X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Five Wide Receivers Who Could Return to Top Tier Status in 2016

With the changing landscape in fantasy football, locking up two or three star wide receivers is becoming a requirement at draft time. Everyone knows to target Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham, and Julio Jones at the top of drafts, but taking the wide receivers that come after them becomes just as important. Let's take a look at some wide receivers who could return top tier value this season.

All ADP references come from Fantasy Football Calculator and assume you play in a 12-team PPR league.

Editor's Note: Purchase a full season NFL Premium Pass (including Draft Kit + DFS Premium), and also get MLB Premium + DFS for free through the playoffs. Premium DFS lineup picks, expert lineups, tools and more - seven days a week. You can see screenshots of our NFL Premium and MLB Premium and DFS tools. What are you waiting for?

 

Elite Wide Receivers to Target in 2016

Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears

The football world is fully aware of what Jeffery is capable of accomplishing on the field. The big wideout put together a stretch from 2013-2014 where he averaged 87 catches for 1,277 yards and 8.5 touchdowns while playing in 32-of-32 possible games. Those numbers average out to 265 points, which would have placed him as WR9 in scoring in 2015. Unfortunately, in 2015, Jeffery struggled with injuries, missing seven games with assorted soft-tissue injuries and generally letting down his fantasy owners.

What may be forgotten amidst all the injuries was how dominant Jeffery was when he was on the field in 2015. He had a three-game stretch last season from October 18 through November 9 where he put up 28 catches for 414 yards and two touchdowns. We know that Jay Cutler has a history of featuring his number one wide receiver heavily in the passing game, going back to his days with Brandon Marshall in Denver.

With some reports coming out that Kevin White is still looking a bit green and may not be ready to contribute at a high level until 2017, Jeffery should see all the work he can handle yet again in 2016. Jeffery is currently the 13th wide receiver coming off the board and can be drafted at the end of the second round, yet he has a serious chance to return mid-to-low end WR1 numbers in 2016.

 

T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts

Hilton, like the rest of the Colts offense, really bogged down after Andrew Luck was lost for the season. If you don't count his rookie season, Hilton either set or tied a career-low in catches, yards, and touchdowns in 2015 despite playing in all 16 games.

Look for the Colts offense to more closely resemble the unit that dominated defenses in 2014. While Hilton is a better wide receiver in standard leagues, he's shown that he has week-winning upside every time he steps on the field. Even without Luck for half of the 2015 season, Hilton still finished as the 21st highest-scoring receiver and has a good chance to finish as a low WR1/high WR2 in 2016.

 

Michael Floyd, Arizona Cardinals

Floyd is my dark horse candidate to finish 2016 as a WR1. Some drafters may shy away from the fifth-year wide receiver as he has to split targets with Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown, but he has a chance to lead Arizona's wide receiving corps this year. It's easy to forget that Floyd suffered what was described as a "gnarly" hand injury in the preseason before the 2015 season. He had three dislocated fingers on his hand which required surgery. The injury set Floyd back as he didn't really come into his own until Week 4.

Floyd enters the 2016 season fully healthy while playing for one of the top passing offenses in the league. There could be more targets to go around in the Arizona offense to start the year with John Brown having sustained a concussion during the preseason. It has been reported that Brown is still experiencing headaches and that his Week 1 status is now in question. Combine that with an age 32 Larry Fitzgerald who could see his production could drop off at any point and Floyd shapes up as someone who could be the Cardinals' number one wide receiver by the time the season is over.

 

DeSean Jackson, Washington Redskins

Jackson is another player who had his 2015 campaign sidetracked by injuries. He only played in nine games after dealing with knee, foot, hamstring, and shoulder injuries throughout the year. Jackson is just one year removed from an excellent 2014 season which saw him rack up 56 catches for 1,169 yards and six touchdowns. Jackson finished that year as the 21st-highest scoring PPR receiver and 17th-highest scorer in standard leagues.

The Redskins offensive line has been struggling to run block throughout the preseason and the team is expected to feature an uninspiring Matt Jones in the backfield, so expect Jay Gruden and Kirk Cousins to employ a pass-heavy scheme which will benefit D-Jax. Jackson's schedule also gives reason for hope as he will play two games each against the Eagles, Giants, and Cowboys. All three of those teams are not expected to have good defenses this season. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Jackson finishes as a high-end WR2 this season if he's able to stay on the field.

 

Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers

The plight of the Green Bay offense in 2015 is well known by now. With Jordy Nelson lost for the year, Cobb struggled to get open with all the additional attention that teams were able to pay to him. Perhaps forgotten in all the other injury news was the fact Cobb himself played the entire season with a shoulder injury that he and coach Mike McCarthy later admitted affected him the whole year.

Add in an ineffective Davante Adams across from him and an offensive line that suffered injury after injury and it's easy to see what went wrong in 2015. With Nelson back this season and the o-line healthy, expect the Packers offense to regain some of the firepower they lost last season. With defenses unable to key in on stopping Cobb this year, he should go back to being an automatic WR1 in PPR leagues, just like he was in 2014.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59 At Corales Puntacana Championship
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For Second At Corales Puntacana Championship
Beau Hossler

Finishes Tied For 60 At Valero Texas Open
Doug Ghim

Finishes Tied For 18 At the Valero Texas Open
Jordan Spieth

Finishes Tied For 18 At RBC Heritage
Kurt Kitayama

Misses The Cut At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For Eighth At RBC Heritage
George Kirby

"Feeling Great", Could Throw Again On Sunday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Returning To Starting Nine
Josh Lowe

Progressing Well, Could Play In Rehab Games On Saturday
Shane McClanahan

Begins "Throwing-Like" Activities
Patrik Laine

Remains Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi

On Track To Return Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Ruled Out For Game 5
Marcus Johansson

Returns To Action Tuesday
Cole Ragans

Won't Start On Wednesday
Dylan Moore

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Hip Inflammation
Jonas Siegenthaler

Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Brett Pesce

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Back In Tuesday's Lineup
Frederik Andersen

Unavailable Tuesday
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech A Strong Candidate To Be An Immediate Starter
Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White Competing For Depth Role
New York Jets

Mason Taylor To Immediately Be Atop Jets Tight End Depth Chart
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid Setting Up As Post-Hype Sleeper In 2025?
Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold To Take Over 90% Of The Snaps
Tennessee Titans

Titans In No Rush To Trade Will Levis
Daulton Varsho

Reinstated From Injured List And Starting On Tuesday
Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy Says He Knows He's Ready To Start For Vikings
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Dax Hill
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Apply Unrestricted Free-Agent Tender To J.K. Dobbins
Seattle Seahawks

Jaren Hall Cut Loose By Seahawks
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Compare Josh Simmons To Christian Darrisaw, Rashawn Slater
Denver Broncos

Pat Bryant Compared To Michael Thomas
Denver Broncos

RJ Harvey Could Do It All For Broncos
Carolina Panthers

Tetairoa McMillan Likely To Man The X Spot For Panthers
Green Bay Packers

Packers, Jaire Alexander Continue To Discuss Potential Reunion
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Discussed George Pickens With Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs To Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis
Washington Commanders

Matt Gays Signs One-Year Deal With Commanders
San Francisco 49ers

George Kittle Signs Four-Year Extension With 49ers
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Ryan Gerard

Going For A Texas Trifecta Of Sorts
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Joe Highsmith

Hoping To Make More Putts In Texas
Eric Cole

Expecting Big Things In Texas
Brian Campbell

May Go Under The Radar At CJ Cup
Riley Greene

Homers Twice On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

Exits Monday's Win Early
Los Angeles Chargers

Tre Harris Expected To Fill X Role For Chargers
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Brandon Nimmo

Has Career Game
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Tyler Glasnow

Going On The Injured List
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
Jrue Holiday

Out Again On Tuesday Night
Bennedict Mathurin

Questionable For Game 5
Damian Lillard

May Not Play Next Season
Luis Arraez

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Johnathan Kovacevic

To Remain Out Tuesday
Brenden Dillon

Unavailable Tuesday
Luke Hughes

Not Ready To Return For Game 5
Darius Garland

Remains Out On Monday
Ross Colton

Remains Out On Monday
Oskar Bäck

Oskar Back Returns To Stars Lineup Monday
Miro Heiskanen

To Miss Game 5
Jordan Westburg

Placed On Injured List
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go For Game 4
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Joe Ryan

Posts Stellar Outing
Jaylen Brown

Available For Game 4
Nick Lodolo

Throws Seven Scoreless Innings
Tyler Glasnow

Removed Early On Sunday
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 4
Jaden Ivey

Making Progress
Tarik Skubal

Racks Up 11 Strikeouts
Luke Weaver

In Line To Get The Bulk Of Save Opportunities Moving Forward
Devin Williams

Removed From Closer Role
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Austin Hays

Smacks Two Homers On Saturday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF