Auction...............$6
Bye Week.............10
Early in the 2015 season while Amari Cooper was struggling, Crabtree was a shining light for both the Raiders and fantasy managers. While the veteran faded a little down the stretch, he still ended the year in the top 20 at his position -- far above what was expected of him coming into the year. Crabtree will still be behind Cooper on the Raiders depth chart, but with a good young quarterback in Derek Carr and an emerging offense that with rely more on throwing the football, Crabtree once again has the makings of a low-end WR2 in plenty of formats.
Auction...............$5
Bye Week.............9
We're still waiting to get our first look at Kevin White on an NFL field. The seventh overall pick in 2015 didn't play a single down as he dealt with a stress fracture in his shin. However, the West Virginia product provides another big target for Jay Cutler and has the makings of a solid complement to Alshon Jeffery. While Jeffery is a target hog who will get pummeled with opportunities, his presence also means that White is likely to see plenty of one-on-one coverage. While he is an unknown as an NFL option, White's upside should give fantasy manager hope that he could blossom into a WR3 at least in 2016.
Auction...............$5
Bye Week.............13
If you're on the fence about drafting Corey Coleman, think about this -- who else is going to catch the ball in Cleveland? Taylor Gabriel? Andrew Hawkins? If the Browns have any designs on being an actually productive offense, that's not going to cut it. Enter Coleman, who caught 20 (that's not a misprint) touchdown passes in his final year at Baylor. Paired with another former Baylor Bear in Robert Griffin III, Coleman is the deep threat that the team once had in erstwhile star Josh Gordon (yet another Baylor product). Whether Coleman and the Browns offense as a whole progresses under new coach Hue Jackson remains to be seen, but all signs point to the rookie seeing plenty of targets in his first NFL season. That's about all you can really ask for.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............8
Shepard might not have received the same level of fanfare as fellow draftees like Laquon Treadwell or Josh Doctson, but there might not have been a better fit of player and team in this year's draft. Much like his new teammate Odell Beckham, Jr., Shepard is a technician when it comes to his craft -- especially as a route runner. The Oklahoma product should compete with Victor Cruz for the honor of being Big Blue's No. 2 receiver. If Cruz wins the gig, Shepard could fit nicely as a third option. If the rookie wins out, he'll have even more value as a secondary target for Eli Manning. Speaking of Eli, he'll be a much more coveted fantasy quarterback this year regardless of who wins this camp competition.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............8
After some fairly productive years as a second option in the Ravens passing game, Smith came to San Francisco where he was expected to carry the load as the team's top receiver. That's all well and good if you have a quarterback who can consistently deliver the ball. The Niners didn't. As a result, Smith's numbers suffered to the point where he wasn't a viable fantasy option. This year with Chip Kelly running the show, there should be more opportunities for the offense ... and Smith in particular. The next trick is to find a quarterback that can feed him the football. If you decide to take the chance, realize that Smith is going to be a matchup-based option only.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............8
After a season where he held the third highest touchdown rate (9.5) among receivers with 60 or more targets, Allen Hurns will be a polarizing player in 2016 fantasy drafts. Half the crowd will be eager to pluck a 1,000-yard, young receiver from a seemingly ascendant offense. The other observers will look to avoid Hurns while citing surefire touchdown regression coming his way. The truth of the matter probably lies with how you view Blake Bortles for 2016. If you expect the now third-year passer to sustain his momentum and lead another high-volume passing attack, then Hurns should interest you. If you lie on the other side of projecting the young Jaguars quarterback, then Hurns will probably go too high in the draft for your blood.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............i
Wheaton finished 2015 right on pace with his projections thanks to a strong final stretch to the season. Four of his five touchdowns were scored after Week 11, so he wasn't much of an asset during the fantasy regular season but became a more consistent option than Martavis Bryant during the fantasy playoffs. With Bryant out of the picture in 2016 while serving a year-long suspension, Wheaton has a chance to build on his late-season success and blossom into a true No. 2 wide receiver. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but drafting a high-upside player on an elite offense as a WR3-4 is how you set yourself up to win fantasy leagues.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............5
Veteran Doug Baldwin grabbed most of the spotlight down the stretch, but rookie Tyler Lockett was quite impressive himself. His touchdown rate of 8.7 was the eighth highest in the NFL this season among receivers with at least 60 targets. Lockett will prove one of 2016's most popular breakout candidates. He's an ascending young wide receiver attached to a quarterback who played at an elite level last season. The trajectory of Lockett's hype throughout the offseason will be the key to deciding whether he is a good fantasy pick or not. He feels like the perfect case where league-mates will fight each other to the death for the rights to draft him. Nevertheless, Lockett should earn a clear starting spot in the Seahawks offense, and could push Baldwin to lead the team in targets.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............10
Jones carved out a nice niche as a complementary piece to A.J. Green during his four seasons in Cincinnati. Now he moves to Detroit where he ostensibly takes over as the team's No. 2 wideout. The difference is that he won't have quite the same level of talent across from him. This is no knock on Golden Tate ... but Tate isn't Calvin Johnson. Now back to Marvin Jones. The upside here is that the Lions are still a pass-heavy offense and there are plenty of targets to spread around. It's not implausible to believe that Jones could duplicate his numbers from last season. If he could add in a few more end zone visits, it would make Jones worthy of being a WR3 in many leagues.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............8
Parker spent much of last season battling foot injuries that kept him off the field and made him generally ineffective for much of the time he was on it. Late in the season, we started to see a glimpse of why the Dolphins were so high on the young receiver. Now with Adam Gase and Clyde Christensen at the reins of the offense, there is a chance for Parker to earn himself a solid role in the offense. While there is no precedent for past production, there is certainly plenty of upside for an athletic player residing in an offense that figures to throw the ball quite a bit.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............11
On a Browns team that didn't have a lot of receiving threats, Benjamin emerged to have a career year in 2015. Now he moves to San Diego where the Chargers have some legitimate pass-catching threats in Keenan Allen and Antonio Gates, but also a much better quarterback in Philip Rivers. Where Benjamin slots in the pecking order will have a lot to do with where he'll slot in plenty of fantasy drafts. At this point, he'll be available in the middle rounds and could end up having WR3 upside as the team's designated deep threat.
Auction...............$5
Bye Week.............6
Treadwell was one of the top rated receivers entering the 2016 NFL Draft and landed in an intriguing situation in Minnesota. Mike Wallace's continued vagabond tour took him to Baltimore, leaving the opportunity ripe for Treadwell to earn the top spot in the Vikings passing game. What makes Treadwell such an appealing fit is that while he's able to get deep, his long speed isn't his greatest trait. That should help in working with a quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater) who isn't particularly known for his ability to throw the deep ball. In an era where rookie receivers aren't taking as long to make their initial impact, Treadwell could be a solid mid-round option in many drafts.
Auction...............$2
Bye Week.............5
Willie Snead probably had one of the quietest 984-yard seasons by a second-year receiver in recent history. He amassed that yardage total while missing a game, playing decoy with one target in Week 10 against Washington and without Drew Brees for another. All in all, it was an impressive coming out party for a 23-year old in his first true NFL action. Depending on where his ADP sits come late August, Snead could end up as a one of the sneakier steals of the draft. The Saints passing offense didn't look likely to slow down any time soon. Snead could rack up a ton of catches playing the slot and flanker positon. There is room to move up, and solidify his spot in the pecking order there.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............8
Are things starting to look up for Tavon Austin's fantasy prospects? After a couple of seasons of teasing us with his potential, the West Virginia product posted his best fantasy season in 2015. The biggest reason is that the Rams used him equally as a runner (52 rushes) and a receiver (52 receptions). In the end, Austin finished the year with 907 scrimmage yards and nine total touchdowns -- numbers similar to Michael Crabtree (WR26 in 2015). If the Rams have similar plans for Austin in 2016 and he can provide similar production, it's worth overlooking his subpar totals as a receiver for a more total package.
