We’re less than two weeks away from the start of the regular season! The overwhelming majority of drafts will be taking place from now until the opening kickoff. With that being said, we here at FantasyPros want to send you off into the big draft weekend right!
How will we do that, you ask? Well, we’ve got the industry’s most accurate analysts here to share their favorite draft targets with you! All of the players mentioned have the possibility of breaking out, offering league-winning upside, or are severely overlooked by the fantasy community. Without further ado, here are the top experts’ favorite draft picks.
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Q. Based on our latest consensus rankings what one player are you much higher on and why?
Brandin Cooks (WR – HOU): Consensus Rank – WR35 | 88th Overall
“I can’t believe I find myself in the position of defending Cooks, but I have him 27 spots higher overall than the consensus. I get that the Texans have the one offense that fantasy managers want to (and largely should) avoid this year, but we’re talking about a receiver who has surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark in five of his last six seasons and while jumping from offense to offense. The Texans will surely need to pass a ton, Tyrod Taylor is competent, Randall Cobb is gone, and other pass-catching options are few and far between. He’s a boring veteran in an unexciting offense who is just going to produce for you day in and day out, and he’s probably going to be one of the biggest bargains in fantasy this year.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)
Laviska Shenault (WR – JAC): Consensus Rank – WR41 | 104th Overall
“Closing the season strong, Shenault had 25 catches for 246 yards and four touchdowns plus six carries for 31 yards over his final five games and performed as fantasy’s WR16 (half-PPR) over that stretch. Built more like a running back than wide receiver, Shenault is dynamic in the open field and led all rookie receivers in missed tackles forced last season. It wouldn’t surprise me if Shenault outperforms all Jaguars receivers and the season-ending injury to Travis Etienne could prompt the Jags to funnel a few more manufactured touches to the second-year receiver as well.”
– Kevin Hanson (EDSFootball)
Michael Gallup (WR – DAL): Consensus Rank – WR45 | 114th Overall
“I’m much higher on Gallup. I know he is going to be the third target on this team, but it still should be a very high-flying offense given just how bad the defense is. Also don’t forget, last year when Dak Prescott was healthy, he finished 13th in air yards and had an aDOT of 16.86 yards. That target totals might not be as high as Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb, but he is still a very talented receiver on a team that will have to pass a lot.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)
Jerry Jeudy (WR – DEN): Consensus Rank – WR29 | 72nd Overall
“I’m bitterly disappointed whenever I don’t come out of a draft with Jeudy on my roster. Jeudy had an alarming number of drops last year, but Davante Adams dropped a ton of passes early in his career, and he turned out OK. Jeudy also led the league in uncatchable targets last year and is bound to benefit from at least marginally better quarterbacking. Entering his second NFL season, Jeudy is already one of the better route runners and run-after-the-catch guys in the game. Now is the time to get your bets down on this emerging superstar.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)
Joe Mixon (RB – CIN): Consensus Rank – RB13 | 20th Overall
“I’ve been a Mixon stan since he was a rookie and I can’t buck that trend now. One can make the argument that he’s in the best situation of his career. He’s slated to be given one of the biggest workloads among all running backs and has a young, talented supporting cast around him. The offensive line still needs improvement, but it’s not the mess it used to be with Frank Pollack in charge of that group. If he maintains good health, Mixon can achieve top-10 running back status as one of the few featured backs in the NFL. He’s my RB9 right now in half-PPR scoring.”
– Zach Greubel (Gridiron Experts)
Elijah Moore (WR – NYJ): Consensus Rank – WR58 | 150th Overall
“Only a minor quad injury slowed down the Elijah Moore hype train this month. He’s back at practice now and is lighting up the field just as he has all offseason. Moore will be a clear top-two option — with a shot to lead in targets — in what should be a much-improved Jets passing game with HC Adam Gase gone and QB Zach Wilson arriving. Moore is about 20 spots too low in the consensus WR rankings.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)
David Montgomery (RB – CHI): Consensus Rank – RB17 | 32nd Overall
“Montgomery showed he has top-five potential when given the workload in the offense. If Justin Fields or Andy Dalton can consistently move the team downfield, he’s sure to deliver value above his RB17 draft position.”
– Andy Holloway (The Fantasy Footballers)
Thank you to the experts for identifying their top draft targets. Please give them a follow on Twitter for more great advice. Also, please check out our latest podcast episode below.
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