Wide receivers are the backbone of your NFL DFS lineups. It’s a spot where you’ll need massive production if you’re going to take down a GPP, but it’s also a spot where you can save money on occasion. Some of the best values in a given week are likely to be found at the receiver position.
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 as the projections 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 300 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
Finally, make sure to check out all the projections available for purchase (Chris Raybon’s come included with a FantasyLabs subscription) within the FantasyLabs Models. Subscribers now have the option to purchase Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ from our Marketplace. Projections from One Week Season and Establish the Run are available if you’re a subscriber to those specific sites (our optimizer is a separate add-on feature).
You can also combine them to create your own aggregate projections:
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Chris Godwin ($6,500 DraftKings, $6,600 FanDuel)
After two weeks, Baker Mayfield is the top-scoring quarterback in fantasy football, while Godwin is the No. 1 receiver in PPR formats. Just like we all expected.
Godwin has long been one of the most under-appreciated receivers in football. He’s had at least 1,000 receiving yards in four of his past five seasons, including last year with Mayfield. His only real issue has been his inability to find the paint. Mike Evans typically handles more of the scoring opportunities, while Godwin has been the “move the chains” gain.
That said, touchdown scoring is fluky. Guys can have years where they massively over- or under-perform their expected totals, so it’s not something we can predict with a ton of accuracy.
If Godwin is poised for one of those years from a touchdown perspective, the rest of his metrics are good enough to make him a top fantasy receiver. He’s racked up 34% of the team’s targets through the first two weeks, and he’s been at 28% or higher in both outings. That represents a sizable bump from his mark last season, as does his 35% air yards share.
The best part is that Godwin doesn’t necessarily need to score to pay off his current price tags. He remains affordable across the industry, especially at just $6,600 on FanDuel.
Brandon Aiyuk ($6,200 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel)
The 49ers offense typically has an abundance of options, which makes them tough to choose between. However, they’re extremely banged up at the moment. Christian McCaffrey is currently on IR, while Deebo Samuel is expected to miss a few weeks with a calf injury. Even tight end George Kittle is banged up, missing Thursday’s practice with a hamstring injury.
That leaves Aiyuk as the last man standing.
He should command a monster workload in their absence. He played essentially three games without Samuel last season, and he averaged 8.3 targets and 80.7 receiving yards per game. Those contests happened to be three of the 49ers’ worst offensive performances of the entire season – capping the team’s overall upside – but Aiyuk was significantly busier. Without McCaffrey and possibly Kittle, Aiyuk could easily exceed double-digit targets.
The Rams are also an elite matchup. They’re currently 10th in fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, but that undersells the upside of this matchup. They’re 30th in dropback EPA defensively, and they were shredded by Marvin Harrison Jr. and the Cardinals last week.
It remains to be seen if Brock Purdy can perform without guys like CMC and Samuel in the lineup, but Aiyuk should be busy at a minimum.
DeVonta Smith ($6,900 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel)
Paying up for one of the top receivers is typically a preferred strategy, but a more balanced approach seems like the way to go this week. Guys like Godwin, Aiyuk, and Smith all have the potential to produce WR1 value at a slight discount.
A.J. Brown is expected to miss his second straight game for the Eagles, which will allow Smith to serve as the unquestioned top target. He gobbled up 34% of the targets and 62% of the team’s air yards sans Brown in Week 2, and he responded with 10 targets, seven catches, 76 yards, and a touchdown. His 20.6 PPR points were enough to make him the 12th-highest-scoring receiver of the week.
This matchup between the Eagles and Saints also stands out as a really good one for fantasy purposes. The total in this contest is the second-highest of the week (49.5 points), while the Eagles are just 2.5-point underdogs. That suggests a high-scoring contest with action on both sides.
Smith is arguably the best value in this price range on DraftKings. While Godwin and Aiyuk both have elite Bargain Ratings on FanDuel, Smith has a 64% Bargain Rating on DraftKings. That doesn’t jump off the page, but it’s significantly better than the other top receivers on the board.
Rashee Rice ($7,300 FanDuel)
You can add Rice to the receiver mix on FanDuel. The Chiefs will square off with the Falcons on Sunday Night Football, and that game is included on the FanDuel main slate. Rice is arguably the best play of the bunch on that site, leading the position in projected Plus/Minus.
This season has been a changing of the guard in KC. Ever since Tyreek Hill departed for Miami, Travis Kelce has emerged as the team’s clear top pass-catcher. However, Kelce has just a 14% target share through the first two weeks.
With his production dipping, it has opened the door for Rice to take over. He’s racked up a 30% target share over the same time frame, and he’s posted a mark of at least 26% in both contests. I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely interested in the guy being targeted on 30% of Patrick Mahomes’ passes.
Atlanta does have a tough secondary, but it didn’t stop Smith from putting up 20+ fantasy points last week. As long as Rice continues to get targets, I’m not sure there’s a matchup in football where I wouldn’t pay $7,300 for him.
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Chris Olave ($6,300 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel) & Rashid Shaheed ($5,300 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel)
What in the world do you make of the Saints at this point? They were not expected to be an elite offensive team this season, yet they’ve racked up 91 points through their first two contests. They’re also third in yards per game, so their production doesn’t feel particularly fluky. One of their outbursts did come against the Panthers, but they managed to roll up 35 first-half points on the Cowboys in Dallas. The Cowboys didn’t lose a single home game during the regular season in 2023, so it was an extremely impressive performance.
At a minimum, the Saints have to be considered a strong team to target in tournaments. That’s especially true against an Eagles’ defense that has been lit up of late. They crumbled down the stretch last year, and they’re merely 29th in EPA defensively through the first two weeks of 2024. The Saints are implied for 26.25 points in this matchup, which is the second-highest mark on the slate.
The best part about the Saints is that their offense is pretty condensed. Alvin Kamara, Olave, and Shaheed have done most of the damage this season.
At receiver, Olave is coming off a game with a 40% target share vs. the Cowboys. He’s yet to find the paint this season, but he’s had at least 1,000 receiving yards in his first two years as a pro. The big game is coming.
Shaheed is getting more opportunities than he ever has, including a 92% route participation in Week 2. For years, Shaheed has been a boom-or-bust type of option, capable of ripping off big plays with the best of them. That’s clearly still in his game – he already has two touchdowns of at least 59 yards this season – but he might have a bit more consistency as well. He’s earned a very healthy 24% target share this season, so you can roster him with confidence moving forward.
DK Metcalf ($6,300 DraftKings, $7,200 FanDuel) & Jaxson Smith-Njigba ($5,400 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel)
The Seahawks are another passing attack to consider on Sunday. Geno Smith stands out as one of the top QB values on DraftKings, so it’s only natural to look at his top pass-catchers.
Metcalf was basically erased by Patrick Surtain in Week 1, but he bounced back with a vengeance in Week 2. He racked up 28.9 PPR points, making him the second-highest-scoring receiver of the week. Smith-Njigba managed 23.7 PPR points without the benefit of a touchdown, good for a WR7 finish in PPR formats.
Ultimately, these two players combined for a whopping 30 targets. Geno dropped back to throw the ball 44 times vs. the Patriots, and with Ryan Grubb now running the offense, more pass-heavy game scripts could be in the offing. All of the Seahawks are still ultimately too cheap for the potential value they could provide in this offense.
Tank Dell ($5,200 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel)
Dell is a clear buy-low target after the first two weeks. He’s yet to provide any tangible production, but his underlying metrics still look really solid. He had 23% of the Texans’ targets and 44% of their air yards in Week 1, which put him right in the same vicinity as Nico Collins.
He wasn’t quite as involved in Week 2, but he still had a potential big-play touchdown slip right through his fingers:
There’s plenty of time for Dell to turn things around, and that could start in Week 3 vs. the Vikings. Their pass defense wasn’t great last year, and while they’ve shown significant improvement, it’s only been two weeks. This game has the fourth-highest total on the main slate, so it should at least be a good environment for offense.
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Jordan Whittington ($4,200 DraftKings, $4,600 FanDuel)
If you’re looking for an undervalued punt play on Sunday, look no further than Whittington. The Rams are as desperate for receivers as any team in football at the moment, with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua both sidelined with injuries. Kupp had a massive 27 targets through just 1.5 games, while Nacua is coming off one of the best rookie seasons in the history of the receiver position.
Enter Whittington. The sixth-round rookie out of Texas looked the part in the preseason, catching 11 passes for 126 yards in two contests. He did that despite playing with Stetson Bennett, who is absolutely not an NFL-caliber quarterback.
We’ve seen Matthew Stafford zone in on his No. 1 receiver ever since arriving in Los Angeles; who’s to say that guy isn’t Whittington in Week 3? He’s projected for just 2.3% ownership on DraftKings, but he’s showing up in the optimal lineup at a greater than 6% clip. That’s the largest discrepancy at the position.
CeeDee Lamb ($8,800 DraftKings, $9,300 FanDuel)
With so many people leaning on the midrange receivers, there could be some value in going up to the top of the pricing spectrum. Lamb is the most expensive receiver on this slate, and he unsurprisingly leads in both median and ceiling projections.
Lamb has yet to post a truly huge game this season, but he was really close in Week 2. He had 90 receiving yards and a touchdown approximately halfway through the second quarter vs. the Saints. Unfortunately, he didn’t catch a single pass from that point forward.
With the Cowboys coming off a dismal showing at home vs. the Saints, they might lean on their star receiver a bit heavier in Week 2. The Ravens have historically been a tough matchup, but the Chiefs’ receivers managed to get the best of them in the first game of the year.
Marvin Harrison Jr. ($7,400 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel)
One week after being left for dead by “speed Twitter” – which is apparently a real thing – Maserati Marv is officially back. Harrison had four catches, 130 yards, and two touchdowns vs. the Rams, and he did it all in basically the first quarter. If that game hadn’t turned into a blowout, it’s possible that Harrison could’ve had an even bigger outing.
Harrison remains priced at a significant discount on FanDuel, where his $7,500 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 98%. That makes him a strong target in an excellent matchup vs. the Lions. Detroit allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing receivers last season, and they’re up to No. 2 in 2024. They’ve already surrendered huge outings to Kupp and Godwin, and there’s no reason Harrison can’t get on that list, too.
Jauan Jennings ($4,100 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel)
Jennings is another potential punt play to consider in tournaments. While Aiyuk isn’t going to catch anyone by surprise this week, Jennings is projected for almost no ownership across the industry. That said, there’s a good chance he operates as the team’s No. 2 pass-catcher.
He’s coming off a solid showing in Week 2, catching five passes for 64 yards, and he had nine targets in one of his two starts last season. He’s the No. 2 receiver in projected DraftKings Plus/Minus this week, so he’s a solid value option in “stars-and-scrubs” lineup constructions.
