Five Wide Receiver ADP Draft Values

August 16, 2018

Chris Mangano lists five wide receivers who could be draft values and sleepers at their current ADP in 2018 fantasy football leagues.

As the NFL season approaches, and leagues begin to host their fantasy drafts, we have a pretty good idea of where most players will be drafted.

While the early rounds are chock full of studs and obvious picks, it's the middle and late rounds that will truly make or break your draft. Today, I present five receivers that are being drafted way too low considering what they are likely to give their fantasy owners this year.

Once you're done reading this article, be sure to also check our updated fantasy football draft rankings for all formats.

Wide Receivers Draft Discounts

Chris Hogan (WR, NE) ADP: WR28

Before injuring his shoulder in Week 6 last season, Chris Hogan was on a torrid pace. Through the first five games, he had 23 receptions, 288 yards, and five touchdowns. Drafters seem to have forgotten, however, because despite being in an even better situation this year, he is going outside the top-24 wide receivers. Brandin Cooks, who caught 65 passes and had over 1,000 yards, is on the Rams. Julian Edelman is suspended for the first four games, and tweaked the knee he tore a year ago. The Patriots are so desperate at receiver that they signed Eric Decker to a one year deal. Hogan is in a prime position to be Brady’s number two weapon alongside tight end Rob Gronkowski. He’s primed for a big year but is being drafted at a relative discount.

Emmanuel Sanders (WR, DEN) ADP: WR32

After three straight 1,000 yard seasons, Emmanuel Sanders fell off a cliff in 2017 along with the rest of the Broncos offense. With no real quarterback on the roster, the team struggled to a 5-11 season. The team addressed the quarterback issue in the offseason by signing Case Keenum. While Keenum is no Peyton Manning, he is a big upgrade over anyone the Broncos had a year ago. This is good news for all the Broncos pass catchers, but Sanders especially is still going at a massive discount. Plus, reports out of camp say he will be playing out of the slot more, which should give him plenty of mismatches. Sanders should return to his WR2 form and pay off for drafters.

Jordy Nelson (WR, OAK) ADP: WR39

Jordy Nelson is another receiver that was crushed by poor quarterback play a year ago. Through the first four games, it was business as usual as he had 19 catches and six touchdowns. But then Aaron Rodgers went down and the wheels fell off. Brett Hundley had trouble getting Nelson the ball and the two never seemed to develop a connection. Nelson finished with his worse season in five years and was cut by the team in the offseason. He quickly landed with the Raiders, however, and his fantasy outlook is looking up. With the departure of Michael Crabtree, and Martavis Bryant seemingly lost, Nelson should slot in as the team’s number two receiver. And while the days of double-digit touchdowns are likely behind him, Nelson still has plenty to offer. Grab him on the cheap if you can.

Randall Cobb (WR, GB) ADP: WR40

With the departure of Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams is getting all the hype in Green Bay. And while Adams should be Aaron Rodgers’ number one target, many have forgotten about Randall Cobb. The rest of the Packers receiving corps is in flux, with Adams and Cobbs as the only receivers offering stability. Cobb has had 60 or more receptions in four straight years and has had 90 or more targets in three of those. In six of eight full seasons that Rodgers has played, he has supported two top-24 fantasy wide receivers. Assuming both Cobb and Rodgers stay healthy, it seems almost assured to happen again, with Cobb being the beneficiary. Plus, in the last 19 games with Rodgers, Cobb has averaged seven targets per game. Cobb is looking like one of the steals of fantasy drafts.

Robby Anderson (WR, NYJ) ADP: WR41

In his sophomore season, Robby Anderson made quite the leap. He saw 114 targets, had 63 receptions, 941 yards and seven touchdowns on his way to a WR18 finish. Now he is being drafted outside the top-40? Are drafters scared of his off-the-field issues? Do they think last year was a fluke? He is still the team’s clear-cut number one receiver and will either have Josh McCown back at quarterback or one of Teddy Bridgewater or Sam Darnold. Regardless of who it is, his quarterback situation should be just fine. There is no reason to think he can’t duplicate what he did in 2017. And if he makes a third-year leap, we could all be kicking ourselves by the end of the season. Regardless, he is well worth the risk this late and is someone you should be trying to draft wherever you can.

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