Wide receivers can be found at all times during the season.
That’s why I value running backs more than wide receivers, since it’s easier to catch a streaming wide receiver at a hot moment during the season. With that being said, though, it’s still not easy to find that sleeper wide receiver in fantasy football drafts.
Davante Adams was a nice surprise in 2016, but the rest of the top-10 featured a group of wide receivers who share a common trait of consistency. The only issue I have with those receivers is they didn’t put up enough points to justify top picks in the fantasy draft.
Finding hot wide receivers is the hot ticket in fantasy football at this point. But we can’t wait for in-season moves when it’s draft time. Here’s the best 2017 wide receiver sleepers in the fall fantasy football draft.
Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings
He’s not going to be an out-of-nowhere pick, but he’s still not listed in the WR2 discussion according to FantasyPros, an aggregate of fantasy experts’ opinions. That makes him a decent candidate as a sleeper, because I’m bullish on his potential.
Nobody’s talking about Minnesota. That’s great for value in handicapping and fantasy. The Vikings were the best team in the NFL for the first quarter of the season in 2016 and then injuries derailed their season.
When they were healthier (they still weren’t fully healthy without a running back or quarterback), they were the best team in the NFL. When the injury bug just kept attacking, they faltered. Minnesota should be in prime position to be back at a top-tier level, meaning Diggs should reap some benefits of a better offense.
That offensive line was terrible in 2016, so the Vikings will likely address that need in the offseason. With more time to throw, that should open up more opportunities to catch the ball for Diggs. And when healthy in 2016, Diggs was targeted more than eight times a game, which ranks toward the top-half of the league among wide receivers.
Those targets should increase in 2017. I have him slated more as a top WR2, rather than a WR3.
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
This pick is almost out of necessity for the Giants’s future. New York needs Shepard to step up this season.
The offense pretty much only revolves around Odell Beckham, Jr., so if New York is ever going to take the next step on offense, Shepard has to develop into a legitimate wide receiver.
And with him being a second-year wide receiver, I anticipate some growth. He finished his rookie year with almost 700 yards receiving and 65 catches. Most importantly, he has a nose for the endzone, with touchdown catches in six of his final nine games.
He’s better than a bench player. And he’ll prove it in 2017.
Marqise Lee, Jacksonville Jaguars
Welcome to the NFL, Marqise Lee. It only took you three years to realize your talent.
Lee had a breakout season in 2016 with 851 yards receiving and 63 receptions. He was a lone bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Jaguars. Experts still aren’t convinced with Lee’s ability, though, putting him as the 57th ranked wide receiver.
That doesn’t do him justice. The talent is there. He just didn’t have any production, until later in 2016. In his final four games, he had seven or more targets in each game.
He parlayed the increase in targets into more production on the field, with at least eight fantasy points in five of his final six games. He will be drafted low, but his potential has his ceiling as a starting wide receiver in fantasy football.
