Identifying breakout candidates is a great way to get more production at a lower cost on draft day. But every player on your team won’t be a breakout candidate. You need those safe and reliable players to provide a solid foundation for your fantasy squads.
Our analysts combed through the NFL rosters and identified the safest picks on every team. The results and accompanying justifications are below.
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Safest Fantasy Football Draft Picks
Jaylen Waddle (WR – MIA)
You could make a strong case for either of Miami’s starting wide receivers. I give the nod to Jaylen Waddle over Tyreek Hill because Waddle has only been in the league for two years and has thrived in two very different roles — as a short-area receiver in 2021, and as more of a vertical receiver in 2022. – Pat Fitzmaurice
Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DET)
Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of only 13 wide receivers to play at least eight games last year and record a weekly bust percentage below 14%. His status as a target hog is integral. Last year St. Brown was 11th in target share and eighth in raw target volume. With Jameson Williams sidelined for a chunk of the season, those numbers could easily increase in this upcoming season. – DBro
Cooper Kupper (WR – LAR)
Cooper Kupp is a slam-dunk choice here. One of the most prolific target hogs in the NFL, Kupp has averaged 11.1 targets, 8.5 receptions and 106.1 receiving yards per game over the last two seasons. – Pat Fitzmaurice
Jerry Jeudy (WR – DEN)
QB Russell Wilson is coming off a nightmarish season, and Javonte Williams is coming off surgery to repair multiple torn ligaments in his knee. That makes Jeudy the default choice for Denver. We’re still waiting for a breakout season, but Jeudy has been solid when healthy over his first three NFL seasons. He averaged 4.5 catches and 64.8 receiving yards a game last year, and Jeudy will be a good bet for a 1,000-yard season in 2023 if he stays healthy. – Pat Fitzmaurice
CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL)
Despite losing Dak Prescott during the start of the season, CeeDee Lamb tied for the 3rd-most games (7) with a WR1 weekly finish. – Erickson
Terry McLaurin (WR – WSH)
Terry McLaurin has rolled up more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last three seasons, and he’s had no fewer than 77 receptions in each of those campaigns. He’s an easy choice on a team with few sure things on the offensive side of the ball. – Pat Fitzmaurice
D.J. Moore (WR – CHI)
D.J. Moore rattled off three straight 1,000-yard seasons for the Panthers from 2019 to 2021, and he would have had a fourth last season if QB Baker Mayfield hadn’t destroyed Moore’s productivity in the seven games they played together last season. (Moore averaged 35 receiving yards over the seven games Mayfield played for the Panthers before they released him.) Expect Moore to quickly establish himself as Justin Fields‘ go-to receiver in Chicago. – Pat Fitzmaurice
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