The RB Dead Zone has notoriously been a place in fantasy football drafts to consider avoiding running backs for one reason or another. If you’re avoiding running backs, that means that there should be other positions to target, perhaps none more pivotal than wide receiver. We’ll help you fill out your wide receiver room with our top WRs to draft in the RB Dead Zone.
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Wide Receivers to Draft in RB Dead Zone
Flowers had his moments as a rookie. While he didn’t live up to the preseason hype, it wasn’t a dreadful rookie showing by any stretch, especially after Mark Andrews was out. Without Andrews, Flowers saw his first read share increase to 30.7%, and his FD/RR rate increased ever so slightly from 0.081 to 0.085. Flowers, during that stretch (eight games), earned six end zone targets, which was awesome compared to the single end zone target he saw in Weeks 1-10. With Odell Beckham Jr. gone in 2024, the Baltimore passing attack will further consolidate around Flowers and Andrews.
– Derek Brown
Amari Cooper‘s season-long stats were notable despite shifting quarterbacks, ranking 10th in yards (1,250) and second in 20-yard gains (42). His 41% air yards share also ranked 10th in the league. While he finished 17th in points/game (12.7) as the WR18 overall through 17 games, his performance with Deshaun Watson as QB offers promise. During these five games, he maintained a 23% target share, 42% air yards share, averaging nearly 100 receiving yards/game. His fantasy output was also strong, averaging 14.8 points per game (6th) and 15.7 expected points per game (15th). Even with Jerry Jeudy‘s addition, Cooper remains the WR1 for the Browns.
– Andrew Erickson
Last season was a breakout campaign for George Pickens as the WR36 in fantasy points per game. Among 81 qualifying receivers, he ranked 20th in yards per route run and 44th in first downs per route run while drawing a 20.8% target share and a 39% air-yard share (per Fantasy Points Data). While all these numbers tickle the senses, his splits without Diontae Johnson on the field last year are even more enticing. In Weeks 2-5 without Johnson, his target share climbed to 27.1%, his air-yard share stood at a whopping 50.1%, and he was the WR16 in fantasy points per game. The quarterback play of Russell Wilson (or Justin Fields), along with the run-heavy nature of Arthur Smith, could limit his ceiling, especially in the volume department, but Pickens could outpace his WR3 expectation in 2024.
– Derek Brown
Yes, Dell now has to contend with Stefon Diggs for targets, too, but we need to put respect on Dell’s name and understand that he could still fight for the team lead in targets in 2024. Last year, in the seven full games that Dell and Nico Collins played together, Dell bested him in every meaningful category. Dell led the duo in target share (22.5 vs. 22.1%), air-yard share (35.9 vs. 25.3%), weighted opportunity (59.0 vs. 50.9), and fantasy points per game (18.7 vs. 18.1). Overall last year Dell posted monster numbers in YPRR (2.40) and FD/RR (0.115) ranking 16th and 14th in these statistics. His recovery from a broken fibula will be huge, but if he is still the same guy we saw in 2023, there’s plenty of reason to invest heavily in him smashing in 2024.
– Derek Brown
Fantasy Football Draft Rankings
Check out the consensus 2024 fantasy football draft rankings from our experts.
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