Fantasy Football: 2018 Off-Season and ReDraft Rankings

2018 NFL Fantasy Football Offseason – Part 3: Wide Receivers

Here are the links in case you missed Part 1: The Quarterbacks or Part 2: The Running Backs. This is Part 3: The Wide Receivers. Inside you will find comprehensive analysis of the 2018 NFL off-season. First, I will take you through the current NFL Free Agency class, providing analysis. Second, I will cover the top Fantasy Football wide receivers that have declared for the NFL Draft. Finally, I have included my Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Redraft Rankings complete with Free Agency and NFL Draft projections.

NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV – APRIL 03: NFL player Larry Fitzgerald hits a tee shot during ARIA Resort /

2018 Free Agent Class – The Wide Receivers

This free agent class is not short on young talent. I’m sure there will be teams lining up just to get some face time with this group.

1. Jarvis Landry, MIA – 25yo
– I’m thinking Landry’s situations will likely play out similar to Ricky Jarret’s situation unfolded in Season 3 of Ballers. If you are unfamiliar with the show, that basically means that Landry will have many suitors throwing money his way, but in order to leave Miami he will need to be swept off his feet, so to speak. In Baller’s that was a team welcoming his private jet with teammates, coaches, cheerleaders and a marching band.

2. Sammy Watkins, LAR – 24yo
– Watkins vs Landry is a toss-up. Watkins is the superior talent, but injuries and inconsistency have limited his production. The former 4th overall draft pick may get a fat check, but it’s possible that he takes a prove-it one year contract like Alshon Jeffery and Terrelle Pryor did in free agency 2017.

3. Jordan Matthews, BUF – 25yo
– Matthews put up solid numbers on his rookie contract in Philadelphia, averaging 75rec/891yd/6.3td per year over 3 years. Last year, on a new team, Matthews’s numbers dropped precipitously. The 25 year old will get plenty of love this off-season, as most of the blame will be put on the inconsistency of Tyrod Taylor.

4. Allen Robinson, JAX – 24yo
– Robinson tore his ACL in the first game of the 2017 season, which really put a damper on his value. He will definitely have a market, assuming his health checks out. For those who believe he can get back to 2015 form (80rec/1,400yd/14td), this might be a great buy-low opportunity.

5. Donte Moncrief, IND – 24yo

– It was not a good contract year for Moncrief. He will likely get a prove-it contract this offseason.

6. Marqise Lee, JAX – 25yo
– Lee has put up solid numbers during his 4 years in Jacksonville, but minor injuries have limited him. He is a good WR3 on most teams depth chart.

7. Paul Richardson, SEA – 25yo
– Richardson had his best NFL season in 2017, amassing 703 yards and 6 touchdowns. A team in need of a slot specialist will reward his solid 2017.

8. Terrelle Pryor, WAS – 28yo
– TP bet on himself with a one year contract in 2017. Probably not the best financial move big fella – he was offered 4 years 32 million in 2017. He now enters a much stronger market, competing against a gaggle of 24 and 25 year olds just completing their rookie contracts. I think Cleveland will be competing against themselves as the only team who wants this guy. Based on 2017 I would not be surprised if Cleveland lost that one too.

9. John Brown, ARI – 28yo
– He may retire, but I think he deserved to be on the list.

2018 Fantasy Football Cap Casualties – The Wide Receivers

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 04: Jordy Nelson of the Green Bay Packers accepts the AP Comeback Player of the Year presented by McDonalds at the Wortham Theater Center on February 4, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

(NOTE: These are projected salary cap casualties. The teams still retain the rights to these contracts. This is just what I anticipate will happen during the offseason)

1. Jordy Nelson, GB – 32yo
– Packers paid more money to wide receivers than any other team in 2017. That being said, Nelson restructures his contract so that he is able to end his career with the Packers.

2. Torrey Smith, PHI – 29yo
– Smith is due $5 million next year, and Philly would save all $5 million if they release him. I can see them keeping him one more year, but it is easy to move on from a 29yo who accounted for only 36 catches in 2017.

Top Fantasy Football Wide Receivers in the NFL Draft

Not the strongest wide receivers class based on top-tier talent, but the depth is okay. There are at least 5 guys who will crack a starting lineup throughout the season.

1. Cortland Sutton, SMU
– Sutton is tall, strong, and athletic. He definitely has a prototypical wide receiver physique. This kid is a highlight reel, but he is raw.

– Pro Comp(s): Kevin White

2. Calvin Ridley, Alabama
– Polished is a good word for Ridley. His routes are clean and crisp. My only quarrel with Ridley is that he needs to get stronger.

– Pro Comp: Reggie Wayne

3. James Washington, Oklahoma St.
– The first time I ever watched this kid I knew he was a star. I hope he opts for the running back number in the pros. Scouts may be concerned with his size (he measured in at under 6 feet at the draft), but this kid has a football mind and a track star skillset.

– Pro Comp: Hines Ward

4. Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
– If Kirk runs a sub 4.4 40 yard dash, he will be the 4th wide receiver off the board. A valuable asset in special teams and out of the slot, his quickness kills.

– Pro comp: Ted Ginn Jr.

5. Equanimeous St. Brown, Notre Dame
– His quarterback struggled getting him the ball, but the potential is there. Brown is a great route runner for someone with his size (6-5 204).

– Pro Comp: Tyrell Williams

6. Auden Tate, FSU
– Tate is a massive, mountain of a man (6-5 225). If you happened to watch highlights of the Independence Bowl, you see how much of a red-zone mismatch he is.

– Pro Comp: Kelvin Benjamin

7. Marcell Ateman, Oklahoma St.
– Looks the part (6-4 220) and is excellent when the ball is in the air. Ateman and Kenny Golladay are basically the same person, so he will go late 3rd round.

– Pro Comp: Kenny Golladay

8. DaeSean Hamilton, Penn St.
– Hamilton is experiencing a Zay Jones-esque rise after a strong Senior Bowl performance. He

– Pro Comp: Jeremy Maclin

9. Sammie Cobbs Jr., Indiana
– Cobbs is your prototypical big physical wide receiver. What he lacks in route efficiency, he makes up for with strong hands and physicality.

– Pro Comp: Alshon Jeffery

10. Michael Gallup, Colorado St.
– What a great name for a wide receiver! Scouts are not going to be drooling at Gallup’s combine numbers, but this kid is a football player. It does not matter if he runs a 4.65 like Jarvis Landry; his tape shows the whole story. This kid can ball. He may be the 10th WR drafted, but he will be one of the most successful.

– Pro Comp: Jarvis Landry

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 02: Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown visits the SiriusXM set at Super Bowl LI Radio Row at the George R. Brown Convention Center on February 2, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM) /

Wide Reciever Fantasy Football Redraft Rankings

WR1 Antonio Brown PIT
WR2 DeAndre Hopkins HOU
WR3 Julio Jones ATL
WR4 Odell Beckham Jr. NYG
WR5 Mike Evans TB
WR6 A.J. Green CIN
WR7 Keenan Allen LAC
WR8 Michael Thomas NO
WR9 T.Y. Hilton IND
WR10 Dez Bryant DAL
WR11 Davante Adams GB
WR12 Tyreek Hill KC
WR13 Doug Baldwin SEA
WR14 Jarvis Landry MIA
WR15 Alshon Jeffery PHI
WR16 Amari Cooper OAK
WR17 Brandin Cooks NE
WR18 Stefon Diggs MIN
WR19 Michael Crabtree OAK
WR20 Golden Tate DET
WR21 Adam Thielen MIN
WR22 Sammy Watkins SF
WR23 Demaryius Thomas DEN
WR24 Josh Gordon CLE
WR25 Allen Robinson JAX
WR26 Larry Fitgerald ARI
WR27 Jordy Nelson GB
WR28 Jamison Crowder WAS
WR29 Donte Moncrief CAR
WR30 Corey Davis TEN
WR31 Pierre Garcon SF
WR32 Will Fuller HOU
WR33 Julian Edelman NE
WR34 Kelvin Benjamin BUF
WR35 Emmanuel Sanders DEN
WR36 Marvin Jones DET
WR37 JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT
WR38 Calvin Ridley GB
WR39 Robert Woods LAR
WR40 Jordan Matthews CHI
WR41 James Washington CAR
WR42 DeSean Jackson TB
WR43 Josh Doctson WAS
WR44 Devin Funchess CAR
WR45 Chris Hogan NE
WR46 Sterling Shepard NYG
WR47 Mohamed Sanu ATL
WR48 Jeremy Maclin BAL
WR49 Mike Williams LAC
WR50 Cooper Kupp LAR
WR51 Jermaine Kearse NYJ
WR52 Courtland Sutton BAL
WR53 Rishard Matthews TEN
WR54 Nelson Agholor PHI
WR55 DeVante Parker MIA
WR56 Randall Cobb GB
WR57 Michael Gallup ARI
WR58 Robby Anderson NYJ
WR59 Corey Coleman CLE
WR60 Marquise Goodwin SF

WR14 Jarvis Landry, MIA

WR22 Sammy Watkins, SF

San Francisco pays him like a number one wide receiver, complementing Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin.

WR25 Allen Robinson JAX

Jacksonville has plenty of cap, so they prioritize locking up ARob.

WR29 Donte Moncrief CAR

Carolina add depth to a thin position by signing Moncrief to a prove-it team-friendly contract.

WR38 Calvin Ridley GB

Packers invest in a sure-thing wide receiver in preparation of Jordy Nelson’s 2019 retirement.

WR40 Jordan Matthews CHI

Bears buy Mitch Trubisky a new toy.

WR41 James Washington CAR

Carolina invests in the position, because Cam cannot do everything by himself.

WR52 Courtland Sutton BAL

Baltimore decide that Courtland has the tools to develope into a top tier wide receiver of their future.

WR57 Michael Gallup ARI

Arizona gets a mid round steal in Michael Gallup.

Next: Running Back ReDraft Rankings

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Fantasy Football: 2018 Off-Season and ReDraft Rankings – Wide Receivers

By Benjamin Main | Feb 1, 2018