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Five fantasy football wide receiver draft sleepers and value picks to target in the middle rounds. These WRs are undervalued and are fantasy football studs.
Once you reach the middle rounds of drafts, everyone wants to draft high-upside players that can provide a great return on value. You can afford to take some risks on a variety of different players, including 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 these players at each position heading into your fantasy football drafts, no matter the format. Here are more mid-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 2022 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today and start reading all 300+ of our 2022 player outlooks, along with many other premium articles and tools available exclusively in our 2021 Draft Kit.
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Courtland Sutton, Broncos, Fantasy Football Outlook
The list of signal-callers that have spearheaded Denver's offense during wide receiver Courtland Sutton's first four seasons has been substandard, but the arrival of Russell Wilson will elevate Denver's proficiency at quarterback to an unprecedented level during Sutton's tenure.
This should propel Sutton to his most prolific season, although that will be dependent on Wilson's distribution of targets to the Broncos' talented collection of weapons. Sutton's career-best numbers were generated in 2019, when he finished inside the top- 20 in targets (124/7.8 per game), air yards (1,472), yards before catch (760), and receiving yards (1,112/69.5 per game). Those results have not been replicated after he was limited to 31 snaps in 2020 (torn ACL), while his usage and production were impacted by Jerry Jeudy's availability last season.
Sutton averaged 2.3 yards per route run and registered a percentage of 24.1% targets per route run from Weeks 2-7, while Jeudy was sidelined with an ankle injury. He also led the league in air yards (897) while averaging 9.2 targets and 87.5 yards per game. Those numbers dropped after Jeudy's return, as Sutton averaged 0.83 yards per route run/4.0 targets/23.7 yards per game, while his percentage of routes run (13.9%) and his air yards (542) also plunged.
Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock were under center during those games, and Wilson will be more adept at maximizing Sutton's downfield capabilities. This provides the potential for Sutton to function as a highly-productive resource for fantasy managers. It also supplies the incentive for selecting him at his ADPs in best-ball leagues (54/WR21), and dynasty start-up drafts (68/WR34).
Allen Robinson, Rams, Fantasy Football Outlook
A season removed from being perhaps the biggest bust in fantasy football, former Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson gets a fresh start with the Los Angeles Rams. The narrative around Robinson has always been reliable production immune to poor quarterback play.
Now that narrative is reversed, coming off a disastrous 2021 campaign (38-410-1) as the WR81 but being paired with the best quarterback of his career in Matthew Stafford. Robinson fills the void left by Robert Woods, which should provide him with consistent opportunity and production even as the team's WR2 behind Cooper Kupp.
The Rams typically keep their top aerial assets on the field throughout the game, as evidenced by Kupp and Woods finishing first and second in snap share among wide receivers. This allows for a substantial target share even for the second option in the passing game, validated by Woods' 21.5% share before his injury.
Robinson will not match the target volume before last year, but with Stafford's efficiency, he won't need to. 90 catches and 1,100 yards with touchdown upside are within reach for Robinson, making him a smash at his current ADP of 73.
Terry McLaurin, Commanders, Fantasy Football Outlook
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin generated numbers that were higher than anticipated during his 2019 rookie season, and he improved those results in 2020 (134 targets), (87 receptions), (1,118 yards), (1,310 air yards). However, the statistical success that he attained during his first two seasons raised expectations for 2021 that he failed to match.
His 12.6 points per game average last season was the lowest of his career, while his per-game averages in targets (7.8), receptions (4.5), and receiving yards (61.9) also trailed his career-best results from 2020 (8.9 targets/5.8 receptions/74.5 yards). McLaurin has been contending with recurrent issues at quarterback, and that hurdle remained firmly intact last season.
He has also averaged a 24.4% target share and exceeded a 42% air yards share during each of his first three seasons and remains capable of reaching WR1 status if he is the beneficiary of efficient play from his quarterback. He now enters the final year of his rookie contract amid a transition under center after Washington traded for Carson Wentz.
His career descent has been irrefutable but Wentz still represents an upgrade over the Commanders' recent collection of signal-callers. Washington also added Jahan Dotson during the NFL Draft (16th overall), but that should not preclude McLaurin from operating as the team's primary receiving option. This makes him a viable selection at his current ADPs in best-ball drafts (50/WR18) and dynasty startup leagues (45/WR17).
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chiefs, Fantasy Football Outlook
The Kansas City Chiefs signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal this offseason. He is looking to turn around his career after spending a large chunk of his 2021 season on injured reserve. He was limited to five games last year after undergoing shoulder surgery in mid-October.
Smith-Schuster could not find the end zone and caught 15-of-28 targets for 129 receiving yards in 2021. The former WR8 from 2018 will be looking to rejuvenate his career with Patrick Mahomes and the explosive Chiefs offense. Tyreek Hill is now with the Miami Dolphins, and his 158 targets are left to be dispersed among the Chiefs' wide receiver corps. If Smith-Schuster can develop a rapport with Mahomes and play to his potential, we could see him build back better in 2022.
Fantasy gamers should look at him as a speculative asset with a lot of upside. He is being selected with a 77.5 averaged draft position, making him a mid-round option in fantasy drafts. This might be the area of your draft when you want to swing for the fences on Smith-Schuster.
When drafting him, fantasy managers must remind themselves of the potential outcomes. There's a chance he could be a league winner for many of our fantasy teams. He could develop into a massive disappointment for many fantasy gamers as well.
Amari Cooper, Browns, Fantasy Football Outlook
Cleveland Browns wide receiver and new addition Amari Cooper is one of the many big names to change uniforms in 2022. He is a somewhat polarizing name for fantasy, often regarded as an underperformer relative to his potential and expectations.
While Cooper has shown some flashes of brilliance, his stints in Oakland and Dallas were inconsistent. His outlook with the Browns is highly dependent on two factors: new quarterback Deshaun Watson facing a possible suspension and an offense that has been heavily run-centric over the last few years. However, these factors are also interrelated.
If Watson avoids suspension, the Browns should have at least some reconciliation to their offensive philosophy to cater to new personnel. This makes Cooper an intriguing option as the clear top target in the offense. He is arguably the only wide receiver with an undisputed role as his team's WR1, a connection with a top-tier passer, and an ADP outside the top-50.
With Watson targeting wide receivers on 64% of attempts in 2020 (compared to only 51% from Browns' quarterbacks last year), Cooper could be a tremendous value with only the off-the-field risks of Watson suppressing his price.
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