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Once you reach the late rounds of drafts, everyone wants to draft high-upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can afford to take risks on a variety of different players, including prospects, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even skilled players with potential playing time concerns.
It's essential to have at least a handful of sleeper targets at each position heading into your fantasy football drafts, no matter the format. We featured seven in the first edition of Late-Round Values - Wide Receivers, and today we're looking at five additional late-round wide receivers for you to consider drafting this season.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific NFL players for your draft prep enjoyment. Normally only available to Premium subscribers, the outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2021 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today and start reading all 300+ of our 2021 player outlooks, along with many other premium articles and tools available exclusively in our 2021 Draft Kit.
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Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs
It's fair to say the Chiefs never actually wanted Mecole Hardman. He was a panic draft pick after a concerning recording leaked shortly before the 2019 NFL draft of Tyreek Hill, putting Hill's 2019 season in jeopardy. Miraculously, Hill escaped punishment so the Chiefs were left with a knock-off version of Hill without a clear role. Hardman hasn't missed a game in his two-year career, but he's been targeted just 103 times (3.2 per game). Entering 2021, Sammy Watkins is now in Baltimore and the Chiefs have exactly zero playmakers outside of Hill and Travis Kelce. Now in his third NFL season, it's put up or shut up time for Hardman. He's still just 23 years old, but if he can't break out now, it's never happening.
Hardman should be able to fend off Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle to retain the starting job opposite Hill. Hardman played just 44% of the snaps last season, but that number should be closer to 80% this season. Physically, Hardman looks exactly like Hill - 5'10, 185 lbs, 4.33 speed. They're essentially the same player, except Hill is better at everything. I'm just not sure if Hardman has the wide receiver ability to be anything more than the gadget player all the bad fantasy analysts thought Hill was after 2017. Nevertheless, given Hardman's athleticism, the opportunity to potentially be third on the team in targets, and the fact that Patrick Mahomes is the guy throwing him passes, Hardman is worth a late-round dart throw as your WR4/5 in fantasy leagues.
-- Jason Katz
Elijah Moore, New York Jets
The Jets' highly-touted second-round pick out of Ole Miss has impressed in camp and has seemingly vaulted Denzel Mims and potentially even Keelan Cole on the depth chart. He's working with the first-team offense now; Jets beat writers are all worked up, and head coach Robert Saleh recently wondered how the rest of the league let Moore slip to the second round. These are all good things.
Moore is a skilled route-runner who should quickly adapt to playing whichever receiving role is asked of him, and with the way things are trending, the Jets are going to get him on the field and feature his skillset. He posted a few great seasons while at Ole Miss, culminating in a junior season where he finished with 86 receptions, 1,193 receiving yards, and eight scores. He also put up some eye-popping numbers at his pro day and combine, ranking in the 92nd-percentile in the 40-yard dash (4.35 seconds) and 98th-percentile in Agility Score. (For what it's worth, his PlayerProfiler comparison is the speedy vet Tyler Lockett).
There's certainly a chance that Moore carves out a significant role early on with rookie quarterback Zach Wilson at the helm. There's also some risk with the inexperienced QB and some competition (Corey Davis and Jamison Crowder) for targets, but a player with his talent is more than worth taking a shot on in the late rounds of fantasy drafts this season.
-- Kyle Ringstad
Jalen Reagor, Philadelphia Eagles
After being drafted 21st overall in 2020, Jalen Reagor appeared in just 11 games his rookie season, tallying 31 receptions for 396 yards and one touchdown on 54 targets. He dealt with multiple injuries throughout the season but also was on an offense that really struggled to find a rhythm. Carson Wentz had the worst statistical year of his career and the Eagles decided to move away from him in favor of Jalen Hurts starting in Week 14. Despite playing on an average of just 60.7% of the snaps, Reagor averaged 6.3 targets per game during Hurts' three full games between Weeks 14 and 16.
With Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson now gone, Reagor figures to take on more of a full-time role alongside the newest first-round selection, DeVonta Smith. The coaching staff has gone through an overhaul, and it's possible former Colts head coach Nick Sirianni attempts to establish the run more so than the previous regime, but the fact of the matter is the Eagles are projected to win just seven games this season. They averaged the 11th-most pass attempts per game a season ago and could do so again in 2021. Reagor should have every opportunity to solidify himself as the WR2 on this team and has the potential to become a serviceable WR4 from a fantasy perspective.
-- Adam Koffler
Marquez Callaway, New Orleans Saints
Marquez Callaway finished his rookie season with only 21 receptions for 213 yards; however, he stepped up whenever his number was called. In his best game, he put up eight receptions for 85 yards on 10 targets. That could be a sign of things to come due to the lack of depth in the Saints' receiving corps. After bonafide WR1 Michael Thomas, the WR2 role for the team is firmly up for grabs. The popular belief is that fourth-year receiver Tre'Quan Smith will take a hold of that role, but he is more of a speedy deep-threat than he is a high-volume chain mover. Smith has been hyped up for three consecutive seasons now. It feels like if it was going to happen with Smith, it would've happened already. He just feels more like a real-life WR3/4 than the WR2 many wanted him to be.
That leaves the door open for someone to ascend into that WR2 chair. Callaway has excellent burst and elusiveness in the open field, which explains why he was used on kick and punt returns when Deonte Harris was injured. I would not expect Callaway to step up right away and become a viable WR3 for fantasy, but he is free in drafts. If he wins the WR2 job in training camp, he could be in line for 90 targets, making him well worth the gamble of your last pick, especially in deeper leagues.
-- Frank Dyevoich
UPDATE: New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marquez Callaway erupted for five receptions for 104 yards and two scores on five targets in Monday's win over the Jaguars. With the Saints lacking proven pass-catchers, Callaway made a huge statement for more targets in the regular season by showing out on Monday. Currently, Callaway is competing with guys like Tre'Quan Smith and Deonte Harris for targets but can surpass them on the depth chart during the season if he plays well. The injury to TE Adam Trautman (leg) in Monday's game could mean another pass-catcher down and even more targets open. Callaway is certainly in the flex tier right now due to a potentially big role coming up in this offense.
-- Rishi Patel
Bryan Edwards, Las Vegas Raiders
Bryan Edwards is talented and the training camp hype going his way is somewhat legitimate. Edwards is constantly propped up by his extremely early (17.8 years old) breakout age (a threshold metric for when a WR took a certain % of his college team's targets/TDs/yards in a particular season).
While this is certainly not a bad thing, breaking out is only part of the story. Edwards has the stature of a traditional alpha perimeter WR which is still a sought-after archetype for modern NFL teams and especially a Raiders offense that is desperate for more than just fine production. He was extremely productive throughout his time in South Carolina as a usage monster who produced nearly 50% of their WR stats.
While Henry Ruggs III was drafted earlier and was also more productive as a rookie (though neither were very productive in general), Ruggs III is not the type of receiver Edwards is. Ruggs III's presence provides value in keeping defenses honest but he can become a decoy quite easily. Edwards is the chain-mover, red-zone target who can become a major fantasy boon if health and Jon Gruden's ego don't get in the way.
Gruden has whispered his frustration with backlash from the Ruggs III pick and intends to prove dissenters wrong. Whether that comes to fruition or lasts very long is something to wait and see but the facts at hand display Edwards as the most talented WR in the room and far more valuable for fantasy.
-- Kev Mahserejian
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