2024 Fantasy Football Wide Receivers – Sleepers, Breakouts, and Busts

NFL Training Camp is heating up and Fantasy Football Drafts are happening on the daily. I’ve got you covered on everything at the Wide Receiver position – from draft rankings, to Sleepers, Busts, Breakouts, Bold Predictions and my annual Must Have and Will NOT Draft players. Bookmark this page to keep tabs on my rankings. These rankings are for WR only and based on PPR settings. 

Which WRs am I too high/low on? Comment below and we’ll discuss in the chat.

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2024 Fantasy Football Wide Receivers – Pre-Season Sleepers, Breakouts, and Busts

SLEEPERS:

• Player: Jameson Williams
• Team: Detroit Lions
• Current ECR Rank (as of this writing): WR45 (Overall ECR 109)

It feels like it is now or never for the former first round draft pick of the Lions.  Williams has looked good in camp and appears to have corrected the dropsies.  There are so many offensive weapons in Detroit meaning not all can be held in check.  With LaPorta or St. Brown seeing the most coverage, and Gibbs/Monty coming out of the backfield, that leaves Williams with the easiest coverage to beat.  With that, he can take the top off the defense and truly only requires one big play per game to justify drafting him in Rounds 8-9.  He is an ideal best ball draft player if you happen to have that type of draft lined up.  In fact, I draft him a full round higher in best ball than I do in redraft formats.

• Player: Jakobi Meyers
• Team: Las Vegas Raiders
• Current ECR Rank (as of this writing): WR51 (Overall ECR 127)

Garnder Minshew II has been named the starting QB for the Raiders, and that means positive stats for Meyers who has averaged 825 yards on 74 receptions per season while playing in awful offenses.  There is virtually no discussion about the Raiders WR room after the Davante Adams truthers (me) and haters (many more people that me), which means you can draft Meyers on the cheap.  A WR2 that you can get in double-digit rounds, in an offense that cannot get worse, with a WR1 demanding double-coverage, tells me the price is right.

BREAKOUTS:

• Player: Chris Godwin
• Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Current ECR Rank (as of this writing): WR35 (Overall ECR 76)

Moving back to the slot leads me to believe we will see a similar stat line for Godwin as we did in 2021-22.  The ideal situation would be 2021-22 with the TD count (9) from 2019.  Though I am not banking on 9 TDs from Godwin, because Mike Evans is on the outside and he commands such a large portion of the TD looks.  If we can get 125 targets for Godwin, I think we can reasonably expect 100 receptions for 1,050 yards and 6-7 TDs.  I will happily take those numbers from a WR currently being draft after overall pick #75.  I have seen Godwin go in the Round 7-9 which I feel is excellent value.

• Player: Rookie WR Not Named Marvin Harrison Jr.
• Team: Multiple
• Current ECR Rank (as of this writing): WR23, WR39, WR48

Malik Nabers, Xavier Worthy, and Brian Thomas Jr. are the rookie WR I am targeting.  I will probably not land Nabers in many drafts as he is rocketing up the ADP ranks, and I have seen him ranked as high a WR8 overall.  Nabers has shown to be an effective WR1 through two preseason games even with Daniel Jones being atrocious to date.  Xavier Worthy has officially jumped Hollywood Brown in my rankings and that will not change prior to the start of the regular season.  Patrick Mahomes made Rashee Rice a borderline star down the stretch, and I think he will do the same with Worthy especially while Hollywood is out injured.  Currently sitting WR39 (Overall ECR 86) means he is a value, but do not expect that to be the case in a couple of weeks as I see him jumping up ECR/ADP.  I have gone out on a limb earlier this offseason by saying Brian Thomas Jr could lead all rookie WR in TD.  Stay tuned for my bold predictions article that comes out later this month and do not be surprised to see that very sentence contained within.  Thomas walks into a starting role for the Jags that sees 217 vacated targets and he should see at least half of those come his way this season.  Of those 217 targets, 24 of them were end zone targets (for Ridley) that will need to be thrown to someone in this improved Jags offense.  I think Evan Engram will see some of those end zone targets and my money is on the majority going to Thomas.

BUSTS:

• Player: Chris Olave
• Team: New Orleans Saints
• Current ECR Rank (as of this writing): WR13 (Overall ECR 23)

Is Olave good?  Yes, he is good.  Is he a difference maker in real or fantasy football?  No, he is not.  Not only are the Saints in the bottom third of the league, but their QB is not able to push the ball down the field.  Add to that Alvin Kamara being option #1 for the offense and you have a perfect storm of a player not living up to their current ADP/ECR.  Nearing the end of Round 2, I would much rather select Mike Evans, Drake London, Davante Adams, and any RB from the group trending in that area (ETN, Pacheco, Henry).  This is much more of a bust call for Olave in this Saints 2024 offense than it is a dig on the player.  I simply do not see him returning WR12 value.  Since I do not want to negatively pile on the Saints WR corps, I will not mention that Rashid Shaheed could also disappoint those drafting him above ADP.

• Player: Keenan Allen
• Team: Chicago Bears
• Current ECR Rank (as of this writing): WR37 (Overall ECR 79)

I have been out on Allen since he signed with the Bears.   There are a few things that factor into me being down on the WR: (1) Rookie QB that I believe is being over-hyped; (2) Hamstrings made of al dente linguine; (3) Stud WR1 (DJM) and ascending rookie WR (Odunze) both look better in camp; (4) Age; (5) The Bears are the Bears. I think Odunze supplants Allen as the WR2 by Week 10 and I am confident Allen will miss at least four games due to injury this year.  I know, I know, we should not bet on/against injuries, but Allen has shown an issue staying on the field.

Here is the full list of my Top 60 WRs:

Look for my articles right here each week and be sure to follow me on Twitter/X @Stiles08.  Also, tune into our Tuesday @RazzballNFL podcast on YouTube from 6pm PST/9PM EST as I join @BobbyLamarco, @SkyGuasco, and @Derek_Favret to discuss all things fantasy football.  Come for the analysis.  Stay for the laughs.

-Stiles-