When to Draft a Wide Receiver in Your Fantasy Football League

Aug 05, 2024

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

As recently as three years ago, the first round of most fantasy drafts was around 75% running backs, with a couple of wide receivers mixed in, and a tight end every once in a while. That same year, only two of the first 12 players selected, and about a third of the picks in the first three rounds were wide receivers. In a short period of time, the landscape has shifted dramatically. This year, those numbers have inflated to seven wideouts in the first round and more than half of the picks in Rounds 1-3 combined. As fewer running backs maintain their grip on true “bell-cow” usage, elite wide receivers have become the flavor of the year in most leagues.

This shouldn’t be all that shocking, with the steady decline of 20-touch-per-game RBs and the influx of incredibly talented wideouts we’ve had in recent years. Back in 2021, eight RBs averaged 20+ touches per game and in 2007 that number was doubled to 16. Last year? There were just four — Christian McCaffrey, Kyren Williams, Josh Jacobs, and Saquon Barkley. Meanwhile, the top 20 picks in 2024 ADP feature nine wide receivers who are currently 25 years old or younger, including the highest-drafted rookie we’ve ever seen at the position in Marvin Harrison Jr. With the general ascent of the NFL passing game, we also have four teams sporting multiple wide receivers in the top 40 overall picks — the Dolphins, Eagles, Rams, and 49ers.

More Positional Strategy: When to Draft a QB | When to Draft an RB | When to Draft a TE

So what are you meant to do with all this information? How do you translate this into draft strategy and come away with the best roster possible? That’s what this article is here for. Together, we’re going to sort through each critical window of your draft — with unique perspectives depending on where you’re at in the draft order — and come out the other side with a comprehensive understanding of when and where you should be drafting which wide receivers.

For the sake of versatility, we’ll be working within the framework of a typical, 12-team, half-PPR snake draft and assuming two starting receivers and a FLEX. We’ll also be using 4for4’s brilliant multi-site ADP data and will conclude with several mid-round values, sleepers to target, and a helpful round-by-round cheat sheet.

So stick with me. Let’s get into it.