Fantasy football’s abrupt return to the days of early-round running backs happened quickly, and the fantasy world is paying the price for the studs heading into this season. Four of the top five picks are likely to be RBs in ideal situations: perennial top dog Le’Veon Bell; last year’s 2,000-yard, 19-touchdown man Todd Gurley; “forgotten man” David Johnson; and the sky high floor of Ezekiel Elliot. There are even solid RB bets in the late-first, like Leonard Fournette and Devonta Freeman, and Alvin Kamara is rocketing up the ADP charts.
There are a few good reasons for following the market here.
- It sucked to be without a workhorse back last year.
- Offenses are passing a ton, meaning wide receivers are going to emerge during the season.
- There are deals on receivers up and down the draft board, thanks in part to so much passing.
I’m not saying we should avoid the top dogs at WR altogether, but I’m feeling a lot more comfortable grabbing only one in the first four rounds and building a stable of WR2s, 3s and 4s with upside as the draft progresses. In fact, I’m loving the options as we look into rounds four through 10 or so.
Here are 10 worth your attention among the 25 receivers going after WR20. (Overall Yahoo ranking in parenthesis.)
JuJu Smith-Schuster (42): Coming off a historic season for a 20-year-old, the former USC Trojan cemented himself in the Pittsburgh offense, which contributed to the jettisoning of deep-ball threat Martavis Bryant. Smith-Schuster put up more than 900 yards and seven TDs through the air as a rookie, even returning a kick for a touchdown. A bigger workload and natural progress are coming.
Brandin Cooks (53): A bit of the anti-Smith-Schuster in my mind, Cooks doesn’t have massive touchdown upside — his totals with New Orleans (9 and 8) and New England (7) the past three years seem like the ceiling considering the elite offenses he was part of — but he’s still a burner in a creative scheme. A fourth-straight 1,000-yard season is a near certainty.
Marvin Jones (57): A proven veteran still just 28, Jones is under-appreciated for someone who busted out in 2013 for 10 TDs at age 23 in Cincinnati and put up 900 and 1,100 yards the past two years, respectively, in Detroit. He plays bigger than his 6-foot-2 frame and last year saw 15 targets in the red zone and eight inside the 10.
Michael Crabtree (63): Boring vet pick attached to a boring quarterback? Maybe, but was Oakland and Derek Carr an ideal spot for grabbing 25 TDs over the past three years?
Devin Funchess (74): The 6-foot-4 Funchess is emerging as the big-body red zone replacement for Kelvin Benjamin, who burned out and is now fighting with Cam Newton from his new home in Buffalo. Last year, Funchess saw 15 targets inside the 20, and his five inside the 10 went for four TDs. Torrey Smith isn’t stealing many of these shots from the 24-year-old former second rounder.
Chris Hogan (75): No pedigree, no problem in a Tom Brady/Bill Belichick offense. In roughly a half-season’s worth of action last year, Hogan picked up where other movable Patriots parts left off, scoring five TDs and racking up 439 yards receiving. It’s good to be Brady’s friend inside the 10, where Hogan saw eight targets, scoring four.
Robby Anderson (89): During the middle of 2017, Anderson was scoring every single week, literally. From week seven through 11, the former undrafted Temple Owl brought down five TDs over six games, adding another two on the ground. The price is right to see where things go with big shot rookie Sam Darnold at the helm.
Sterling Shepard (97): Shepard disappointed in the TD department after posting eight his rookie year, but he’ll get the added benefit of a full season of Odell Beckham across from him. He’s a red zone weapon waiting to be more fully utilized — nine of his 10 career touchdowns have come inside the 10, on just 13 targets!
Nelson Agholor (102): Former first-round pick, big dude, flashed in his TD upside with the world champs down the stretch last year. Agholor is one of my favorite mid-round picks, having shown up in the red zone last year with nine targets inside the 10.
Kelvin Benjamin (115): Sort of the anti-Funchess/Agholor, I’m still intrigued by Benjamin’s potential on the outside at 6-foot-5. The guy averaged 975 yards receiving and eight TDs his first two years in the league. After one down year, the 27-year-old is worth a flier, even in Buffalo.
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