In the previous article I talked heavily about quarterbacks, how to draft and how to play them off the waiver wire. This article I will go into depth on wide receivers, the backbone of your fantasy league. Most leagues have two to three wide receivers and often times a flex position that can hold either a receiver, a running back, or a tight end.
Wide Receivers
Every single draft regardless of point calculation will start off with a wide receiver, unless the manager with the first pick is using it on their nose instead. Not just any wide receiver, Antonio Brown is positioned to go first round, pick one this year- it’s written in the stars. This is due to the heavy importance of wide receivers in the league right now, and Brown is just in a tier of his own at that position.
When drafting the wide receiver position during your fantasy draft, it is important to draft an elite wide receiver early. You want to have a clear WR1 caliber player that can bring you those high scoring games. This will help set you apart from the rest of your league. There are only a handful of WR1 caliber wide receivers in the league, and almost all of them are drafted in the first round.
Once you have your elite receiver picked out, you want to fill your other positions (either a second, or second and third slot) with the bread winners. These are the receivers who have consistent points each week, where you can count on 10 or 15 points. They may not be scoring touchdowns every game, but they consistently break 100 yards or more. These players will give you a solid base to build off of, and high floor for the weeks it seems like everything is against you.
Having a good wide receiver draft can be the difference between being confident each week, or scrambling for a flier who may or may not bust on you. Rarely are you ever able to pick up a receiver off the waiver wire that will be consistently high scoring after the draft, except possibly in the first couple weeks as managers settle into the game. That being said, there are always break out players. These are players like Willie Snead or Stefon Diggs who had a few amazing games and then slumped.
Try and keep up on research to find these players before they make their break so you are pulling them from your bench, instead of fighting other managers on the waiver wire.
I’ll leave you with a few players to keep in mind during the first round:
Antonio Brown (PIT)
Odell Beckham Jr (NYG)
DeAndre Hopkins (HOU)
Julio Jones (ATL)
Dez Bryant (DAL)
Check back Wednesday for part 3 on Running Backs, this will conclude this series of draft advice.
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