The NFL Draft may still be a week away but dynasty managers have been tinkering all offseason. We will soon have a much clearer picture of which players will head into the 2024 season primed for a breakout and which will be stuck on crowded depth charts. One position that is a safe bet to invest in, even before the draft, is wide receiver.
While teams will add pass-catchers in the draft, young wide receivers have insulated value you should invest in often. The sharps of the dynasty community take advantage of this value pre-draft. Among the young pass-catchers in the league, there are three that stand out as high-impact trade targets for 2024.
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Fitz’s 2024 Dynasty Superflex Rookie Rankings
- How to Prepare for Your Dynasty Rookie Draft
- 2024 NFL Draft Guide
Dynasty Wide Receivers to Trade For
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is one of the more polarizing wide receivers in fantasy football. After his rookie season, during which he compiled 600 receiving yards and four touchdowns, fantasy managers have more questions than answers. Tyler Lockett remains in Seattle and DK Metcalf is still in the prime of his career, so where does that leave Smith-Njigba? These are the types of questions that make Smith-Njigba a prime buy candidate.
While sharing a room with two premier wide receivers, he still earned over 90 targets. That was with a shortened offseason and delayed start in 2023 due to a broken wrist. If we dive a little deeper, we get a picture of where Smith-Njigba can succeed in 2024. When lining up out wide he averaged 2.43 yards per route run (YPRR), a key performance indicator for wide receivers. He also displayed the ability to beat man coverage at a much higher rate than he did zone. If he can establish himself as more than a slot receiver in this offense he could contend to lead the team in targets and have a true breakout season.
What to Trade
- 2024 Rookie 1.05 or lower
- Diontae Johnson & D’Andre Swift
Dontayvion Wicks (WR – GB)
Dontayvion Wicks was a favorite of mine last season. He fills a role that no other player on the Packers can. While he didn’t get much opportunity early for the Packers, he is a high-end route runner who can hold his own on the outside. While Jayden Reed is the flashy new name that everyone loves, Wicks is the best bet to bring your fantasy team a title in 2024. During the second half of the season, he was in the top 20 in YPRR and was one of the highest-graded wide receivers in the league, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
His primary competition for targets on the outside is Christian Watson, who has proven thus far to be an injury big-play threat. Watson will need to develop more as a route runner and, of course, stay healthy to be a real threat. Wicks is currently valued outside of the top 50 wide receivers but carries WR2 upside. The emergence of Jordan Love bodes well for all the Packers pass-catchers and Wicks is primed to take over the lead role.
What to Trade
- 2024 Rookie 2.01 or Lower
- James Conner
Brandon Aiyuk (WR – SF)
Brandon Aiyuk may seem like an obvious name on this list but it cannot be overstated how good he is. He is one of the truly elite route runners and separators in the NFL. He is a rare buy-high player. Aiyuk has been one of the wide receivers who has been talked about more this offseason, among trade rumors and contract negotiations. He was second in yards per route run to only Tyreek Hill last season. Over the course of the previous three seasons, Aiyuk’s 2023 season ranked fifth.
Top WR seasons by YPRR, 2021-2023
[+min. 150 routes]1. Tyreek Hill [2023] – 4.05
2. Nico Collins [2023] – 3.37
3. *Cooper Kupp [2021] – 3.29
4. Tyreek Hill [2022] – 3.28
5. Brandon Aiyuk [2023] – 3.28*2nd-most receiving yards in NFL history
Collins, Hill and Aiyuk are unreal
— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) March 5, 2024
While it’s likely he remains in San Francisco, there is an outside chance he is a draft-day trade candidate. If that were to happen, he would have an opportunity to garner true alpha target volume. With his career efficiency metrics, we could see close to 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns, which would place him in the top-five wide receiver conversation.
What to Trade
- 2024 Rookie 1.03 or Lower
- DJ Moore & Rookie 2.06 or Lower
- Any RB not named Bijan Robinson, Breece Hall, Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey (Contenders)
Vets to Consider for Contenders
- Amari Cooper (WR – CLR)
- Mike Evans (WR – TB)
More Fantasy Football Draft Advice
- Erickson’s Must-Have Best Ball Draft Targets (Premium)
- Fitz’s Must-Have Best Ball Draft Targets (Premium)
- DBro’s Must-Have Best Ball Draft Targets (Premium)
- Hoppen’s Must-Have Best Ball Draft Targets (Premium)
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