Fantasy football is all about value, particularly when it comes to successfully maneuvering through your fantasy league’s draft. Anyone can make good picks in the first two rounds or so, but once you get to the middle and late rounds, you need to know when and where to look to find the gems that will out-play their ADP (Average Draft Position). If you can’t, you’re playing a guessing game and will have to rely on your league’s waiver wire for support.
With other fantasy owners either having priority or a faster draw, that isn’t the best method for finding the hidden gems. Drafting them is. We can’t nail them all, but we sure can point out the value that’s blatantly obvious. We’ve already hit up the quarterback and running back positions, and now we take it to wide receivers to find the best steals throughout the draft:
Calvin Johnson (Detroit Lions) – Round 2
Megatron was the #1 overall pick for some in the past few years and still has the talent and role to be the top wide receiver in the game. Even with that being true, he’s going in round two in almost every draft. That’s just crazy.
Alshon Jeffery (Chicago Bears) – Round 3
Brandon Marshall is out of town, so Jeffery is a true #1 wide receiver on a team that should have to continue to throw the ball a ton. He’s a potential stud WR1, yet you can get him in the third round.
Jeremy Maclin (Kansas City Chiefs) – Round 4
Maclin blew up in Philly last year and now he’s back with the guy who drafted him. KC didn’t get any touchdowns to wide receivers last year, but Maclin has already scored twice this preseason. It’s starting to look like he could be a serious value pick.
Brandon Marshall (New York Jets) – Round 5
Marshall’s new scenery makes him somewhat questionable, but the talent and role remain. He’s being drafted like a borderline WR2 and he could still put up WR1 numbers. Draft accordingly.
DeSean Jackson (Washington Redskins) and Vincent Jackson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Round 6
Ditto here, as both Jacksons are elite talents in different ways and have huge roles. D-Jax probably carries the upside, but V-Jax is a red-zone menace. Now that both teams have arguable quarterback upgrades, both of these guys could crush their current ADP.
Steve Smith (Baltimore Ravens) – Round 7
Baltimore has no one to throw to that is proven beyond Steve Smith. He’s said this is his last season, so he’s bound to leave everything he has out on the field. Judging from 2014, that’s a good thing.
Mike Wallace (Minnesota Vikings) – Round 8
Kyle Rudolph never is healthy, Cordarrelle Patterson has been a bust and Charles Johnson is unproven. The speedy Wallace could have found the perfect home to return to stardom. He’s a solid WR2 at worst and you just might be finding a WR1 in round eight.
Anquan Boldin (San Francisco 49ers) – Round 9
Boldin clearly gets passed up routinely due to his age and the horror that has been going on in the Bay Area. However, he just keeps getting it done and the Niners only brought in Torrey Smith as competition. If anything, Smith’s ability to stretch the field should help Boldin, not hinder him.
Eric Decker (New York Jets) and Torrey Smith (San Francisco 49ers) – Round 10
This is insane value for two guys who could (and should) be rock solid WR2s in fantasy football. Decker loses some upside with Marshall in town, but he’s still going to see the ball plenty, while Smith is the deep threat for 49ers have been searching for.
Michael Floyd (Arizona Cardinals) and Pierre Garcon (Washington Redskins) – Round 11
Floyd is a top-10 talent that simply needs to stay healthy and also have Carson Palmer stay on the field. If that can happen, he can get 1,000 yards and close to 10 scores. Garcon led the league in receptions just two years ago and is a deep ball menace. Kirk Cousins under center should help him return disgusting value.
Jeff Janis (Green Bay Packers) – Round 13
Perhaps the steal of the entire draft at the position, Janis is just now starting to see his name plucked off draft boards due to the Jordy Nelson injury. Janis is a low risk/high reward option in a potent Packers offense.
Got a better wide receiver sleeper or steal? Lay it on us in the comments below!
