Every single day that passes by in the NFL Preseason, fantasy managers across the country are getting more and more excited to draft their fantasy team. The wide receiver position has blossomed into one of the most dominant position groups to target earlier in a draft.
Some of the top-end fantasy receiver talent on a week-to-week basis has a higher upside for fantasy managers than running backs, especially in the popular PPR formats. The high-end wide receivers even have a more consistent production record than running backs which can give you one less headache to deal with all season. We will be highlighting some of the best receivers to draft in your league this year.
The top receiver this season is Los Angeles Rams current Triple Crown Winner Cooper Kupp was absolutely unstoppable last season and won plenty of fantasy football championships for his fantasy managers. Kupp is easily the top receiver going into this season as well. While he may not win the receiving Triple Crown again, he will be putting up monster numbers in a pass-heavy Sean McVay-coached Rams offense. There are a couple of questions this season with how Cooper Kupp’s target share will look with newly acquired Allen Robinson II and quarterback Matthew Stafford’s elbow soreness. Even with these questions, Kupp looks like a clear cut WR1 and worth a top 5 selection in your fantasy football draft.
There is some debate on the second-best receiver in the fantasy football community. However, we believe that the next best receiver you should be looking at is former LSU Tigers standout and reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase. The Cincinnati Bengals made an unbelievable Super Bowl run thanks in large part to their stud receiver Ja’Marr Chase. He played with Joe Burrow at LSU and has brought that same type of success to the NFL. As a guy who can win any 1-on-1 matchup he is an elite WR1 option. He is helped by the fact that defenses have to respect his receiving counterpart Tee Higgins as well as their terrific wide-zone running game led by Joe Mixon. While having all these additional weapons usually gives fantasy managers pause when spending a top pick on a player given their target share won’t be as large, Chase has show everyone that he can provide excellent production as a WR1. Look for Ja’Marr Chase anywhere in the top 8 selections of your fantasy draft.
Other former LSU Tiger and current Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson is the next best receiver after Kupp and Chase. He also played with Chase and Burrow on that amazing 2019 LSU Tigers National Champions team. While Chase has shown out in the one year he has played, Justin Jefferson has done that over the past two seasons with the Kirk Cousins-led Vikings. Just like Chase getting help with lots of talent, Jefferson also has a star-studded surrounding cast. The other offensive weapons that defenses must worry about covering are fan-favorite Adam Thielen and another top fantasy pick in Florida State Seminoles alum Dalvin Cook. If you are seeing a theme here, it is that these two receivers are incredibly close in fantasy rankings because their situations are incredibly similar. We gave Chase a slight edge, but also look to grab Jefferson in those top 8 picks of your fantasy football draft.
Another top receiver is Los Angeles Chargers player Keenan Allen. While there might be plenty of picks in between our top three receivers and Allen, we assure you that it will be worth the wait. Allen has consistently put up big seasons for fantasy managers everywhere. With a young star quarterback in former Oregon Ducks standout gunslinger Justin Herbert, Allen is looking at another top 10 fantasy campaign on the horizon. Like Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, Keenan Allen is helped by an excellent surrounding crew in newly re-signed Mike Williams and another top fantasy running back in Austin Ekeler. Allen has plenty of history for fantasy managers to look at and realize this is a WR1 type you can get in round 2 or 3 if you use your early picks on a couple of running backs or get one of the top two tight ends. (Read our Fantasy Tight End 1 Article here.)
The last wide receiver we are looking at is our favorite sleeper pick in former Florida Gators standout Kadarius ‘Yung Joka’ Toney. Toney won’t be going in the top 7 or 8 rounds in any fantasy draft but we believe this could be a big season for him. He is one of our favorite breakout candidates going into this season. While Toney might not be his team’s top wide out, he showed flashes of greatness last year against the Dallas Cowboys. Putting up 189 yards receiving with ten catches certainly gave him WR1 potential. That may not happen on a week-to-week basis, but he has the capability to put up the type of scores to make him a late-round steal after round 8 in fantasy drafts. If Daniel Jones and the rest of the New York Giants offense can put it together, Toney could easily become a top 15 fantasy receiver if he reaches his full potential.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out our other 2022-2023 Fantasy Football Draft Advice Blogs here. Follow our blog for the best 2022-2023 NFL Fantasy Football News and Tips throughout the season.
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