2020 Fantasy Football Design Prep: Wide Receptionists 4.0 and Design Day Strategies

This is fact: In each round there will be a wide receiver, you will be comfortable setting up for your Fantasy team. Can say the same about any other position. The key word is “comfortable.” It may not always be a fist-pump-and-draft scenario, but if you take a wideout that makes you cringe, you are doing it wrong. Someone worthy of every run should be on the board for every choice you make.

The tiers reflect that. There are not too many elite level receivers, but there are many very good talents who can help set up many Fantasy points. Think of her as no. 2-receivers with easy no. 1-potentially, it could be because of their own skill, the offense they play in, or the lack of competing receivers who will put pressure on them for a top-10 finish. Thirty wide receivers had at least 100 goals in 2019 and it would not be shocking if that number ballooned to 35 or 40 this season.

WR strategy

Away from the bat, find out how many receivers you need to start, how many teams are in your league and whether receipts count or not. These are pretty big factors when determining a floor plan for grid construction. Those factors will serve as the backbone of any concept strategy you will take with the position.

A 10-team PPR competition starting two wideouts (even with a flex) is cake, but a 14-team, non-PPR, three-receiver competition will make you soar a little more. Of course, the more receivers that need to be started and the more Fantasy managers are, the sooner you should take priority over receivers. PPR scoring provides value for receivers who might otherwise struggle to have, say, 900 yards and five scores.

How aggressive do you have to be to take on a receiver in Round 1? For the most part, it will come down to the breaking point of if you do not trust the remaining running backs. Can’t trust Clyde Edwards-Helaire? Think Miles Sanders’ hype is out of control? Do you not buy Bengals that run back? Wherever your cut is for elite running backs, this is where your gravity to sure-fire studs like Michael Thomas or Davante Adams begins.

Round 2 is kind of the same. Again, you will know which backpacks you will feel good about picking, and if they are not there, or if you do not want Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson, you will be the default recipient. Such a move would be easy if one of the top six receivers was involved, but it’s a little harder once you get past Chris Godwin, who seems like a safe bet for close to 100 receptions.

The next few rounds are the sweet spot for wide receiver value – players with potential top-10 who could be found until late as 60th overall. These are the recipients in the Second, Third and Fourth tier. It is highly recommended Fantasy Managers benefit from this group. If you have three receivers from the first four tiers, you are doing just fine.

But even if you dive into the Fifth Tier to land a second or third receiver, it’s okay. There are many breakout candidates (Marquise Brown, Darius Slayton, Diontae Johnson) as well as ‘reliables’ (Tyler Boyd, Jarvis Landry, Julian Edelman). They are great for Fantasy benches, but good enough to use as a Flex as a No. 3 option, whether it starts the year or in the middle of the season.

On goals and touchdowns

Remember to consider the volume of goals a receiver gets and / or the number of touchdowns a receiver could predict. If a receiver has an average of 7.0 goals per game, then that is 112 for the season. Of the 25 receivers with 1,000 yards last season, 21 had at least 112 goals. Also, only two receivers had more than 112 goals and had no 1,000 yards – Adams (997 yards in 12 games) and Jamison Crowder (833 yards). Of course, touchdown production leads to good Fantasy production, and any receiver with a chance to score eight in a season can be considered a useful Fantasy choice. That, of course. If you’re looking for a receiver who you don ‘t think could average 7.0 goals a week or score eight times a season, you probably shouldn’ t set him up unless it’s a late round.

Looking for widows late

Before taking a wide receiver with a late round choice, consider some basics. Is the recipient the number 2 (or maybe even number 1 ?!) in the crime? Does he have a solid quarterback? Does the crime benefit the pass more than the approach? There are receivers who check all these boxes and can be found in the last four tiers. It’s never a bad idea to take one of them. Some favorites of mine: Jalen Reagor / DeSean Jackson, Anthony Miller, Henry Ruggs, Steven Sims, Robby Anderson, Preston Williams and Breshad Perriman. They are all worth a patient three weeks tryout on a Fantasy bank to start the year.

Drop the rookies?

It is true that the 2020 rookie crop of wide receivers is very talented. There are players who need to be an impactful in Fantasy Football for a long time. But only a few will be able to transition from college to the pros with only a handful of practice for training camps and no offseason program working though. The Coronavirus pandemic has hindered their collective development.

Pedigree should be a factor, as is chance. Reagor, Jerry Jeudy and Ruggs all seem to be on the fast track to every job in their crimes. Reagor has the best quarterback of the three, Jeudy is considered the most NFL-ready of the three and Ruggs is the fastest of the three. It’s dangerous to take more than one on a Fantasy roster, but one if all could get through in 2020 with some success.

Two other rookies who have a chance are CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson. Both would also have to play a lot and both have good quarterbacks, but both have limitations out of their own control – Lamb is at best the third receiver in Dallas this year and Jefferson will work the slot into a conservative Minnesota system.

It would be great if these rookies had a typical offseason, training camp and preseason. But they have not, so take serious care with them all.

The end line

• Wide receivers at the elite level may be in a short time, but there is a bunch of No. 2 / No. 1 up wide receiver, so you do not feel pressure to take a stud wideout early.
• If you want to play it safe, draw as many receivers from the first four tiers as you need to meet your starting lineup requirements.
• You would not have to race to make wide receivers unless your competition is deep, your rosters are deep or your score is not PPR.
• If you can not picture a receiver scoring eight times or averaging 7.5 goals per game, then do not set him up … unless you are in Round 9-plus and just take some floors.
• And remember, no matter what round you are in, there is a receiver you should be comfortable with.

So which fantasy footballers should you snatch into your concept? And what WR1 candidate can you wait until late? Visit SportsLine now to get cheats from the model who was around Derrick Henry’s big season, and find out.