One of the key factors that separates good fantasy drafters from bad fantasy drafters is finding value players. As the main objective of fantasy is to outscore your opponent, good drafters find ways to fill empty lineup spots with the best players every game. But even great, high-round players get hurt, have bad stretches, or have bad years. One way around this is to draft depth with players who are overlooked or undervalued who have the potential to break out or consistently contribute. A part of this is identifying wide receiver sleepers to draft in the later rounds.
Due to the value of QBs, the WR position has taken an immensely increased role in winning games in the NFL over the last 10 years. This has caused WRs to become extremely valuable in fantasy football. As a result, they are being drafted higher and higher every year. In this article, I want to share six fantasy WRs who are being undervalued in fantasy rankings.
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Khalil Shakir | WR Bills
Khalil Shakir is my favorite undervalued WR in the NFL for the 2024 NFL season. Not only do I predict he has a breakout year, but I believe Shakir will be the Bills WR1 in 2024. In 2023, Shakir caught 39 passes for 611 yards and scored two TDs in 17 games. Additionally, he scored two TDs in the playoffs. However, Shakir led the NFL in these advanced statistics:
- Passer rating when targeted according to PFF – 133.6
- Most yards per target – 13.6 yards
- Production premium of +21.1
The Bills WR room has been shaken up after Stefon Diggs was traded to the Texans and Gabe Davis signed a three-year deal with the Jaguars this offseason. These departures alleviated the WR1 and WR2 roles for the Bills. This offseason, rankings are projecting that Bills 2024 second-round pick Keon Coleman (Underdog ADP at 79.1) will be their leading WR in 2024. However, I do not. Koleman at MSU and FSU was a low-volume, low-separation WR who thrived at the catch point. If I were a fantasy drafter, I would much rather put my eggs in Shakir’s basket. Shakir is a true slot receiver that can separate at all three levels of the field. Additionally, he can explode after the catch for TDs. With an Underdog ADP of 109.3, I believe Shakir will be the Bills WR1 in 2024. Shakir will go over 1,000 receiving yards.
Ladd McConkey | WR Chargers
Ladd McConkey was one of my favorite players in the 2024 NFL Draft. Not only did I have him ranked No. 24 on my NFL Draft Big Board, but I had him as my WR6 in the best WR class I’ve ever seen. The 2x National Champion at Georgia never had spectacular stats. His career high in yards was 726 in 2022. In 2023, in nine games, he only caught 30 passes for 478 yards with 2 TDs. However, McConkey is a spectacular route runner. His insane ankle flexion allows him to cut in and out of routes quickly. McConkey was also extremely efficient with 3.26 yards per route run (No. 8 in FBS) in 2023.
The Chargers made an excellent decision drafting him with the No. 34 overall pick this year. Not only will he replace Keenan Allen (traded to the Bears this offseason), but he will be the Chargers WR1 when healthy. And I am not worried when I look at his competition in the WR room. Joshua Palmer is good, but not a WR1. Quentin Johnston seemingly lost the ability to hall in balls in his catch-radius. McConkey is the most talented guy in their WR room. With an Underdog ADP of 70.7, he can act as a deep threat (with 4.39 speed), or as an intermediate route runner.
Adam Thielen | WR Panthers
Adam Thielen is currently Underdogs WR72. Thielen is also only projected for 591 receiving yards and three TDs on Sleeper. Now three factors will limit Thielen’s potential production in 2024:
- The Panther’s offense was the No. 32 ranked offense in 2023. They will likely be a bottom 20 offense in 2024.
- Thielen will turn 34 years old in August.
- The Panthers added Diontae Johnson in a trade with the Steelers. The Panthers also drafted Xavier Legette in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Fantasy rankings have also mimicked how the public views the Panthers WR room. According to Underdog Fantasy, Johnson has an ADP of 72.7. Legette with an ADP of 137.9. Thielen has an ADP of 158.0. However, we can’t forget that Thielen caught 103 receptions for 1,014 receiving yards and four receiving TDs with Bryce Young in 2023. Even with added competition, Thielen complements Young’s play style the best compared to Legette and Johnson. Young thrives best throwing short and in open space. Thielen consistently fills this role.
Thielen also played 17 games last season and didn’t show signs of extreme athletic decline. Additionally, his separation ability is still on par. And since 2019, Thielen hasn’t finished a season under 60 receptions or 700 receiving yards. Thielen is a low-risk, high-floor WR with the potential to get 90+ targets in a full season. As a result, Thielen is one of the under the radar wide receiver sleepers to target in fantasy drafts.
Troy Franklin | WR Broncos
Over the past four seasons, we have seen three examples of rookie WRs joining their college QBs in the NFL and having great production:
- Ja’Marr Chase with Joe Burrow in 2022: 81 receptions, 1455 yards, 13 TDs.
- Devonta Smith with Jalen Hurts in 2021: 64 receptions, 916 yards, 5 TDs.
- Jaylen Waddle with Tua Tagovailoa in 2021: 104 receptions (rookie record in 2021), 1,015 yards, 6 TDs.
The Denver Broncos selected Franklin with the No. 102 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Thus, reuniting him with his college QB Bo Nix who was the No. 12 overall pick. Troy Franklin was Oregon’s WR 1 in 2023 with 81 receptions for 1,383 receiving yards (No. 6 in FBS) and caught 14 receiving TDs (T-3rd) in 13 games.
His production might not be as great as Chase’s, Smith’s, and Waddle’s, who were all top 10 picks in the NFL Draft. However, stacking college WRs with their college QBs has proven to work well in fantasy, and Franklin could continue this trend. With his connection with Nix from Oregon, Franklin could be the Broncos WR1 even as a rookie. Nix and Franklin will connect often on crossing routes and go routes. This is what they thrived on in college. And with an Underdog ADP of 171.7, Franklin, with a full rookie season, could end up with 800+ receiving yards and 5+ touchdowns. If he hits that ceiling outcome, Franklin will be amongst the wide receiver sleepers that helped you win your league!
Romeo Doubs | WR Packers
Romeo Doubs, in his sophomore season, put up career numbers with 59 receptions, 674 yards, and scored eight TDs in 2023. Doubs also had a stellar 151-yard, 1 TD performance against the Cowboys in the Wild Card round. However, Doubs is coming into 2024 ranked lower than both Christian Watson and Jayden Reed. Underdog Fantasy has Doubs ranked as their WR53 with an ADP of 105.0. Reed is their WR34. Watson is their WR45.
The difference between Doubs and Reed isn’t as drastic as their ADPs. They only had a two-target difference in 2023 (Reed – 94 vs Doubs – 96), and both had the same number of red-zone targets (17 each). Reed did outproduce Doubs in terms of yards (793), yards after catch (Reed – 348 vs Doubs – 138), and yards per route run (Reed – 2.05 vs Doubs – 1.32). However, as the Packers X WR, Doubs takes more difficult boundary matchups and has to win primarily at the catch point (25 contested targets in 2023).
The Packers caught fire down the stretch of last season, winning six of their last eight games, and had a playoff win. And in 2024, the Packers’ offense as a whole should continue to thrive. Jordan Love evenly distributed targets between four different WRs, but Doubs and Reed separated themselves down the stretch. With that said, Doubs might not out-produce Reed, but Doubs should out-produce his undervalued ADP, and should be a top 35 fantasy wide receiver. At his current price, he is among the top wide receiver sleepers.
Jameson Williams | WR Lions
Jameson Williams hasn’t quite reached the production level of a former first round pick. After being drafted with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Williams has only played in 18 regular season games in two years. And in 2023, Williams had 24 receptions, 354 receiving yards, and three total TDs in 12 regular season games, after being suspended six games due to gambling. So, why should Williams be considered in our wide receiver sleepers list?
Jameson Williams is a true deep threat. At Alabama, he continuously won over the top with his speed and was tracked running 21.4 MPH against the Cowboys in 2023. His PFF average depth of target of 16.0 (No. 7) in 2023 only supports the notion that he could gain a ton of yards downfield. However, he hasn’t had a consistent role in the Lions offense, and Goff had the No. 36 lowest average depth of target of 7.3 yards in 2023 (among qualified QBs).
For Williams to break out, he will need to capitalize on his opportunities down the field and continue to increase his role in the Lions offense. Lucky for Williams, he has a lot of potential volume to capitalize on. The Lions were the No. 2 passing offense in the league with 4,401 total passing yards. With OC Ben Johnson returning, the Lions will continue to be a dominant offense. With an Underdog ADP 84.5, Williams could have a career year if he capitalizes on opportunity with an increased every-down role.
For more from Alex Regan, check out this article – NFL Players Who Will Breakout in 2024 | 2024 Fantasy Football (playerprofiler.com)
