Rookie Preview (Wide Receiver edition part 2)
7) Michael Pittman Jr. (Colts) ADP:148
At 6'4 225 Pittman is a big physical receiver. That's something Rivers is used to and could lead to instant chemistry. On tape he shows he knows how to use his size to an advantage by boxing out DBs and winning 50/50 balls. He plays a QB friendly style giving a big target to throw at and getting decent separation by being sudden in and out of his breaks and always working back to his QB when the play breaks down. His routes could use some fine tuning. He tends to round off his breaks and could sell the fake on double moves a bit more. The biggest concern for me is a path to targets. Colts still have TY and he is the undoubted #1 if healthy and they spent a 2nd round pick on Parris Campbell last year and early reports out of camp have Parris as the #2 and if that stays the same I don't see Pittman making any noise in redraft this year being in what figures to be a runn heavy scheme. I'll be keeping an eye on the situation but if he doesn't pass Campbell on the depth chart I'll only be drafting him in keeper and dynasty formats.
I really liked Tee Higgins as a talent at Clemson. He has NFL #1 potential. Now he's paired with the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck and they were reported to already be building chemistry on their own time over the summer. That's a great sign. At 6'4 215 he's big and can create separation with his physicality and speed. Highpoints the ball well and good at body posititionig against smaller DBs. He's not as fearless as Jefferson going over the middle but he's fairly dominant in the red zone. Needs to work on route running at the pro level and not rely on his size and speed as much as it's more mitigated at the pro level. As for his path to targets it seems he was drafted to take AJ Greens place in that offense if Green were to miss time. He's not nearly as talented but he's the same type of player. So for him to have value in redraft this season I think Green would have to miss some time. That's actually not that bad of a bet. He's basically free in redraft so in deeper leagues he's worth a shot twards the final round of your draft.
9) Bryan Edwards (Raiders) ADP:187
Reports out of camp are that Bryan Edwards is practicing his way into the starting WR role. I'll admit first thing I thought was Anquan Boldin when i turned the tape on. This kid is special. He was limited by his teams QB play for sure but his talent is apparent. He jumps off the screen. Hes strong, athletic, and has a knack for the big play. I could see him becoming Carr's 1st option sooner rather than later. His ADP of 187 means you can get him cheap. I'm getting as many shares as I can. You should too
Mims is my favorite late round target. Watch some tape on the guy and you immediately see why. He's a super talented WR. Huge strong hands and plucks the ball out of the air. 50/50 balls are closer to 90/10 when throwing at him he is a bully against smaller defenders. Deadly in the redzone he can be a star in this league. He had a little injury in training camp which might delay his development but I think he'll get there. He's definitely raw and needs to fine tune his game as a WR in the NFL but the traits he has can't be taught. In fantasy the problem is Gase. The Jets run a slow offense that isn't particularly efficient and targets the slot above everything else in the passing game and that's Crowder's job. I love Mims in dynasty and keeper formats but unfortunately in redraft I don't see him producing immediately
11) Laviska Shenault Jr (Jaguars) ADP:222
Viska is an interesting player. If he would have declared in 2018 some argue he would have been one of the top 2 WRs in the draft. He played 2019 under 100% and slipped down boards but of the jags drafted the guy from 2018 they found a gem. Viska is a scrappy run after the catch type with velcro for hands. He fights for every yard and has a RB mentality once he gets the ball. He can play in the slot or outside but I think he's best suited for a slot role. Unfortunately for fantasy purposes Dede should be the slot man in Jax but if he should miss time or Viska pushes him for snaps it will be fun to see play out. In deeper leagues I may take a shot on him late in drafts but he's a gem for dynasty formats.
That about wraps it up for the WRs there's a few other interesting guys to keep an eye on their respective depth charts that could have a fantasy impact. One is Devin Duvernay who could be fun in the slot for Baltimore another is Donavon Peoples-Jones who will get work at kick returns and is super athletic and a playmaker. If he can push Higgins for snaps in Cleveland there might be some upside there. Chase Claypool is another guy in Pittsburgh who is a great blocker which could get him on the field sooner rather than later.
Thanks for reading and follow me on Twitter @chris_cianci
Next blog will cover QBs and TEs
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