Best Ball, Best Strategy (WR)

Volume 1

Wide Receivers

A comprehensive guide on how to draft wide receivers in a best ball fantasy league. Rankings Via DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports

Don’t double dip with high draft capital at wide receiver.

Unless you are taking a bonafide superstar player like Brian Thomas Jr, Jamarr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Puka, or Garrett Wilson the high draft capital isn’t worth it. You may also throw in London, Amon Ra, or Tyreek into that equation, but you just need one guaranteed WR1 to contend. The value that can be extracted beyond the top options at the position are abundant. You want to get a top guy and then sit at the position drafting about ten wide receivers in total. They come in tiers. Here’s examples of players within the tiers. Ideally you’d like one of the bonafide stars, but you can survive without it.

The tiers are: Undervalued WR1’s, Elite WR2’s, Rookies, The Stackable Receiving Rooms, and The Deep Ball Demons.

Undervalued WR1’s: These are players whose value utterly makes no sense given where they are being taken.

Garrett Wilson at pick 30. 

He’s guaranteed one of the largest target shares in the league. His stats haven’t been elite because his team has been utterly pathetic. Fields will feed him like crazy, great for a PPR format. He’s a top 7 talent in the league, yet he’s valued at WR14 for fantasy. It’s honestly a no brainer. I know Fields hasn’t been good, but this is 110% Wilson’s best shot at a legendary fantasy season. Fields will lean on him considering he’s already thrived with him back in college. Who’s the Jets WR2? How about their WR3? Exactly.

Jaxon Smith Njigba at pick 34.

He’s never had a shot at being WR1. Everyone has departed leaving him as the top option alongside Cooper Kupp who will take attention off of JSN. Njigba’s an otherworldly talent and Darnold is best when launching deep balls. He could be their best option for that. The Seahawks are finally healthy at offensive line and added Grey Zabel. Seattle has one of the best playcallers in the league and have hit this offseason out of the park.

Terry Mclaurin at pick 50.

His dispute over an extension has dropped his value by 23 spots. 23 invaluable spots. He is going to get an extension no matter what unless the Commanders front office makes a horrendous blunder. An elite deep ball threat who can do it all at the wide receiver position. Jayden Daniels' connection with Scary Terry reached unimaginable heights to end last season. Mclaurin easily can replicate 2024 even with a down year from JD5.

Rashee Rice at pick 52.

His value plummeted since his sentencing, but the upside could negate the suspension he’s going to receive. As the season approaches his value will continue to plummet and make selecting him a more desirable proposition. Kansas City will struggle in his absence and upon his return he will put up incredibly strong numbers. No other receiver is close to Rice in KC’s offense. That is a fact.

Calvin Ridley at pick 55 (THE BEST PICK IN BEST BALL).

It seems outlandish, but it’s true. A deep ball maniac receiving the best deep ball thrower in all of college football. Seems pretty foolproof. Ridley just put up 1,000 yards in the most pathetic offense. Ridley is an elite route runner and he has no competition whatsoever with a surrounding cast of Elic Ayomanor, and Xavier Restrepo. The passing volume is going to rise as well considering the team leaned on Pollard due to their pathetic QB play. Ridley also had the most missed opportunity of any receiver in 2024. There’s a reason for his sudden ascension from the mid seventies to the mid fifties in drafts.

Next up, Elite WR2’s…

Elite WR2’s: The top second options in the NFL. A must for any best ball team.

Jordan Addison at pick 82.

Addison looked unreal last season. Early in the year Darnold misfired on several deep balls to Addison that were there. Later last season Addison hit another gear. He was putting up numbers from week 9 to week 17. Two 30+ point games in fantasy and five games around or exceeding 15 fantasy points. He was a stud. An unsung hero for many including myself last season. If Addison’s value plummets to around 90 due to a DUI suspension for three games, then he’ll be an astronomical value player. (P.S he did get the suspension to slide him to 82)

Devonta Smith at pick 54.

What more needs to be said about the best WR2 in all of football. He always produces and makes scintillating highlight reel plays. He’s a treat to watch and has proved all doubters about his size wrong. Me included. No one should be dumb enough to pass on Smith if he slides. At 54 he’s already a steal. When you factor in the idea that he missed games due to injury last year and that AJ Brown always misses some games then he makes even more sense.

Darnell Mooney at pick 112.

Now this player has the best chance at being a best ball MVP. A player who is set to explode with a quarterback who loves launching the ball down the field. An ideal compliment next to London. Mooney has been foaming at the mouth for this opportunity. A real QB. A real offense with an identity. Looking to make a push for the NFC South after the Falcons went down in flames as the run away favorites last season. To think he was eight yards away from 1,000 yards. Even with a hobbled Captain Kirk led atrocity of an offense. He’s my most drafted player in best ball fantasy.

Next up, the Rookie’s…

The Rookies: Guys entering situations ripe with opportunity in their first season.

Emeka Egbuka at pick 94. Oh My God he moved up to 70. 

This is easily the safest rookie you can pick at the position. He’s got nothing to prove because he’s already done that. Most receptions in OSU. Glowing character. And a draft day rise that seemed inexplicable at the time for some fans. Now it all makes sense. Godwin just underwent another surgery in the spring and his timetable for return continues to lengthen by the second. Egbuka is slated to fill his shoes and Baker loves a reliable target. He’ll likely move up boards after training camp. Don’t be silly and wait for the rise.

Pat Bryant at pick 188.

Pat Bryant is not a special wide receiver which is why he settles down at the 183rd pick. That being said his value can soar above the 183rd pick because of the construction of the Broncos and their head coach. Sean Payton loves the slant ball more than anyone else and Pat Bryant is looking to be the guy at the receiving end of the slant ball. He excelled at just that in college and his QB Bo Nix struggles immensely to have a consistent deep ball. He’d much rather keep his passes short than take shot plays. Sutton has the deep jump ball and contested catches on lock, but beyond him there’s no one who has been much of a spark on the short routes. This team is going to be focused on protecting the football, moving the chains, and bleeding the clock with one of the best defenses in the league. Just think how many high volume productive receivers of late have fallen beyond the first round in NFL drafts.

Jayden Higgins at pick 102.

The biggest no brainer when swinging at rookie upside in fantasy is this guy right here. Next to Nico he’ll provide blazing speed and an incredible frame along with that speed. Higgins has wiggle at his size and uses the rock step better than any other rookie to get separation. He glides, sells you on an in breaking route for a moment with the step, and puts you to sleep just to turn on the burners and blow right by you. He’s sure handed and is a phenomenal value considering his QB, CJ Stroud, just came off of a significant Sophomore slump. This whole receiving room is up in the air beyond Nico.

Next up, Stackable Receiving Rooms…

Stackable Receiving Rooms: Teams that have more questions than answers at wide receiver. Selecting multiple of their weapons helps you hedge and can be greatly beneficial considering they might have different players step up week by week. 

New England:

This team seems to have glowing reports of Stefon Diggs at camp after a concerning offseason, but coming off an ACL tear at his age won’t be so easy as they’re making it seem. Beyond Diggs it’s a complete and utter toss up. Behind Diggs is Demario Douglas and Kyle Williams (refuse to mention Mack Hollins as a consideration for fantasy). Demario Douglas is the safer of the two at pick 163. He’s had solid production and has shown he can provide a spark over the course of the past two seasons. Both of which with a far inferior roster around him than he has now. Then there’s Kyle Williams. The talk of the town. He sits at pick 146 and has the best opportunity of being the Patriots’ deep ball guy they’ve desperately needed. He’s a polished route runner that has grown in many ways including how he uses leverage to get large pockets of separation from defenders. Selecting both is a wise move if your fantasy team is thin at wideout and you need to extract some late value.

Houston Texans:

Stroud coming off of a down year is looking to demolish any surprise AFC South teams. Tank Dell went down with a gruesome injury once again, Diggs left town, and now there’s just Nico and an audition room. The first pick in my eyes here is Christian Kirk. A known producer who Jacksonville gave a large contract that was met with plenty of backlash. He proved everyone wrong. After injuries to his core muscles and collar bone the last few years Kirk has missed some time while the Jaguars fell embarrassingly short of expectations. He is a veteran and a perfect go to presence for Stroud at WR2. It’s a wee bit baffling to think a player of Kirk’s status slides all the way back to the 129th pick. Then there’s Jayden Higgins who is a prototypical wideout for Stroud. Great at the deep ball, has loads of speed, and never drops any passes even when contacted. Higgins sits at 102. Last up is Jaylin Noel at pick 186, who was Higgins’ teammate at Iowa State. Noel was a twitchy run after catch specialist who is held in high regard by many scouts and fans. Personally I’m not in love with Noel as a rookie producer in fantasy football, but he’s the easiest to stack. Ideally you’d get Kirk and Noel or Higgins and Noel. If you’re lucky enough you could also get all three, which guarantees a solid start for your WR3/Flex.

Next up, The Deep Ball Demons…

Deep Ball Demons: Deep ball specialists who can give you a few games in best ball.

Rashid Shaheed at pick 119.

There isn’t really a player who’s a deep threat quite like Shaheed. He blows the top off any defense and last year Klint Kubiak fully displayed what he could bring through the season’s first six games. He put up four 15+ point fantasy performances and four touchdowns before going down in week 6. He was a steal on the waiver wire last season with his ability to score a touchdown on a long ball at any given moment. An incredible depth piece to have. 

Joshua Palmer at pick 168.

Oh Joshua Palmer, how can I say anything bad about you? Palmer has been a formidable deep threat with his limited opportunity in Los Angeles. Last year Herbert missed him on at least three deep balls where no one was in his way to stop the wideout from scoring. Now Palmer has Josh Allen who probably has the best arm in the NFL even though he’s had no one to connect with on the deep ball. I project Palmer to have a floor of 800 yards this season considering he’s the only guy who can beat a defense over the top on the Bills roster. It’s hard to imagine the Bills can lean on their run game as heavily as they did last season with James Cook and the biggest benefactor if they use Allen’s arm more is Palmer. Kincaid, Shakir, and Coleman aren’t a nice surrounding cast for Palmer either which may lead to more targets coming his way. Especially Coleman and Kincaid who mightily struggled in 2024. It was ugly to watch the two at points. 

D’onte Thornton Jr. at pick 179.

Six feet five inches, 4.3 forty time. Need I say more? Thornton’s only competition for the deep ball is Tre Tucker and Geno has shown he loves to spin a picture-esque deep ball to keep a defense honest. Thornton is a rookie and a former top 100 recruit who’s hungry to prove himself after leading Tennessee in receiving yards. He’s gotten limited opportunity due to injury and has been a lackluster performer since he’s been deployed wrongly. At Tennessee he showed glimpses of his potential with an embarrassingly egotistical quarterback who was in Gustavo Fring’s words, “bad product.” Thornton was far outside of the best ball draft boards that go to pick 240, but his flashes at camp have dragged him all the way up to pick 179 recently. It’s kind of crazy how off the radar he is to everyone, yet he could play a pivotal role as a touchdown getting deep ball guy who could give your fantasy team 2-3+ good performances.