Teams' #2 WRs: Who needs 'em? We need 'em. Sometimes. When? Not sure. Depends.
Most of you (including me) are drafting these next few days. After doing more mocks and even guest-drafting for a friend, I've started thinking more about the risks and payoffs of #2 WRs. I'm not talking about must-draft co-#1's like with the Broncos, or the gap-closing competitions found with teams like the Chargers, or even more seemingly distant #2s who are must-draft regardless (Allen Robinson).
I'm talking about #2's who are off most fantasy radars. In a 12-team mock draft with PFN this past week, I snagged Nico Collins in the 12th or 13th round. A couple people remarked that they'd basically forgotten about him, because his WR ADP (73) inexplicably puts him behind a bunch of team #3's and #4's. Maybe I've ranked him too aggressively (he's my WR45). But since he's consistently falling in drafts, I can usually afford to wait until the first 55-60 WRs are off the board before thinking about taking him.
And why take him? Because he checks a lot of boxes on the "He should do much better this season" scorecard. Young and talented. Houston invested meaningful draft capital (a third-rounder) at the beginning of the franchise's rebuild. Aside from Brandin Cooks, he faces no major target competition (Chris Moore, Phillip Dorsett, Tyler Johnson, etc.). The Texans will be playing from behind a lot. And so on.
Generally, I try to draft at least three team #1 WRs, and ideally four, but not at the expense of landing primary startable targets at other positions (I don't like keeping more than two WRs on my bench). Still, it's hard to ignore value. Most managers are passing over Collins because he was the overall WR86 last season. For perspective, WRs 60-65 last year were Quez Watkins, Braxton Berrios, Deonte Harty, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Jamison Crowder, and Bryan Edwards. Right behind them were Rondale Moore and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Aside from Berrios when he earned some starts, if you started any of them last season, I'm guessing it was in an exceptionally deep league. We don't normally think about WR60s helping our team, and for good reason. So of course, Collins seems downright irrelevant to many. But he's one of several team #2 WRs who could realisticaly break out. And by "break out," I mean crack the top 50, which would make them no worse than deep-league streamers, which is far better than a lot of the WRs I'm seeing people draft in the later rounds.
Alec Pierce is another #2 getting swept under the rug. His WR ADP is 76. Yet the rookie appears to have a leg up on Parris Campbell, and could become a regularly used weapon in the Colts' new-look passing attack. Pierce was a second-round pick this past spring. He was pegged as an instant-impact contributor, period. So why is he ranked below guys like Isaiah McKenzie and Sammy Watkins? Because he's a rookie who hasn't generated enough widely disseminated camp buzz. In my opinion, he needs to be drafted in nearly every league.
So yeah, keep pushing for those #1 WRs who could get you 100+ targets and fairly consistent fantasy production--and most importantly, the kind of uber upside not often found with #2 WRs. At the same time, if a clear-cut #2 falls into your lap, particuarly someone like Collins or Pierce with a much higher realistic ceiling than their ADP suggests, be ready to pounce.
---
And two quick reminders. If you're drafting soon and want access to my Top 400 rankings (along with everything else I wrote for PFN's 2022 Fantasy Draft Kit), click the link below. I poured everything I have into it, and the rankings specifically are designed to help us spot bargains at the right time, and to alert us to players we'll want to target later.
Also, great to see some of you have entered the PFN Bingo competition. I spent way too long (about 45 minutes) putting my together late last night. Final bingo cards are due at 8:00pm Eastern next Thursday. If you want to spend 45 minutes (or as little as 30 seconds) entering the contest, click the other link below and add your name and entry to one of the cards.
And good luck if you're drafting today.
---
Sign up for my 2022 Top 400 Fantasy Draft Rankings ("PFN Pass") or Rankings + 1:1 Advisory Services ("Touchdown Pass"): https://pass.profootballnetwork.com/
Compete in the free, play-for-pride "PFN Bingo" fantasy competition: https://bit.ly/3Q9hMxL
Most of you (including me) are drafting these next few days. After doing more mocks and even guest-drafting for a friend, I've started thinking more about the risks and payoffs of #2 WRs. I'm not talking about must-draft co-#1's like with the Broncos, or the gap-closing competitions found with teams like the Chargers, or even more seemingly distant #2s who are must-draft regardless (Allen Robinson).
I'm talking about #2's who are off most fantasy radars. In a 12-team mock draft with PFN this past week, I snagged Nico Collins in the 12th or 13th round. A couple people remarked that they'd basically forgotten about him, because his WR ADP (73) inexplicably puts him behind a bunch of team #3's and #4's. Maybe I've ranked him too aggressively (he's my WR45). But since he's consistently falling in drafts, I can usually afford to wait until the first 55-60 WRs are off the board before thinking about taking him.
And why take him? Because he checks a lot of boxes on the "He should do much better this season" scorecard. Young and talented. Houston invested meaningful draft capital (a third-rounder) at the beginning of the franchise's rebuild. Aside from Brandin Cooks, he faces no major target competition (Chris Moore, Phillip Dorsett, Tyler Johnson, etc.). The Texans will be playing from behind a lot. And so on.
Generally, I try to draft at least three team #1 WRs, and ideally four, but not at the expense of landing primary startable targets at other positions (I don't like keeping more than two WRs on my bench). Still, it's hard to ignore value. Most managers are passing over Collins because he was the overall WR86 last season. For perspective, WRs 60-65 last year were Quez Watkins, Braxton Berrios, Deonte Harty, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Jamison Crowder, and Bryan Edwards. Right behind them were Rondale Moore and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Aside from Berrios when he earned some starts, if you started any of them last season, I'm guessing it was in an exceptionally deep league. We don't normally think about WR60s helping our team, and for good reason. So of course, Collins seems downright irrelevant to many. But he's one of several team #2 WRs who could realisticaly break out. And by "break out," I mean crack the top 50, which would make them no worse than deep-league streamers, which is far better than a lot of the WRs I'm seeing people draft in the later rounds.
Alec Pierce is another #2 getting swept under the rug. His WR ADP is 76. Yet the rookie appears to have a leg up on Parris Campbell, and could become a regularly used weapon in the Colts' new-look passing attack. Pierce was a second-round pick this past spring. He was pegged as an instant-impact contributor, period. So why is he ranked below guys like Isaiah McKenzie and Sammy Watkins? Because he's a rookie who hasn't generated enough widely disseminated camp buzz. In my opinion, he needs to be drafted in nearly every league.
So yeah, keep pushing for those #1 WRs who could get you 100+ targets and fairly consistent fantasy production--and most importantly, the kind of uber upside not often found with #2 WRs. At the same time, if a clear-cut #2 falls into your lap, particuarly someone like Collins or Pierce with a much higher realistic ceiling than their ADP suggests, be ready to pounce.
---
And two quick reminders. If you're drafting soon and want access to my Top 400 rankings (along with everything else I wrote for PFN's 2022 Fantasy Draft Kit), click the link below. I poured everything I have into it, and the rankings specifically are designed to help us spot bargains at the right time, and to alert us to players we'll want to target later.
Also, great to see some of you have entered the PFN Bingo competition. I spent way too long (about 45 minutes) putting my together late last night. Final bingo cards are due at 8:00pm Eastern next Thursday. If you want to spend 45 minutes (or as little as 30 seconds) entering the contest, click the other link below and add your name and entry to one of the cards.
And good luck if you're drafting today.
---
Sign up for my 2022 Top 400 Fantasy Draft Rankings ("PFN Pass") or Rankings + 1:1 Advisory Services ("Touchdown Pass"): https://pass.profootballnetwork.com/
Compete in the free, play-for-pride "PFN Bingo" fantasy competition: https://bit.ly/3Q9hMxL