1QB, Half-PPR ADP’s taken from Sleeper.

So you’ve taken Breece Hall in round one, then doubled down in round two when Jonathon Taylor fell a few spots and was too good value to refuse, a pretty strong start overall. Now lets say you indulged in a Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts in round three and you’re feeling pretty good about life.

I have to say I admire anyone that can fade receiver for three straight rounds, so for those that are planning this sort of build this year, here are four stud receivers that are available from round four onwards.

Note: Whilst there are a number of solid receiver options after round three, I’ve tried to highlight the best values, far enough apart in ADP that you could realistically draft at least three to the same team.

DK Metcalf (Seattle)

ADP 41/WR 22/Bye Week 10

Photo Credit: Steph Chambers/Getty Images

So lets just start with the simplest of numbers: outside of his rookie season, Metcalf has never finished below WR18, four spots higher than he’s being drafted this year. Not the only player on this list being drafted below his floor, number 14 is a third round player going in round four of drafts.

Metcalf is coming off of a 2023 season that yielded the highest receiving yards total of his career, on his second fewest targets. The clear deep threat in Seattle, DK is also the preferred end-zone threat for veteran QB Geno Smith.

It Starts Up-Front

Few things facilitate more deep passes than an O-line that can give plays time to develop. Smith ranked 26th in the NFL in intended air-yards per attempt last year, likely down to the fact that he was 5th in total pressures faced. New line coach Scott Huff excelled in Washington alongside (also new) OC Ryan Grubb, so some improvement in this department should be expected.

Amari Cooper (Cleveland)

ADP 57 OVR/WR 29/Bye Week 10

Photo Credit: Ken Blaze/USA Today Sports

WR18 in 2023, Cooper is being drafted as the WR29 (yes, 29) in 2024. Not only did Cooper outperform this ADP last year, he has actually only failed to beat it in one of his nine seasons in the NFL. In that time, Cooper has racked up four WR1 finishes and three WR2 finishes, with a WR9 overall finish as recently as 2022.

Fine Wine

One thing perhaps working against Cooper’s draft stock is that he is now thirty years old. Whilst that appears to have bothered the average drafter enough for him to fall to the late fifth round in drafts, around 18 seconds of research will tell you that he actually recorded his highest ever receiving yards total last year, as well as a career-high yards-per-catch.

The C Word … Consistency

Now I know that the NFL off-season feels long enough to forget who plays QB for your own team sometimes, let alone the other thirty-one teams. But I would imagine that for some Cleveland fans, the 2023 season itself was probably long enough to forget who their franchise QB was. Four different starters threw passes for the Browns last season, but however you feel about him, DeShaun Watson should be a more consistent presence under center this time around, and that should only benefit his number one receiver.

Watson has so far proved a major bust since his move to Cleveland, but it is worth noting that Cooper, whilst mostly QB-proof, had his second highest scoring week in fantasy last year with DeShaun Watson throwing him the ball.

Terry McLaurin (Washington)

ADP OVR 66/WR 32/ Bye Week 14

Photo Credit: Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Once again, I present you with a receiver being drafted below his floor, only this time, he has actually NEVER finished lower than WR28. Admittedly, that WR28 finish came last season, in one of the most abysmal passing attacks in the league. Sam Howell, now in Seattle, was both pressured and sacked more than any other QB in the league, in a 4-13 season that cost HC Ron Rivera his job.

Say it quietly, a franchise QB in Washington?

On the plus side, that season resulted in the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, and Washington has a shiny new Quarterback in the building. The list of QB’s that McLaurin has played with in his career is honestly impressively unimpressive. I won’t list them all here, but it would be a safe bet that Jayden Daniels is an upgrade over all of them.

No rookie comes into the league without at least a slight weakness however and for Daniels, his reaction to pressure has been a talking point. Behind an offensive line that allowed all of those previously mentioned pressures and sacks, Daniels might not be looking too far beyond McLaurin before taking off on his own, especially if Jahan Dotson continues his 2023 struggles.

DeAndre Hopkins (Tennessee)

ADP OVR 94/WR 43/Bye Week 5

Photo Credit: USATI

Your Honour…

Honestly, you can make whatever case you want against Hopkins, then take everybody else’s cases, stack them all on top of each other and WR43 is still just disrespectful.

Not including his rookie campaign and two incomplete/injured seasons (’21, ’22), Hopkins’ worst ever finish in fantasy was WR30 back in 2016, his next worst finish came last year after moving to the Titans. In his first season in Tennessee, Hopkins finished as the WR22 overall in fantasy, with a brand new set of teammates and a rookie quarterback taking over after the week 7 bye.

Three’s Company

The two-time WR2 (’14,’23) and five-time WR1 (’15,’17,18,’19,’20) now has Calvin Ridley, who the Titans signed to an enormous deal this off-season, and Tyler Boyd for company. A stark contrast to his situation in 2023, as the team look to go all-in on Will Levis this year. Whilst added competition for targets could be an issue for some receivers, Hopkins could benefit from the help of two experienced route-runners, leaving him with more one-on-one matchups in 2024.

Despite going thirteen picks after teammate Ridley in drafts, I can’t see Hopkins not being the alpha receiver in Tennessee this year. Drafters are always attracted to the new, younger player, but Hopkins already has a chemistry with his QB and is not someone who is likely to accept playing second fiddle to anyone.

Going Deep

Finally, in 2023, Will Levis led the league in intended air-yards per attempt. He led this stat so comfortably in fact that the gap between Levis in first (10.6yrds) and CJ Stroud in second (9 yrds), was the same as the gap between Stroud and what would have been the twenty-first best passer in this metric (7.4 yrds). Hopkins recorded his best yards-per-catch number since 2017 last year, and could be set to dominate with a full season of Levis in 2024.

If you’re going early RB in drafts this year then I really hope this article has given you some useful insights to take with you. This is my second fantasy football article and I’ll be continuing to write throughout the off-season, with more regular articles once the season kicks off in September.

ADP info credit: draftsharks.com

In-depth stats credit: pro-football-reference.com