Deep Sleepers, Wide Receiver: We’re looking at wide receivers who are mostly going undrafted in standard leagues that could become fantasy-relevant options in 2018.
Fantasy football gamers that pick the right sleeper in their drafts gain a huge advantage over their fellow competitors. Owners who drafted David Johnson in 2015 or Alvin Kamara in 2017 most likely had a lot of success in their leagues. In all likelihood, these guys won’t be drafted in all but the deepest of leagues, but they are players to keep an eye on in case a breakout occurs or an injury strikes. For the most part, these are all players who have somewhat clear paths to opportunity.
See: 2018 Fantasy Football Player Rankings | Fantasy Football Mock Draft (PPR)
Quincy Enunwa – New York Jets
For some reason, Quincy Enunwa is being drafted as the WR83 in ESPN live drafts, slightly behind his teammate Jermaine Kearse. It was only two years ago that Enunwa had over 100 targets and 800 yards en route to a WR45 finish in PPR formats even though he started the year as the third option behind Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Enunwa suffered a neck injury heading into last season, and it seems like the fantasy community has forgotten how productive he was in 2016. The Jets used a second-round tender on Enunwa this offseason, illustrating their faith in the former sixth-round pick.
Robby Anderson’s breakout last year has many thinking he’s the go-to option in the New York passing game, but he profiles mainly as a field-stretcher whereas Enunwa has prototypical WR1 size (Anderson is one inch taller than Enunwa but 35 pounds lighter). While the Jets passing offense likely won’t be explosive enough to support multiple fantasy-relevant options, Enunwa is worth a shot at his current ADP because he has a legitimate chance to be the No. 1 WR for the Jets.
Chester Rogers and Ryan Grant – Indianapolis Colts
For the most part, the fantasy football community is still too low on all Indianapolis Colts players as Andrew Luck makes his way back from injury. There is no obvious candidate for the WR2 role in Indianapolis following Donte Moncrief’s departure, but both Ryan Grant and Chester Rogers have a chance to secure the role.
In the NFL Draft, the Colts picked Northern Iowa wideout Daurice Fountain and Clemson’s Deon Cain, but neither was picked until the fifth round. After T.Y. Hilton, Jack Doyle, and Eric Ebron, the Colts have no proven pass-catchers on their roster, but whoever emerges as the No. 2 WR will be worthy of a roster spot. At this point, we don’t know who that will be, so it’s worth taking a shot on both Grant (WR92) and Rogers (WR109) at their current ADPs.
Taywan Taylor – Tennessee Titans
Titans wideout Taywan Taylor didn’t show much as a rookie because he was buried on the depth chart last year, but he may get his chance to shine in 2018. Tennessee’s third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Taylor will be on the field in 3WR sets this year following Eric Decker’s departure. Rishard Matthews is currently on the physically unable to perform list with a mysterious injury, and Taylor becomes a very interesting option late in drafts if news breaks about the injury lingering into the season.
Taylor profiles as a new-age slot receiver with a frame big enough to block opposing cornerbacks on the outside and outmuscle defenders for balls as a receiver. Tennessee’s passing attack was anemic last year under Mike Mularkey’s exotic smashmouth scheme, but there is a new regime in place for this season. With a more modern offense in place and a healthier receiving corps, the Titans offense is in line for positive regression in year two of Taylor’s professional career. As the starting slot receiver on what will be an improved offense, Taylor is an intriguing option at his current ADP of WR96.
Tre’Quan Smith – New Orleans Saints
After the stronger options at the top – D.J. Moore, Anthony Miller, Christian Kirk, and a few others – most fantasy gamers are ignoring rookie wideouts. It makes sense, given the track record of mediocre production from rookie wide receivers, but Saints wideout Tre’Quan Smith makes for an intriguing option in the late rounds of drafts.
Smith profiles as a deep threat at the next level, as his college yards per reception average of 17.4 placed him in the 83rd percentile. In fact, Smith finished 15th in the nation last year with 19.8 yards per reception. Ted Ginn, Jr. operated as the Saints’ deep threat in 2017 and finished as the WR34 in PPR formats. While Smith will have to compete with Ginn for deep targets this year, there is a lot of upside at his current price of WR97 (ESPN) if the rookie can overtake the older Ginn as the Saints second outside receiver.
Jaron Brown – Seattle Seahawks
One of the underrated stories of the offseason is the breakup of the two J. Browns. John Brown joined the Baltimore Ravens while Jaron Brown made his way to Seattle to join up with Russell Wilson. Jaron Brown is going as the WR122 in ESPN live drafts even though he’s slated to open the season as the third option on his team behind Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett. Brown’s ADP is actually later than both Brandon Marshall and Amara Darboh even though Brown has the easiest path to the No. 3 WR role. Marshall’s contract only has $90,000 guaranteed (the Seahawks gave Brown $2.75 million guaranteed) and he is a cut candidate if he doesn’t show flashes in training camp, and Darboh has only thirteen career targets. Brown has been working as the Seahawks No. 3 WR in training camp so far.
According to PlayerProfiler, Brown has an 87th percentile SPARQ-x score and an 85th percentile speed score, which means he could take over the deep threat role that Paul Richardson had last year. Furthermore, the Seahawks don’t have a tight end of consequence on their roster and none of their running backs have proven themselves as NFL-caliber pass-catchers. That means Brown isn’t just the No. 3 wide receiver, he also could be the third option in the passing game as a whole. Given his somewhat clear path to opportunity, Brown is worth taking a shot on in the final round of deeper leagues at his current ADP of WR122.
Tyler Boyd – Cincinnati Bengals
Tyler Boyd’s current ADP is WR125, but it will rise over the next few weeks as the fantasy community reacts to Brandon LaFell’s release. Following LaFell’s release, there is a lot of uncertainty about who will emerge as the No. 2 wide receiver in Cincinnati. John Ross is the favorite for the spot, but don’t forget about 2016 second-round pick Boyd.
Boyd posted a 92nd percentile breakout age and 86th percentile College Dominator in college, meaning he was productive from a young age while at Pittsburgh. RotoViz proved breakout age is predictive of wide receiver success in the NFL. While Ross is the favorite to secure the No. 2 role, the uncertainty about who will step up means Boyd is a much better value, as he is going rounds later than Ross.
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