In this piece, I highlight wide receivers who stand out in our large suite of analytical fantasy tools, most specifically, our FantasyLabs Player Models. While the models are built for DFS contests, this is an all-purpose fantasy article with actionable information for all formats.
As news breaks throughout the week and we adjust our projections (powered by Sean Koerner), player ratings in our Player Models will change. For updates, visit the models directly.
And don’t forget about the tools that FantasyLabs has to offer, like our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
Top NFL DFS Wide Receiver Picks in the FantasyLabs Models
On DraftKings, there are three wide receivers near the top of the Sean Koerner, Chris Raybon, Cash Game, and Tournament Player Models.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown
- Christian Kirk
- Garrett Wilson
We’ll discuss why these three are popping in our models, as well as take a look at some other wide receivers.
Top Model NFL DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Amon-Ra St. Brown ($7,100 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel): Detroit Lions (-1) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (51 total)
Amon-Ra St. Brown had struggled to hit his ceiling as of late after tearing up the fantasy world earlier in the year. He now has 25+ DraftKings points twice in the last three weeks, including a nice 30.9-point performance on Thanksgiving.
He has at least eight targets in every game that wasn’t affected by injury, with double-digit targets in five games. The Lions seem to be doing whatever they can to get the ball in his hands, as he has also received a carry in each of the past three games.
St. Brown has seen a target on 32.4% of his routes, which is the second-highest rate among wide receivers. The matchup is soft, as the Jaguars have allowed 9.1 yards per target and a 5.9% touchdown rate to opposing slot receivers, which both rank in the bottom 10 in the league. They’re also allowing 8.3 yards per target and a 7.1% touchdown rate to boundary receivers, which bodes well for St. Brown. He’s splitting his routes between the slot and the perimeter, so he should get to feast wherever he lines up.
He gets fed targets, and he is in a great matchup in a game with a high total. It’s hard to poke holes in St. Brown this weekend. He is the top receiver in our Cash Game Model.
Christian Kirk ($6,300 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel): Jacksonville Jaguars (+1) at Detroit Lions (51.5 total)
On the other side of this expected shootout in Detroit, Christian Kirk looks to have a great matchup. He didn’t do too much last week, catching four balls for 46 yards. He still received nine targets and has seen at least 20% of the team targets in all but one game.
Kirk’s had some big performances this year, with four games of 20+ DraftKings points, including two in the last three weeks. This matchup is shaping up nicely for Kirk, as Detroit has given up the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing slot receivers and the most yards per target. Slot receivers have gone for 8-127-1 and 11-129-0 against Detroit in the past two weeks.
He has also seen a handful of carries on the year, showing that the main focus of Jacksonville’s offense is getting the ball in his hands. It’s unlikely that we see another dud performance like last week. Kirk is one of the top receivers in Projected Plus/Minus and is the top receiver in our Tournament Model.
Garrett Wilson ($5,300 DraftKings, $6,600 FanDuel): New York Jets (+3) at Minnesota Vikings (44.5 total)
The quarterback change proved to not affect Garrett Wilson, as he caught five of eight targets for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson has flashed a high ceiling despite being in an offense that has been mostly stagnant. He has three games of 20+ DraftKings points, including three games of 17+ in his last four games. Two of those came in very difficult matchups, too, against New England and Buffalo.
The matchup is very soft, as Minnesota is a poor defense. They’re allowing bottom six rates in completion rate allowed, yards per target, and yards per catch to opposing receivers. They’re allowing the most fantasy points per game to boundary receivers, where Wilson has played 75% of his snaps in the past four weeks.
One potential blip in this matchup is Wilson’s target rates against zone coverage. He has dominated man coverage, seeing 31.7% of team targets and targets on 30.0% of his dropbacks against man. Those numbers plummet against zone, seeing 17.1% of targets and a 19.3% target rate per route run. It is notable that the bulk of this came with Zach Wilson under center.
Wilson is still very cheap in a soft matchup, which is why he leads Sean Koerner and Chris Raybon’s Pro Models.
Other Notable NFL DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Tyreek Hill ($8,800 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel): Miami Dolphins (+4) at San Francisco 49ers (45.5 total)
Tyreek Hill leads all receivers in yards per route run and target rate per route run on the season. Hill is the fourth-highest-scoring receiver in points per game but only has four touchdowns on the year. If Hill can start to find the end zone with more consistency, he’s someone you’re going to want to have in daily fantasy.
Hill has four games of 30+ DraftKings points this year and gets to attack the soft spot of San Francisco’s defense. He runs 40% of his routes from the slot, which is where San Francisco is weakest. They’re allowing 10.6 yards per target and a 6.3% touchdown rate to opposing slot receivers.
Davante Adams ($8,700 DraftKings, $8,600 FanDuel): Las Vegas Raiders (-2.5) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (49.5 total)
Davante Adams had a somewhat middling performance last week, catching seven of 11 targets for 74 yards. He broke his streak of three-straight 30+ DraftKings point games with just 14.4 points last week. Derek Carr seems to force-feed Adams, so we’re not too worried about the down performance. He now has 55 targets in just the past four games.
Adams had a great performance against Los Angeles in Week 1, catching 10 of 17 targets for 141 yards and a touchdown. The matchup is nothing really to be afraid of, so Adams is a no-brainer option this weekend.
Christian Watson ($5,200 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel): Green Bay Packers (-3.5) at Chicago Bears (44.5 total)
Christian Watson has burst onto the scene the past four weeks and has seemed to revitalize the Packers’ offense. He has 35.7, 21.1, and 24 DraftKings points in the last three games. He has six touchdowns in this stretch, which is likely unsustainable. He showed a lot of explosiveness, as seen in his 63-yard catch and run touchdown last week.
Over the past five weeks, the Bears have allowed 15.5 yards per catch and seven touchdowns to opposing receivers. Watson is a nice cheap, explosive option this weekend, especially in tournaments.
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