Each year, there are players that tend to go higher than you value them as a fantasy owner. It’s not that they don’t have value in the right situation, but given the rankings of experts and the player’s average draft position, they just aren’t for you.
That’s certainly the case for our writers. We’ve asked them to provide the wide receiver they are least likely to draft at their current expert consensus ranking.
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Which wide receiver are you least likely to draft at their current expert consensus rank?
DeAndre Hopkins (HOU)
“I love Hopkins, of course. How could you not? He isn’t in my top three fantasy receivers for next season, however, let alone No. 1. Baker Mayfield is a better pure passer than Watson already, who will be lucky to stay alive behind that putrid offensive line. Not only that, but Odell Beckham Jr. doesn’t have much in the way of competition for targets in Cleveland while Hopkins will finally be on the field with both Keke Coutee and Will Fuller at the same time. Besides Beckham, Julio Jones is the best wide receiver in football and then there is Michael Thomas who isn’t too far behind and may come into more targets this year that we’ve ever seen. If Hopkins fell to me in the early second, I’d take him without hesitation but not if Beckham, Julio or Thomas were still on the board too.”
– Bobby Sylvester (@bobbyfantasypro)
Corey Davis (TEN)
“The level of my disdain for Corey Davis depends upon whether you are looking at his current fantasy football calculator ADP of WR34 or his Fantasypros ECR of WR22. I don’t like him in either spot, but especially as a low-end WR2. That is almost unfathomable to me. Davis has done absolutely nothing over his first two seasons to warrant treatment as anything more than a WR4. No one is questioning his physical talents, but he wouldn’t be the first athletically-gifted WR to flop (looking at you DeVante Parker and Donte Moncrief), and he won’t be the last. The Titans added Adam Humphries and Delanie Walker will be back, meaning Davis’ already tenuous status as Marcus Mariota’s primary target becomes even more suspect. Add in the fact that the Titans are a run-first offense and Davis is highly unlikely to provide a positive return on investment. Most importantly, there are a number of receivers going well after Davis, such as Christian Kirk, Dante Pettis, and Robby Anderson, that I would much rather have, not just at their current costs, but at Davis’ cost.”
– Jason Katz (@jasonkatz13)
Amari Cooper (WR – DAL)
“Cooper enjoyed a pleasant change of scenery when he was traded to Dallas in Week 8 last year. From Weeks 8 through 17, Cooper ranked as WR11 in PPR formats accumulating 724 yards on 53 receptions and six touchdowns. However, the majority of his production occurred during a three-week stretch. He generated 65% of his total yards with Dallas in those three games while also scoring five of his six touchdowns. In Cooper’s next three games, he averaged around four catches for 30 yards and no touchdowns. The star on his helmet may have masked prior production inefficiency concerns, but I will not touch him at his current ranking as the 11th wide receiver. Especially with a QB in Dak Prescott that only surpassed 300 yards passing in two games in 2018, and both games were in the last three weeks of the year when Cooper was basically non-existent.”
– Chuck Gioffre (@cgioffre34)
Tyreek Hill (KC)
“With all of the questions surrounding Hill and his off-the-field issues, he belongs nowhere near the top two rounds. The rule I live by when drafting is that you can’t win your draft in the first two rounds, but you can certainly lose it. While Hill can win you weeks at times, he can also let you down in others. Many will go off his WR3 finish in 2018 as a reason to draft him as a top-five receiver, but Patrick Mahomes is likely to have some regression off his 8.6 percent touchdown rate in 2018. Even if Hill were to remain on the team and play all 16 games, there’s no guarantee he finishes as a top-five receiver, anyway.”
– Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)
A.J. Green (CIN)
“Currently ranked WR10 and 26 overall, Green’s price is too rich for my blood this season. The injuries have piled up for the seven-time Pro Bowler whose 2018 season ended with surgery to repair torn ligaments in his foot. He’s missed a total of 13 games over the last three seasons because of foot and groin injuries, and his durability is definitely a concern. Uncertainty at QB in Cincinnati and the emergence of Tyler Boyd as a viable receiving option and Joe Mixon as a feature back mean less involvement in the offense for Green. Guys ranked just after Green like T.Y. Hilton, Amari Cooper, and Stefon Diggs are all better options with so many question marks surrounding Green’s 2019 outlook.”
– Zak Hanshew (@ZaktheMonster)
JuJu Smith-Schuster (PIT)
“I didn’t even have to look at the current ECR to know JuJu Smith-Schuster is one player that will likely not be on any of my redraft teams. The JuJu hype has gotten a little out of control. I love his talent as a receiver and believe he has the skill set to thrive in the slot. With that said, he will be treated as the team’s number one receiver, and as such will be shadowed by some of the league’s premier lockdown corners. The presence of Donte Moncrief and James Washington should dissuade safety help on deeper routes, but make no mistake, JuJu will be receiving number one attention. Having the NFC West on the schedule will do him no favors in that regard. His current ECR as the WR8 is fair, but there are at least three receivers ranked behind him who are safer bets to finish as a top-10 receiver.”
– Raju Byfield (@FantasyContext)
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