Fantasy Football: Post NFL Draft dynasty rookie wide receiver rankings
Rookie Wide Receiver Rankings – Tier 2
8. Tee Higgins, Clemson – Bengals (2.01)
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 projects as a possession receiver. His combine is similar to Mike Williams”s, but Mike Williams was more productive coming out of Clemson. Cincinnati wanted Higgins badly, as they held the pick overnight and did not trade off. Joe Burrow is a stud and will get the most out of Higgins. He is not AJ Green though, so hopefully Higgins was not supposed to be his replacement.
9. Michael Pittman, USC – Colts (2.02)
6’4” 223lbs, 4.52 40yd
Pittman is more explosive than Higgins, but was a 5 star bust until a monster senior season. He did have to deal with guys like Juju early in his career, but he still needs to get stronger and more physical in his route running. He comps to Alshon Jeffrey, albeit with less college production. He should overthrow Pascal this year and will have a solid role in this offense if he can get stronger and hone his craft.
10. Laviska Shenault Jr. , Colorado – Jaguars (2.10)
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 2nd 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. Minshew has to be thrilled with his new target. Laviska and DJ Chark will be a dynamic duo.
11. Bryan Edwards, South Carolina – Raiders (3.17)
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. 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 and I loves the pick by Las Vegas. He is a perfect compliment to Henry Ruggs.
12. Antonio Gibson, Memphis – Washington (3.02)
6’0” 228lbs, 4.39 40yd
Is he a wide receiver? He states that he is a wide receiver, but he played a duel role in college at Memphis. Gibson averaged 11.2 yards per carry on 33 carries in his second season on Memphis, while commanding 56 air targets and a 12.7 percent target share. He is an explosive play-maker that is extremely versatile. Sounds probably like a better real life NFL player than fantasy stud, but the upside is something that cannot be overlooked. The situation presents itself for a role in the passing game over a role in the backfield, as Adrian Peterson and Darius Guice project as the RBBC for 2020-2021 season.
13. Chase Claypool, Notre Dame – Steelers (2.17)
6’4” 238lbs, 4.42 40yd
Claypool is a rare bird. He has the speed of a wide receiver but is trapped in a tight end body. He projects as Mike Evans or Vincent Jackson at the next level, but his 40 time is more impressive than both of those players. That 40 time is equally as impressive as DK Metcalf running a 4.33 last year when adjusting for size. The Notre Dame product flashed in his senior year, producing over 1000 yards and 13 touchdowns. He commanded a whopping 28% of the air targets in that offense. He was productive in his Junior year as well, commanding just under 18% of the target share. He will have a solid role on the Steelers this year, looking to play a role as a hybrid wide receiver tight end.