Veteran Wide Receiver Winners From the NFL Draft

Several current NFL wide receivers saw their fantasy football values rise when existing teams failed to draft a WR. Pierre Camus evaluates veteran wide receivers who came out as offseason winners after the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 2020 wide receiver draft class was a historically deep one that saw six WRs selected in the first round of the NFL Draft alone. The addition of fresh faces put a dent in the fantasy value of several veteran players on existing rosters, as they now have more competition for targets. Not every team made a move to get younger at receiver, though.

Several current NFL wide receivers saw their promised target share remain static or even increase based on the draft. As a result, there are a few players who haven't been in the news recently but may see a bump in value while their ADP doesn't rise accordingly.

Here are some receivers who unexpectedly came out ahead in terms of fantasy football value after the NFL Draft.

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Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks technically did spend two draft picks on receivers, taking Freddie Swain with the 214th overall pick and Stephen Sullivan at pick 250. They'll fight to make a roster spot, but their main contributions will be on special teams if anything. Otherwise, Seattle did nothing to affect Lockett's immediate future with the team, choosing to roll with free agent signee Phillip Dorsett as their WR3 and presumably David Moore behind him.

D.K. Metcalf could emerge as the top target for Russell Wilson, but Lockett is still locked in as a solid WR2 for fantasy. Viewed primarily as a field stretcher and home-run hitter, Lockett actually finished 24th in targets among wide receivers with 110 and 21st in total air yards with 1,364 last year.

At 27 years of age, he is in his prime. He is also playing with a franchise QB in Russell Wilson who hasn't missed a single game in his eight-year NFL career. That bears repeating: DangerRuss has started (and finished) 128 straight games. That kind of consistency matters. Lockett isn't an exciting pick due to the fact his offense is pretty much the same as last year, but he should put up just as good of a stat line, if not better, in 2020.

Emmanuel Sanders, New Orleans Saints

It's always fun to project another young receiver to the Saints. Some pre-draft mocks had Denzel Mims or Michael Pittman Jr. landing in the Big Easy, but it wasn't meant to be. The team did take tight end Adam Trautman, but failed to secure a young wideout. Instead, they got older at the position by adding Manny Sanders to start opposite Michael Thomas.

It's clear that Thomas will occupy plenty of defensive attention, which leaves Sanders to take the top off defenses. Despite being 33 years old, Sanders still fills that role well. His aDoT was well over 10 last season; his 11.4 aDoT in 10 games with San Francisco was more than rookies Mecole Hardman or Marquise Brown.

That said, there shouldn't be a concern that he won't see enough volume to be a fantasy starter. Sanders has done more work underneath in recent years, relying on run-after-catch ability. Most of his targets the past three seasons have come below league average for depth of target.

His efficiency has been solid both in short-yardage and deep routes when compared to other receivers.

Sanders has the chance to have a career year with Drew Brees at quarterback, considering the number of other weapons in that offense. His current ADP of 116, behind receivers like Sammy Watkins and Curtis Samuel, could make him a steal.

Devin Funchess, Green Bay Packers

This former Wolverine and converted tight end will try to make an impact on a new team for the second straight season. He's largely been dismissed by the fantasy community, but I think we can fairly excuse the last two seasons. After enjoying a third-year breakout with 63 receptions, 840 yards, and eight touchdowns in Carolina in 2017, those numbers dipped to 44/549/4 in 2018. Nagging back issues, the emergence of Christian McCaffrey, and inconsistent play from Cam Newton, who wasn't 100% most of the year despite missing only two games, cut into Funchess' production.

Signed to a one-year deal in Indy, the 2019 season was lost from the start. He went on IR in September with a fractured clavicle and never recovered, suiting up once for the Colts. That led to another one-year deal, this time with the Packers. Nobody is too high on Funchess making an impact in Green Bay. Our consensus PPR rankings have him at WR88, which is not a draft-worthy asset in 12-team leagues.

There is hope though, if Funchess is near full health. First, he will be catching balls from Aaron Rodgers. 'Nuff said. Oh, and Rodgers should be fairly motivated this season after seeing the team draft his successor in Jordan Love while failing to get him help at receiver. That brings up the next point, which is that the Packers didn't draft a single wide receiver. Funchess looks to be the front office's solution to bolstering the WR corps, as they ditched Geronimo Allison and didn't bring anyone else in to take his place. He will compete with UDFA Allen Lazard but that's about it.

Some believe the Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a winner and his rising FFPC ADP reflects that belief. He doesn't seem to be a favorite of still-current QB Rodgers though, as his snaps and targets both dropped through the latter half of the year. I'm not counting Week 17, of course, as all fantasy owners would be wise to ignore.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling snap and target share, Week 14-17.

With MVS losing Rodgers' trust and Lazard being just a stopgap at a thin position, Funchess has a real chance to be the WR2 for a Hall of Fame quarterback. There is plenty of risk, but given the fact he's basically free in all draft formats, it's a chance worth taking.

Albert Wilson, Miami Dolphins

Undrafted free agent Preston Williams became a trendy name mid=2019 after he emerged with a couple of solid games, including two touchdowns against the Jets in Week 9. He then tore his ACL and will spend the early portion of the season recovering. Add in the fact that he's got all of eight pro games under his belt and his ADP as a top-60 wide receiver is questionable to say the least. Meanwhile, Albert Wilson is nowhere to be found on 2020 draft boards and isn't even being taken as a flier in deep best-ball leagues.

Amidst the excitement of Tua Tagovailoa signing, a minor move was made to help the Dolphins financially.

Aside from helping the team recoup some of its investment on Wilson that hasn't reaped many benefits thus far, it gives Wilson a ton of motivation to stay on the field and produce. He will be a free agent after the season and has a ton of financial incentives that are tied to playing time.

Miami didn't address wide receiver in the draft until the seventh round, when they selected Malcolm Perry out of Navy. He will be a project as a converted QB who is likely to be used on special packages only. The rest of the WR room includes Allen Hurns, Jakeem Grant, and Isaiah Ford. Seeing as how the team chose to restructure Wilson's deal rather than release him, it's clear they feel the need to have him around for one more year.

As a result, Wilson will be the starting slot receiver for the Dolphins when the year begins, catching balls from gunslinger Ryan Fitzpatrick. There is a good chance he sees enough volume to make him fantasy-relevant as a WR4 or Flex play. In dynasty, he can mostly be ignored, but in redraft and best-ball leagues, Wilson is a sneaky late-round pick.

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