFL, in that every player they have seems to cater to Matthew Stafford’s quick-hitting type of play. Golden Tate is the team’s leading receiver with 90+ catches in each of the last three seasons, but he averaged only 11.8 yards per reception last year. The top two running backs on the team (Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick) are known for their pass-catching ability, and it’s clear the team will continue to put the ball in Stafford’s hands.
Last year, Marvin Jones emerged early in the season as a deep threat, but faded into darkness after the first month. The veteran will certainly start 2017 as the main threat outside, but Golladay immediately brings a size (6-foot-4, 218 pounds) and speed (4.50 40 yard dash) combination that no one else on the roster can provide. Although the current playmakers excel in the short game, Stafford has an extremely strong arm and no problem housing a deep threat.
Believe it or not, Jones has only three 100-plus yard games in his entire career, along with just two multiple-touchdown games. Golladay could immediately come in and be the deep threat Stafford has craved since Calvin Johnson’s departure, and offer production in the red zone too. He should be firmly on your fantasy sleeper radars.
6. Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers
The word of the draft in Carolina must have been “versatility”. Christian McCaffrey, although a fantastic fit at running back, can be used all over the field – as a runner, as a receiver from the backfield, and purely on the outside. In Samuel, they’ve found exactly the same thing. While the early second round pick is presumed to be the immediate starter in the slot, he can be used in the same ways as McCaffrey, and this offense looks set to be explosive.
In college, Samuel managed almost identical rushing and receiving numbers – 1,286 yards on the ground and 1,249 through the air. How will Carolina use him? The reason he’s someone to tab for fantasy is two-fold. Firstly, the team simply does not have a lot of existing weapons outside of Kelvin Benjamin (Devin Funchess, Russell Shepard and Charles Johnson are next in line), and secondly, he’s Samuel is simply an electric threat with big-play potential.
With his speed and explosiveness, he just needs a step to take the ball to the house and win you a fantasy gameweek. Lost behind John Ross and his record-setting 4.22 40-yard dash was Samuel’s blazing 4.31 time – he is fast.
We’ll likely learn more about Samuel’s role in the coming months, but you can be sure the team will want to get the ball in his hands.
5. Zay Jones, Buffalo Bills
At East Carolina, Jones was the biggest target hog in college football. In 2016, he caught 158 balls. 158 catches, in one season! This was an improvement on ‘only’ 98 the year before. The Bills selected him with the 37th pick in the draft, and we can see a clear path for him to contribute early and often.
Sammy Watkins could be one of the best receivers in the NFL, but he simply hasn’t proven it yet, and continues to miss practices with a lingering foot problem. Andre Holmes, penciled in as a starter right now, caught 14 balls in each of the last two seasons for Oakland. Corey Brown and Walter Powell are not starters in this league. Jones could be the top receiver on the roster at any time this year.
As a fantasy asset, Jones could be fairly similar to a Jordan Matthews-type player. He’s not likely to be a “WR1” or alpha on the outside, but can be a great complementary player to a number one target. Although it might seem counter-intuitive to hope for Watkins to stay healthy for Jones to produce his best numbers, that will likely be the case. If both line up from week one, I’ll want Jones on my teams.
4. Juju Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
The man who asked the best receiver in the game for tips over a year ago now gets to work with him, as Smith-Schuster joins Antonio Brown on perhaps the most talented offense in the league. With his strength and possession-receiver style of play, Brown’s electrifying speed and quickness, along with Martavis Bryant’s big-play ability, the Steelers have it all.
Smith-Schuster was the youngest player drafted this year, but at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, he doesn’t play like it. He has a fiery side as a player, fighting both for the ball and for yards when it’s in his hands. Had it not been for an injury that slowed his production in his final year, Juju would have been drafted higher than 62nd overall, but in this case it’s worked in our fantasy football favor.
With Ladarius Green’s release and a huge void at the tight end position, expect Pittsburgh to have three or four receivers on the field at any given time. Le’Veon Bell will line up out wide, James Conner will sub in, and they will get Smith-Schuster involved in formations that will terrify opposing defenses. You’ll want a part of this attack, and Smith-Schuster might be the cheapest.
3. John Ross, Cincinnati Bengals
There’s a chance you’ve been tricked into believing Ross was only selected in the top ten of the NFL draft because he ran the fastest 40 yard dash in combine history. Don’t let that happen. He’s an outstanding player who proved his first round talent on the field in his final collegiate season, with a 81-1150-17 line and a ton of spectacular plays. The Bengals have found another deep threat to work with six-time Pro Bowler AJ Green.
Ross can fly, but unlike other speedsters, he’s not “just” a deep threat. He has an outstanding ability to use speed to his advantage – meaning he doesn’t just move at one speed; instead he sets up defenders with patience, can get in and out of breaks quickly and has tremendous acceleration to reach the ball past his opponents at the last moment. The DeSean Jackson comparisons are thrown around each year without too much merit, but Ross at least gets close in terms of style.
By adding Ross and running back Joe Mixon (another great fit), the Bengals have one of the most stacked offenses in the league. It’ll be difficult for teams to double cover Green, get help against Tyler Eifert or stack the box against Mixon, let alone cover Ross one on one. Assuming his recovery from injury isn’t set back, Ross is a rookie receiver to target.
2. Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers know time is almost up for Philip Rivers. Turning 36 this year, the team wants to give him the weapons to make a run and secure the Super Bowl victory he craves. The addition of Williams and the return of Keenan Allen give him exactly that, and should both benefit each other with their opposing playing styles.
Williams is strong. He’s physical. He’s a long-strider who wins with power, and he can be his quarterback’s safety net. The former Clemson Tiger has a type of ‘presence’ on the field, in a way that makes his QB feel comfortable throwing the ball anywhere in his direction and trusting him to fight it away from the competing defender. While Tyrell Williams came out of nowhere to have a great season in 2016, Mike can come in and immediately contribute in ‘move the chains’ situations as well as being an end zone target. Expect him to haul in a few short-yardage touchdowns in his first NFL season.
As the seventh overall pick, he might not be ‘free’ in your drafts, but with the woeful first year production of the 2016 class, recency bias could be in full effect. Don’t shy away simply because he’s a rookie, as Williams has the talent and opportunity to give back to his owners in a big way.
1. Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
It couldn’t have turned out better for both Davis and his quarterback, Marcus Mariota. It will have shocked a few people that a player from the MAC was selected this high, especially as he missed the NFL Combine and his Pro Day through injury and couldn’t “prove” his athleticism. That said, he’s earned it, and is well worthy.
Davis looks like Terrell Owens on the field, and is clearly the rookie receiver with the highest fantasy ceiling in both the short and long term future. He combines speed, power and pro-level route running to dominate defenders, and has the build of a true number one receiver in the NFL (6-foot-3, 209 pounds). His college production was simply insane (331 catches, 5,278 yards and 52 touchdowns), and despite the level of competition he faced, Davis’ skills will translate to the next level.
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Still recovering from his ankle injury, Davis might slip in drafts if he’s molly-coddled by the Titans in the offseason and through the preseason. However, that’s your chance to snag him at a cheaper draft day price, and it could pay dividends towards the end of the year.