Welcome to my preseason WR Hub! WRs are a fun position in fantasy football and they’re more plentiful than others. When it comes to WRs each NFL team usually has 2 or 3 WRs on most downs. Seven of the top 12 non-QB fantasy scorers last season were WRs. If you are in a PPR fantasy league, try to target WRs who get a high volume of targets/receptions. Who will be this season’s Cooper Kupp? Go draft some WRs and hope for a 2003/2007 Randy Moss or a 2014/2015 Antonio Brown.
Below is my sure thing, sleeper, bust, and breakout WRs.
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WR
Sure thing
Justin Jefferson – Minnesota Vikings
Justin is my sure thing WR and for good reason. Although just 2 years into his NFL career, Jefferson has been dominant and consistent. The 2020 1st round draft pick out of LSU has back-to-back great seasons under his belt and he keeps trending upwards. Justin had 1400 receiving yards as a rookie and then topped that with over 1600 receiving yards in his 2nd season. He averaged 95 receiving yards per game last season and found the endzone 10 times which was 3 more than as a rookie. Jefferson finished top 5 in WR fantasy points last season thanks to being 4th in the NFL in targets with 167, 4th in the NFL in receptions with 108, and 2nd in the NFL in receiving yards with 1616. Kirk Cousins and Jefferson have great chemistry and its clear there is trust between them. Jefferson had over 70 more targets and 40 more receptions than any other Viking. Jefferson is a stud and is being drafted as the 2nd WR off the board after Cooper Kupp so scoop him up if he’s still available late in that 1st round.
Sleeper
Rashod Bateman – Baltimore Ravens
Rashod Bateman is poised for a great year in Baltimore. If you have read any of my articles in the past, like my second-year WR preview, you probably have gotten the hint that I like Bateman a lot. The departure of Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown has opened up WR1 for Rashod. Lamar Jackson’s best options are Mark Andrews and Bateman. Andrews is going to get plenty of attention and Lamar’s rushing abilities will keep defenses modest. Those situations work out nicely for Bateman to get targets down field and be a deep ball threat. The former rookie had over 500 receiving yards in his 12 games played. Bateman could easily be under the breakout category, but it seems like he is being overlooked being ranked outside of the top 30 WRs this season. Rashod should be able to score a lot more this season and if he does, he will become a household name.
Bust
Amari Cooper – Cleveland Browns
Amari Cooper is currently ranking between WR25-WR30 as we approach the new season. Cooper has had a good career thus far and can put up big numbers any given Sunday. He finds himself on a new team this season in the Cleveland Browns. The Browns parted ways with Baker Mayfield and DeShaun Watson has been suspended 11 games, making Jacoby Brissett the starter for the Browns pending any future changes. Cooper will have to stay healthy, get a ton of targets, and convert most of said targets with defenses covering him knowing his capabilities. Seems like a lot to ask on a Browns team that has more questions than answers at this point in the preseason. Without Watson at QB, I don’t have a lot of faith in the fantasy outlook of Amari. When drafting WRs this season, I would think of Cooper as a WR3. I’m avoiding Cooper this season unless he is dirt cheap late in your draft.
Breakout/prediction
Gabriel Davis – Buffalo Bills
Gabriel Davis has been getting a lot of hype as you probably already know and as I pointed out in my Hype Hub article. The Buffalo Bills are stacked on offense with arguably the best fantasy QB under center. Davis is the 20th-25th WR being taken in most fantasy drafts this season. His huge 4 TD playoff game has fans on the edge of their seats ready for dominance. I don’t think he will have any 4 TD performances this season, but after averaging around 575 receiving yards and 6 receiving TDs in his first 2 seasons, Davis could take a huge leap this season and easily surpass those numbers. My prediction for Davis this season is over 1000 receiving yards and close to if not surpassing 10 receiving TDs. Don’t be scared of the hype, draft Davis and watch him play more downs and be targeted often while Buffalo runs up scores.