For those Fantasy Football players looking for an under-the-radar wide receivers to help you win your league, here are five sleeper picks that should still be available later in the draft.
In recent years, with the rise of the passing attack and the decreased importance of having a bell-cow running back, wide receivers have shot up the draft charts.
From alpha wide receivers like JaMarr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, and Devante Adams to the elite #2 guys like Tee Higgins, DeVonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle, making sure you have a solid stable of wide receivers is the best chance you have to win your league. Most ESPN mock drafts have more wide receivers than running backs getting drafted earlier.
However, it’s also good to have one or two elite players no one is thinking about on your bench, just in case of a bye-week or unfortunate injury. These five sleeper wide receivers should be at the top of your mind when those mid round picks roll through. Note, all stats and projections are assuming players are in a 10-12 person PPR league.
Best sleeper Fantasy Football wide receivers
Skyy Moore, Kansas City Chiefs (ADP 119, WR 43)
A good rule of thumb to winning your Fantasy Football leagues: never bet against Patrick Mahomes. With a starting core of wide receivers that includes Moore, Kadarius Toney, and Marques Valdes-Scantling, there are going to be a ton of targets available for Moore to grab if he can step up into the role.
Even though many players and fans thought that Moore had a somewhat disappointing rookie year, there’s no reason to think he can’t step up in 2023.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks (ADP 106, WR 37)
The Seahawks’ passing attack was no less lethal last year with Geno Smith taking over for Russell Wilson, and now they’ve added even more weapons. First-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba out of Ohio State will join studs like D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
While that might seem like a problem to some players, who worry about there being too many mouths to feed in Seattle, the truth is that the Seahawks offense has always been good about distributing the ball to all its wideouts. Expect JSN to get plenty of looks throughout his rookie year.
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Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens (ADP 125, WR 47)
The Ravens have spent years searching for the potential alpha wide receiver to go with former league MVP Lamar Jackson. They may have found it in first-round pick Zay Flowers.
Not only will Flowers be, potentially, the best wide receiver that has played with Lamar on the Ravens, but with a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken it’s more likely that the Ravens will shift away from that heavy-run style fans are accustomed to.
Allen Lazard, New York Jets (ADP 158, WR59)
Just like Patrick Mahomes, it’s never a good idea to bet against Aaron Rodgers, even if he is now wearing a different shade of green. Rodgers moving from the Packers to the Jets will be a big adjustment, but luckily he has several familiar faces joining him.
Having Allen Lazard there will give Rodgers a great deal of comfort as he settles into a new team for the first time in 20 years. While Garrett Wilson will still probably get a ton of attention and targets, there’s good reason to think that Rodgers will continue feeding his favorite target from Green Bay.
Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears (ADP 145, WR 52)
Speaking of comfort, even though the Bears were aggressive in getting help for third-year QB Justin Fields in the form of DJ Moore, Mooney is another player who was incredibly productive with the quarterback last year.
Expectations will be raised on Fields this year and, like Rodgers, he will undoubtedly be looking to fall back onto his comfort target when the heat is on. Don’t be surprised if Mooney gets more targets than people think.
Be sure to check out our Fantasy Football content including our 5 sleeper running back picks.