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Every league is different, but when I walk into most of my draft rooms, I think about receivers. My favorite roster setup is the Hero RB setup, where you get a back you trust in the early rounds, but otherwise, you stock the fridge with other stuff.
For me, that other “thing” is usually the receiver position. I want receivers who start themselves; I don’t want to play a cat-and-mouse game of guessing which fringe WR4 is about to have a big week. Let’s try to build the best receiver room in the league.
With that in mind, it’s time to play green light, yellow light, red light for the receivers.
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Green light = WRs I’m confident in selecting. Proactive picks around (maybe even slightly above) market cost.
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Yellow light = I could take WRs at cost or at a discount, but I won’t make a special effort to choose.
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Red light = WRs I avoid. Often it’s the price that matters, not the player.
Don’t you agree? I’m all ears.
Green light for WRs
Amon-Ra Brown Street:One of the safest first-round picks, a target monster that’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 regardless of the quarterback. Look how Cooper stayed afloat with four different QBs last year.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba:Not long ago, JSN was considered the king of a loaded Ohio State receiver room. Give him a pass on a rookie year marred by injuries and bad luck. The Seahawks are getting an offensive coordinator change at the right time.
WR with yellow light
Puka Nacua:It’s not always easy to trust a player who’s already done it once in a completely unexpected way, and Nacua’s injury-laden college history (related to a turbulent summer) is also concerning.
Malik Nabers:I expect the Giants to target Nabers coming off the bus. Unfortunately, Daniel Jones is making those targets.
Diontae Johnson:He should be Carolina’s top target and Dave Canales has already worked miracles. But even if QB Bryce Young improves, he’ll likely provide a ceiling for his teammates.
WR at red light
Davante Adams:He’s headed into a dangerous age group and his top two quarterbacks looked lost this summer.
Stefon Diggs:There are plenty of mouths to feed in Houston, and the Texans have two rising stars who are considerably younger than Diggs.
Brandon Aiyuk:The 2023 dream efficiency was always likely to regress, and how focused can Aiyuk be after a summer of trading stress?