Our analysts are here to share a few of the wide receivers they are targeting this fantasy football draft season. And be sure to check out their full list of players to avoid as part of our 2022 Fantasy Football Draft Kit.
- Matthew Freedman’s Players to Target
- Derek Brown’s Players to Target
- Andrew Erickson’s Players to Target
- Pat Fitzmaurice’s Players to Target
- Joe Pisapia’s Players to Target
Rankings noted using FantasyPros half-PPR Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) and Consensus ADP.
5 Fantasy Football Wide Receivers to Target
Brandin Cooks (HOU)
ECR WR19 | ADP WR24
Perennially undervalued, Cooks has topped 1,000 yards in six of the last seven seasons. He had a career-high 90 catches last year, and he’s the undisputed No. 1 receiver for the Texans.
I get it: The Houston offense probably won’t be very good. But QB Davis Mills was surprisingly capable last year, and the value on Cooks is just too good to pass up.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Rashod Bateman (BAL)
ECR WR29 | ADP WR40
Lamar Jackson has been let down for years by his wide receivers. Except for health, nothing stands in Rashod Bateman‘s way of becoming the No. 1 target in the Ravens’ passing attack. Yes, Baltimore will always be run-heavy. However, Bateman can still easily approach 1,200 yards and eight TDs, and that’s quite a value at the WR30 range.
– Joe Pisapia
Mike Williams (LAC)
ECR WR21 | ADP WR21
Could this finally be the season that Mike Williams surpasses Keenan Allen in fantasy football? The numbers all point to yes. Last season Williams came out of the gate on fire. Weeks 1-5, he commanded a 25.2% target share (16th), ranking 15th in weighted opportunity as the WR3 in fantasy. After that stretch, his production fell off before rebounding after Week 12 with a 20.8% target share as the WR17.
Allen has the look of a receiver who is quietly slowing down as his yards per route run has declined in each of the last five seasons. He also manufactured the lowest yards after the catch per reception of his career in 2021 (3.4, per PFF). Williams was among the most efficient wide receivers in the NFL last season, ranking 15th in yards per route run and 18th in yards after the catch per reception (minimum 50 targets, per PFF). Should you draft a receiver who could assume the leading role in a top-five scoring offense tied to one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL? Yes. Yes, you should.
– Derek Brown
Michael Pittman Jr. (IND)
ECR WR13 | ADP WR16
Michael Pittman got the true WR1 treatment from the Colts’ coaching staff in 2021, running a route on 96% of offensive dropbacks — third to only Cooper Kupp (WR1) and Ja’Marr Chase (WR4) through 17 weeks. He also finished the season tied for the league’s eighth-highest target share (24%), which was 11 percentage points higher than the next-closest Colt, Zach Pascal, at 13%.
He also made 18 highlight-reel contested catches — fourth-most in the NFL. His 31% target share from Weeks 13-18 cemented his place in Indy’s WR1 chair heading into 2022. And per PlayerProfiler.com route charting, Pittman ranked No. 2 overall in route run win rate.
With Matt Ryan under center, Pittman has the volume potential to be a top-12 fantasy option. Ryan has a history of fueling top-end fantasy WRs like Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, making a top-five finish not all that crazy for Big Mike in 2022.
Don’t forget that last season, Ridley, as the Falcons’ No. 1 receiver, owned the sixth-highest target rate per route run and ranked second among all wide receivers in expected fantasy points per game (16.5).
Zero threats exist on the Colts’ roster to threaten Pittman’s top-eight target share. Finishing top 20 seems like his absolute floor.
– Andrew Erickson
Gabriel Davis (BUF)
ECR WR33 | ADP WR36
QB Josh Allen is good enough to support two fantasy-relevant wide receivers, and Davis is dynamic enough to make a third-year leap. Wide receivers Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders are both gone (free agency), and 184 targets have opened up in their absence. New slot WR Jamison Crowder will seize his share of those vacated targets, but Davis has produced for two years with the Bills (9.9 yards per target, including playoffs). He’s a legitimate end-zone weapon (6-foot-2, 210 pounds, 12.1% touchdown rate), and he’s just 23 years old.
– Matthew Freedman
FantasyPros Staff Consensus 2022 Redraft Fantasy Football Rankings
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