(*This article is written based on standard Non-PPR scoring)
Wide receiver is such a deep position in fantasy football today that I generally like to grab my starting running backs in the first few rounds and get my wide receivers starting in rounds three or four with a few exceptions (a top 5 guy is sitting there in the middle to late second round) especially in standard non-PPR scoring. There is a lot of value that can be found at the receiver position, especially in rounds 5-8, that you more often than not cannot find at any other position. These are some players that I will be targeting in drafts that will be consistent week in and week out performers.
Adam Thielen
One of the most underrated players in fantasy football every year seems to be the Vikings star wideout Adam Thielen. Since Thielen became a full-time starter in 2017 he has finished in the top 10 of receivers in three of those four seasons (with the exception of 2019 when he missed six games). In 2017 he was wide receiver 10 and in 2018 and 2020 he was wide receiver eight, and yet he is being drafted as wide receiver 15 and going in the fifth round of 10 team leagues, 41st overall, according to ESPN.com average draft position. While Justin Jefferson overtook him last year as the best receiver on the Vikings, Thielen was still a very reliable and productive wide receiver in fantasy who should be going in the late third, early fourth round of drafts. In 2017, 2018, and 2020, he is averaging 92.6 receptions, 1,191.6 yards, and nine touchdowns per season. A target monster, especially in the redzone, Thielen is always going to produce at a high level and has shown no signs of slowing down. While Kirk Cousins does not jump off the page as an “elite quarterback” they have built a nice rapport where Cousins trusts Theilen as much as any quarterback trusts one of his receivers in the NFL. He will look Theilen’s way early and often in 2021 and should have another top 10 finish at the position.
Brandon Aiyuk
Aiyuk broke out in his rookie season last year for the 49ers despite underwhelming talent and performances at the quarterback position. In the 12 games that Aiyuk was active he averaged 10.4 points per game while putting up 748 yards on 60 receptions and also found the endzone five times. The 49ers wanted to get Aiyuk the ball as much as possible, as he was targeted 8.1 times a game, tied with Juju Smith-Schuster for 16th among wide receivers in that category. While a lot of the production from Aiyuk came when George Kittle and Deebo Samuel were sidelined with injuries he was still able to produce, as a rookie, with the other teams top corner on him. With Kittle and Samuel back and healthy, it will open up the field and give Aiyuk matchups against weaker defenders in single coverage. This may decrease his target share but if it does it will be a minimal amount. Jimmy Garoppolo will start the season at quarterback for San Francisco and Trey Lance, third overall pick in this year’s draft, will be waiting in the wings to take over if Garoppolo struggles. Both of these players should be better than Nick Mullens and C.J. Bethard were last year, which is an obvious boost for Aiyuk. Aiyuk is currently going as wide receiver 24 and 59th overall, which is too low. He should be going as a WR2 in 10 team leagues and has the upside to be a top-15 receiver in fantasy this season.
Tee Higgins
Higgins was part of the superstar 2020 rookie draft class at wide receiver and was having an unbelievable rookie campaign until Joe Burrow tore his ACL and his production fell off with Brandon Allen and Ryan Finley under center. In weeks 2-10 (Higgins only played 15 snaps and had 0 targets in his first career game) he averaged 10.6 ppg in eight outings while only averaging seven ppg in games with Allen and Finley throwing him the ball. If you take Higgins’ average with Burrow for a full season in 2020 he would have finished the year as wide receiver 12. While there are a lot of mouths to feed in Cincinnati with the veteran Tyler Boyd and the fifth overall pick in 2021, Ja’Marr Chase, the connection that Higgins and Burrow made is still there and should continue to grow in year two. The Bengals will also be playing comeback in most games this season which will lead to more pass attempts and more opportunities for Higgins to put up points. Higgins is currently being drafted as 31st wide receiver and the 73rd player overall. That is behind his teammate Chase, who is currently going as wide receiver 23. Higgins is a great value as a WR2 or a flex in round eight of 10 team leagues and I think he will finish with the most points among Bengals wide receivers.
Darnell Mooney
A guy that I like as a late round flyer to put at the end of your bench is Darnell Mooney. Mooney had a very impressive rookie campaign after he was drafted by the Bears 173rd overall in 2020. Mooney is very quick on the outside and is a home run threat, so one long touchdown catch can be worth him starting in your flex spot in any given week. Obviously, it is hard to predict when he will make those home run plays, but Mooney was still able to put up passable numbers when he did not have that big play or score a touchdown last season. Andy Dalton will start the year as the Bears quarterback, which is an upgrade over Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles from last year. While Dalton will start the year I do not expect that to last long and my belief is Justin Fields, the 11th overall pick in this year’s draft, will be the starter sooner rather than later. Fields, along with Mooney, have both been terrific in camp thus far and we saw Fields throw the deep ball so well time and time again at Ohio State. Mooney is currently being drafted as the 56th wide receiver and is going in the middle of the 15th round at 146. I would look to snag Mooney in the 14th round before taking your defense and kicker because the upside as a flex play is tremendous.
So much of what makes a good fantasy wide receiver (and real life wide receiver) is the amount of targets a player gets and how consistent that number is week in and week out. These four players will be on the field a lot and will get those targets, which is why I like them ahead of their current ADP. While the receiver position is deep, it is important to get consistency over boom or bust so look for that in your drafts and these four players are a good starting point.
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