What’s old is new again. As fantasy football was taking off more than two decades ago, the sport was different, and pounding running backs made all the sense in the world. As the NFL has adjusted its rules over time, however, the WR position has spiked in value and has been the focus of the first set of selections for a few years now.
You’d better get comfortable being uncomfortable: It’s OK to not address the receiver position through the first two rounds. In fact, I agree with Katz that if you’re picking near the turn, it might actually be optimal.
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This is truly a depth-of-position argument, and, like Katz, I think this is a pretty straightforward plan that those drafting at the turn need to strongly consider.
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Regardless of the size of your league, you’re not getting access to a Tier 1 receiver at the end of Round 1, and in stacking up the position, that should give you confidence in pressing pause at WR.
Wide Receiver Tiers
Tier 1
- Ja’Marr Chase
- Puka Nacua
Tier 2
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- Amon-Ra St. Brown
- Nico Collins
- A.J. Brown
- CeeDee Lamb
- Malik Nabers
- Justin Jefferson
- George Pickens
- Jaylen Waddle
- Ladd McConkey
- Tee Higgins
- DeVonta Smith
Tier 3
- Luther Burden
- Chris Olave
- Emeka Egbuka
- Tetairoa McMillan
- Rashee Rice
That second tier is an extended one, and you’re certainly going to have two of them (likely more) available when you’re on the clock at the end of Round 3 and the beginning of Round 4.
Shuffle them up however you’d like, but the point remains that all of those receivers are poised to handle significant roles in their offenses. The vast majority of them possess elite talent, and there are plenty attached to a QB who has either already shown a strong connection or has produced in a big way at some point during his career.
The difference between the running back you’re taking in Round 1 and Round 3 is massive, whereas the difference in receiver projections at those same slots could end up being negligible when we look back at draft boards this winter.
Everyone likes something different, and that’s fine. You don’t have to agree with my rankings, but the tiering of players is ultra-important. When you go through that exercise, I’m confident that you’re going to trend toward an RB-RB-WR-WR opening quartet of picks to open your draft should you hold a turn selection.
