Wide Receivers Worth Reaching For
by Alan Seslowsky – Twitter: @Alanseslowsky

RosterWatch’s signature tool, the ultimate draft cheat sheet, is crafted to help you leverage against the average draft position. It is not a traditional ranking list. Following the three simple rules on the cheat sheet guarantees you an expert quality draft. There are times RosterWatch can endorse reaching ahead of ADP if you believe that a player has the upside to win you a fantasy football league. If you can see a plausible case that a player with an ADP outside of the top 24 can be a first round pick in the following season; he may be worth “reaching” for. Below are three wide receivers Rosterwatch believes could have league-winning upside.

CeeDee Lamb (ADP 33 Overall, WR12)

Lamb’s ADP is on the rise, getting drafters who have been in the trenches since February uneasy. Year-round fantasy players who drafted dynasty startups and bestball drafts were used to Lamb’s fourth-round ADP. He was shaping up to be a nice value. With Amari Cooper‘s training camp injury and excitement about Lamb’s upside, he is still sitting in the late middle part of the third round. There is a risk of jumping up even further, as Lamb is more projection than banked production. It is easy to see the bull case for Lamb being a top 10 player on NEXT year’s cheat sheet. While Dak was healthy last year Ceedee Lamb was the WR16. A hot start to his rookie season is a positive indicator that he could take that massive year two leap. 

 

AJ Brown (ADP 29 Overall, WR11)

During winter and spring draft season, fantasy players were taking AJ Brown no later than pick 16 overall. Brown would get drafted on the one-two turn at times. The case for AJ Brown taking a massive year three leap is easy to see. Brown finished as the WR12 last year on only 106 targets. His eye-popping 15.6 yards per reception were among the league leaders. He was reportedly playing hurt too. A quick look at his rookie year efficiency yards per reception shows what his upside can be. Even with the addition of Julio Jones, it is reasonable to project AJ Brown for 120 targets as his floor. Julio Jones should relieve some double teams on Brown. RosterWatch would recommend not letting Brown get out of the second round. 

 

Cooper Kupp (ADP 67 Overall, WR22)

Kupp is not a player who will win you the league, but he is the definition of a foundational player who has upside. The fantasy draft market is pricing him cheaper than teammate Robert Woods. RosterWatch co-founder Byron Lambert described Kupp as a “redzone maven.” Kupp only found paydirt three times last year but did have 10 TDs in 2019. With upgraded QB play Kupp should be projected for 7-8 scores. He is a lock for 90+ receptions and 1,000 yards. If you decide to deploy a running back heavy start to your draft, Cooper Kupp makes for an ideal WR to proactively draft that will stabilize your weekly start sit choices. window.PLAYERCARDS_CONFIG={affiliateCode:”rowa”};