Fantasy Football: Top 7 rookie wide receivers for 2020 season

Some might take a break during the offseason, but we never rest. Satisfy your fantasy football appetite with our overview of the top rookie wide receivers in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft.

As a follow-up to our fantasy football recap of the top running backs available in the upcoming NFL Draft, we take time out to highlight the best rookie wide receivers. The 2020 NFL Draft offers one of the deepest wide receiver corps in recent memory, evoking memories of the 2014 fantasy football bonanza featuring Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Odell Beckham, Jr., Brandin Cooks, Davante Adams, Allen Robinson, Jarvis Landry and Kelvin Benjamin (welp, they can’t all be home runs).

This past weekend’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama allowed some under-the-radar wide receiver prospects to improve their draft stocks through a week’s worth of heavily scrutinized practices and skill showcases. The game itself lent a stage to Texas A&M’s Quartney Davis, who caught all four passes thrown his way, as well as Tennessee’s Jajuan Jennings and Texas Longhorn David Duvernay, who each made a couple of nice, tough grabs.

A few other wide receivers also flashed in Mobile, such as Ohio State’s K.J. Hill, who had an impressive punt return, and Baylor’s Denzel Mims, who turned heads on an end-around. Duvernay’s teammate, 6-5 Collin Johnson, likewise intrigued observers, and those in deep, standard dynasty fantasy football leagues should likewise track him for his red-zone potential.

The upcoming NFL Scouting Combine will shine brightly on many athletic prospects who were nowhere close to making our Top Seven. These include a pair of 6’4″ physical specimens who saw limited playing time in Mobile this past weekend: Liberty’s Antonio Gandy-Golden and Notre Dame’s Chase Claypool. Mississippi State’s Stephen Guidry, a former JuCo standout, flashed in his brief appearance in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, along with Arkansas State’s Kirk Merritt; this pair also bears watching.

Several other fantasy football prospects in this deep class deserve honorable mentions. Those who came close to making the list include South Carolina’s Bryan Edwards and USC’s Michael Pittman Jr.

Diminutive Penn State sophomore speedster K. J. Hamler is also on our radar, as he’ll present matchup nightmares in the right system, while Minnesota’s Tyler Johnson and Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk barely missed the cut; both are squarely in our top 10. Without further ado, we present the cream of this year’s crop.

7. Jalen Reagor, TCU

Reagor is undersized compared to other wide receivers in this draft class, but he is one of the fastest, hands down. He’s extremely dangerous in space, and even more so on go routes. He’s a capable route runner and more than shifty enough to create space but will drop the occasional pass, as illustrated by a catch rate barely north of 55 percent.

Height: 5-11
Weight: 195 pounds
Projected 40 time (per WalterFootball.com): 4.35 seconds

The native of Waxahachie, TX caught 72 passes for 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore, and while he still finished as the team’s leading receiver, his counting stats trailed off significantly in his junior season (43-611-5). He compiled over 100 yards from scrimmage only once, in a 34-27 loss to Oklahoma State, and only saw more than seven touches the week before against Kansas State. That game-breaking ability, though…

Reagor isn’t physical enough to be the go-to guy on crucial third-down catches, but he’ll break a game wide open in a matter of seconds on just one play. Fantasy football freaks, take note: the tired “he’s threat to score every time he touches the ball” cliché absolutely applies here.

Preferred Draft Day Destinations: Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles

6. Laviska Shenault, Jr., Colorado

Laviska Shenault, a junior from DeSoto, TX, proudly wears his dreadlocks in honor of his late father and was unable to play high school basketball because he refused to cut them. The fruits of his channeled energy were clear as a sophomore at Colorado when he caught 86 passes for 1,011 yards and six receiving touchdowns as a sophomore, adding five scores on the ground for good measure.

Height: 6-2
Weight: 220 pounds
Projected 40 time (per WalterFootball.com): 4.52 seconds

One of the most explosive players in the draft, Shenault has excellent hands, catching 74 percent of the passes thrown his way in 2019. He also racked up seven rushing touchdowns on 40 attempts in his past two seasons, proving his worth as a tremendous weapon for an NFL suitor that utilizes jet sweeps and a motion-heavy offense.

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Shenault was targeted 78 times in 2019, and in his 56 catches, displayed the versatility to do it all: he can make the tough catch across the middle on third down, or torch defenders deep on a 9 route. He needs to develop his route tree, polish his route running, and improve his blocking, but he has all the physical attributes necessary to light up fantasy football box scores.

Preferred Draft Day Destinations: Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals

5. Justin Jefferson, LSU

Justin Jefferson was arguably the most productive receiver in all of college football, ranking in the top three in receptions (111, tied for first), yards (1,540, third) and receiving touchdowns (18, tied for second). Considering the presence of many talented teammates such as Ja’Marr Chase and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, these numbers are nearly as eye-popping as his sensational catch rate of 87.4 percent.

Height: 6-3
Weight: 192 pounds
Projected 40 time (per WalterFootball.com): 4.50 seconds

Jefferson isn’t the most explosive player in the draft, but he’s an excellent all-around football player who flat-out produces. He’s an asset in just about any offensive scheme, including one that likes to run the football:

Jefferson has some work to do in terms of getting separation against top-shelf man cover corners. He uses his height well, and his tremendous hands that serve him well, but he’s not as physical as some or as great above the rim as others. Nevertheless, he’s polished enough to start contributing in fantasy football leagues from the jump.

Preferred Draft Day Destinations: Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders

4. Henry Ruggs III, Alabama

Henry Ruggs has blistering speed, and is one of the fastest players in this draft class at any position. He had to share targets in a crowded stable of talented skill position players, but caught almost 77% of the passes thrown his way.

Height: 6-0
Weight: 195 pounds
Projected 40 time (per WalterFootball.com): 4.40 seconds

Ruggs caught 40 passes for 746 yards and seven touchdowns, and scored once on the ground. Over the past two years, the explosive Montgomery, AL native has scored on almost 22 percent of his touches, leaving no doubts about his play-making abilities.

Remember when we thought there could never be another player like Tyreek Hill? Enter Ruggs with his incredible hands, exceptional RAC (Run After the Catch) ability, and fluid route-running skills. It’s incredible to realize that he’s only a junior scratching the surface of his potential.

He’s not going to win many contested catches against physical corners, but Ruggs is tougher than he appears, and there will be no shortage of NFL suitors scrambling to add him to their squads on Draft Day. He is a prime target in the middle to late first round of dynasty fantasy football league drafts and will be a great mid-to-late round upside pick in redraft, depending on his landing spot.

Preferred Draft Day Destinations: Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles

3. Tee Higgins, Clemson

Higgins helped his team advance to the National Championship for the second straight year by racking up 14 total touchdowns, 13 through the air. He ranked in top 15 in both receiving touchdowns and yards per catch while taking an astonishing 22 percent of his 59 catches to the house.

Height: 6-4
Weight: 215 pounds
Projected 40 time (per WalterFootball.com): 4.55 seconds

While his route running needs polish, Higgins has hands that are more than adequate for the next level. In particular, he is terrific at high-pointing the football. The pride of Oak Ridge, TN is also a tough runner with the football. He has great body control, and know how to use his size to his advantage:

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Higgins finished his Clemson career as a junior, tied with DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins as the school’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns. He should have no problems finding paydirt on a regular basis and should produce in just about any system, much to the delight of fantasy football owners everywhere.

Preferred Draft Day Destinations: Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars

2. CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma

Placing Jefferson, Ruggs, and Higgins in order was almost as tough as choosing between Lamb and Jerry Jeudy for our top spot. While we ultimately chose Jeudy, we have no beef with anyone who wants to argue for Lamb.

Height: 6-2
Weight: 191 pounds
Projected 40 time (per WalterFootball.com): 4.55 seconds

Lamb and Jeudy are the consensus top two in a draft that’s extremely deep at the wide receiver position, a true testament to their talents. We’ll get to Jeudy in a minute, but let’s first lay out the case for Lamb, who deserves every bit of the hype as he continues his development as a blue-chip NFL prospect.

https://twitter.com/JMoyerFB/status/1219748710436855809?s=20

The Oklahoma Sooners’ leading receiver caught almost 73 percent of the passes thrown his way, and logged an amazing 16.32 yards per target during the 2019 season. Lamb’s counting stats are even more impressive: he finished in college football’s top 10 in receiving yards (1,327, sixth) and receiving touchdowns (14, tied for fifth) while placing third in yards per catch (21.4).

The only true knock against Lamb at this point is that he doesn’t have elite speed. However, he’s fast, fluid, and quick enough to create separation, and demonstrates the kind of body control and ball skills NFL clubs are looking for in a franchise wide receiver.

Lamb is coveted by several clubs in need of a playmaker. The teams below are among those with vacancies in that department, and each is well-positioned to take the Richmond, TX native if he falls into their laps.

Preferred Draft Day Destinations: Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders

1. Jerry Jeudy, Alabama

Height: 6-1
Weight: 192 pounds
Projected 40 time (per WalterFootball.com): 4.45 seconds

Jeudy was the top wide receiver prospect on most lists entering the 2019 season, and he remained a consensus Top Two player at its conclusion. That tells us all we need to know about the likelihood that he’ll become a Pro Bowl wide receiver for years to come.

Take your Dominator Ratings and tell them to go straight to hell: Jeudy is a beast who already runs routes like a pro, creating separation off the line of scrimmage like a seasoned veteran. In fact, he’s probably the best route runner in the deepest class in recent memory:

Jeudy caught a team-leading 77 passes for 1,163 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2019, a key weapon on a talent-laden team that ran the ball 436 times and attempted only 287 passes. As crazy as this sounds, Jeudy likely won’t lose nearly as many targets and touches in the NFL.

We hate the terms “sure thing” and “can’t miss prospect,” but if we were cruelly forced to use them, this is the guy who’d be the subject of such nauseatingly effusive praise. Expect Jeudy to turn around the fortunes of fantasy football dynasty league teams as quickly as he turns around opposing defensive backs.

Preferred Draft Day Destinations: New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars