Transcript
Speaker: Chaser Puka at wide receiver one. JSN or Amon Rod, wide receiver three. And once you get past the elite receivers, our rankings are all over the place. We're tiering the entire wire receiver board. Let's get into it.
Speaker: Let's go. Let's go yeah We are back. We are back. these These one week, these episodes every week now, it's from getting back into the groove. Fantasy football season is here. Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to another fantastic episode of the Bush League Huddle Fancy Football Podcast. How we doing? I'm Fab, and I'm joined, as always, with Roger Knack.
Speaker: um Why receiver tiers? probably the funnest tier and also the hardest tier that we had to go through. um Very exciting this this this episode. The position is super deep. ah As always, but still.
Speaker: a bears to mention. Probably the position where knowing when to attack the tiers really... We matter the most. A quick plug. If you miss our running back and quarterback tiers, both are in the description. So please follow us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.
Speaker: You'll find these episodes as well as other episodes as well. then they're all been fantastic. These tier episodes have really been the highlight of my summer because the weather in Montreal has been absolute garbage. Um,
Speaker: always I digress. and We're going to be digressing a lot. So yeah. Five tiers. We'll move quickly through the obvious names and spend our time where we actually disagree, which... the majority of the episode if you guys have been following since the very beginning uh but first Very important milestone. We want to welcome our new partner to the show.
Speaker: rival Fantasy. ah So Rival actually fits perfectly. with what we're doing today. You can build your own positional rankings, as you can see on the screen. ah You can move players up and down on your board, create your own tiers. compare players, and then build an entire draft strategy around them. And that includes super flex leads.
Speaker: So while you're yelling at us for having GSN third or. or whoever. We have too high. Go build your board. uh check out rival fantasy ryvl fantasy our link is on the screen and in the description um I've been using it for for a little while now. I have to say, super impressed. Really, really good. I'm definitely going to be using it on my draft day.
Speaker: So. If I do well or not, it's entirely not Rival's fault. I promise you that. It's going to totally fall on my shoulders as usual. But enough of that. Rebel Fantasy. All right, Nak, tier one is yours. Let's get into it. Let's go.
Speaker: Yes, thank you, Fab. The alpha tier, as we call it. So the receivers, you really build your draft around. So elite volume, elite ceiling, and very cute sorry very few questions.
Speaker: At number one, ah no -brainer here, Jamar Chase, elite in every measurable last season, and a healthy burrow gives him that. WR1 upside again.
Speaker: At number two, we've got Mr. Puka Nakua, finished as WR1 last season. And Rams projected to be one of football's highest scoring offenses as well. And Fab is actually taking him ahead of Chase.
Speaker: And we've got... Last year's breakout candidate was Jackson Smith in the Jigba, carried Seattle's passing game with a massive 35 % target share. And the question is, what happens to that number with Shaheed there now full time?
Speaker: At number four, we've got Amon Ra, St. Brown. Top three PPR finisher, three straight seasons. Maybe the safest weekly profile in the entire tier. And to round out the first tier, we've got CD Lam.
Speaker: Only played 13 games last season and still remain one of fantasy's elite volumes bets. And Pickens now entering year two in Dallas adds some intrigue to that. So while I actually, and Roger and myself actually have Chase first, Fab has Puka first.
Speaker: Roger, if you're sitting at the top of the draft and both are free. or both are there. You know, why chase? Over. Pooka. I think it's it's a matter of preference. It's a matter of who do you trust more at quarterback, whether it's Joe Burrow or Matthew Stafford. For me, it's Chase.
Speaker: look at the season he had last year 185 targets despite still having another player there in t higgins as a bona fide what wr2 we know the relationship that chase has with burrow is absolutely Fantastic. it's the best relationship QB wide server relationship.
Speaker: There is. And he's a touchdown machine. He's still a touchdown machine, and he's still produced, even though Burrow was out, I think, in eight games or so last year. I want to say eight games, 63 catches, 670 yards. four touchdowns.
Speaker: And that was with Joe Flacco and Jake Browning. So for me, it's Chase. He's ace. a bet to at least go over 10 touchdowns every single year. He had that 17 touchdown season. Puka had, he had a 10 touchdown season last year, but.
Speaker: in a Two prior years, he's been at six or three. and the injury history with puka you know I feel like he's always nicked up. Even though he plays, he's always nicked up. There's so there's always you know the way he plays. He gets hurt. He comes back up.
Speaker: I don't want to have to deal with that. That stress of having puka is a real thing for me. So it's a tough one for sure, but I just i just love the target share. touchdowns.
Speaker: and the relationship with joey burrow 185 targets is actually madness. It's insane. It is insane. 185 targets. Yeah, i look, at this one for me too is really...
Speaker: um a no -brainer this he's he's number one for sure and like you said if joe burrell stays healthy There's no reason to believe he can't be... wide receiver one again this year.
Speaker: But those two are basically... you know, a ceiling argument. The next decision is A little bit different because now we're... um Talking ceiling versus certainty. So Jason, as we mentioned, or as I mentioned before,
Speaker: And one of the highest target shares we've seen at 35%. So I ask you, Fab, with Shahid now there full -time, Are you expecting regression from JSN or is that one of the safest picks in the draft?
Speaker: ah minimal regression just regression just for the sake of that it's easier to bet on him losing target shares going down to like, let's say 32%. versus him climbing target shares and going up to like 37 or 38%, which is still like not impossible, I think. um Yeah. But I mean, I'm, this is this to me, like, this is the safest.
Speaker: This is one of the safest, not the safest bet that you can make. He commanded that high of a target share because he's a focal point of that offense. he's He's the first look. On every read,
Speaker: He. is the engine, he's the motor. He was good even before. Sam Darnold. the year before he finishes wide receiver nine. with like uh I think it was like 127 targets or 137 targets. And that was with DK Metcalf on the other side. Right. So.
Speaker: um I mean, I have zero concerns about this at all. If it dips a bit, it dips slightly, but we're still talking about like an elite, elite, elite target share. um And he's still going to be a bona fide wide receiver one and probably finish in the top five. Top three, top two, like without a doubt in my mind, yeah.
Speaker: so no i'm not really uh i'm i'm expecting a regression just because by the by the mathematical odds that exist out there, but it's not a regression that I'm concerned about, quite frankly. Yeah, that's what I was going to say. It's going to be pretty hard to replicate what he had. I think he had 117 catches for like almost 1 ,800 yards. How many touchdowns did he have last year? He had 10 touchdowns, yeah. He had a bonkers season. That is going to be tough to replicate, and it's it's really like it doesn't get replicated.
Speaker: very often, but no i if i he's still one of the safest. wide receivers to take in the draft. 100%. If I can just add one more point. I know he came out of the same...
Speaker: year at Ohio State with Chris Olave and I think Drake London, if I'm not mistaken. or Or something like that. Anyways. everyone I was talking about all the other guys.
Speaker: of that draft class of of that ohio state draft class but the guys in the wide receiver room the lobbies of the world and all that they were saying watch out for jsn He's the guy. He's the alpha. and yeah he's definitely he's like he's the guy if he replicates another 1800 yards and like 10 or 12 touchdowns like i will not be so there'll be no question um about his his ability i agree yeah Yeah, oh that 100 % is just going to be really, really tough to replicate.
Speaker: um Quick follow -up question, actually. If it's JSN or Amun -Ra, are you chasing the JSN ceiling or taking the safer, steady bet in Amun -Ra? So this is a very good question. and
Speaker: And this depends on if you are risk averse or not, because the most set it and forget it. Why receiver one that we've seen the last like five years is I'm on Ross St. Brown. Like I know Roger, you like to compare him. You like to say death by a thousand, but it's death for your opponent. It's not death for you. Right. Like, and then.
Speaker: So if you have any inkling of a concern, go with Amon Ross St. Brown. Like, I won't even be upset about it. I won't even be angry. It it it is the safest wide receiver play.
Speaker: you can think of and that probably includes Jamar chase and puka no cool because one likes to bite women and the other one all depends on how he's gonna be I was quarterback play is going to happen, right? So that that's my two cents in that regard. That's like that's it. like And even CeeDee Lamb, I know we're going to get into him in two.
Speaker: You're doing all that stuff, but. We're talking about the Alpha Y receivers, the safest ones on the board right now. uh the sun god for me is the safest so yeah i can see a world I can see a world with that world where that would be the... a safer pick for sure.
Speaker: Whoever had nine minutes and 20 seconds to get puka and is biting into this episode, while you're you're the winner. only to I'm so happy. i it second but but But just the Amun -Ra thing, honestly, like I can't say anything anymore. He's just so consistent. and yeah he's he's He's not just a slot demon anymore. And that's kind of what I think. I always said he was like, you know.
Speaker: Just ah an advanced Wes Welker. It's not the case. And he beats you inside. He beats you outside. He's a touchdown machine. I think he was one of the best red zone wide receivers. in the nfl so i have to agree with with i i there and one last point before i pass it off to fab here he is also dinged up here and there a game here or a game there and still finishes top three bulldog You know what I mean? like that's That's crazy. He's usually when you see injuries, that's when that's when wide receivers start to dip, but he does miss some time.
Speaker: And we missed a game or two last year as well. And, you know, still finishing in the top three, which is absolutely amazing. Yeah. But again, I digress. That will do it for Tier 1. Fab, I will give you Tier 2.
Speaker: There it is. Tier two. These are your every week wide receiver ones. You draft them to start. Every week, the talented established. You're betting on environment, health, or potentially another step forward.
Speaker: So we're starting off with Jay Jettis over there, Justin Jefferson. He's still produced. despite Minnesota's passing game collapsing down the stretch. Kyler Murray has ah has arrived and he has been declared the starter. nurse for Kevin O 'Connell's offense, so it gives him a path.
Speaker: Straight back to the elite tier. A .J. Brown Reading Rainbow himself. Why receiver 11 despite under... Kevin Petullo. disaster and that messy hurt situation in Philly last year. So now with Drake May, year three Drake May in the McDonald's offense.
Speaker: completely changes the environment for him. George Pickens exploded without CD Lam. and was far quieter beside Sorry, far far quieter beside him. Year $2 makes up for that target split.
Speaker: One of the biggest questions in this tier. Drake London. Elite per -game production across 12 games. Szafanski's arriving gives him another Another potential area to unlock for another ascending situation. If Crystal Lave commanded targets last season remains the clear focal point in New Orleans passing game.
Speaker: Shuck gives his offense some legitimate upside. and he he was on fire last year at one point. like He was just really killing it. My boy, Nico Collins, ah three straight years of 1 ,000 -plus yards and six -plus TDs.
Speaker: Availability is usually the concern with him, not whether he can produce or not. And. Malik neighbors barely got to see He's in last year. He got like three and a half games or three games at a quarter.
Speaker: Almost fully healthy with darts. entering year two. And I am much more aggressive on the rebound than NAC is to nobody's surprise, really, let's be honest. And Rasheed Rice, Mahomes is underneath volume, Machine One healthy. Two straight shortened seasons is really what kept him out of Tier 1 territory.
Speaker: So. George Pickens averaged about 24 .2 points per game without Lamb and 16 .1 points per game with him in the lineup. Knock. With Lama Healthy again. Which version of Pickens are you actually paying for?
Speaker: Now you're going to be paying for his 16 to 18 points per game version, definitely not the 24 -point version. uh he proved the ceiling is is enormous when lamb is out but when lamb was healthy With Latin Healthy. I'm not drafting Pickens expecting him to dominate targets every single week.
Speaker: especially with him being on the tag So the good news is. He doesn't need Lamb to you know disappear to be valuable. We already saw him produce, like we said, roughly 16 points per game alongside him.
Speaker: And Pickens gives Dallas the vertical explosive element that um can turn in. turned seven to eight targets into a huge week. He doesn't need all that many targets. So you're drafting him.
Speaker: All right. WR9. versus like a WR -10 -ish in the market. I'm comfortable paying the price. But I'm drafting him as like.
Speaker: the highest end WR2 with legitimate WR1 upside. Just put... I'm not paying for last year's lamb. land was stretched because I don't think that the target environment is is replaceable. so You're getting him.
Speaker: for the 16 closer to the 16 .1 than the 24 point Two. Points per game. So at that spot, I guess you're slightly overpaying. And you might even be. Paying for what might happen if CD long He does get injured at some point if he gets injured. It's the same situation as we were in last year with Chase and Higgins. I believe they were going 1 and 9 or 10.
Speaker: It's the same situation. And for me, it's like. Yep. I'd rather pay almost four pickings at the lesser than lamb at the higher. you know Just because you're just getting more of a...
Speaker: of a of a bargain but it's just a it's tough I always hate having that WR1. That's a WR2 on the team. Yeah. yeah and even kegan it's like goes a little bit Even though he's going to. produce yeah he's still the wr2 in dallas right so Yep.
Speaker: hundred I'm going to ask a question that doesn't need to be answered at all. But. Oh. Are we sure CeeDee Lamb is the better of the two wide receivers? Yes. From what I saw last year, I'm yeah i'm not i'm not i'm not particularly yeah certain, to be honest. It's no knock on George Pickens. On ceiling, Raj? I think you might be onto something. because He made one.
Speaker: He made he he's. Even at camp, who's like they're they're showing videos of this guy. he's he's The way he bends and makes catches is just unreal. Yeah, to me, he has this he has the speed to go deep. He has a sidelined ability to catch anything.
Speaker: And he has he also has the speed to to run after catch. Versus Lime is very much. more a slot player but I think we're gonna this is going to be the year we see it. Are we? Are we really putting all our eggs and and in the basket for a camp video again? Is that what we're doing? Is that what we're doing? wow he's and He's obviously shown it in in real life scenarios. I'm just saying, you've seen camp videos. its so
Speaker: Speaking of cat videos, I don't know if there were any cat videos for this one. Anyways. but Pickens? It's a very great conversation for George Pickens. I fully agree. it's It's a very good argument, very good conversation.
Speaker: but Pickens is about how much another elite wide receiver can really affect the ceiling. I mentioned that. We mentioned with, like you know, with. with with Chase and Tiggins and all that. The next two, we kind of know that they're the focal point of the offense.
Speaker: The question is really how much can we trust? the offensive environment so Also a plug into one of our previous episodes as well. We actually spoke about that. And these guys did come into that episode. So please.
Speaker: Listen to that episode too. It happened about a few weeks back. So the question I have right now was really for Justin Jefferson and Drake London. They're coming at a very similar price with questions around their offenses.
Speaker: Raj, which one are you actually more comfortable building your fantasy roster around? I still trust. Jay Jedis more than Drake London. despite the quarterback situation because i've seen j jettas do it and i've seen him do it with mediocre quarterback play and i know how bad it was last year even with um like Even with the first half, it was 9 .7 fantasy points per game. Second half was 4 .5 fantasy points per game. I get it. It was rough.
Speaker: But we did see an improvement that last game of the season, week 18. He went eight for one to one. I believe JJ McCarthy was the quarterback in that game. So we saw some proof that.
Speaker: there was some signs of life afterwards. And obviously, there's that the aspect of Kyler Murray. Kyler Murray, yes, he gets poo -pooed on. Yes, he's not. been necessarily the bona fide number one pick we all thought he was, but we've seen what he can do.
Speaker: with DeAndre Hopkins. We've seen what he can do. in certain spurts with Trey McBride. Yep. Right. So I definitely knowing what. We saw with J .J. McCarthy, with other quarterbacks they've had, knowing that Kyler Murray is there. he He recently won the job. I'm way more confident in Justin Jefferson. It's not to say that Drake London can't get there, but I just feel there's always something with Drake London every year, whether it's an injury, whether he goes like four or five games.
Speaker: you know without without a ah like significant amount of catches or touchdowns and he explodes for another few games i just feel Aside from last year where, yes, Justin Jefferson was inconsistent, I feel there's more inconsistency with Drake London than there is with Justin Jefferson.
Speaker: Yeah, the the the argument is very interesting, though, and I'm just going to end on this point over here, right? Like you mentioned. ah the offensive environment now, so I agree Kyler Murray and I've been on and I've Even. Planet 10 toes down, and I think that Kyler Murray is actually going to be a very viable fantasy quarterback this year. A lot of that has to do with that offensive environment. A lot of it has to do with that. is Justin Jefferson.
Speaker: Now, you mentioned Drake London. Is there a bump that we can give? and Because Tua's throwing him the ball versus Michael Penix and Kirk Cousins with a broken ACL. Sorry, excuse me, Achilles? so but Like I was. I think we talked about it. I think the Falcons offense can be functional.
Speaker: because to that that's the perfect offense for Tua. If you're asking me in a vacuum, though, like I personally still like George Pickens even over London. I know we're not we're talking about Justin Jefferson, but I still kind of ding them a little bit because of the fact that.
Speaker: it's there's still some uncertainty with that quarterback situation right and even Tua The fit with London isn't. a perfect fit in terms of the types of quarterbacks that i think london I think London, in theory, would fare better with someone like Penix.
Speaker: But. it's It's a tough one. i it's it's the The target share is there. 30 % target share last year. 16 .8 points per game in 12 games. But I think...
Speaker: I'm going with more of the proven commodity. in justin jefferson Somehow still able to get a thousand yards last year. i listen I like that answer, and i and I also agree with that, too. I think Justin Jefferson is is the safer.
Speaker: And also the higher ceiling as well. So that's great. So, Roger, we're going to continue this question. I'm going to hand it off to you over here. you can Jump right into tier three. you don know yes yes tier three upside wide receiver two so these are weekly starters with wr1 weeks in them There is a role quarterback and break breakout potential that start separating boards. So in this tier, we have Devante Smith.
Speaker: Zay Flowers, Lottie McConkie, Emeka Abuka. Jaden Waddell. Garrett Wilson, I have him 24th. Fab has him 16th, just ah worthy of note. T. Higgins, Tedroy McMillan. Devontae Adams, DJ Moore, Luther Burden, Terry McLaurin.
Speaker: and we rounded out with mike evans so this this is kind of where our board really starts separating so Higgins scored 11 touchdowns last year. And knock. is considerably more aggressive on him than Fab.
Speaker: Fab. hickens or rishi rice at roughly the same price Who do you trust?
Speaker: So this is definitely a ceiling versus floor conversation. Higgins, you're going to get your floor. Rishi Rice is going to get your ceiling. so The. the The upside wide receiver to like assuming that you drafted a bona fide wide receiver one that can really carry the team like I would swing for the fences and take Rashid Rice as my wide receiver too and I'll be very excited about it because you're looking at a guy who is going to be the motor in that offense, who you're going to be a guy who Mahomes looks at early and often.
Speaker: talk about death from a thousand cuts like that this guy over here he gets you 13 receptions for like 80 yards it's not exciting but in a ppr league this will win you games this will win you weeks And Rasheed Rice playing against him at a few times last year when he was healthy and out of jail.
Speaker: It was very frustrating. It was very, very frustrating because he he does that to your offense. So a hundred percent for me, it's, it's Rishi Rice. Again, we we spoke about it already. I don't have to really mention all that much. but The value of Higgins is very much tier two.
Speaker: the availability of Jamar Chase and the availability of Joe Burrow.
Speaker: It's it's there's there's The T Higgins to me is a great wide receiver three. If he's your wide receiver too, I would have a little bit of concern because a lot of him. A lot of his performance and his value comes at the expense of other players on that offense.
Speaker: Yeah, very touchdown -dependent player too. yes not a huge PPR guy so he's he's in standard he's a lot better I would say but um I have a hard time with Rishi Rice personally, but like i would I would probably go with Higgins just because of the trust factor, but you you can't debate there. like Those are two established wide receivers, so it's to your point, we're debating floor versus situation. on the other On the other side we've got Luther Burden.
Speaker: I've got him at WR 16. I'm very high on him. I know he got injured recently. and There's the groin issue, but supposedly he's supposed to be back within a month. um But let's open it up. There's Burden. There's Ibuka. Ted Roda McMillan. jillian waddle lad mcconkey Nak, who from this group has the best chance to completely blow past this tier and who are you least interested in?
Speaker: I think the the obvious answer to me is Ladd -McConkie. I think people are are really overreacting to the year two disappointment. You know, they still have Justin Herbert there, and now Mike McDaniels is is running the offense.
Speaker: McDonald history of of heavy 11 personnel and elevated passing rates fits McConkey's extremely well. And there's already a strong. analytical case for him to uh for him to rebound as a huge target Um, I think similar to...
Speaker: You know, what Tyreek did in in Miami, like. I'm not saying that they're same the same player, but Ladd -McConkie kind of fits the bill in in in that type of offense. I think you see a huge...
Speaker: increase in in lab mcconkey and i i think he might be able to push for top 12. top 12 numbers this year if all goes well. Um, In L .A.
Speaker: That's for sure. As far as the least interested in this tier... I think it's I'm going to go Waddle. Um,
Speaker: ah Yeah, I don't know. I think... like Look, actually, with with today's news, it it probably actually becomes Luther Burden just because of injury that might keep him out for a few. No way.
Speaker: I think it's going to keep him out four weeks, they said. Yeah, he's supposed to be back a month. Yeah. Yeah, so I hate nagging injuries going into the season, but I'll stick with my waddle. It's more of like the price -slash -upside talent. you know to move the move it's ah It's an interesting move to Denver, that's for sure, and it could absolutely have a good season with Sean Payton. but
Speaker: I'm not convinced about his target ceiling as as high as as the young guys in the group. and I know he's probably going to take over with, with Cortland Sutton and stuff. I just, it's such a. I feel like it's such a weird offense that gets spread around. um So you're probably going to be paying a premium.
Speaker: for a waddle. in this in this area. I don't know. um um it doesn't For me, it doesn't scream value when I when i see Waddle here. i think yourre plot if if i go ahead quit If I can jump in, I agree 100%. Waddle right now, new offense. I don't know. that There's a lot of price baked into that 80%.
Speaker: pee right now that I'm not really comfortable with. And people are acting as if Cortland Sutton doesn't exist and he's just a scrub. Like come on. You know what I mean? he's w22 that's that's very fair that's that's where that's always where waddle has been even with a quote -unquote potentially worse quarterback.
Speaker: There. and yeah And he's a very good fit in this. He was a very, very good fit in this offense, like short passing game. Great fit with Bo Nix, who throws a ton of.
Speaker: you know at the line of scrimmage. 10 to 15 yard throws. I, I, I, I'm, I'm quite high on waddle and I've never been high. I never wanted to own waddle when he was a dolphin. He's also got the injury risk too. That's that that yeah always scares me. There's always something every single game. He's always got, he's laboring with some things. I just, waddle was never.
Speaker: the guy I wanted on my team. I always ended up with him somehow, and I always ended up trading him. But I never, ever wanted to have Waddle on my team for that reason, because there's always that injury risk as well.
Speaker: I want to stay quickly on this tier with one more question. I want to move it to Fab because you were clapping when we talked about Luther Burden. And we're going to get to Roma Dunze, who is in tier four. We're going to get to him properly in a bit. But quick question, Fab. Does the Burden injury make him... make a dunse one of the most interesting names in the draft right now.
Speaker: Yes. And I'll i'll go. And this is no slander to Luther Burden, but what has the guy done? For him to merit such a massive inflation in price right now. Ben Johnson's in love with him.
Speaker: I understand that, but he hasn't really proved anything yet. So I think there's a lot of risk and a lot of busts associated with this player right now. And it's not because he can't perform or is unable to do so. or um I just, it's a little bit too rich for my blood. And and you're talking about a guy who I know, I think the the ADP right now is from like wide receiver 21.
Speaker: I mean, guys in that area that I feel much more comfortable with are like you know the DJ Moores of the world and obviously the Garrett Wilsons where it's like, okay, we know that like they're going to be really focal on the offense. and Another thing, too, the Bears ah offense.
Speaker: like We're talking about And Burden versus Odunze, Colson Loveland is there. And the guy's a stud too. Like that offense is going to be like. How many yards can Caleb Williams throw? I don't know, man. Like ah he had a really good. He had an interesting rookie season last year.
Speaker: The targets per route run and and the advanced analytics like really jumped off the page and Ben Johnson loves them for sure. Ben Johnson also wants to score. 35 points. a game and beat out the Denver Broncos. Blowouts and shutouts.
Speaker: he's at the salon all day looking for blowouts. Like, I don't know. like it's I just think like me personally, I'm pumping the brakes a little bit on Luther Burden. Definitely not as a receiver. I have to score 35 points a game.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean with that defense yeah a defense that's another thing too. That's a good point. That's a very good. point That's a very good point I don't know. I'm just pumping the brakes a little bit. That's all. that's I like him as a talent. I really hope he does well. And if I end up drafting him, he's not going to be my wide receiver two, that's for sure. And even as my wide receiver three.
Speaker: I'll have a little bit of concern. I'm not going to lie. That's a very good argument. So what we'll move on to Tier 4, Knack. All yours. Yes, so these are the WR3 FlexPlays useful starters at the right. price where there's an opportunity weekly ceiling and Well, you've paid smart mattering as much as the name. so Tier four goes as follows. We've got Romo Dunze. We've got Christian Watson, Carnell Tate.
Speaker: Parker, Washington. courtland sutton Jameson Williams. The market has them definitely a lot higher than we do. DK Metcalf, Michael Wilson, Jordan Tyson, Brian Thomas Jr.
Speaker: Chris Godwin Jr., Marvin Harrison Jr. That's a lot of juniors. Stefan Diggs and Matthew Golden. So at this point, the start the the price starts mattering as much as the player.
Speaker: And actually Christian Watson was oddly enough, wide receiver. nine in points per game over his final 10 season. just just got the 110 million dollar extension dobbs and uh don tavian wicks league winner are gone Fab, if you're shopping this entire tier, is Watson the guy you want or is there someone else that you'd rather bet on?
Speaker: Watson's not the guy I want. uh watson Why receiver nine points per game over the last ten games like those numbers are inflated from like I think four or five games where he caught multiple touchdowns Throughout the entirety of those of the final 10 games, he only had two games where he had five receptions. All the other games, he had four or less.
Speaker: He's not a PPR type of guy. He's going to be a little bit more touchdown dependent. And we talk about the. the Packers offense and how that's going to function. I understand that you know Dobbs is gone.
Speaker: And then Wicks is gone and all that stuff. There's still Matthew Gold in there. They drafted him on purpose. you know i set to play a certain role that might affect. Christian Watson. So within this tier.
Speaker: For me? i would not be looking at him guys i'm much more interested in are like parker washington who is gonna I mean, and that offense there with the Jaguars, like, he's just very exciting to me. uh courtland sun i've mentioned before too like i wouldn't be surprised if he still maintains his role Roma Dunze.
Speaker: And honestly, low -key, like Stefan Diggs. Stefan digs in that offensive for Washington. I think he's gonna actually put up some seriously nice like wide receiver three -ish. wide receiver four numbers on bad days but i think he's going to really have a role in that offense i really do Yeah, I think that was a great signing to be honest. But all fair points on on wash on Watson, should I say.
Speaker: ah But look, at least Watson had a stretch of production that we can point to. The other side of this tier. is trying to identify the opportunity before the breakout actually happens. You spoke about Parker Washington. He saw 95 targets last year.
Speaker: ah ah Raj, looking across, Washington, his teammate. ah brian thomas Brian Thomas Jr., Jordan Tyson, Jameson Williams, and Marvin Harrison. Who's the breakout you're actually willing to bet on and who's getting pushed too high on this projection?
Speaker: I'm all over Parker Washington. all All over him. Yeah, you've you yeah you've probably have posters in your room. and i I have talked about i've talked about him being like a a mini Amon Ross St. Brown. I've started to see. in social media circles them comparing him to him if you look at his weeks 16 through 18 22 .3 fantasy points per game 29 target percent target share 3 .7 3 .8 yards per route run
Speaker: I don't care if if Travis Hunter is healthy. I don't care if true Jacoby Myers is there. Brian Thomas Jr. for sure worries me. But. In the Liam Coleman type offense, we've seen it's the power slots.
Speaker: it's the power slots like the guys like puka nakua those types of players are the ones that chris godwin those are the types of players that thrive in this type of offense I am all in on Parker Washington. In my mock drafts, I've been taking him as a WR2.
Speaker: more than happily. doing that. And in terms of other guys I like in this tier. ah Honestly, Jordan Tyson was someone that... I wasn't a big fan of during the pre -draft process. But, you know, reading, again, camp reports, it sounds like he's really adhered himself to the offense. He's an elite route runner. I think he's a great complement to Chris Olave. So I think he's another guy that I would be happy to have. as a wr3 and This is the type of tier where you you want to...
Speaker: you want to go for swing for the fences a little bit. I think I'd rather i'd rather have a Jordan Tyson or Parker Washington over like a Chris Godwin Jr. Or like even Alec Pierce with the injury or or sorry, not but like the Michael Pittman juniors or Stefan Diggs. Those are very steady Eddie guys where I think those type of archetypes in Tyson and Parker Washington can can can really provide potential to value.
Speaker: Tier four, you're looking, that's what, like wide receiver 30 to 40 range you're looking at here. and And that's really when you want to try to take. those wide receivers that have
Speaker: more of ah an an upside rather than a ceiling. Because like you mentioned, guys like Stefan Diggs. the DK Metcalfs, the Godwins. like You know what you're going to get from these guys. You want to try to get the Jordan Tyson or, um as you mentioned, you know even a Carnell Tate. Parker Washington, these are guys that could explode.
Speaker: Um, taking them and in tier four and and that's really how you win Time to see. you know your fantasy, your fantasy league. Because taking, again, a Metcalf here, Diggs here.
Speaker: it's just you you know what you're getting and it could even be worse then there's no real Huge upside with these type of players. And I just want to add one thing. Jameson Williams is screaming at me. Like, I'm just looking at him. And I just want to mention him because we we kind of laughed about him in in our Bush League huddle Twitter page. And, you know, high upside guy. You we hear about it every year, you know, the speed, the yards after catch. But if you look at his game log.
Speaker: it's There's a lot of 2 for 20. There's a lot of 0 for... you know zero obviously like it's very it's very very ah high variance dependent on Jamison Williams. And he's one guy that I really, I don't enjoy, enjoy owning because of the variance. and The volatility is too high. henry He's the Hunter Henry of tight ends for wide receivers.
Speaker: Yeah. Look at Jamison Williams' game log. I can look at Christian Watson's game log and they're not that dissimilar. A lot of feaster facts. We don't have enough time. but like i like no we like wattson a lot I like Watson a lot.
Speaker: Just the touchdown rate is way better. Perfect. 100%. You can have them. yeah that'll take ah That'll do it for Tier 4. Raj, bring us home with that Tier 5.
Speaker: Yeah, tier five, this is the dart throw deep value guys. So fantasy bench receivers with a path to becoming weekly starters, you're drafting opportunity talent and what could potentially change. So we're going to start with Romeo Dobbs here, WR2 behind A .G. Brown.
Speaker: Drake May, year three you with McDaniels. Limited ceiling, but a real floor at a decent cost. And it doesn't matter that the ADP is at WR50. I think he could potentially provide WR3 value in that offense. Then you have Jaden Higgins out of Houston. When Collins missed some time, Higgins stepped up immediately. He showed he could handle a potentially true featured role.
Speaker: six touchdowns on 68 targets. So that's a very, very good efficiency there. and Collins' health is always a question. He always misses at least two to three games, two to five games on a yearly basis. And I think Higgins fits into that role very well because he's the same size, same speed, same athletic profile.
Speaker: Jalen Coker, camp darling, fantasy Twitters guy all offseason this year and last year. 43 targets three touchdowns and 11 games last year the social media hype is real There is a chance he could be the best wide receiver in that room. And I think we may see it this year, especially in PPR leagues. Tank Dell, old Tank Dell, remember? 20 -23, 47 receptions, 709 yards, 7 touchdowns in 11 games before the injury. He's coming off an ACL, but.
Speaker: If he's back to that version, I think he's one of the best. draft day steals. at that current price and then the jean's dribbling camp reports are glowing apparently he's the best wide receiver in camp out of the 49ers yes there's the substation so that always is a worry but mike evans hasn't practiced i think in five to six days
Speaker: Obviously, we know what happened with Ricky Persol. So theres there's there's an opportunity for Stribling to really make a move there. and And Purdy has elevated a lot of guys over the last few years. So I think Stribling is one guy that you might want to to to take ah a stab at. So ah that's that's why what's wide receiver tiers for 2026. And again, this segment was brought to you by Rival Fantasy, R -Y -V -L Fantasy, Player Discovery, Projections, Value Over Replacement Rankings, and the Superflex Strategy Tool. built for serious players check check them out before your draft at rival fantasy that's r y v l fantasy
Speaker: dot com slash ref slash bushley cuddle and the link will be in our descriptions and our show notes so Those are the late round swings. Now forget the tears and forget the ADP. One right one receiver anywhere on the board, we're going to be planting flags.
Speaker: Fat. Fab. Well, this is so no surprise to anybody. It's going to be Garrett Wilson. um i've been I've been very high. actually Yeah, I know. you He thought I was going to go with somebody else. yeah You can take him. It's fine. You can plant your flag with him. It's okay. I'll give him to you. It's fine. uh so ah Garrett Wilson Um, he was his his season last year was cut very short the market has him around as wide receiver 17.
Speaker: He's healthy again. new offensive environment. At that price, I think you're finally betting that talent gets gets a full season to win out in the ecosystem. But last year. in an arguably worse quarterback situation.
Speaker: And you can argue it. That's fine. Like he was on fire. Like this guy was averaging about. 10 targets a game and i'm not counting the last game where he played only got three targets and he was out there he was averaging 10 targets a game he had four touchdowns he was hitting about like 80 80 yards per game he was He was the motor of that offense.
Speaker: He was. So if you give this guy a full healthy season, we're looking at 170 targets. You're looking at like 130 receptions. looking at it legitimately like 1 ,300 yards receiving and like 10 touchdowns. I don't think that's crazy to say at all.
Speaker: at all at all all i'm firmly planting my flag with Garrett Wilson. I really, really hope. He gets it done this year. Not because I just planted my flag, but just because I feel like this guy deserves a bit of a win playing for the Jets. It's already tough as it is. Um,
Speaker: So that's the guy that... I'm gonna go to bat with. I think, Nak, you're up next. ra sorry yeah's roger yeah yeah um I'm going to buy Zay Flowers. I'm going to pivot in a lot of i'm going to pivot in a lot of um you know some of the discussion that we've had in our group chat. I don't know what's changed. ah
Speaker: Yes, we kind of we've insulted that WR season that he's had last year. We all couldn't believe it. um And I think he's dr being drafted much later than that. but It's the Declan Doyle aspect. He was the offensive coordinator for the bear Bears last year. We saw what the the Bears offense did with types of players like Zake Flowers, like Luther Burden, like DJ Moore, like Amon Ross St. Brown. I know what we're trying to pigeonhole every.
Speaker: minuscule wide receiver into the Amon Ross St. Brown role but A WR7 season is a WR7 season. And I think they're going to try to get him more looks into the end zone. I think with Lamar Jackson being healthy, with a new offensive coordinator, with the new... new regime and new scheme i think they're going to feature their followers more because they paid for him They paid him, I think it was 110, 125 million. a lot of money They paid him a lot of money. 35 mil per. He's in the top five of guaranteed money. on or he's Top four. worth
Speaker: He's the fourth but highest paid wide receiver right now. Four's highest paid wide receiver right now. There's a little stench on him that's gonna make people that is going to make him drop and i'll be happy to take him as my WR2. with potential WR1 potential. So for me, it's I'm buying Z flowers.
Speaker: Wow, you did a complete 180 on that. I love it. Complete 180 on that. that one That one, yeah, that one I wasn't expecting ah today. I'm going to go with a fade. I'm going to fade Devontae Adams. um I'm actually fading him at this price. I'm i'm fading at the price, not the player.
Speaker: 14 touchdowns is already... um difficult to repeat but when you look underneath it five came from inside the five and three at the one yard line So that screams regression.
Speaker: With Puka still commanding targets, I'm not paying for Adams as if another 14 touchdown season is the expectation. that's not happening
Speaker: I agree. Well, we talked about it last year. Like they tried to get Matthew Stafford, the MVP. They don't have to do that anymore this year. yeah They just got away they got to win the Super Bowl this year. Yeah, that's what I honestly, when I saw the stat, I knew, I knew a lot of them came from like around the five hour, but, but three of them from the one.
Speaker: And yeah five inside. Yeah, that's just, it's, it's wild. That's 14 touchdowns. And now I think it's age 33 or 34 season. I can't buy Devante items that high.
Speaker: Yeah, 33. Yeah. So that's a wrap on the 2026 wide receiver tiers. So the deepest position in fantasy and probably the best example on why knowing your tiers matters more than blindly following the ADP.
Speaker: I wanna give a big thanks to our new partner, Rival Fantasy. Build your own rankings. Build your strategy. Test it before draft day. The link is in the description. And next week, we keep the draft prep rolling.
Speaker: ah Follow us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TikTok, Instagram. and Twitter. Send us your questions. We answer everything. See you next Tuesday.
Speaker: Peace out. Peace out. Goodbye. Let's go. Let's go. at the Yeah, Devante Adams. I know. I agree with that fade.
Speaker: 14 touchdowns, not even 800 yards receiving. No one talks about that. And a lot of those touchdowns should have went to Kevin Williams. And Cypress is back. Yeah, you and Kyron Williams.
Speaker: yeah We're going to say it we're going to bring Stafford's back. And do it again and fade everything about. Fade everything about the Rams. ah Goodbye, everyone.
Speaker: Peace out everyone.
