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Every league is different, but when I enter most of my draft rooms, receivers are on my mind. My preferred roster build is the Hero RB shape, where you land one back you trust in the first few rounds but otherwise stock the fridge with other stuff.
For me, that other “stuff” is usually the wideout position. I want receivers who start themselves; I don’t want to be playing whack-a-mole trying to guess which fringy WR4 is due for a spike week. Let’s try to build the best receiver room in the league.
With that in mind, time for a game of Green Light, Yellow Light, Red Light for receivers. 🚥
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Green Light = WRs I’m confident to draft. Proactive picks around (maybe even slightly ahead of) market cost.
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Yellow Light = WRs I could take at cost or a discount, but I will not go out of my way to pick.
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Red Light = WRs I’m avoiding. Many times here, it’s price, not player.
Disagree? I’m all ears.
đź‘Ť Green Light WRs
Amon-Ra St. Brown: One of the safest first-round picks, a target monster who’s tied to the same delicious setup as last year.
Amari Cooper: One of those boring-but-reliable veteran picks, and the rare receiver who produces no matter the quarterback. Look how Cooper stayed afloat with four different QBs last year.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Not long ago, JSN was considered king of a loaded Ohio State receiver room. Give him a pass for a rookie year sunk by injuries and bad luck. Seahawks get an OC change at the right time.
🤔 Yellow Light WRs
Puka Nacua: Not always easy to trust a player who’s done it once completely out of nowhere, and Nacua’s injury-heavy college history (tied to a bumpy summer) is also a concern.
Malik Nabers: I fully expect the Giants to target Nabers off the bus. Unfortunately, Daniel Jones is delivering those targets.
Diontae Johnson: Should be the primary target in Carolina and Dave Canales has performed miracles before. But even if QB Bryce Young does improve, he probably offers a capped ceiling to his teammates.
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🛑 Red Light WRs
Davante Adams: Headed into dangerous age pocket and both of his primary quarterbacks looked lost in the summer.
Stefon Diggs: Lots of mouths to feed in Houston, and the Texans have two rising stars who are considerably younger than Diggs.
Brandon Aiyuk: 2023’s dreamy efficiency was always likely to regress, and how focused can Aiyuk be after a summer of negotiation stress?
