Fantasy Football leagues can be won by taking a deep dive into different positions and finding those extreme sleepers. This looks at the top rookie wide receiver sleepers.
There are a lot of Fantasy Football leagues out there that have expanded their starting lineups. It’s not uncommon to see a lineup that features slots for three or more starting wide receivers. In order to properly fill those slots it’s important to have depth.
Finding good depth at this position might mean taking a gamble on a little known rookie. It’s something that can help you work through those bye weeks or an injury.
Last year’s biggest rookie wide receiver sleeper was Keelan Cole of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cole was signed as an undrafted rookie and went on to have a big season. He finished with 42 receptions 748 yards and three touchdowns.
During the last four games of the season he averaged five receptions and 103 yards per game. His biggest games came in what would’ve been during the fantasy football playoffs.
This included a seven catches, 186 yards and a touchdown against the Houston Texans. Anyone who was wise enough to play Cole would’ve gotten great production from a non-premium player. It could’ve easily made the difference between a win and loss.
Looking at this year’s rookie wide receivers brings some excitement. There are plenty of under the radar players capable of developing into fantasy relevant.
This article will breakdown the top sleeper rookie wide receivers. Several different factors played into the rankings including opportunity, depth charts, talent and quarterback play.
1. Antonio Callaway, Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns wide receiver depth chart is in flux. They are awaiting the return of Josh Gordon and just traded away Corey Coleman. The Coleman trade was sort of expected, but with Gordon not at camp it was a surprise.
All this shuffling of the roster means that rookie Antonio Callaway is in prime position to seize playing time. However, Callaway has been cited for marijuana possession, which potentially could come with a suspension from the league.
Callaway was selected in the fourth round of this year’s draft. He has tremendous talent, but comes with a lot of aforementioned character concerns. His talent level seems to be winning out at the moment which with a clean off-field report could’ve landed him in the first round.
The main competition for Callaway include Rashard Higgins and Jeff Janis. Higgins has been with the team for a few seasons while Janis was signed in the offseason from the Green Bay Packers.
Callaway has more natural talent than both of his competitors. A report from the Fantasy Pros shows that Callaway is already listed as one of the starting wide receivers. He’ll be working alongside Jarvis Landry.
There should be plenty of targets available for Callaway if Josh Gordon misses any time. However, even with Gordon in the fold there will be room for Callaway.
Cleveland’s quarterback situation is a lot better than previous years with Tyrod Taylor running the show.