Who does the Footballguys staff see has risers and fallers among the top 10 fantasy receivers for the rest of the season?
Welcome to Week 7 of the 2024 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.
This week's roundtable features these four topics:
- Risers/Fallers, Top 10 Fantasy WRs (see below)
- Real or Fool's Gold, RB Edition
- Potential Record Breakers
- Subscriber Contest October Check-In
Let's roll.
WR Risers/Fallers
Matt Waldman: Let's examine the top 10 fantasy receivers (PPR) heading into Week 7. Let's take it a tier at a time within this top 10.
Who has the best shot to stick inside the top 5
Waldman: Pick two options from the top five on the board with the best chance to remain in this tier.
I'm not counting Nico Collins because he's hurt. I'm subbing Stefon Diggs, who was ranked just below.
Dan Hindery: Ja’Marr Chase is a no-brainer pick to remain in this tier. He is among the handful of most talented players at his position in the NFL, has a track record of putting up big fantasy numbers, and is the clear go-to option in a Top 5 offense.
The second pick is tougher but I lean towards Drake London. He has seen 10-plus targets in three straight games and it has felt like a legitimate breakout from a player who just turned 23. We also know Kirk Cousins is capable of supporting elite wide receiver production.
Andy Hicks: I like Ja’Marr Chase and Drake London from this group. London has five consecutive games with at least six receptions and touchdowns in four of those games. The Falcon's offense with Kirk Cousins under center is going to throw a lot.
We have years of elite production from Chase. Burrow and Chase are on the same page. Always have been. Just injury to both has stopped consistent production over the last couple of years. Normal service has been resumed.
Jason Wood: I'm thrilled to see Diggs performing since I was all in on him during the preseason. I never bought into the narrative that he had somehow lost his status as a true No. 1 receiver just because of a few bad weeks at the end of the 2023 season. That was poor reasoning, and hopefully, our customers followed our recommendations to the contrary.
That said, I don’t think Diggs will stay in the top 5 or 6 receivers for long. Nico Collins will return, and Tank Dell is still in the mix. The Texans have talent all over the roster, so there will be ups and downs in terms of who shines each week. To maintain elite value, you generally need to be the clear alpha in your system.
With that in mind, I’m going with Ja’Marr Chase and Chris Godwin. Chase was a consensus top-3 receiver this year, and I haven’t seen anything to suggest he shouldn’t stay in that tier. The Bengals will be throwing a lot, no matter the game script, and Chase has a talent level that few other receivers can match.
Godwin, on the other hand, was a surprise for me. I was concerned about Liam Coen taking over the Buccaneers’ offense, but that worry seems unfounded. Godwin fits right into that hyper-targeted super-slot role, similar to how Cooper Kupp is used in Los Angeles.
Sam Wagman: Drake London and Ja'Marr Chase have the best chances here. Starting with Chase, the Bengals rank second in Pass Rate over Expected this season, mostly due to their poor defense. Tee Higgins has looked great, but Chase is still the team's alpha and is the current WR1 on the season, thanks to two stellar performances.
London has been the surprise of the season for me. He is carrying a 28% target share and has meshed with Kirk Cousins so far, and the result of that is 35 targets in his last three games with two touchdowns on four red zone targets. He is the clear Alpha of a pass-heavy Falcons team running a Sean McVay-style offense, which always bodes well for fantasy.