3 Undervalued Wide Receivers Based on ADP (2022 Fantasy Football)

As redraft season fires up, the consensus Average Draft Position (ADP) landscape is becoming clearer. Here are three WRs undervalued in drafts who I believe could be difference makers for your fantasy football squads.

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*All ADP numbers are from the FantasyPros Consensus ADP Tool

DeVante Parker (WR – NE) WR56 (Overall 147)

We all know that person who can’t get a break, no matter how hard they try. The NFL equivalent of that is veteran WR DeVante Parker. He can’t get a fair shake, whether it’s poor QB play injuries or both. In his seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins, he finished higher than overall PPR WR40 once; in 2019, with Ryan Fitzpatrick behind center — more on why this is important later — he was the PPR WR11. He has failed to come close to that performance in the two years since, finishing as the PPR WR40 in 2020 and PPR WR70 in 2021.

Miami traded Parker to the New England Patriots this past offseason, which appears to be a blessing. Miami acquired WR Tyreek Hill to pair with second-year WR Jaylen Waddle, which would have relegated Parker to a spot role at best. Instead, he now gets a chance to step back into the WR1 role on a team that needs it desperately.

After losing Tom Brady to free agency and Julian Edelman to retirement at the end of the 2019 season, it appeared that head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots franchise might be in for a long rebuild. The 2020 season was rough, with an aging Cam Newton at QB and a weak receiving corps showing just how valuable Brady was to that team. However, 2021 showed hope. Rookie QB Mac Jones showed promise, and an improved RB corps took a big step forward with fellow rookie Rhamondre Stevenson. The receivers, however, remained an issue. The last player to eclipse 1,000 yards for New England was Edelman in 2019.

The acquisition of Parker is a clear sign that Belichick wants to get the ball in the air more often. It’s notable — and very Belichick-Esque — that Parker will be paired up with Jones, whose rookie stat line is almost identical to Fitzgerald’s 2019 stat line with Miami. Parker is a big receiver, standing 6-foot-3 with a wide frame, who can win jump balls and is a very reliable red zone target; he caught nine touchdown passes from Fitzpatrick in 2019.

Parker is currently going as the WR56. If he becomes Jones’s favorite target this season, he could finish 2022 as a high-end WR2 or back-end WR1. Even if he finishes as a low-end WR3, that’s a massive return on investment for a player you can draft in the 12th round.

Nico Collins (WR – HOU) WR77 (Overall 230)

The Houston Texans are one of the franchises many fantasy managers are avoiding entirely this season. After the bungling of the Deshaun Watson situation, a lack of impactful free agent acquisitions this offseason and the strange hiring of Lovie Smith as the new head coach, it’s hard to think this team will be any good in 2022.

Real football, however, is not fantasy football.

This Texans offense has plenty of value from a fantasy perspective, including second-year WR Nico Collins. QB Davis Mills, also heading into his Sophomore campaign, has been named the starter for the 2022 season. Collins and Mills finally got a chance to start building a rapport when Mills took over as the starter in Week 14, and by the end of the season, it showed. In addition to his lone touchdown grab, Collins had his only two double-digit fantasy scores in that span. The two have now had an entire off-season to continue building that bond.

The Texans have done little to improve on offense, adding RB Marlon Mack through free agency and RB Dameon Pierce in the draft. Brandin Cooks is still the undisputed WR1 in what should be a more pass-heavy attack than last season, but that’s good for Collins. Cooks should draw the marquee coverage on most plays, opening things up for him as a second option for Mills.

The chances Collins is still available after your draft has concluded are pretty good, given his current ADP of WR77. While I don’t forecast him finishing any higher than a mid-WR3, if he is the last pick you make, it’s not a bad gamble for what could be a solid week-to-week flex play on your team.

K.J. Osborn (WR – MIN) WR79 (Overall 220)

It’s a new era in Minnesota heading into the 2022 season. With Mike Zimmer out and former Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell taking the reins, this offense will have a different fantasy relevance than in years past, including the team’s WR3, K.J. Osborn.

O’Connell is known for his pass-heavy attack, which saw three Los Angeles receivers finish in the top 60 at their position in 2021. Cooper Kupp was the overall WR1, Van Jefferson came in at WR36, and Robert Woods finished as the WR51 despite only playing in nine games. The Rams set an NFL record last season, rolling out three WR sets on 86% of all snaps. While WRs Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson have locked in value regardless, Osborn should see a significant bump in opportunity and production in this new scheme.

While his 2021 season wasn’t flashy, Osborn had a solid campaign. He finished as the overall PPR WR40, snagging 50 catches for 655 yards and seven touchdowns. Van Jefferson, whose role in the LA offense was similar to what Osborn’s should be in Minnesota, saw a 78% snap share last season before the Woods injury. Osborn could finish 2022 as a WR3 or higher if he gets the same opportunity.

There are a lot of receivers with less upside going ahead of Osborn in drafts this season. At an ADP of WR79, he is going undrafted in most 12-team formats. Osborn is the perfect final-round pick with enormous upside who could be the push your team needs to make a playoff run.

 

Nate Polvogt is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him @NatePolvogt.