Late Round Wide Receiver Options

With this weekend being the last one without a scheduled NFL game until February 16th you will probably be busy getting in some last-minute drafting and you’ll likely continue to do so right up until this season’s opening kickoff. After all, that’s what we fantasy football managers do this time of year, right? Let me help you. With running back volatility, committee backfields and so many of us playing in three wide receiver leagues, rostering under the radar receivers who have upside can be the difference between your fantasy football team simply making the playoffs or taking home a championship. So, give yourself a fighting chance and keep an eye out for these deep WR sleepers in your next draft.  

(I’ll be referencing Fantasy Pros consensus ADP from 8/29/2024 in this article)

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

Overall ADP: 99, WR42

Smith-Njigba was the 20th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he had a pedestrian season hauling in just 63 catches for 628 yards. Part of the problem was that the Seahawks weren’t taking advantage of his big play abilities. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Smith-Njigba’s ADOT was among the worst of all qualified receivers but if you believe new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, Smith-Njigba will have a much bigger role in the team’s pass offense this season. Smith-Njigba and QB Geno Smith had a good rapport last season and they should be able to build upon that in the young receiver’s upcoming sophomore season. According to PFF, 85.1% of the balls Smith threw Smith-Njigba’s way were considered “catchable.” That was the second highest rate for a QB/WR duo last season. As for the Seahawks’ other receivers, DK Metcalf is still in his prime but Tyler Lockett has had two straight seasons of declining yards per reception and his 894 receiving yards last year were his lowest total since the 2017 season. Lockett appears to be slowing down and if he continues to do so that could pave the way for a Smith-Njigba breakout season.

Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills

Overall ADP: 124, WR 52

Josh Allen is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, so you’re going to want a piece of the Bills’ passing game on your fantasy football roster. I love Dalton Kincaid who has a shot at being the best fantasy tight end this season but when it comes to Bills wide receivers, Shakir is my guy. He actually had more receiving yards (387) than Stefon Diggs (349) from Week 10 until the end of the regular season despite Diggs having had three times more targets (63) than Shakir (21). With Diggs and Davis no longer on the team, there are 241 WR targets up for grabs. With Shakir being the receiver that Allen knows best, a big chunk of those targets should be coming his way. After all, Shakir is the receiver that Allen called "fun to throw to." Remember that catchable target rate that PFF tracks? Well, Allen and Shakir posted the highest rate of any QB/WR duo last season. As far as Shakir’s competition from among the Bills’ WRs, Curtis Samuel is dealing with turf toe and he might not be active for Week 1 and rookie WR Keon Coleman is super talented, but it may take a few weeks before he and Allen develop the type of chemistry that will make him trustworthy of putting in your starting lineup every week.

Ja’Lynn Polk, New England Patriots

Overall ADP: 177, WR 67

Much of the focus on rookie receivers has focused on Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers, as they appear to be generational talents. However, Polk has had a tremendous preseason and could make some noise this season as well. With Kendrick Bourne on the PUP list and set to miss at least the Patriots’ first four games while he continues to recover from last season’s torn ACL injury, Polk has a good chance of having the “Z” receiver role all to himself from Week 1. The Patriots’ second round pick has impressed coaches this preseason with his good hands and ability to make contested catches. New England is going to be a bad team who play from behind for much of the season and there should be plenty of targets coming Polk’s way as the team tries to claw their way back into games.

Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos

Overall ADP: 199, WR 73

Franklin is one of my favorite rookie sleepers this season. He first came to the Broncos’ attention when they were scouting their eventual first round pick QB Bo Nix. Denver thought Franklin would be gone by the second round of this year’s draft and when he was still there in the fourth round, they traded up to get him. It didn’t hurt that Broncos head coach Sean Payton got a text message from Dez Bryant (who knows WRs) encouraging him to select Franklin, who he thought was a bargain as a fourth-round pick. The Nix/Franklin Oregon Duck connection should help both the rookie quarterback and wide receiver. Franklin’s 1,383 receiving yards and 14 TD catches for the Ducks last season are both school records. He has had some issues with dropped balls and he might not begin the season as a starter, but his ability to get separation from defenders, his yards after the catch ability and his familiarity with Nix make Franklin a receiver who will likely be fantasy relevant before long.

Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Overall ADP: 254, WR 84

McMillan is another rookie who has the type of underlying talent that could make him extremely valuable in deeper fantasy football leagues this season. An MCL injury (and a crowded WR room that included the aforementioned Odunze and Polk) limited McMillan’s production in his junior year at Washington. He had 45 catches and 559 receiving yards after having 79 receptions for 1098 yards the season before. McMillan has impressed Tampa Bay with his route running and playmaking abilities this preseason and although he might battle Trey Palmer for playing time to start the season, his role in the Bucs offense should expand as the season progresses. He is expected to be used on the outside this season opposite Mike Evans.