Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ladd McConkey, Malik Nabers, and Marvin Harrison Jr. are all fantasy starters in most formats this year. Which young receiver has the most value in the long term?
Welcome to Week 14 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:
- Hot Fantasy Players, Narrative or Substance?
- Playoff Bench Stashes
- Potential League-Winning RBs
- Dynasty WR Value Check (see below)
Let's roll.
Dynasty WR Value Check
Matt Waldman: These four receivers with less than three years of NFL experience are delivering no worse than top-24 production at this point of the season.
Pick the WR with the greatest future value for the next two seasons.
Corey Spala: I believe Malik Nabers will have the greatest value in the immediate future. He has cemented himself with the quarterback-proof tag by playing with three different quarterbacks this season, averaging 16.7 PPG and is WR12.
He will be his team's undisputed number one target; he currently has 29.9% of the New York Giants' targets. He is the only wide receiver who has not played a full season (10 games), yet he is the only one with over 100 targets. Nabers is a premium target hog with no concern about who is under center.
Ryan Weisse: Because we are focusing on the next two seasons, I will eliminate Smith-Njigba and Nabers. The Giants will likely have an entirely new offense next season, and we have no idea who will be the quarterback.
In Seattle, Smith-Njigba is still likely to be the fighting D.K. Metcalf for targets in 2025, and they could be looking at a quarterback change soon, too. With that said, I am going to take Harrison over McConkey.
Both have good quarterbacks and are in systems that perfectly fit their talents. Maybe it's just perception, but most would tell you that McConkey is having a great season while Harrison is a disappointment.
But the numbers show McConkey is only about two fantasy points per game better. As Harrison gets more comfortable, we should see more consistency in his game, and that gap will not be hard to close.
Jeff Haseley: For me, this is Malik Nabers. He has that alpha receiver mentality that we see from Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, and Ja'Marr Chase. He expects to be thrown to, and he has the tools to make plays multiple times per game.
If there is one noteworthy downside to Nabers, it's the concussion scare he had that kept him out for two games. An upside for Nabers is that the Giants are in an ideal position to draft a franchise quarterback in next year's draft. If they can finally hit on a quarterback, the sky is the limit for Nabers.