Viable wide receivers in fantasy football rely on one thing: targets. A wideout can have all the talent in the world but if the quarterback doesn’t throw many passes his way he won’t be able to consistently impact your squad. The most-targeted receivers from 2018, DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Thomas, Julio Jones and Davante Adams, are all first-round picks in 2019.
However, there are some receivers listed as No. 2 on the team depth chart that can still get enough of a workload to garner interest. Here are three wideouts with an average draft position of Round 8 or later with a chance to exceed expectations and help your fantasy team win a title.
(Average draft position, or ADP, is listed in parentheses. Those figures are as of Aug. 21 per the 12-team, PPR drafts found at Fantasy Football Calculator.)
Geronimo Allison, Green Bay Packers (8.06 ADP)
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Adams is the clear No. 1 option for the Packers among the receiving corps but the No. 2 spot is still up for grabs between Allison and second-year pro Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Allison started just four weeks in 2018 before suffering a concussion, yet during that time he caught 19 of 29 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns, production that prorates to 76 catches for 1,156 yards and eight touchdowns over a 16-game season. Allison played a fifth game but was targeted just once before hamstring and core injuries cut his season short.
It’s also worth noting Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a 131.4 passer rating on targets to Allison during the first four weeks of the 2018 season and a 90.6 rating to everyone else on the roster.
James Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers (10.05 ADP)
In two preseason games, Washington leads the team in targets (10) with eight receptions for 162 yards and one touchdown. There is a concern only one snap of Washington’s during the team’s second preseason game occurred with the first-team offense. (And indeed, Washington appears on our list of riskiest draft picks by round.) However, it is clear the Steelers are doing all they can to get him opportunities before the start of the season.
Plus, with Antonio Brown now a member of the Oakland Raiders, coach Mike Tomlin has 168 targets from 2018 unaccounted for. If Washington gets just a third of that (56 targets) added to what he commanded last year (38) there is no reason he couldn’t significantly outperform his ADP in 2019.
Jamison Crowder, New York Jets (12.02 ADP)
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Crowder carved out a nice niche for himself as Washington’s slot receiver in 2017, leading all slot receivers in yards of separation from defenders that year. The 25-year-old played in only nine games in 2018 because of various injuries, but he did catch 29 passes for 388 yards and two touchdowns. If healthy in 2019 he should benefit from an increased workload in Adam Gase’s offense. The primary slot receiver in Gase’s offense averaged between 4.6 and 10.1 targets per game since 2013.
Targets per game for Adam Gase's primary slot receiver:
2013: Wes Welker (8.5)
2014: Welker (4.6)
2015: Eddie Royal (5.6)
2016: Jarvis Landry (8.2)
2017: Landry (10.1)
2018: Danny Amendola (5.3)
...
2019: Jamison Crowder (?)
“He and [Jets quarterback Sam] Darnold found chemistry the moment they stepped on the field together,” Connor Hughes of the Athletic wrote of Crowder. “They see plays the exact same way, which helps the two connect when things break down. Their chemistry reminds me of the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson and now-retired Doug Baldwin. It wouldn’t surprise me if Crowder creeps near or past 100 catches this season. That’s how much Darnold looks to him in practice.”
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