Everyone has heard of the Zero-RB draft strategy. However, the Zero-WR strategy rarely gets mentioned. Yet, it’s one of my favorite draft strategies because of the depth at the wide receiver position.
How does the Zero-WR draft strategy work? Like a Zero-RB strategy, you don’t avoid that position the entire draft. Instead, you focus on other positions early in the draft before targeting wide receivers starting in the fifth or sixth round.
Ideally, you load up at the running back position in the early rounds, grabbing two superstar-caliber guys. Fantasy players also want to draft an elite quarterback and tight end before picking their first wide receiver with this draft strategy. The point of this strategy is to sacrifice at the wide receivers position, so you have a star-studded lineup everywhere else.
Below are 10 wide receivers I am targeting this year when using a Zero-WR draft strategy. Ideally, I want to leave my draft with at least five of these players on my team.
- Draft Targets for Every Round: Early | Middle | Late
- Fitz’s Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
- Snake Draft Pick Strategy: Early | Middle | Late
2023 Zero-WR Wide Receiver Draft Targets
Round 7 & 8 Targets
Diontae Johnson (PIT): ADP 82.7 | WR33
Johnson was the WR9 in 2021, averaging 13.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. He finished second in the NFL with 169 targets and had eight receiving touchdowns, a career-high. Unfortunately, the former Toledo star was only the WR39 last season, averaging 8.1 fantasy points per game after scoring zero touchdowns. Yet, the veteran had a 27 percent target share, the 13th-highest among wide receivers. Furthermore, he finished seventh in the NFL with 147 targets (8.7 per game), down only 1.3 targets per game compared to 2021. Had Johnson scored 6.7 touchdowns last season (his career average entering the year), he would have been the WR19.
Marquise Brown (ARI): ADP 84.3 | WR34
Arizona will likely be the worst team in the NFL this season. However, that won’t keep me from drafting Brown at his ADP. While the veteran missed time last year with a foot injury, the former Oklahoma star was the WR6 over the first six weeks without DeAndre Hopkins, averaging 14.7 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Meanwhile, he averaged seven targets per game in the five contests without Kyler Murray. More importantly, the team has a lack of proven pass catchers. And with the Cardinals likely to be in negative gamescripts most of the season, this should create plenty of targets and garage-time fantasy points for Brown.
Jahan Dotson (WAS): ADP 95.3 | WR38
The 2022 NFL Draft class had several talented wide receivers. Yet, Dotson quietly led all rookies in receiving touchdowns (seven) despite missing five games and playing several others limited. Removing his first three games back from a nagging hamstring injury (where he played under 67 percent of the snaps in every contest), the rookie would have averaged 12.1 half-point PPR fantasy points per game last season. Over a 17-game pace, he would have been the WR11. Dotson won’t replace Terry McLaurin as Washington’s No. 1 wide receiver. However, the former Penn State star is primed for a sophomore-year breakout season.
More Players to Target & Avoid
- Pat Fitzmaurice: (Targets | Avoids) (Premium)
- Andrew Erickson: (Targets | Avoids) (Premium)
- Derek Brown: (Targets | Avoids) (Premium)
- Fantasy Football Sleepers for Every Team (Premium)
- How to Identify Fantasy Football Busts (Premium)
- Erickson’s Guide to Drafting Players on Good Offenses
- Fantasy Football Draft Values for Every Round
- Predicting First-Round Bust Candidates
- DBro’s Wide Receiver Lottery Tickets
- Erickson’s Running Back Lottery Tickets
- Hoppen’s 4 Players Who Could Become First-Round Picks Next Year
- Players to Target in Each Round (v2 | v3)
- Players to Avoid in Each Round
- Late-Round Draft Targets
- Late-Round QB Targets in Superflex Leagues | More QB Sleepers
- Late-Round RB Targets | More RB Sleepers | July RB Targets
- Late-Round WR Targets
- Late-Round TE Targets
- Deep Dart Throw Draft Targets
- WRs to Target in the RB Dead Zone (v2)| RBs to Avoid in the RB Dead Zone | RBs to Target in RB Dead Zone
- Identifying the Next WR1s | Identifying the Next RB1s
- 2022 Duds That Will Become 2023 Studs
- 4 Kickers To Target at the End of Drafts
- Making the Case for RB1
- Post-Hype Sleepers
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.