This weekly series covers several cost-efficient wide receivers who provide massive upside for GPP tournament lineups. These are typically wideouts with high volatility in a pass-heavy environment in a game projected to produce a lot of points. We’ll use advanced stats and metrics from the PlayerProfiler Data Analysis Tool to identify each player.
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Justin Jefferson had a quiet Week 5 after a few breakout performances in the weeks prior. He racked up 11 receptions for 278 yards and a touchdown in Weeks 3 and 4, amid a massive breakout and takeover of the WR2 job in Minnesota. After putting up incredible numbers and testing as an elite athlete at the NFL Combine, we knew it was only a matter of time before we saw this type of breakout. Jefferson now ranks top-five among qualified wide receivers in Yards Per Reception, Yards Per Target, and Expected Points Added; also ranking No. 9 with 2.77 Yards Per Route Run.
Justin Jefferson Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Jefferson has been targeted down field and has been efficient with those targets. As is true with any rookie, he’ll be inconsistent and post some duds like we saw in Week 5, but he has shown us the ability to put up huge numbers in the right matchups. Week 6 has the makings of one of those weeks. The Falcons have allowed the seventh-most Fantasy Points per Game to opposing wide receivers and this game is expected to shoot out with a 54.5 projected point total. The upside is massive and the cost is reasonable at $6,000 on DraftKings.
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
After taking a few weeks to acclimate to the NFL game, Tee Higgins has seen 24 targets over the last three weeks. He has converted those into 13 receptions for 179 yards and two scores, scoring double-digit fantasy points in each game. His role had been expanding week-to-week and he is now in for an elevated role with A.J. Green sidelined by a hamstring injury. Higgins has drawn eight (No. 9) Deep Targets with a 30.3-percent (No. 23) Air Yards Share. Those numbers will go up with Green, who ranks No. 10 with 501 Air Yards, out of the lineup. The matchup isn’t great, but at $4,700, the upside vs. cost can’t be denied.
A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans
A.J. Brown returned to Tennessee’s lineup with a strong performance in Tuesday night’s 42-16 win over the Bills. He caught seven-of-nine targets for 82 yards and a touchdown in his first game back since suffering a bone bruise in his knee in Week 1. With Corey Davis and Adam Humphries on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Brown jumped right back into his WR1 role. This week’s game against the Texans has a projected total of 54.5 points, among the highest of Week 6, so there should be plenty of opportunity for Brown to see targets and score again. It’s extremely rare to find a team’s alpha WR1 priced under $6,000 on Draftkings, but that’s exactly what we have with Brown this week. Fire him up at a shockingly low $5,600.
Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers
Chase Claypool may be the chalk considering his low cost of just $5,200 on DraftKings and the insane performance he put up in Week 4 against the Eagles. With that said, he’s still worth talking about here. While we certainly can’t expect another four-touchdown outing, Claypool is in line for more big weeks. The rookie from Notre Dame took over as Pittsburgh’s top receiving option after Diontae Johnson left in the first quarter of Sunday’s game with a back injury. If Johnson remains out, Claypool will continue to command targets.
Check out Chase Claypool on PlayerProfiler’s Updated Weekly Rankings and Projections:
At 6-4, 238-pounds with a 99th-percentile Speed Score and 92nd-percentile Burst Score, Claypool is a dominant athlete that can go off for big weeks at any time. The more volume he sees, the more likely he is to break a big play. Despite limited playing time before Week 5 and the Week 4 bye, Claypool ranks No. 13 with seven Deep Targets and No. 12 with 17.6 Fantasy Points per Game. He’s been efficient with his opportunities, ranking No. 2 in both Fantasy Points Per Route with 0.95 and Fantasy Points Per Target with a 3.52 average. He ranks No. 1 with a +55.6 Production Premium while landing in the top-five in Yards Per Reception, Yards Per Route Run, and Yards Per Target, with an Expected Points Added mark in the top-10.
