Staff Post: Wide receivers to target in 2019

You can tell there are way too many fantasy viable receivers this year since we as a staff couldn’t limit our targets to one per person. If you are overwhelmed by the sheer number of receivers out there to choose from, hopefully this list will help narrow the playing field for you as you approach your drafts. (ADP from Fantasy Football Calculator in non-PPR league.)

Amari Cooper

Current FFC ADP 3.07

Paddi Cooper: 17.5 ppr points per game after he was traded to the Cowboys says all you need to know about this one. Cooper is the current WR13 in drafts but I have him as the WR8 and am grabbing shares wherever I can. He is the clear number one on a top offensive team and is set to meet his potential in 2019.

Julian Edelman

Current FFC ADP: 4.09

Clark Barnes: I think we’re all looking past the obvious answer to the Patriots receiver corps question. The only thing we have to worry about with Edelman is, can he hold up for a full year with his size, age, and frequent deployment on those get-your-ass-lit-up routes? Predicting injury is a bit of a fool’s errand, though, and so I’m ending up with a lot of Edelman in my early drafts. He should be going at the 2-3 turn instead of the beginning of the 4th.

Tyler Lockett

Current FFC ADP: 5.02

Barnes: Seattle may not like to pass, but even so, they threw it 427 times last year. While that is a shockingly low figure, that is still plenty of attempts for a receiver like Lockett and a QB like Russell Wilson to make plenty of hay. Lockett had almost a thousand yards on fewer than 60 targets last year, and I expect the ‘Hawks to ask more from Lockett now that Doug Baldwin has retired. Lockett is going near the top of the 5th round, don’t be afraid to jump up and grab him in the 4th.

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Robby Anderson

Current FFC ADP 6.11

Cooper: A true number one receiver available in the late 6th round? Yes please. Anderson is a speedster who is adapting his game to be more of an all-rounder and showed a great connection with Sam Darnold the quarterback’s rookie year. His 18.65 ppr points per game over the last 4 weeks of last season bode well for kicking on in 2019 as Darnold is poised to take the next step in his second season.

Allen Robinson

Current FFC ADP: 7.05

Pete Rogers: I wrote about Robinson back in July and I can assure you I am still very much on the bandwagon. Robinson is going with guys like Will Fuller, Dante Pettis, Christian Kirk and Marvin Jones. You know what Robinson has over all those guys? He is the number one receiver in the Bears’ offense. Yes drafting Robinson means you have to put your faith in Mitchell Trubisky which is a tenuous situation at best, but after seeing Robinson single-handedly rip the Eagles’ secondary apart in the postseason last year, I can’t help but target him this year.

Curtis Samuel

Current FFC ADP: 8.08

Mark Abell: There has been a lot of hype about how well he has looked in camp so far. It’s clear he really ramped up his speed and catching ability in the offseason. He had 494 yards (91st in the NFL) and 5 TDs (41st) last year is not really overwhelming so I’m trusting a lot on the coaches and observations here. He could bring back top 40 return with his versatility to rush and receive in this offense.

Heath Capps: It isn’t that I dislike D.J. Moore. It is just that I trust the drumbeats out of Carolina for Curtis Samuel, who should either match (or exceed) Moore’s production. That, and Samuel can be had much later in drafts--about three rounds later, according to FantasyPros ADP data. This one is a no-brainer.

Cooper: This is one bit of preseason hype I’m buying. Samuel was the top targeted receiver in Carolina over the last 6 games of last season and is getting tons of training camp buzz. He’s also going 3 rounds later than DJ Moore so you should be jumping all over that upside.