
Fantasy Football 2018: 5 Wide With Upside
5 Wide With UpsideĀ this young season areĀ turning into Fantasy Football stars at the wide receiver position before our eyes, predicting the shape of things to come in future drafts.Ā As the new crop of subsequent 1st & 2nd rounders hold down WR2 and flex spots in our lineups theyāre simultaneously turning defensive backs into defensive hacks.Ā The first 3 weeks of the 2018 season has secondaries around the league up against the ropes.Ā Billie Jean King once said, āPressure is a privilege ā it only comes to those who earn it.āĀ If thatās the case than cornerbacks and safeties should take great solace in the fact that they are hyper-privilegedĀ in todayās NFL.
Quarterbacks are dotting up defenses like theyāre 99 overall legends vs core elites in Madden Ultimate Team.Ā If youāre not a Madden gamer, QBās are passing like the NFL is the Big 12.Ā Through 3 weeks, fifteen QBās have at least 800 passing yards, three have over 1000, and fifteen have thrown at least 6 touchdowns.Ā Patrick Mahomes and Ryan Fitzpatrick have 24 combined.Ā If 2018 is the year of the quarterback then by default 2018 is also the year of the wide receiver.
Three years ago, fantasy footballās WR1,Ā Michael Thomas and WR3, Tyreek Hill, were diamonds amidst the rough of the wide receiver draft class that was 2016.Ā A year that saw Corey Coleman, now out of the league, become the 1st receiver selected.Ā Will Fuller, Josh Doctson and LaQuon Treadwell rounded out the 1st round.Ā Fuller has shown flashes of big play ability.Ā Redskin and Vikingsā fans are still holding out hope on Doctson and Treadwell.Ā It took until the 47th overall pickĀ for Michael Thomasā phone to ring.Ā Tyreek Hill waited for 164 picks to scroll along the southern portion of his TV screen before the steal of the draft received a phone call from the KansasĀ City Chiefs.
2017ās big dogs at the position, in regards to 2018 fantasy drafts,Ā JuJu Smith-Schuster, this yearās WR5, and Cooper Kupp, the WR26, wereĀ well-known in August and early September when fantasy football draft days rolled around.Ā The rest of the 2016 & 2017 WRās were a dice roll with upside.
Thereās a second wave of wideouts drafted in 2016 and ā17 planting their flags in stadium grass,Ā sod andĀ field turf around the league.Ā These are the future Emmanuel Sanders, Demaryius Thomas,Ā Doug Baldwin, Julian Edelman,Ā and Golden Tateās of the league.Ā The perennial receivers punching the clock in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and maybe even 1st round of your leagueās drafts for the next 5+ year cycle.
Savvy redraft and dynasty GMās, shrewd daily fantasy players and fans of each playerāsĀ particular teamās knew these names before the season.Ā Ā They may not have expectedĀ whatās transpired in 2018, or maybe they did ā either way the next generation of valuable fantasy WRās have emerged.

Fantasy Football 2018: 5 Wide With Upside
- Currently the WR19 in PPR formats ā averaging 17.5 points per game
- 2018 current stats:Ā 21 targets ā 15 catches ā 249 yards ā 2 TDās
- 2018 on pace for:Ā 112 targets ā 80 catches āĀ 1327 yards ā 10.5 TDās
The 6ā2ā³, 203 pound, 23-year-old, 3rd-year wide receiver is 2nd on the Bengals in targets, 2nd in catches, and 2nd in touchdowns, behind AJ Green in all three categories.Ā Boydās 249 receiving yards lead the team out-right in yards from scrimmage.Ā Boydās 71% catch rate on balls thrown from Andy Dalton leads the team.Ā The Bengalsā passing game under OC Bill Lazor is the best the team has seen since Jay Gruden held the position.
At Pittsburgh University Tyler Boyd, unfairly drew a lot of comparisons to former Pitt Panther, Larry Fitzgerald.Ā When Boydās career at Pittsburgh was all said and done, he was, and still is, the schoolās all-time leader in receptions (254) and yards (3361).Ā Fitzgerald is still the schoolās all-time leader in receiving touchdowns with 34.Ā Boyd is quicker than any 40 times will ever reflect.Ā He returned punts and kicks in college.Ā In 2014 he led the ACC in yards per kick return.
Anytime a player has a great career as a return man shows they excel in short area quickness and explosiveness.Ā Boydās 2018 film shows both those assets.Ā Another thing that jumps out about Boyd when watching his tape this season is his ability to find soft spots in zone coverage and to get open when the pocket breaks down around Dalton.Ā AJ Green is 30 years old.Ā Through 3 games, Tyler Boyd is making a very solid case at being the teamās successor to Green in the passing game.Ā According to ESPN, Tyler Boyd is available in 39% of leagues.
- Currently the WR23 in PPR formats ā averaging 16Ā points per game
- 2018 current stats:Ā 15 targets ā 11 catches ā 189 yards ā 3 TDās
- 2018 on pace for:Ā Ā 80 targets ā 59 catches ā 1007 yards ā 16 TDās
The 6ā4ā³, 220 pound, soon to be 24-year-old, 2nd-year player was the 7th overall selection in the 2017 NFL draft.Ā Williams along with Corey Davis were the consensus WR1 and 1A in last yearās draft.Ā Like Davis, Williamsā rookie season was marred by injury.
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Williams is healthy now and heās putting the league and the fantasy community on notice.Ā His 3 touchdowns tie him for 2nd in the league.Ā Antonio Gates isnāt what he once was and his heir apparent, Hunter Henry went down with a season-ending injury in camp, creating a red zone pass catching void for the Chargers.Ā 2 of Williamsā 3 touchdowns have come in the red zone.Ā The other score came week 3 against the Rams on a 42-yard bomb from Phillip Rivers.Ā Williams was matched up 1 on 1 with Marcus Peters and Williams beat the all-pro cornerback by a step on the play before making a beautiful over the shoulder catch in the end zone.
Mike Williams is a beast.Ā Heās on an offense that boasts top 5 talent at the running back and wide receiver positions.Ā His quarterback, Phillip Rivers, is a gunslinging, savvy veteran whoās not afraid to throw jump balls to his big targets.Ā Williamās, drafted in the top 10 of last yearās draft is a perfect fit in LA with the Chargers.Ā As long as the Chargers have a QB that can make all the throws, 6ā4ā³, Williams will be there to make plays and score points.Ā According to ESPN, Mike Williams is available in 51% of leagues.
Geronimo Allison:
- Currently the WR29 in PPR formats/ averaging 14.3 points per game
- 2018 current stats: 18 targets ā 13 catches ā 209 yards ā 2 TDās
- 2018 on pace for:Ā 96 targets āĀ 70 catches ā 1114 yards ā 10.5 TDās
The 6ā3ā³, 202 pound, 24-year-old, 3rd-year wide receiver is 3rd on the Packersā depth chart behind Davante Adams and Randall Cobb.Ā Allison has been on the field for 75% of all Green Bay offensive snaps.Ā If the Packers line up 3 wide ā Allison is on the field.Ā No other receiver is close to challenging him for his role as Aaron Rodgersā WR3.Ā Allison has scored touchdowns from 39 and 64 yards out.Ā His 209 receiving yards leads the team and only Davante Adams (3) has more touchdowns than Allison (2).
Randall Cobb is a free agent after this season, naturally, Allison should progress into the teamās WR2 role.Ā Any receiver blessed with the opportunity to catch passes from Aaron Rodgers is going to be fantasy relevant.Ā I see Geronimo Allison as the next homegrown WR in line to benefit from Green Bayās pass-happy offense.Ā According to ESPN, Geronimo Allison is available in 60% of leagues.
- Currently the WR 22 in PPR formats ā averaging 16Ā points per game
- 2018 current stats:Ā 20 targets ā 13 catches ā 171 yards ā 3 TDās
- 2018 on pace for:Ā Ā 107 targets ā 70 catches āĀ 911 yards ā 16 TDās
The 6ā1ā³, 209 pound, 22-year-old, 2nd year player out of Penn State is one of three Buccaneer receivers off to a great start.Ā Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson have combined for more than 675 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns each.Ā Not to be outdone, Godwin himself has added 3 scores.Ā He also ranks 2nd on the team in targets and catches behind Evans.
The Tampa Bay offense is en fuego.Ā Quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, leads the league in passing yards (1230) and is one of two QBās with more than 10 touchdown passes.Ā The Bucs will continue to take chances in the passing game as long as Fitzpatrick remains the starting quarterback.Ā Head coach, Dirk Koetter, likes to throw downfield and Fitzpatrick doesnāt mind obliging.
The Bucs offense is less than stellar running the football, averaging 72 yards rushing per game ā 3rd worst in the league.Ā Ā Jameis Winston returning to the lineup could be a detriment to the Tampa Bay receiving corpsā fantasy value, in the past heās been more conservative than Fitzpatrickās been this year.
Although DeSean Jackson has more receiving yards than Godwin, that stat is deceiving.Ā Jackson has caught touchdowns from 75, 58 and 36 yards out.Ā Godwin has the bigger frame and a younger body.Ā He can withstand taking hits over the middle the Bucs donāt want Jackson involved in.Ā Godwin is a route technician with great hands, barring any injury, or a dramatis shift in offensive philosophy, he will be fantasy relevant for years to come.Ā According to ESPN, Chris Godwin is available in 54% of leagues.
- Currently the WR12 in PPR formats ā averaging 18.9 points per game
- 2018 current stats:Ā 28 targets ā 19 catches ā 256 yards ā 2 TDās
- 2018 on pace for:Ā Ā 150 targets ā 101 catches ā 1364 yards ā 10.5 TDās
Saving the best for last, the 6ā4ā³, 213 pound, 24-year-old, 2nd-year future star is off to a tremendous start.Ā Golladay is currently a WR1 in fantasy football (WR12).Ā Heās 14th in the league in receiving yards and 9th in catches.Ā Heās taken over the role as the teamās #2 receiver from Marvin Jones.Ā Ā Golladay is 2nd on the team in targets and catches.Ā He has just one receiving yard less than Golden Tate, who leads the team in every statistical receiving category.
The Detroit Lions rank 26th in the league in rushing attempts per game and 1st in passing attempts.Ā If youāre a Golladay owner, thatās music to your ears.Ā The emergence of rookie running back Kerryon Johnson could turn the Lions offense into a more balanced attack.Ā Iāll believe it when I see it.Ā Matthew Stafford has a big arm and loves nothing more than slinging the rock all over the field.Ā With the weapons he has at receiver, why wouldnāt he?
Golladayās the teamās tallest receiver.Ā His above average hand size makes catching passes look easy.Ā He has 2 touchdowns in 2018.Ā He should have a 3rd but he couldnāt get his second foot in bounds.Ā Heās averaging 6 catches for 85 yards per game through the first 3 weeks.
At this point, I feel comfortable starting Golladay every week in my lineup.Ā Ā Chances are heās not available in your leagues.Ā This kid has awesome upside.Ā If you have a plus situation at the RB or QB or somehow TE position, Golladay is a great target for a trade.Ā According to ESPN, Kenny Golladay is available in just 14% of leagues
Thanks for reading.Ā Follow me @DynastyJaco so you donāt miss my follow-up to the NFC version, Nitty Gritty Numbers: AFC Edition.