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

Wide Receiver Risers: 2022 Fantasy Football ADP Analysis - Van Jefferson, Jakobi Meyers, Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Antonio Losada examines ADP variation of wide receivers to find key risers at WR in fantasy football drafts.

As you may know, the Average Draft Position (ADP) indicates the average position where a player is drafted over more than one fantasy football draft. You can consider it as the price you have to pay to draft and get a player on your team. A high ADP (that is actually a low-numbered ADP) means that a player is getting off draft boards early, and thus you'll need to draft him in the first rounds if you truly want him.

Low or high ADP values, though, are not gospel. Each of us fantasy GMs have our strategies and value players differently depending on what we think is the most important for them to have in terms of abilities. No matter what, though, ADPs are good to know how the value of the "average GM" you'll be drafting against is for each asset (in this case, the players). By now, with the free agency and the draft well finalized and just a few players left to be signed, it makes sense to go look at how ADPs are varying during the last month as we get closer to peak draft season.

In this series, I’ll highlight players at each skill position seeing significant fluctuation from mid-May to mid-June using data from FFPC drafts. Today, it's time to look at three wide receiver risers.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Wide Receivers - ADP Risers

Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams

While still available at cheap/reasonable 185th-ish ADP overall, Van Jefferson keeps rising by the day and has done so for the past few weeks to fill three-full draft rounds in 12-team leagues with a 37+ pick ascension. Jefferson was barely used as a rookie in 2020 (31 targets) and obviously didn't have the chance to put up numbers and become fantasy relevant. He was able to change that last year with a bulky workload next to Cooper Kupp getting a much healthier 89 targets and hauling in 50 of those for 802 yards and six TDs.

The ADP is getting higher and higher but there is a very solid ceiling to be hit sooner than later. That comes down to Jefferson's role and position in the Rams' WRs depth chart (from WR3 last year to... WR3 this year after the addition of Allen Robinson following the departure of Robert Woods), and some serious issues with both his catch (56.2%) and drop (6.7%) rates. Those marks ranked in the first quartile among NFL receivers: in other words, he was worst at catching targets and avoiding drops than 75% of all NFL wideouts. Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Allen Robinson are all veterans that will click and connect with each other from Day One. Jefferson will most probably be the one left out in terms of targets. Is that great? No. Is it bad? No, considering his hella cheap ADP. With a projection for a WR54 finish in 2022 (per PFF), Jefferson is currently the 10th-best WR in terms of potential ROI when comparing the expectations to his ADP. Pounce on the chance of stealing a great lineup filler for your WR3/Flex slot.

 

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kansas City Chiefs

With Tyreek Hill getting out of town and down to Miami, the talk about Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers surely got a bit quieter than in the past few seasons. KC signed different players to bolster the Hill-less WR corps adding JuJu Smith-Schuster and rookie Skyy Moore to the squad. Of course, because one has always been in the spotlight in Pittsburgh and the other is the flashy new toy, both of those men have grabbed more attention and grabbed more offseason headlines than Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was an afterthought for the casual NFL fan outside of Green Bay. Which doesn't make any sense.

MVS might have not been a terrific performer for the Packers, but it is not that he had ample chance to do anything remarkable either. With Davante Adams getting 169, 127, 149, and 169 targets in the past four seasons, all MVS had to work with were 73, 56, 63, and 55 targets, respectively. Last year, he didn't finish as GB's WR2 on that front, either, with Allen Lazard's 60 targets five above his tally--MVS missed six games, though. MVS is a little bit undervalued in my eyes.

Yes, he's not a bonafide top-tier receiver, but playing under perennial MVP-contender Aaron Rodgers he averaged 8.6 and 7.9 FPPG in the past two seasons with his only woes to be found in the catch-rate department (52.4% and 47.3% in those two years). That is something nobody can help MVS fix, of course, but he is moving from Rodgers to another unstoppable, mind-bending quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. No downgrade there and a potential upgrade in terms of role/targets will definitely boost MVS' fantasy value next season. In other words, draft MVS at his ADP (around 130th overall) and keep on doing until that figure goes all the way up to a price of around the 90th pick. We're talking about a lock for a WR3 finish with upside for a mid-level WR2 season if the MVS-Mahomes connection clicks.

 

Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots

When is the last time the Patriots had a legit WR1 on their roster? Back in 2019, Julian Edelman finished WR9 in PPR leagues, but prior to that, he was just a top-20 receiver in 2018, and nobody (other than Brandin Cooks and Edelman) reached a top-15 finish for the Pats at the position going all the way back to 2012 when Wes Welker finished WR7. That's nearly 10 years "struggling" at the WR position--not that Tom Brady cared that much, I guess--and things are looking to stay on the same path going forward. The main beneficiary and WR in the Pats depth chart? Jakobi Meyers.

Meyers is the only player with 40+ targets in the past three years among New England wideouts. He got 41 as a rookie, then 81 as a sophomore, and a career-high 126 last season playing under debuting-QB Mac Jones. He's turned himself into the bonafide WR1 of the team and, most importantly, he's playing to that role as he's been the top-scorer of the team for two years in a row (he finished as the WR53 in 2020 and the WR29 last year). If the target volume stays the same (no reason for that to not happen as NE only added DeVante Parker, who will most probably eat from the WR2-WR4 target-pie more than Meyers') and Meyers keeps developing, (the touchdown count must positively regress at some point, come on) then we're looking straight at a legit low-end WR2 with upside for more. He's not made it to that realm yet, I know, but Meyers is about to enter his prime and should keep raising the bar.

The 170th pick is surely a fantastic, steal-like price to pay for the production Meyers can give you. Don't hesitate if he's still available so late in any of your drafts, and don't let him slip past the 11th/12th round if you don't want to miss on a weekly WR3/Flex set-it-and-forget-it player with a huge potential ROI.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




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

DJ Moore

Bears Experimenting with DJ Moore in Backfield
Rome Odunze

Could Move All Around the Offense
NFL

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Carted Off Monday With Knee Injury
Jason Adam

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Quadriceps Tendon
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Scratched on Monday
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Harry Ford

Called Up for Major-League Debut
Victor Scott II

Activated From Injured List
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness, Expects to Play Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Dameon Pierce

Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Season
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Chicago Bears

Bears Head Coach Admits Offense Could Face Learning Curve
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
A.J. Brown

Says He'll Be Active For Season Opener
Luis Garcia

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Max Scherzer

Exits Due to Back Tightness
Taylor Ward

Exits Early After Collison
Braelon Allen

Says He Has a Lot Left to Prove
Sal Stewart

Reds Promoting Sal Stewart to Majors
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Aroldis Chapman

Agrees to Contract Extension
Juan Soto

Homers Twice in Loss
Nick Kurtz

Avoids Serious Injury
MacKenzie Gore

Placed on 15-Day Injured List
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Reaches 25-Homer, 25-Steal Milestone
Chris Sale

Activated on Saturday
Dansby Swanson

Homers Twice, Drives in Six in Win
Nick Kurtz

Leaves Game With Oblique Soreness
Joe Burrow

Bengals Feel Joe Burrow Just had "the Best Training Camp of his Career"
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Leads Serbia to a Win
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Shines Versus Portugal
De'Von Achane

Should be Ready for Week 1
Jose Alvarado

"Good" After Recent Fall
Green Bay Packers

Packers Acquire Micah Parsons, Sign him to Four-Year Extension
Jauan Jennings

Remains Sidelined at Practice
Lauri Markkanen

Torches Sweden
Neemias Queta

Dominates in EuroBasket Opener
Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Not Allowing Kawhi Leonard to Play Back-to-Backs
Dallas Mavericks

Mavericks Looking to Trade Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Tyrese Haliburton

Expects to Return in 15 Months
Terance Mann

Confident About Having a Big Year in Brooklyn
Zaccharie Risacher

Aims to Improve Ball-Handling Skills
NBA

Pistons And Timberwolves Join Race for Malik Beasley
John Tonje

Signs Two-Way Deal With Jazz
Max Strus

to Miss 3-4 Months After Surgery

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP