NFL Fantasy: Top 25 WRs + Sleepers and Rookie watch

We are getting closer to the start of the fantasy season and some of us are still trying to figure out what we want to do with our first round pick.

I am going to continue to help you through this process, but don’t forget to read my articles on the QBs and RBs before jumping into this one.

Davante Adams 2015-2016 playoffs by Keith Allison is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

But if you have already started, let me catch you up. This year’s draft is stacked with a lot of talent all crossed the board, but it’s very heavy at the RBs and WRs, especially early in the draft.

If you are in a 10 or 12-man league this is where the WRs list comes in handy for you. You have the possibility to pair a few good receivers together. Or even a stud running back and receiver duo. I’ve done several mock drafts to try to prepare myself for my leagues and I’ve came up with great WRs and RBs combinations. But let’s take a look at which receivers are worthy of taking.

Top 25 Fantasy WRS:

 

1. Davante Adams, Packers
2. DeAndre Hopkins, Texans
3. Michael Thomas, Saints
4. Julio Jones, Falcons
5. Odell Beckham Jr., Browns
6. Antonio Brown, Raiders
7. Tyreek Hill, Chiefs
8. Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster, Steelers
9. A.J. Green, Bengals
10. Keenan Allen, Chargers
11. Julien Edelman, Patriots
12. Mike Evans, Buccaneers
13. T.Y. Hilton, Colts
14. Amari Cooper, Cowboys
15. Stefon Diggs, Vikings
16. Brandin Cooks, Rams
17. Adam Thielen, Vikings
18. Robert Woods, Rams
19. Tyler Lockett, Seahawks
20. Cooper Kupp, Rams
21. Chris Godwin, Buccaneers
22. Kenny Golladay, Lions
23. Calvin Ridley, Falcons
24. D.J. Moore, Panthers
25. Tyler Boyd, Bengals

I think that there is no clear top receiver in the NFL this year and this season will show a lot. Each of these receivers play huge roles on their rosters and this is why it’s important to pick them early and often in the first few rounds.

Adams, Hopkins, and Thomas are all the primary receivers on their respective teams and we expect them to there. Adams, like his QB and RB, are entering the 2019 season with a totally new offense and head coaching staff, so it’ll be interesting to see how he does. We know he will get most of the targets as Rodgers favorite receiver regardless of Allison and Valdes-Scantling being in the mix.

Hopkins will also be getting most of the targets despite Will Fuller and Keekee Coutee being there for QB DeShaun Watson to throw too. Hopkins has been the most consistent WR in the NFL when it comes to pass completions. He is also one of the best receivers down field, and we should make sure to have him as part of your primary receiver if you decided to choose him.

Thomas had huge numbers too as he helped QB Drew Brees to an MVP-caliber season and finished with the best record of the NFC. I think that Thomas will see get all the attention from Brees despite the changes that were made on the offensive side. Thomas has shared the field with RB Alvin Kamara for the past two years and we will continue to see that this season. Thomas will once again lead the league with the most receptions once again.

Jones has openly said that he wants to get 3,000 yards this season, and that would be a great thing for Falcons fans and all fantasy owners who have him. Jones led the NFL in receiving yards last season despite the Falcons dealing with a lot of injuries on the offensive side. There was also the emergence of WR Calvin Ridley and TE Austin Hooper that took away from his receptions, but we don’t expect that to affect Jones performance this season.

Beckham and Brown now have huge targets on their back as they were both top eight finishers last year in fantasy scoring. They have a lot of pressure because they are joining new teams in trades that by now we have all heard about. Beckham is being reunited with college teammate WR Jarvis Landry as they both look to help QB Baker Mayfield and the Browns make the playoffs.

Antonio Brown has left the Steelers to join Coach Jon Gruden in Oakland as their look to made the playoffs as well. Brown is out to prove that he can still be a big time player and make it back into the top five receivers list. Brown finished 8th amongst all receivers in the standings for fantasy. We know that he will be getting all the targets from the WR position and hopefully rookies can help the Raiders offense as well.

Hill looks to avoid suspension and missing any time, so we know that he’ll easily be a solid WR on one of the top scoring offenses in the league.

Ju-Ju had a break out year last season and is now the top option in the Steelers offense with Antonio Brown gone. We expect that Conner will be a role in the passing game too, but let’s not forget about the other receivers on the team. Because Ju-Ju will have a lot of the focus the others should have a chance to break out, and I like James Washington as a break out player this season.

Allen will once again be a top option for the Chargers especially with the current hold out of Gordon. I took Allen has my first round pick last year over Brown and Beckham and got a lot of hit from it. I also paired him with McCaffery so I think I made the right decision. I’m not going to get the two together again this year, but Allen is on my radar.

With the retirement of Gronk, Edelman will be the main target on the Patriots team and if every game is anything like the Super Bowl, you’re looking at an average of 25 points from Edelman without touchdowns in a PPR league.

For Tampa Bay it’s always been about Mike Evans and how he plays with QB Jamies Winston. We know he’ll get his targets and points as the top WR on the team.

But there’s plenty of football to go around and with the departures of Desean Jackson (Eagles) and Adam Humphries (Bills), the WR 2 spot is available for the taking and Chris Godwin is coming for it. I really like Godwin to have a great season this year and he should be a WR 2 on our rosters too.

Green is still hurting and could miss a few games this season, but he is still one of the top WRs in the league and I won’t hesitate to draft him regardless of the injury. With Everyone on the Bengals looking to be healthy, we could be surprised in what we see from them this year. Boyd will play a huge role in the success of the team while Green recovers and as the WR 1 for most of the season. On our fantasy rosters, both of these guys are WR 2 with plenty of upside.

Hilton continues to put up good numbers and regardless of how healthy QB Andrew Luck is, Hilton will continue the same. It doesn’t even matter that they brought on more weapons because Hilton has proven himself as the top WR.

Cooper is another one of those WRs that has nothing to prove, he’ll just continue to play his role as the primary WR on a Dallas offense that could be explosive if they figure out the Elliott situation. I’ve always liked Cooper. In fact, I’ve drafted him in one league each of the past three years. Trading him cost me a playoff spot last season. I don’t know what I was thinking.

The Rams trio of Cooks, Woods, and Kupp were really good together last year. Each of them averaged about 85 receptions and we should see that number stay in the range. There was a lot of yards and touchdowns available for this team and with Gurley banged up they might want to pass a bit more. I mean let’s be honest, Goff could use the practice as he was a no show in the Super Bowl. Loom for all three of these guys to be a WR2 or Flex option weekly.

Diggs and Thielen are other pair of WR teammates that have success together. Last year, the Vikings were focused on the running game a lot which kept Diggs and Thielen under everyone’s view. It was also a new OC and QB last year and they had to learn a new offense, but this year should be better for both, so look to them as WR 2s with the chance to be WR 1s.

Lockett is now the No. 1 in the Seahawks, but it’s still hard to put him as WR1 in fantasy. He will have a heavy role in the Seahawks offense and should be a starter as a flex play. He’s a very versatile player, so look for him to be in the Tyreek Hill role for the Seahawks.

Golladay is hoping to be the top receiver on his team this year and it could be. Last season wasn’t good for any of the Lions players expect when Johnson was healthy. With Johnson and WR Marvin Jones Jr. looking to be healthy, the Lions might actually be good. And Golladay’s production will increase even more this season. Just play it safe with him as a flex player.

Ridley showed he was ready for the big stage with a big rookie season and we will watch him improve a lot this year. With a better offensive line and a healthy pair of RBs, the Falcons offense could be back at the top as one of the best. Ridley will play a huge role in that and he should be considered a WR 2 on many of our rosters.

Moore is also like Lockett in the sense that he is the team’s No. 1 WR. The Panthers offense is going to be interesting to see what happens because all the focus is going to be on Newton and McCaffery. But with Funchess out of Carolina, Moore will look to take over.

I also like Curtis Samuel as a sleeper and he might be able to finish with better numbers than Moore. Both of these guys should be in consideration for a Flex or bye week replacement until we actually see how they do.

Top Five Sleepers WRS:

1. Dante Pettis, 49ers
2. Alshon Jeffrey, Eagles
3. Allen Robinson, Bears
4. Jarvis Landry, Browns
5. Christian Kirk, Cardinals

Don’t forget about the real sleepers in the league. I’ve already given you Samuel, but let’s take a closer look at these five guys. All these guy’s success will depend on their QBs and how they play.

For Pettis, it’s going to be interesting because he started off the season pretty well with QB Jimmy Garoppolo playing, but things changed as Garoppolo went down. With both guys looking to come back at full health, they could be good for the fantasy owners who draft them.

I’m honestly not sure what to think about Jeffrey. I mean it wasn’t like he had a bad season, it’s just that the Eagles have a lot of depth at all positions on offense and Jeffrey will get more of the receptions, but we could honestly add DeSean Jackson to this list with him as they will both be good for QB Carson Wentz.

Robinson didn’t have as a great season with the Bears in his first season there, but the Bears have been trying to figure themselves out on offense and we are looking for a much more improved Bears offense to go with their defense. Robinson will likely look to get back to the 1000 yard receiver that we know him as from his time in Jacksonville and with Trubisky looking to improve himself, Robinson will also do the same.

Landry will be paired up with his former college team, Odell Beckham Jr., on the Browns team that everyone seems to think will be a favorite to make the Super Bowl. Landry quietly had a nice season with receiving yards at 976, but the touchdowns is what might make a lot of us hesitate to draft Landry. I think that he will play more of the slot role for the Browns and should get a lot of targets again. He got 149 targets last year that converted into 81 receptions, but that should not stop us from drafting him as a flex spot.

Kirk shouldn’t be left out of the conversation of a spot on our rosters, especially with the new offense and QB coming in. The Cardinals offense is going to surprise a lot of us this year. I mean come on, it’s Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury together. Kirk is going to have a great year where he could definitely double his stats from his rookie season, so don’t be that guy to miss on him.

Rookie Watch:

 

1. Marquise Brown, Ravens
2. N’Keal Harry, Patriots
3. Deeboo Samuel, 49ers
4. D.K. Metcalf, Seahawks
5. Mecole Hardman, Chiefs

Brown could very well be the top receiver in the draft class, but the Ravens don’t have a primary target yet and that’s why we want to keep an eye on Brown before considering him in the draft. He will turn out to be a great piece to the Ravens.

Harry could be the second option as a WR for the Patriots. With Chris Hogan and Gronkoswi gone, there is a lot of passes that need be caught and Edelman can’t get them all. Well I mean he could, but why not let Harry showcase his speed. Harry will be a big part of the Patriots passing game along with Edelman and the RBs.

Samuel is another speed receiver who has the ability to be explosive. The Niners are on the rise and with everyone being healthy, Samuel could have a good year. He is worth a look in the late rounds of the draft, but safer to add him to our watch list to see how he does first.

Metcalf dropped in the NFL draft and he will go undrafted in our fantasy leagues, but he will be battling David Moore and the TEs. Until we see constant work from him in tbe regular season, let’s watch him before adding.

Hardman is listed as a WR3 on the Chiefs depth chart, but that will quickly change as the season goes now. I really like this guy at this position. We know Hill will be solid for the Chiefs as will TE Travis Kelce but Watkins has problems staying healthy, and if given the opportunity Hardman will take over. Look to add him to the watch list and grab him as a sneaky pick.

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I know this article is a bit long, but I want to make sure you have the best players available to win your league. After you finish reading through all the lists, including the tight ends tomorrow, you should be ready to have the best players on your team.

So make sure you check all of them out, and comment on any additions you may have.