For many years, wide receivers were the little brothers of fantasy football. Sure, they had value. But the position took a clear back seat to running backs in the fantasy hierarchy.
Now, however, the tables have turned. NFL teams have become more and more pass-heavy, and as a result, more and more wideouts are having big seasons. Eight wideouts caught at least 100 passes in 2024. Twenty-one had 1,000 receiving yards. Seventeen found the end zone at least eight times.
And in terms of Average Draft Position, it's now an even split right down the middle in Round 1 between running backs and wideouts. Six apiece.
With PPR becoming more the rule than the exception and most leagues requiring at least three starters, the value of wide receivers has increased. They are less volatile than running backs, with lower bust rates than running backs just about across the board. The highest-scoring non-quarterback in fantasy last year was a wideout--Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals.
RELATED: See Quarterback Strategy here.
RELATED: See Running Back Strategy here.
Of course, wide receiver is also a deeper position than running back. Last year, 30 running backs posted at least 150 PPR points. Forty-two wide receivers cleared that bar.
So, while assembling a capable cadre of wide receivers may be more important than ever, there is more flexibility in draft strategies at wideout than in the backfield. More ways to build the proverbial better mousetrap.
Don't worry. There are still plenty of ways to screw up. It wouldn't be fantasy football without them.
Wide Receiver Draft Strategies
Door No. 1: Go Nuts
You're going to notice something fairly quickly here. No, I'm not talking about bad advice. That's just assumed in my articles.
These wide receiver strategies are, in many ways, just variations of the strategies already discussed for running backs, modified to account for the differences in roster requirements and scoring between wide receivers and running backs.
Think of this as the "Robust WR" end of the spectrum. Approaching the position with arms wide open.
Figured we'd get the first one out of the way early this time. Plus, who doesn't love Scott Stapp?
More and more fantasy managers are attacking the wide receiver position. Builds with three straight wideouts to open the draft aren't that unusual. Neither is four wide receivers in the first five picks, especially in fantasy leagues with "flex" position(s).
The positives aren't hard to spot. As previously mentioned, wide receivers bust less frequently than running backs, even in the early rounds. The gap between the best (WR1) and worst (WR36) weekly starters at wide receiver last year was 11.3 PPR points per game, the highest among all positions. Landing three top-20 wideouts (18 are being drafted in the first three rounds per ADP data here at FBG) can give fantasy managers a sizable edge at the position.
However, it also means going either "Hero RB" or "Zero RB," which means that edge could vanish rapidly if drafters whiff in the backfield. Depending on how hard you attack the position and what path is taken at running back, an elite tight end or quarterback could also be off the table.
There's a reason more drafters have employed this strategy in recent years. But if it were risk-free, we'd all be doing it.
It's almost as if hitting on as many picks as possible is important or something.
Door No. 2: The Middle Ground
This strategy shares some similarities with "Hero RB," in that it often involves drafting an "Anchor" wide receiver in the first few rounds--that one receiver that fantasy managers will depend on week in and week out. But the road diverges from there--largely because fleshing out the rest of your lineup before drafting a second starter at a position that usually requires at least three is a whole different can of worms.
That might be foreshadowing.
The appeal of this strategy is its flexibility. Want to hop in the wayback machine and go full "Robust RB?" Garrett Wilson of the Jets and Cincy's Tee Higgins are falling into Round 3. Want to roster Chase or Minnesota's Justin Jefferson early in Round 1 and then grab two backs? Denver's Courtland Sutton or Pittsburgh's DK Metcalf aren't terrible options as a WR2. Toe the line between Door No. 1 and Door No. 2 and follow two receivers with a pair of running backs before the "RB Dead Zone" kicks in. Have your heart set on Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers in Round 2 after taking an RB? Take a deep breath and draft Miami's Tyreek Hill as your WR1.
That last one may not be the best example ever. But given the additional depth at wide receiver, if a drafter is sitting on two receivers by the end of Round 5 and then throws some darts at the position in the Dead Zone in search of a third starter and/or "flex," it's not a terrible way to build a roster--especially if it means advantages at other positions.
It's flexible. It allows for variations in draft flow. It's Value-Based Drafting, only hold the projections and add a side of personal preference. More often than not, by the end of Round 5, this analyst usually has either three backs and two wide receivers, the reverse, or two of each and a tight end. I aim for balance, for no glaring holes, even if it means sacrificing a little ceiling.
That probably makes it a terrible idea, but whatever.
It also means punting on a top-five quarterback and some patience at that position. But as we've already discussed, that's where the value in most leagues lies.
Door No. 3: What's a Wide Receiver?
What? You had to know that the moment Zero RB became a thing, someone was going to try flipping that script. It's human nature. Can't lie--every once in a while, this guy will jump screaming into the abyss and try one of these builds.
Now that's metal.
It's not difficult to glean the gist here--at a time when so many fantasy managers are zigging, you zag by fading wideouts. Go "Robust RB" and then some by taking not two but three backs to open things up. Grab that elite tight end. Tack on a high-end quarterback while you're at it. And then hammer wide receivers in the middle rounds in the hopes of rostering a breakout or two.
The aspiration is the same as for "Zero RB" drafters--that fantasy managers will build an edge at other positions that surpasses any deficiencies at wide receiver. Land a couple of values in the portion of drafts where the gap in bust rates between wideouts and running backs is at its widest. Push the depth at wide receiver to the razor's edge--and then pop the chute.
You have no idea how close we came to a Point Break clip there.
The problem, of course, is that your wide receiver corps isn't going to scare anyone. It's the same issue as with Zero RB, or frankly, any extreme draft strategy. It's unnecessarily risky. Even if your backfield is rock-solid and you have an edge at tight end and/or quarterback, it will all evaporate unless a couple of dart throws exceed expectations at wide receiver.
But it is tempting in drafts where elite wideouts get hammered and running backs drop. Like Pavlov's pooch at bell-time. Or me with a good Columbus-style pizza.
Values, Busts, and Sleepers
Speaking of those darts...