RADIO
Each year, elite wide receivers are some of the mainstays of fantasy football rosters. With high target shares and production values, these consensus top-tier wide receivers are some of the first names off of draft boards and consistently perform well throughout the season.
However, there is also a good amount of unpredictability at the position, with breakout players appearing from out of nowhere year-in and year-out. Whether they dominate for stretches over the year or end up as top-level talents themselves, unproven or underrated wide receivers represent a very good opportunity for fantasy owners entering drafts due to their lower draft capital and high production premiums.
In this series, we will go through each NFL division and point out one wide receiver on each team in that division that is currently ranked outside of the top-12 at the position who could finish among the league's best when all is said and done. Today, let's look at the NFC North and see who could be that next elite fantasy receiver.
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Wide Receivers - NFC North
Stefon Diggs, MIN
Although Diggs was replaced last year by Adam Thielen as the team's top wide receiver, the ex-Terrapins playmaker is still a dangerous weapon who can become one of the elite NFL receivers over the course of the 2018 season. Diggs had 849 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns in 2017, more than doubling his career touchdown numbers. Since coming into the league in 2015, Diggs has consistently been a solid NFL receiver. His only problem has been injury-related; Diggs has not played a full NFL season since coming into the league, logging in 13, 13, and 14 games in his three seasons thus far. Nevertheless, when he is on the field, Diggs has the potential to take over a game and should be viewed as one of the NFL's top playmakers at the position.
Additionally, Diggs now gets to play alongside quarterback Kirk Cousins in what is seemingly an upgrade at the position. With the team moving from strength to strength and the presence of Thielen and tight end Kyle Rudolph sure to take away coverage from Diggs, the speedy Maryland wideout has the potential to finally break the 1,000-yard barrier and approach double-digit touchdowns in what is most definitely the most important year of his career. However, in order to do so, he will need to stay healthy for a full season and make plays consistently. If he is able to do that, Diggs can become a WR1 - he has shown that he has that upside before. The upside of Stefon Diggs, analyzed through the lens of his injury risk, justifies his late third-round ADP and makes him a good WR2 option with WR1 upside playing in an ascending offense in the league.
Marvin Jones Jr., DET
For the first time in his career, Marvin Jones Jr. crossed the 1,000-yard barrier in 2017. Jones was able to haul in 61 receptions for 1,101 yards and nine touchdowns as he became one of the team's top options through the air. Although the presence of fellow wide receiver Golden Tate, as well as ascending young talent Kenny Golladay, is a threat to the ability for Jones to be a consistent producer week-in and week-out, Jones has shown that he doesn't need a massive amount of targets in order to be productive for fantasy owners. Jones has never had more than 107 targets in a season (which he had last year) and plays in a pass-heavy offense for the Lions, making him an ideal option that you can rely on to produce even if he is not getting high-volume targets each week.
Although there is always the chance that the touchdown numbers go down for the big-bodied deep threat, Jones has shown that he can compete at the top level and is the X-receiver for a pass-happy team with a quarterback who loves to throw the ball his way. Therefore, you should consider Jones as a low-end WR2 (due to the presence of Tate and Golladay's rise) with WR1 upside if he is able to see a few more targets and repeat his touchdown numbers from 2017. This view of Jones more than justifies a late fifth-round ADP and makes him a relative steal at the position.
Randall Cobb, GB
Randall Cobb has only crossed the 1,000-yard barrier once in his career - in 2014, when he had 91 receptions for over 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns. Since then, Cobb has largely disappointed. For one reason or another, Cobb has not been able to get it done on the field. Whether it was the presence of wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams or injuries to both Cobb and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, it seems as if the slot receiver's career is on the downswing as he enters a contract year with the team. However, Nelson has departed, leaving Adams as the only receiver with a larger target share than Cobb. A full season with Rodgers and more targets should give Cobb all of the ammunition that he needs to be as close to the player he was in 2014 as possible. If Cobb is even able to sniff those numbers, he could be in for a very productive season, making him a great value pick in the eighth round, considering how successful his team's top two receivers have been for the past few seasons.
Allen Robinson, CHI
Allen Robinson unexpectedly broke out in Jacksonville when he earned over 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2015. However, a down year in 2016 and season-long injury in 2017 saw Robinson's stock fall significantly over the following few seasons, leading to a move to the Bears in this past offseason. Nevertheless, this may be a blessing in disguise for the young receiver, as he now inherits the top receiver position in an offense that is designed to feature wide receiver talent. New coach Matt Nagy has called Robinson the team's top option, and if the start of preseason activity is any indication, we may be seeing plenty of the Flint, Michigan native in 2018. The Bears are a team favored to rebound this year, making Robinson a fantastic option to own at the back of the fourth round who has legitimate WR1 potential with a sky-high ceiling in this upcoming season. Counting on a return to 2015 numbers might be unrealistic, but he is a proven talent who has been presented with a new opportunity to return to WR1 status.
