Fantasy Football 2020: 5 WR2s to draft over WR1s

It sometimes makes sense to draft a team’s No. 2 wide receiver over their No. 1 for your fantasy football team.

Fantasy football is a lot of little things built into this big game we play for four or five months. One of those things is looking at a team’s roster and how the offense will run with the players they have. While a team’s top receiver may be the best overall option, sometimes the No. 2 receiver ends up being a better fantasy option. I’m going to take a look at five of those players in this piece.

There are a few teams with No. 1 receivers that have no competition for targets or at risk of looking fantasy value. Players like Davante Adams, Michael Thomas and Tyreek Hill are at the top of the list. Then there are a bunch of WR1’s that don’t stand out as much as those three. Based on their current ADPs, it may be beneficial to your fantasy football team to wait later on and draft their teammate while you draft the best running back or tight end available.

The depth charts are based on ESPN. The ADPs are based on FantasyPros.com, which makes a consensus from three different sources.

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Mike Williams (42.7) over Keenan Allen (19.3)

Allen will be a good wide receiver this season, but drafting him at the beginning of the second round would be a mistake. Not because he is a bad player but because the Chargers are changing their offense. Going from Philip Rivers to Tyrod Taylor is a huge downgrade for the passing game.

However, I think Williams benefits more than Allen. He is more of a downfield threat compared to Allen, who is a possession receiver. Taylor has a strong enough arm to get the ball to Williams downfield. The downside is that Williams’ big fantasy games may be few and far between.

Calvin Ridley (16.3) over Julio Jones (5.0)

Jones is one of the best receivers in the league but there is a surprising number that stands out. In 126 games, Jones has just 57 touchdowns. His career-high is 10, which happened in 2012. He’s reached eight a couple of times but hasn’t been the big scoring threat like other top receivers are.

Last year, he caught 99 passes for 1,394 yards and six touchdowns. In his second year, Ridley caught 63 passes for 866 yards and seven touchdowns. Matt Ryan does not like to force the ball to Jones if he’s double or triple-covered. He’ll look for another option. For his career, Jones has just 129 targets in the red zone. Ridley may not be worth the early-second round ADP but he’ll play to his value more than Jones will.

Michael Gallup (30.7) over Amari Cooper (10.3)

The 20-pick difference between these two receivers is the biggest of the five pairs listed. In his first full year in Dallas, Cooper had 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns on 79 receptions. Gallup caught 66 passes for 1,107 yards and six scores. The fantasy point differential, based on PPR scoring, was just 33 points. You can find those 33 points later in the draft.

Gallup looked good in the final weeks of the season. From week 10 on, Cooper caught 37 passes for 488 yards and just two touchdowns. Gallup also caught 37 passes but finished with 653 yards and four touchdowns. However, three of those scores came in week 17.

Cooper can score 20 or five in any game. Gallup is a bit more consistent but the presence of CeeDee Lamb could change his outlook.

Jarvis Landry (29.7) over Odell Beckham (17.0)

Beckham has dealt with injuries throughout his career. He played in 16 games for just the second time in his career. Landry, on the other hand, played in all 16 games for the fourth time in six seasons. Beckham caught 74 passes on 133 targets for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns. Landry caught 83 passes on 138 targets with 1,174 yards and six scores.

Even with Nick Chubb carving out a role of his own, the Browns will be a pass-first team with these two weapons for Baker Mayfield to throw to. If you can find a solid running back in round two, Landry should be waiting for you in round three and it’ll be worth the wait. He will be a borderline top-12 wide receiver.

DK Metcalf (17.7) over Tyler Lockett (20.7)

This battle is the only one where the No. 2 receiver has a higher ADP than the No. 1. Lockett finished 2019 with 1,057 yards and eight touchdowns, 12.9 yards per reception. Metcalf finished his rookie season with 900 yards, seven scores and 15.5 YPR. Lockett was targeted 110 times while Metcalf had 100 targets.

Metcalf is the faster receiver and will be the focal point of the Seattle offense. Lockett will still be an effective option but will be a WR2 this season while Metcalf can emerge as a WR1 by the end of the year. Metcalf’s biggest opportunity is his red-zone receptions. If he can improve that, then his value will skyrocket.

dark. Next. Why isn’t Emmanuel Sanders a more valued commodity in fantasy?

Just because a player is not the top receiver for their team doesn’t mean they don’t have any fantasy football value. Sometimes, their value is higher than their teammate’s. It’s all about the offensive scheme, the quarterback and other weapons around them. Drafting the best player available is easy. Take it a step further to see who is actually catching the ball and racking up the yards.

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