Fantasy Football: WR preview for the 2024 draft

We are in a golden age of the best wide receivers in the NFL. There are so many top players at the position that the overall ADP of wideouts has increased. It is not uncommon to see seven to eight wide receivers come off the board in Round 1 of fantasy drafts this season.

There are currently 14 wide receivers and 10 running backs in the top 24 of the Yahoo drafts.

My favorite team builds have tended to be when I've managed to get out of the first four rounds with at least two receivers who “start themselves,” in the words of Scott Pianowski. That means you'll have to save on either elite tight ends or quarterbacks, but you can make up ground at those positions later. You can talk yourself into the best outcomes for receivers later in the draft, but those bets wear thin quickly.

I would say the high point in my rankings this year is at WR32. There are still some solid bets just ahead of that range, like George Pickens, Zay Flowers, and Chris Godwin. After that, we enter volatile territory.

In this area, I usually want to target second-year wide receivers and rookies who could exceed expectations. There are some underrated veterans in good positions like Calvin Ridley in the middle rounds or Curtis Samuel in the late rounds, but for the most part, I opt for young players outside the top 32 at the position.

1 player at the position I want to finish drafts with and why

Try your luck with the Texans wide receivers in this year's draft and ignore the math and averages.

As I wrote in my projection recap, if all three of the Texans' wideouts stay healthy and play at their best, Nico Collins is unlikely to exceed his late third-round ADP. That is, unless you project CJ Stroud to throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. That's possible, because he's electric, but not likely. The math doesn't necessarily add up for a room like this.

I really want you to stop worrying about this.

You don't win fantasy football leagues with mediocre results. You beat a league by building on extreme advantages you got at a good price. In a league where chaos reigns, you can't be afraid to sail into the eye of the storm. If one of these Texans receivers goes down, the others will be moving into WR1 territory. That's how good these three guys are, and that's how special Stroud can be in year two.

I did a thorough analysis of the Texans' wide receivers here on Yahoo earlier this offseason, and I expect all three to play a critical role for the team.

Nico Collins plays as an X-receiver, meaning he leaves the field the least and was one of the most dominant wideouts in football against man coverage and press coverage in 2023. His arrow is pointing up. His mid-range projection may not be WR16, but his potential is significantly higher. This is the kind of top-tier alpha WR1 I'm willing to bet on.

Stefon Diggs resigned as an individual last season, but still showed the ability to break away at an extremely high level on short, quick routes. I can easily imagine his role being diminished in a Texans offense that hasn't been efficient on late drives.

While he won't reach the fantasy ceiling that Diggs once had, he's worth pursuing at WR25, especially if he develops a mind fusion with Stroud in the slot.

Then there's Tank Dell, who was the Texans' most productive wide receiver for long stretches as a rookie. Dell is undersized, but he annihilates man coverage from the outside. His role and skill set could create some scoring volatility in this crowded space, but he's a top-notch separator on breakaway routes with a quarterback who can rip those throws.

If Dell hits the jackpot, it will bring you profits for weeks.

Projections don't help you take advantage of unique situations. Rankings don't capture the kind of top-line opportunities you need to build a devastating receiver corps. Take advantage of those rare moments this season by making sure you get a look at one of these Texans wideouts early in your draft.

1 sleeper that I expect to crush his ADP

Diontae Johnson remains a sorely underrated player. The Panthers' wide receivers were unable to provide any protection for Bryce Young last season, and that is Johnson's specialty as a professional.

Given that skill set, he'll absorb a lot of volume this year. He's done that every season of his career, regardless of quarterback. Johnson set career highs in yards per target (8.2) and yards per route run (1.97) last year despite having the highest aDOT of his career (12.7) and playing with the worst quarterback room he's ever seen as a pro. That's simply because he was moved around in the formation and not pigeonholed as a boundary X at 5'10″ and 195 pounds. After watching Dave Canales construct Mike Evans' route tree and deployment so beautifully to fit Baker Mayfield, I trust he can get Johnson's role right.

If Young is even a league-average passer, Johnson will surpass his meager WR32 ADP.

1 Fade that could fall far short of his ADP

The good news is that there aren't many obvious talent mines at the wide receiver position, especially in the early rounds. I generally agree with ADP at the top this year, with a few minor exceptions.

With that in mind, it's more important to know which players to avoid in the middle rounds as we look for top players. One player who fits this mold is Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk.

My issue isn't really Kirk as a player; he has a role and fills it well as a slot receiver and Trevor Lawrence layup target. However, that area of ​​the field overlaps with Evan Engram's strengths as a receiver. The tight end is essentially a jumbo slot receiver. There's a good chance these two guys cannibalize each other this season, and both are rated a little higher for me than their mid-range projections suggest.

It's worth noting that my Kirk fade is mostly due to optimism about rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. By all accounts, Thomas has hit the ground running in recent practices and has shown significant improvement over the opening practice. Thomas put together one of the most impressive plays of any rookie wideout in the preseason, translating rhythm from the practice field into game footage in a way we want to see from young wideouts:

Most importantly, Thomas started in two-receiver sets alongside Gabe Davis.

Thomas is still developing slowly after running a limited number of routes in college, but there's a good chance he finishes the year as Jacksonville's most productive receiver. That's enough for me to overlook Kirk in an ADP range that already includes George Pickens, Terry McLaurin and a bevy of talented second-year wideouts.

Top 12 WR Ranking

• 1) CeeDee Lamb

• 2) Tyreek Hill

• 3) Ja'Marr Pursuit

• 4) Justin Jefferson

• 5) Amon-Ra St. Brown

• 6) AJ Brown

• 7) Puka Nacua

• 8) Garret Wilson

• 9) Brandon Aiyuk

• 10) Marvin Harrison Jr.

• 11) Davante Adams

• 12) Drake London