Must-Have WRs: Chris Godwin, Diontae Johnson, Christian Kirk (Fantasy Football)

Running backs and wide receivers are arguably the most important positions to focus on when building a winning fantasy football roster. With that in mind, we asked some of our featured experts to look at some of the must-have WRs for the 2024 fantasy football season. Here are the players our experts are targeting in their drafts.

Looking for more fantasy football must-have wide receivers and running backs in your drafts? Check out the 18 Must-Have RBs & WRs article, with all of the breakdowns from our featured experts!

Must-Have WRs

Chris Godwin (WR – TB)

“Chris Godwin did not experience a Mike Evans resurgence under Baker Mayfield at QB in 2023 regarding fantasy points. Godwin led the Buccaneers with 91 catches for 1,1109 receiving yards, but he only caught three TDs…in 19 games played. But Godwin’s target share (23%) was nearly identical to Evans’ (25%). It was the lack of high-value opportunities that nuked Godwin in fantasy football and placed him outside the top 36 WRs in points per game. Works in Godwin’s favor that new OC Liam Coen will be calling the offense in 2024, and he has already suggested putting Godwin back into the slot in a full-time role. Godwin played his lowest slot snap rate (37%) since 2018 last season.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

Diontae Johnson (WR – CAR)

“Diontae Johnson spent the past FIVE years leading Pittsburgh in target share. He’ll now compete with Adam Thielen (34 in August), Jonathan Mingo (poor rookie year) and Xavier Legette (iffy prospect who didn’t break out until college-year 5). QB Bryce Young will now work under a coach (Dave Canales) who played a key role in Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield’s reclamation projects over the past two years. I can get his lead target in WR4 range? A guy who has the 13th-most receptions since he entered the league (in 2019)? On a team that’ll almost certainly remain sub-.500, and thus likely pass more? Sign me up.”
– Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks)

“Diontae Johnson is a severely underrated WR. He’s had to deal with Big Ben’s noodle arm and poor play from Trubisky/Pickett for years, but the reality is that he’s one of the best separators in the NFL. None of the Panthers WR’s could get open last season, which led to 33-year-old Adam Thielen getting force-fed the fourth most receptions through Week 11! Diontae is a million times better at getting open than Thielen at this point of their careers, and I could see a world where Diontae leads the league in receptions this season.”
– Nick Zylak (Fantasy Football Advice)

Christian Kirk (WR – JAC)

“Christian Kirk will be one of my top draft targets this year. The last time he was Trevor Lawrence‘s go-to wide receiver, the veteran ended the 2022 season as the WR11, averaging 11.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Furthermore, Kirk was the WR16, averaging 11.7 fantasy points per game from Week 2 through Week 12, despite Calvin Ridley seeing a 20% target per route run rate during those contests last year (per Fantasy Points Data). With Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. challenging defenses downfield, expect Kirk to see plenty of easy targets in the middle of the field. I wouldn’t bet against him having a top-15 finish in 2024.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)

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Best Ball Draft Targets

Fantasy Draft Advice Featured Pros NFL Chris Godwin Mike Evans Baker Mayfield Diontae Johnson Adam Thielen Jonathan Mingo Xavier Legette Christian Kirk Trevor Lawrence Calvin Ridley Gabe Davis Brian Thomas Jr.