D.J. Moore – Carolina Panthers – 10th Round
Out of all of the Wide Receivers listed, Moore will be the most talked about during the offseason. Mostly due to the fact that he was the first receiver taken in the 2018 draft. We aren’t buying into him as an every week producer for your fantasy team and it is for a couple of different reasons. First off, Funchess did enough last season to continue to build off his role from 2017. While the flashy rookie is clearly the future, the upside is simply not there. This Carolina passing offense isn’t going to be able to support Funchess, Olsen, McCaffrey and still have enough volume to spread around for anyone else, at least not enough to remain consistent.
Moore will have his games but the unfortunate truth is that his upside is legitimately capped. Next year could certainly be a different story but for this year it’s difficult to reasonably project him being much more than 3rd in targets on a low passing offense. In the 10th round you still have a lot of high upside receivers making this pick one to avoid. If D.J. Moore’s ADP does fall, that minimizes would minimize the risk in this pick making it more of a late round flier. A late round flier on Moore is the best bet for seeing a return this draft day investment.
Calvin Ridley – Atlanta Falcons – 10th Round
Calvin Ridley’s breakdown is similar to Moore but the truth is Ridley provides a bit more upside. There is a foreseeable path for him to gain a significant target market share and the only real competition is Mohammed Sanu. This Falcon’s offense is also much more pass friendly than their division rival, Panther’s offense. These are the types of things that we are looking for when making draft day decisions on rookie wide receivers.
Regardless, Ridley is still more of a dynasty pick than a redraft pick. In the later rounds we want players with a realistic path to becoming a top 20 player at the position. A steady performer producing 8 points a game is not going to make it to the starting lineup. Talent wise, the rookie has potential… The issue is that the opportunity is not there in 2018. Julio Jones will always garner a high amount of targets and although he has dealt with his fair share of injuries in the past, we can’t draft Ridley expecting Jones to go down. Running backs have handcuffs… Wide receivers do not…
Christian Kirk – Arizona Cardinals – 14th Round
Kirk had a little hiccup early in the offseason where he was arrested for disorderly conduct and for causing property damage while allegedly on drugs. Those charges have since been dropped so as far as we know that is the end of it. It shouldn’t deter anyone from drafting him but if suspension news breaks, don’t be surprised. As for production on the football field, Kirk likely has the easiest path of all rookies to a high market share of targets. Essentially the Texas A & M product is the number two receiver behind only Larry Fitzgerald. The only other capable receivers on the roster are Brice Butler and J.J Nelson. Nelson is just a role player and was in the bottom of the league in yards after catch. Brice Butler has been in the league for 5 years and his career high is 317 receiving yards.
The Cards are going to look to get their second-round pick involved and there is no doubt they targeted Kirk for a reason. His skillset actually matches up well with the strengths of the quarterbacks on the roster. Due to the rookie’s strengths in the slot, it will be interesting to see how Arizona plans on lining up “Fitz” and Kirk. Fitzgerald played in the slot on 62% of his snaps last season. It is very possible that The Cardinals plan on having some sort of rotation for the two receivers. One thing to keep in mind is that Christian Kirk can also return punts and kickoffs. While Arizona already has players to fill that role, this could be an opportunity we see given to kirk at some point.
Dante Pettis – San Francisco 49ers – Undrafted
On paper Pettis may not seem like the type of receiver you would be targeting. He is lacking in his athletic profile and didn’t receive a ton of volume in college. In fact, 6 of his 7 touchdowns even came from just two college teams. So at this point you probably think he is a receiver to avoid. Well, there is a surprising amount of upside with taking this receiver late in drafts. The 49ers moved up to get him which bodes well for his immediate opportunity. San Francisco has a plan to use him in 2017 if they felt the need to ensure he made it on the roster. Another good sign for the rookie is his versatility. Pettis has a wide variety of skillsets.
This gives the 49ers flexibility in the way they want to use him. Pettis can play in both the slot and on the outside. The rookie also has a decent frame for the NFL level. but will need to put on more weight if he wants to remain healthy because he is very much on the smaller side. Regardless, you could make a case that he comes in to the best position out of all rookie receivers. They have a strong developing QB and while the 49ers certainly do have receivers none of them have really done enough to secure their targets. The flexibility that the 49ers have with Pettis will help keep him on the field and that will ultimately result in targets. Petts makes for a good late round target and should be considered in all deeper leagues. Considering he can be taken with the very last pick in standard leagues, there is little to no risk involved.
Sleepers:
Anthony Miller – Chicago Bears
James Washington – Pittsburgh Steelers
Follow Dare @DareMaybury and Fantasy Football Advice.
