Bo McBrayer | Mon, Jun 3rd 2024, 7:05am EDT

WR3s with WR1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

Everyone loves a breakout performer. In dynasty fantasy football, finding the breakout performers while their value is depressed is a massive catalyst for destroying your league mates and taking their money.

The wide receiver position is deeper than the Mariana Trench these days. Yet another uber-talented draft class has been folded into the league like a queso fundido. We know the elite players, who warrant early draft capital and gargantuan trade demands. Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb were once undervalued themselves, albeit for a mere sliver of time. Puka Nacua and Nico Collins were my proudest triumphs last season, each fetching a king’s ransom this time around.

Who will explode into WR1 territory from the depths in 2024 and emerge as wide receiver sleepers? I have a distinct feeling it will be these gentlemen.

Wide Receiver Sleepers: WR3s with WR1 Potential

Check out the wide receivers available later in fantasy football drafts who could emerge as WR1 sleepers.

Zay Flowers (WR-BAL)

Zay Flowers had a really strong rookie season in Baltimore. The 2023 rookie class was brimming with stud WRs and the Boston College standout put forth a nice campaign with MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. He was WR31 in PPR scoring as a rookie, so his current average draft position (ADP) in dynasty (WR28) doesn’t account for much growth from the 858 receiving yards and six total touchdowns this past season. Puzzling, indeed. Reception Perception identified Flowers as a versatile, high-level separator both as a prospect and as an NFL receiver. Despite many of his featured plays coming from “gadget” plays, Flowers was still outstanding in his success rate across the route tree against various types of coverage.

Flowers’ main attraction is his ability to eviscerate zone coverage. He landed in the 90th percentile among all WRs charted by RP versus zone coverage, in a truly lofty assortment of great fantasy performers. The Ravens see a disproportionate amount of zone looks, thanks to the danger of manning up against Jackson and having defenders turn their back on the elusive quarterback. Flowers is only 23 years old and is expected to seize a more traditional flanker role in year two under offensive coordinator Todd Monken. He will still see some slot work, even if he wasn’t quite as effective there. The Ravens have a good one here and the sky is the limit.

Rome Odunze (WR-CHI)

I am certainly not alone in holding Rome Odunze on nearly equal footing as Marvin Harrison Jr. The 2024 WR class is very strong, especially at the top with Odunze, Harrison and LSU speedster Malik Nabers. Maserati Marv is already firmly in the dynasty WR1 realm, and rightly so. Even though Odunze is just as well-rounded as the former Buckeye, he is still languishing at an ADP of WR33. In fact, Harrison and Odunze were both among the best WR prospects ever charted by RP, with only the latter earning the coveted all-green route success tree.

The Chicago Bears were rumored to have Odunze as their second-ranked prospect on the draft board, behind top pick Caleb Williams. The young tandem will be joined by two outstanding veteran receivers in their own rite, DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. Odunze has the potential to assume a large chunk of the target volume from the jump. He is cold-blooded in contested catch situations and a physical freak after the catch. Allen is a damn good big slot, while Moore is an explosive playmaker at flanker. The X position is right there for the rookie. Chicago has a lot to be excited for on offense, perhaps for the first time ever.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)

Nobody really wants to be the third wheel on a date. The same goes for target share in a conservative offensive scheme. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was actually great in Seattle as a rookie. He did exactly what was asked of him, then more as the season progressed. JSN is an outstanding separator down the field, but was mired in shallow slot land most of the time. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are really good, and the rookie was not going to usurp either one of them this past season. Yet, Smith-Njigba did enough to make us wonder if he can in 2024. I think he will. His dynasty ADP at WR44 is a farce. He is destined for greatness.

Smith-Njigba was a solid rookie receiver, despite losing out on looks to a couple established Pro Bowl veterans on the field. He lined up mostly in the slot, but was also effective when asked to split out wide at flanker. The Ohio State standout is a nightmare to cover in tight areas, especially in the red zone. Geno Smith was under duress quite often this past season, but the trust with his first round rookie was evident as the year progressed. New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb managed to feature three great receivers in 2023 for the Washington Huskies, so it is within the realm of possibility that Metcalf and Lockett can remain their amazing selves while JSN is featured in a more prominent role.

Jayden Reed (WR – GB)

The Green Bay Packers were a mystery entering the 2023 season. Their future Hall of Fame QB had moved on, leaving the reins to bench-splintered Jordan Love and a band of inexperienced receivers. Head coach Matt LaFleur put on a master class and Love was a revelation while his receivers grew exponentially throughout the campaign. Jayden Reed was fantastic as a relatively unheralded rookie second round selection from Michigan State. Like Flowers, many of his touches were manufactured to put the ball in his hands quickly. Reed displayed the chops to take on a bigger role in his sophomore campaign.

Love and LaFleur love to pepper the middle of the field on in-breaking routes. Reed is the perfect player to shred defenses in that fashion. He came in no worse than the 70th percentile versus any type of coverage as a rookie. Reed also achieved this by lining up in a variety of positions. Although mostly in the slot, he was also featured in the backfield as a ball carrier in the run game. That tiny bit of Deebo Samuel in his game leads me to believe he will obliterate his WR34 ADP in dynasty formats. Reed is set up to be the top weapon in a versatile offense for years to come.

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