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Fantasy Football 2020: Dynasty rookie Wide Receiver rankings

By Benjamin Main

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 29: Wide receiver Denzel Mims #15 of the Baylor Bears catches a touchdown in front of cornerback Tre Brown #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 29: Wide receiver Denzel Mims #15 of the Baylor Bears catches a touchdown in front of cornerback Tre Brown #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 20: Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. #6 of the USC Trojans makes a catch from quarterback Matt Fink #19 in the game against the Utah Utes at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 20: Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. #6 of the USC Trojans makes a catch from quarterback Matt Fink #19 in the game against the Utah Utes at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /

Wide Receiver Rankings: Tier 2

5. Jalen Reagor, TCU (projected: 2nd round)

5’11” 206lbs, 4.47 40yd

I do not know where Baylor finds these athletes. To have a pair of WR in Reagor and Mims that big, fast and explosive. It is no wonder that Baylor was one of the best teams in the Big 12 last season. Reagor commanded a significant target share in his freshman season at Baylor, and an early breakout is correlated with success at the next level. A few interesting stats assigned to Reagor include: he was targeted 283 times in his three-year college career and only finished with 148 receptions, his production dipped by almost 50% in his final (junior) season, and his 3 cone drill and 20-yard shuttle disappointingly rank in the bottom fourth of WR data. Reagor was rumored to compete with Henry Ruggs III for the low-40 time at the combine. That did not happen. 4.47 is still good, and couple that with a 42 inch vertical and you have an explosive WR prospect.

6. Henry Ruggs III, Alabama (projected: 1st round)

5’11” 188lbs, 4.27 40yd

Ruggs is a track star with hops and huge hands. He is John Ross with more hops and less drops. DeSean Jackson with less baggage. NFL teams love the ability to keep teams honest with a field stretcher. Having the fastest guy on the field is more important to real football than fantasy though, and limits where you should select Ruggs in rookie drafts. He may be the first WR off the board. A contributor on offense and special teams, Ruggs was never able to command a target share greater than 20% at Alabama. That is a key stat I consider when drafting a first round wide receiver.

7. Tee Higgins, Clemson (projected: 2nd round)

6’4”, 216lbs, 4.59 40yd

Higgins was universally viewed as a first round prospect, but did not meet expectations at his pro day. He still may be drafted in the first round, but I think it would be a mistake for you to spend first round rookie draft capital on Higgins. He is a less athletic Kenny Britt. Do not over-hype him because he went to Clemson. He projects as a possession receiver. His combine is similar to Mike Williams”s, but Mike Williams was more productive coming out of Clemson.

8. Michael Pittman, USC (projected: 2nd – 3rd)

6’4” 223lbs, 4.52 40yd

If you must draft a big-bodied wide receiver, make that guy Michael Pittman. He is more explosive than Higgins, and will go a round later than Higgins in most rookie drafts. Pittman was more productive in his Junior and Senior season at USC, having to deal with guys like Juju early in his career. He needs to get stronger and more physical in his route running, but I like the way he separates for a big wide receiver. He comps to Alshon Jeffrey, albeit with less college production.

9. KJ Hamler, Penn State (projected: 2nd – 3rd)

5’11 178lbs

Hamler is a speedster who was also looking to break John Ross’s 4.22 40yd NFL Combine record. Legend has it that he tweaked his hamstring running a 4.2, leaving him unable to workout at the combine. Social distancing prevented his pro day. I like his upside greater than that of Ruggs. He commanded over 20% of the air targets in the Penn State offense in each of his 2 seasons at Penn State. He was a dynamic producer on offense and special teams, and will carve out a similar role in the NFL. John Ross is a plausible comp, but comps are difficult with limited context.

10. Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado (projected: 3rd – 4th)

6’1” 227lbs, 4.58 40yd

Shenault was set up to fail at the combine. The Colorado product is a tremendous athlete, but went into the combine nursing an abdominal oblique injury and thought he could power through it. It is a shame for him that he was not able to showcase his true talents at the combine. A 4.4 40yd would have had in the first round conversation. Instead, we are dissecting why he is worth a flyer in the 3rd round of rookie drafts. That being said, I will own plenty of Shenault. His athleticism is evident on the tape, and he is built like a linebacker. He commanded over a 20 percent target share in his sophomore and junior seasons at Colorado before forgoing his senior season for the NFL draft. He was also a contributor on special teams. He reminds me of a bigger Deebo Samuel.

11. Bryan Edwards, South Carolina (projected: 3rd – 4th)

6’3” 212lbs

Edwards may be the most underrated wide receiver in the draft. I am not the only one who shares this sentiment. Erik Turner from Cover 1 and Chris Trapasso from CBS Sports have also proclaimed Bryan Edwards as the drafts most underrated WR. Edwards is another wide receiver talent that missed the combine due to injury. Unfortunately, Edwards also missed the Senior Bowl due to a separate injury, so he will not be shooting up draft boards. Edwards is a rare breed. He commanded greater than 20% of the South Carolina offensive target share in all four years at South Carolina. That includes his season as a 17 year old Freshman, making his breakout age one of the youngest ever recorded. He was fighting for targets with Deebo Samuel, so that is pretty darn impressive. Edwards is not a burner, but has good speed and projects to be a beefed up slot receiver (think Chris Godwin) in the NFL. He is the gem of this draft assuming that he can stay healthy.

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