NFL Wide Receiver Depth Charts Analysis - NFC East and NFC South

July 16, 2022

Antonio Losada looks at the wide receiver corps for teams in the NFC East & NFC South divisions and provides analysis on WR sleepers and busts for fantasy football.

Today we're looking at the fantasy football wide receiver depth charts for the NFC East and NFC South. The regular season is right around the corner and each team's depth chart is mostly complete! Before diving into the fantasy season, RotoBaller has you covered with some wide receiver depth chart recaps for each team, including some useful bits of analysis for players you want to keep on your radar.

Please note that the charts below are based on individual team depth charts and come from RotoWire's projected starting units. The DCs project the real-life pecking order expected to be used by head coaches at the respective franchises, not where RotoWire projects those players to finish in fantasy leagues.

Here are the current preseason depth charts at wide receiver for teams in the NFC East & NFC South.

Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.

Fantasy Football WR Depth Chart Takeaways: NFC South

Don't let Tom Brady's last gems escape your realm: Russell Gage, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After trying to fool us into believing he was retiring – as if that'll ever happen – Tommy decided to announce his unretirement and come back for another run with the Tampa Bay Bucs next year, his third one in Florida. As ridiculous as it sounds, Brady has improved his fantasy outcomes in each of the past three seasons going from 16.6 FP per game to 21.1 and lastly 22.0 in 2021. The main beneficiary of that trend in 2022? Most probably free-agent acquisition Russell Gage.

Gage is joining the Bucs from Atlanta after spending the past four seasons getting passes from veteran QB Matt Ryan. The Falcons sucked very much, but Gage still produced a couple of back-to-back WR38 seasons in the last two years, averaging 11.3 and 11.6 PPR points per game. His receiving lines sat at 110/72/786/4 and 94/66/770/4. I'd say that's Gage floor in Tampa.

Rob Gronkowski won't be around (if he doesn't unretire too) and Chris Godwin will miss a bunch of weeks (probably six if he gets into the PUP list). Everything is pointing toward Gage having a career year if he can remain available and healthy, with no glaring issues on that front in years past. The ADP nearing the 100th-overall pick makes Gage an absolute steal as PFF sees him as a top-17 WR next season.

Alternative value-play: Drake London, Atlanta Falcons

Staying in Atlanta, the obvious top-end pick will always be TE Kyle Pitts. Watch out for that potential overpay if he underperforms in the slightest of ways or QB Marcus Mariota flops in his debut season with the Falcons. Rookie Drake London, though? That's what I call a man with a very high Return On Investment attached to his name.

London's ADP is currently at around the 93rd-overall pick while PFF projects him to 216+ PPR points and a top-23 (low-end WR2) finish. You know what happened with Ja'Marr Chase last season, so you know it can happen with London next year. The full projection reads 120/80/1000/6. Uh oh.

Fantasy Football WR Depth Chart Takeaways: NFC East

Started from the bottom, now we're here: Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders

This is a risky flier and quite a gamble to take, I know, but hear me out for a minute if you have it – and of course, if you want to get that sweet Fantasy Chip at the end of the year. This division has much better and proven players in it, the likes of CeeDee Lamb, A.J. Brown, and Kenny Golladay to name a few of them. Another one, Terry McLaurin, even happens to play in the very same team that Jahan Dotson does! The audacity in drafting Dotson while passing on McLaurin would be... well, certainly something.

Now, if you've not heard about it, there is an impasse between TMcL and the Commanders. Nothing is resolved in terms of awarding the WR a new contract, and there is still a (very big) possibility McLaurin gets traded – just as freshest Eagle A.J. Brown, now in the same division after getting moved by Tennessee.

This pick is entirely reliant on that trade actually happening as Dotson has reportedly been great in the summer camps and is already approaching WR2 status, with an opening for the no. 1 WR role if McLaurin gets moved. The ADP is still ground-level low (160th OVR) while the projection by PFF is at 192 PPR points for a WR39 finish. The value is phenomenal and can only get better if the trade is consummated.

Alternative value-play: Kenny Golladay, New York Giants

Golladay isn't anything new, but among the WR1 of all four teams in this division, he's the cheapest top-option while his value is way above the figures of the other top-WR in the NFC East. All of Lamb, McLaurin, and Brown have ADP figures of 45th-overall at the cheapest while Golladay's clock in at 133rd. Obviously, there is a lower upside when it comes to Golladay (projected WR3 season compared to top-14 finishes for all other three) but so is his price. There are concerns about his health and his QB in a mediocre Daniel Jones, but for that low ADP, you can do much worse than getting some Kenny G shares.

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