The third year for a professional football player was viewed as a potential breakout season for quite some time. Still, over the last decade, we’ve seen offensive playmakers come into the league and make an impact from day one much more often, and there might not be a position where that rings truer than the wide receiver position.
As we approach the 2023 fantasy football season kickoff, the group of wide receivers from the 2021 NFL Draft class has a little bit of everything: a few established stars, some players we hope can finally break out, and some dart throws for depth.
Today, we’re ranking the top 10 wide receivers entering their third season in the NFL.
- Snake Draft Pick Strategy: Early | Middle | Late
- Draft Targets for Every Round: Early | Middle | Late
- Fitz’s Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
Third-Year WR Rankings (2023 Fantasy Football)
DeVonta Smith (WR – PHI)
Drafting DeVonta Smith in early round three of redraft leagues (ADP 25.0) is one of my favorite paths. He just finished as a WR1 in 2022 despite sharing the field with AJ Brown, but he’s discounted even a few spots more than Jaylen Waddle, who finds himself in a similar situation.
His targets increased from 2021 to 2022, even following the addition of Brown, and there’s no reason to think that should drastically change or decrease in 2023.
He has excellent odds of finishing as a WR1 again despite having a high-end WR2 price tag. He is a great option, especially if you opt to double dip at the wide receiver position on the turn of rounds two and three following taking a running back in round one.
Elijah Moore (WR – CLE)
Once we get outside the top-four options from the 2021 class of wide receivers, more uncertainty creeps in. We enter a new tier of players that haven’t had as much production as those ahead of them, but there’s still reason for optimism around Browns’ wide receiver Elijah Moore.
Elijah Moore and the New York Jets looked to be on the outs for quite some time before the Jets eventually traded him to the Browns. Still, Moore can play with the most settled quarterback situation he’s ever experienced in his young career.
Moore is currently being drafted as the WR51 with an ADP of 145.00 in PPR redraft formats and is an excellent end-of-roster hold for those prices. The upside outweighs the cost of drafting him in redraft. In dynasty formats, he’s going in round seven, which carries a little more risk, but there is reason to believe this is his best season yet.
Nico Collins (WR – HOU)
The Houston Texans quarterback situation could have been better for the last few seasons, but the addition of CJ Stroud should eventually help settle things.
Nico Collins has had over 400 receiving yards in his first two seasons, and he possesses the size profile that the rest of his peers on the wide receiver depth chart lack in Houston.
Coming off the board as the WR60 in both redraft and dynasty, Collins’ upside is still well worth the gamble on a team with an unsettled depth chart at the position.
Rashod Bateman (WR – BAL)
Rashod Bateman started 2022 with 226 receiving yards and two touchdowns before dealing with injuries for most of the season. He’s got plenty of talent and looked to be developing chemistry with Lamar Jackson. The problem is he’s now part of a crowded depth chart that features Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers.
Like Elijah Moore, he’s coming off the board in round 12 of PPR redraft formats and round seven of dynasty formats. In dynasty, I’d avoid him at those costs, but there’s an argument to be made for taking him at that point in redraft formats.
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