By now, everyone has heard about the third year wide receivers and their breakout years. If you haven't, Troy would like to have a word with you. Over here at drinkfive, we've noticed that there's a lot of guys breaking out in their second season now. I'm not talking about guys who are just getting noticed, I mean guys who are fantasy relevant right now. For example, Alshon Jeffery, T.Y. Hilton, Michael Floyd and Josh Gordon were all second year guys last year. They, with Kendall Wright, all had over 1000 yards receiving in 2013. Here are six guys who you want to seriously consider drafting, and you will find that most, if not all of them, have great draft value as well.
Keenan Allen, SD
2013 Stats: 71 Rec, 1046 Yds, 8 TD's
2014 Projection: 85 Rec, 1250 Yds, 8 TD's
2014 Ranking/ADP: 30 Overall / 37 ADP
(Rankings and ADP from 8/14/14)
Allen was clearly the standout rookie from last season, being the only first year WR to put up over 1000 yards. Allen is definitely the beneficiary of injuries to people around him, but he made the most of it. Allen had only 12 targets in the first 3 games, so he even has room for his numbers to go up! Last year, Allen caught 71 of 105 targets, so Rivers is going to know he can rely on him when he throws it his way. Allen had 5 games over 100 yards receiving and 7 games over 10 points in a standard league. His current ADP at the end of the 4th round is great value for a guy that has a serious chance to be a WR1. Heck, we put him in our top 10 on a podcast in the offseason.
Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN
2013 Stats: 45 Rec, 469 Yds, 4 TD (+ 5 other TD's!)
2014 Projection: 60 Rec, 900 Total Yds, 10 Total TD's
2014 Ranking/ADP: 50 Overall / 51 ADP
(Rankings and ADP from 8/14/14)
Patterson is a fun player to watch. He's got the chance to score every time he touches the ball, and his 9 TD's in three different ways last year goes to prove that. Patterson will be given an increased role in Minnesota this season, and will not be held back by weak quarterbacks as much as his teammates. He has value as a runner and returner, which accounted for 5 of his TD's last year. Patterson was only targeted 77 times last year and I expect that number to go up to near 100. He's currently sitting at the end of the 5th/beginning of the 6th round. He's got a great nose for the end zone and he'll be a great WR3 or flex guy to throw in there this year. Touchdowns mean consistent week-to-week scoring, which is fantasy gold.
Markus Wheaton, PIT
2013 Stats: 6 Rec, 64 Yds
2014 Projection: 65 Rec, 900 Yds, 6 TD
2014 Ranking/ADP: 125 Overall / 174 ADP
(Rankings and ADP from 8/14/14)
Wheaton's 2013 campaign was severely hampered by not one, but two broken fingers - Ouch! Thus far in camp, that injury is showing no lingering effects of the injury. There is no lingering competition, either. Wheaton has the 'X' receiver spot all sewn up, and the 113 receptions that Sanders and Cotchery had need to go somewhere. Expect Wheaton's targets to be somewhere north of 100 and to be an important cog in the up-tempo offense that Pittsburgh will be running this year. Wheaton will definitely be the second guy behind Antonio Brown, but after that, there is really no competition for targets for Wheaton. He has all the talent needed to fill that role on the Steelers, it will just come down to staying healthy. Wheaton's ADP shows that he isn't even drafted in most 10 and 12 team leagues. Wheaton will be a HUGE pickup at the very end of the draft to add quality depth to your roster.
DeAndre Hopkins, HOU
2013 Stats: 52 Rec, 802 Yds, 2 TD's
2014 Projection:70 Rec, 950 Yds, 5 TD
2014 Ranking/ADP: 105 Overall / 126 ADP
(Rankings and ADP from 8/14/14)
Last year, Hopkins had a very respectable 802 yards, but didn't find the end zone enough to be a valuable fantasy player. Houston's awful QB situation last year did him no favors. The addition of Ryan Fitzpatrick is a steady hand that will assure that this does not happen two years in a row. Hopkins had a nice 15 yards per reception and should see increased targets and receptions this year. As long as he can find the end zone a few more times, he will be very worthy of spot starts and bye week replacement duty. His draft position shows he's a very late round flier - I'd suggest Wheaton first though.
Kenny Stills, NO
2013 Stats: 32 Rec, 641 Yds, 5 TD's
2014 Projection: 64 Rec, 1200 Yds, 8 TD
2014 Ranking/ADP: 130 Overall / 161 ADP
(Rankings and ADP from 8/14/14)
Stills is probably my favorite late round flier, and the guy who I will be taking as often as I can - at the end of the draft that is. Last year, Stills lead the league in yards per reception with 20 yards per catch. During the offseason, the Saints got rid of Lance Moore and Darren Sproles whom had a combined 143 targets. We all know that Drew Brees is going to sling the ball all over the place - he had 650 pass attempts last year, his lowest in 4 years (though still insanely high). The Saints are as pass-heavy as any team in the league and Stills is a burner who will catch the ball. Brees will trust him more in year two, and he should double his targets. Stills reminds me of a young DeSean Jackson, but with a better QB.
Terrance Williams, DAL
2013 Stats: 44 Rec, 736 Yds, 5 TD
2014 Projection: 70 Rec, 1000 Yds, 8 TD
2014 Ranking/ADP: 78 Overall / 92 ADP
(Rankings and ADP from 8/14/14)
Williams is in a similar situation to Markus Wheaton. They are both the unquestioned starter opposite a stud #1 receiver (Dez Bryant and Antonio Brown, respectively). They are also both moving up the line because the team got rid of an older receiver. Weird coincidences aside, Terrance Williams did get a lot more experience last year compared to Wheaton. Williams was good for almost 17 yards per catch last year, and won't slow down in his increased role with the high flying Dallas offense. Tony Romo also likes to throw the ball - maybe not as much as Drew Brees, but the Cowboys are certainly a pass first kind of team. Being drafted in the 10th round would be great value for him, but don't hesitate to reach for him in the 9th. That's where you draft WR4's and 5's and Williams is going to be a 3 for sure, with potential to be a WR2.
