4 Late-Round Wide Receivers to Draft (2024 Fantasy Football)

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 star-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 receiver position to have a star-studded lineup everywhere else.

Below are wide receivers I am targeting this year when using a Zero-WR draft strategy. Let’s dive into some late-round fantasy football draft picks to target at the wide receiver position.

Zero-WR Wide Receiver Draft Targets

ADP via FantasyPros

Round 9 & 10 Targets

Rome Odunze (CHI): ADP 97.3 | WR39

While Odunze doesn’t have the same fantasy upside as fellow top-10 rookie picks, the former Washington star might be the best value of the three rookie receivers. He would have been a top-five pick and the clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver in almost any other NFL Draft class. Many fear Odunze will have a Jaxon Smith-Njigba-like rookie season under the same offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron. However, the rookie has shined during training camp. Don’t be surprised if he becomes Caleb Williams’ No. 2 go-to receiver early in his rookie year.

Christian Watson (GB): ADP 103.3 | WR41

The concern with Watson is his inability to stay healthy. He has missed 32.4% of the games in his career because of injury, including eight contests last season. However, Watson has been productive when healthy, averaging 10 half-point PPR fantasy points per game for his career. Furthermore, he had the sixth-most end zone targets (15) and ninth-most end zone touchdowns (five) in the NFL last year despite missing nearly half the season (per Fantasy Points Data). If Watson can stay healthy, the third-year player could be a league-winning pick.

Late-Round Targets

Rashid Shaheed (NO): ADP 154.3 | WR56

Shaheed is a popular breakout candidate after the Saints moved on from Michael Thomas, making him the No. 2 receiver. The explosive playmaker was the WR43 last season, averaging 8.4 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Furthermore, he had the 15th-highest yards per target among wide receivers, with at least 75 targets last year. Shaheed could be even better in 2024 after New Orleans hired Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator. While Chris Olave is worthy of his early-round ADP, Shaheed has massive upside as a bench wide receiver pick.

Darnell Mooney (ATL): ADP 176.5 | WR70

Unfortunately, Mooney was an afterthought on an inconsistent Chicago Bears passing attack last year, averaging only 4.2 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Yet, there is hope for the veteran in Atlanta with Kirk Cousins under center. The veteran quarterback has produced two top-12 wide receivers in the same season twice during his time with the Minnesota Vikings (2018 and 2020). While Mooney won’t be a top-12 guy, the veteran is a capable receiver, putting up a 1,000-yard receiving season in his career. He should easily outperform his ADP.