Top Fantasy Sleepers: Wide Receiver
Wide receiver is the most fickle position in fantasy football.
It’s loaded with productive players, but it’s difficult to tell who to trust. NFL offenses are constantly changing and given the frequency of injuries at the position, wide receivers can become one-season wonders in an instant. Quality wide receivers can be found almost anywhere in the draft, but that just makes deciding who to take all the more difficult.
Luckily, I’m here to help. Think of me as the lighthouse, guiding you through a sea of confusing fantasy wide receiver. There are a ton of wide receivers I like this year, but here are a few who could seriously outplay their draft position:
Robby Anderson, New York Jets
Projected: 6th-7th round
Sam Darnold finished last season on a tear and one of the biggest beneficiaries were Robby Anderson. Over the last four weeks of the season, Anderson had 23 catches on 39 targets for 336 yards and three touchdowns. He dealt with nagging injuries and off the field issues for a good chunk of last season, but he clearly showed his potential with Darnold at the end of last season, both in terms of workload and production.
This season, Anderson has a new, offensive minded head coach in Adam Gase and he’s been learning personally from Hines Ward. The former Temple Owl is a talented receiver and if the Jets live up to their offensive potential, Anderson could be a surprise WR1.
Dante Pettis, San Fransisco 49ers
Projected: 8th-9th round
The 49ers’ offense was more or less a complete mess for the better part of last season. Injuries resulted in a quarterback carousel which halted all of the previous season’s momentum and turned a contender into the second worse team in football. One of the lone bright spots was second round pick, Dante Pettis, who worked his way into the starting lineup by the end of the season. Per PFF, Pettis averaged 18.7 fantasy points per game over the last four games he started and finished.
After trading for Jimmy Garappolo two years ago, it quickly became evident that the Niners were short on receivers. Unfortunately, due to his torn ACL, we never got to see the Garoppolo-Pettis connection first hand. All of Pettis’ impressive production came from a revolving pool of QBs, so you can only imagine what he might do with his actual starting QB. If both can stay healthy, Pettis should blossom into a WR2 with upside.
Marvin Jones, Detroit Lions
Projected: 8th-9th round
Marvin Jones’ stock has taken a hefty hit after suffering a season-ending knee injury last season and Kenny Golladay establishing himself as the Lions’ new number one receiver. This is all just one season after Jones posted 1100 yards and nine touchdowns. He may no longer be the top receiver in the Lions’ offense, but he’s proven to be a productive even when splitting targets with other notable receivers.
Matthew Stafford and Jones have a good rapport and are one of the league’s better deep ball connections. It won’t be hard for Jones to find his place in the Lions’ offense and, if he stays healthy, he should be a productive WR2 with upside.
Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers
Projected: 8th-9th round
While DJ Moore is the more talked about receiver, Curtis Samuel is more valuable. Despite dealing with injuries for the better part of the season, Samuel managed to outproduce Moore from a fantasy stand point last season and with the departure of Devin Funchess, he should be in store for an even bigger workload.
Samuel has been drawing some rave reviews out of Panthers training camp and could see a big jump in production this season. As a former running back in college, Samuel has gadget ability and can be used as a receiver and on handoffs. If Cam Newton is healthy, Samuel should establish himself as one of the league’s best slot receivers and a sneaky source of rushing yards.
Desean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles
Projected: 10th-11th round
We could be looking at a signature season from Desean Jackson. It’s been a while since the Eagles had a receiver like Jackson and now that the former bird is back, their offense has a new dimension they’ve been missing for the past few seasons. Carson Wentz has proven himself to be one of the most accurate deep ball passers in the NFL. He’s also the most talented QB Desean has ever played with.
So far through Training Camp, Wentz and Jackson have had great chemistry. 60-yard touchdowns have become common place. If Jackson stays healthy, which has been an issue this late in his career, he could easily lead the Eagles in receiving and become the teams new number one receiver.
Geronimo Allison, Green Bay Packers
Projected: 10th-11th round
The Packers passing game is going through a bit of an overhaul. New head coach Matt Lafleur is trying to revamp the offense and Davante Parker is the only proven receiver returning to the Packers’ roster. There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Packers’ wide receivers, but if there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that Geronimo Allison will thrive out of the slot.
Here are some stats for ya, per PFF: Aaron Rodgers has targeted wide receivers out of the slot fourth most with the best passer rating among all QBs in the past decade. Since 2008, Green Bay’s WR2 have posted two WR1 seasons, four WR2 seasons, two WR3 seasons, and two WR4 seasons. Allison played in four games last season and averaged 7.3 targets and 15 fantasy points per game. All of this is to say, Allison is going to be a very valuable receiver.
Anthony Miller, Chicago Bears
Projected: 11th-12th round
After being taken in the second round of the draft by the Bears, Anthony Miller had a rather disappointing rookie season. Miller suffered a bad shoulder injury in week three that “popped out” multiple times throughout the season, but still managed to score seven touchdowns on 54 targets. Miller was one of the most talented slot receivers in the nation while at Memphis and if he remains healthy, he should be able to reach similar production in the NFL.
Mitchell Trubisky excels at throwing to the slot. He has a 103.7 passer rating when targeting receivers in the slot compared to a 82.4 passer rating when targeting outside receivers. Miller has been great in training camp and could be looking at a potential breakout season. He should finish the season as a solid WR2.
