Finding value at any position can be the difference between being a contender or a pretender in your favorite fantasy football league. Unfortunately, finding value at the wide receiver position in today’s economy can be nearly impossible.
While running backs get disrespected across the NFL and some fantasy football circles, the wide receivers are flying off draft boards. According to FantasyPros’ average draft position (ADP), six wide receivers are currently being drafted in the top 12 in PPR formats.
If you look down the board, 13 wide receivers are being drafted in the top 30 picks. Even further down, you’ll see that 28 wide receivers are going in the top 60. It’s a very popular position, meaning these WR3s with WR1 potential could come off the board much earlier than expected.
- 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Best Ball Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
WR3s with WR1 Potential
Throughout the offseason, you can use our ADP tool to determine players who present values and reaches on popular league host sites. The tool combines the updated ADP for different sites along with our latest expert consensus rankings (ECR) to provide players to target and avoid based on average draft position.
You can also use our mock draft simulator to sync your league and complete fantasy football mock drafts against the current ADP of your league host.
Stefon Diggs (WR – HOU): ECR 49 | WR26
Sometimes, the best indicator of future success is past success. While we might have to take a leap of faith in some of these WR3s, Houston wide receiver Stefon Diggs has already achieved WR1 status in four consecutive seasons. Now in Houston, Diggs hopes to continue that streak with quarterback CJ Stroud.
Nico Collins (WR16) will likely lead the Texans in snaps at wide receiver, but Diggs and second-year wide receiver Tank Dell (WR29) offer similar WR1 upside at discounted prices. Assuming an uptick in passing volume, all three wide receivers could smash this season.
Zay Flowers (WR – BAL): ECR 54 | WR28
Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers had a terrific rookie season, has little-to-no target competition outside of tight end Mark Andrews and is the clear WR1 on an above-average offense. Yet, Flowers is ranked as the WR28 with an ECR in the 50s.
Last season, Flowers scored 17.7 PPR points in Week 1 and never looked back. Flowers scored 10+ fantasy points in 11 out of 16 games, including 19+ in four of the final five weeks of the regular season. That’s a small sample size, but that’s exactly the type of upside we’re looking for.
Moving forward, Baltimore does project as a run-first offense behind quarterback Lamar Jackson and new addition Derrick Henry, but the loss of Odell Beckham Jr. could open up more opportunities in the passing game. While the passing volume won’t be the same as other offenses, Flowers and Andrews should soak up plenty of targets.
Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS): ECR57 | WR30
Thanks to a revolving door of mediocre quarterbacks, Washington wide receiver Terry McLaurin has been tapped out as a WR2 thus far in his career. With sensational rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels now at the helm, can McLaurin finally break into WR1 territory? I think so.
People love to showcase the rushing highlights — and there will be plenty of those — but some underestimate how good of a passer Daniels is. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner had 3,800 passing yards and a 40:4 TD:INT ratio last season while hyper-targeting his two alpha wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.
Expect more of the same for Daniels and McLaurin in Washington this season. McLaurin has been one of the most consistent wide receivers over recent years and his target competition (Jahan Dotson, Dyami Brown, Austin Ekeler, Zach Ertz) is among the weakest in the entire league. Dotson and Brown are in a battle for the WR2 role but I’m not sure either one gets targeted enough to maintain weekly fantasy relevancy.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn