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.
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Top NFL DFS Wide Receiver Picks in the FantasyLabs Models
On DraftKings, there are two wide receivers near the top of the Sean Koerner, Chris Raybon, Cash Game, and Tournament Player Models.
- CeeDee Lamb
- Tyler Lockett
We’ll discuss why these are popping in our models, as well as take a look at some other wide receivers.
Top Model NFL DFS Wide Receiver Picks
CeeDee Lamb ($6,800 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel): Dallas Cowboys (-6.5) vs. Detroit Lions (48.5 total)
CeeDee Lamb is the top receiver in all four models this week as he gets ready for the return of Dak Prescott. Lamb has fared fine without Prescott this season, as his worst performance, albeit in his toughest matchup, came in Week 1 when Prescott was healthy. Lamb has two games of 20+ DraftKings points and has averaged 16.5 DraftKings points per game with Cooper Rush under center.
Lamb caught 5+ passes in every game with Rush under center. He’s seen a ton of volume, and Dallas has found creative ways to get him the ball. This will likely continue, and now he has his main man throwing him the ball. Lamb practically has split his time out wide and in the slot and leads the league with 33.3% of his team targets.
Prescott’s return should give Lamb more chance for explosive plays, which can lead to ceiling performances. The matchup sets up for just that. The Lions are allowing 9.5 yards per target to boundary receivers and have fared even worse against slot receivers. They’ve allowed a 90.5% catch rate and 11.6 yards per target to interior wideouts.
In a likely shootout, Lamb has a chance to break loose against this Detroit secondary. He leads all four of our models this week and ranks towards the top in Projected Plus/Minus and Points/Salary.
Tyler Lockett ($5,800 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel): Seattle Seahawks (+5) at Los Angeles Chargers (50 total)
After a Week 1 dud, Tyler Lockett rattled off four straight impressive performances, even totaling 30.4 DraftKings points in Week 5 against New Orleans. The Lockett train, as well as the rest of the Seattle passing game, came to a screeching halt last week. Lockett hauled in merely two of five targets for 17 yards. DK Metcalf has slightly out-targeted Lockett on the year, but Lockett leads the team in air yards share at 38.2%. Lockett has also turned 42.2% of his targets into first downs or touchdowns, while Metcalf is at 32%.
The matchup is a little challenging for Lockett, as the Chargers have been stingy to opposing slot receivers. Los Angeles is allowing 6.9 yards per target and merely 9.3 yards per catch to opposing slot receivers. The good news is that Lockett isn’t only a slot receiver and is running about 60% of his routes from the perimeter. The Chargers are allowing 8.6 yards per target and have given. up five touchdowns to perimeter receivers on the year.
Lockett is projected to be one of the highest-owned receivers on the slate, and the ownership is likely warranted. We’ve seen Lockett run wild in some of these up-tempo games, and we may be in for another in Los Angeles this Sunday.
Lockett doesn’t lead any of our models but is second in both our Cash Game Model and Sean Koerner’s Pro Model while ranking third in Chris Raybon’s Pro Model.
Note: Pay attention to Lockett’s injury status (hamstring) leading up to lock.
Other Notable NFL DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Ja’Marr Chase ($8,200 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel): Cincinnati Bengals (-6.5) vs. Atlanta Falcons (47 total)
After a few middling games, we saw the ceiling that we all know Ja’Marr Chase has. Chase exploded for 132 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. His ceiling games seemingly come out of nowhere, as Chase had five straight games between 10-14 DraftKings points before his explosion. He had a monster Week 1 as well, catching 10 of 16 targets en route to 129 yards and a touchdown.
Despite some up-and-down performances, Chase’s usage is steady. He’s seen at least 25% of team targets in five of six games and has a 28% share of team targets on the year. Few can reach Chase’s ceiling, and he makes for a great stacking partner with Burrow this week.
Chris Godwin ($6,300 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel): Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-13) at Carolina Panthers (39 total)
Chris Godwin was eased back in Week 5 but was practically a full go in Week 6. He saw 32.4% of team targets, catching six balls for 95 yards. He ran a route on 92.9% of team dropbacks and re-solidified himself as Brady’s “go-to” guy. Godwin is yet to find the end zone on the year, so he’s due for some regression in that department.
The matchup with Carolina is exploitable, as interior receivers have diced up the Panthers. They’re allowing 9.6 yards per target and an 82.4% catch rate to slot receivers, both ranking in the bottom five in the league. We’ve yet to see a ceiling performance from Godwin, which we saw a few times down the stretch last season.
He had three games of 28+ DraftKings points in the latter half of last season.
Romeo Doubs ($5,000 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel): Green Bay Packers (-4.5) at Washington Commanders (41 total)
Doubs has been a regular in this section, but his usage is undeniable. He started to break out in Weeks 3 and 4 but took a step back the past two weeks. Doubs has 12 total DraftKings points in the past two weeks after he went for 21.3 and 14.7 in the prior two games. The good news is that his underlying metrics stay great.
He’s run a route on 93.2% of dropbacks over the past four weeks, seeing at least 20% of team targets in three of four games. Washington has allowed some big plays as well, allowing 8.9 yards per target, and a hefty 14.8 yards per catch to opposing wideouts.
If the Packers’ passing game is ever going to wake up, it’ll likely be on the back of Doubs.