Wide receivers are the new black.
With the rates at which NFL teams are throwing the football and the number of receivers posting fantasy relevant numbers on a yearly basis, the position is deeper than it's ever been. That also means they're coming off the board in larger numbers earlier in the draft. Because of this shift in draft strategy, it's important to stack more wide receiver depth on your fantasy roster.
Presumably you've been following along with us over the past few days and know that the NFL Fantasy Stronghold has been offering up late round fantasy draft value options (hence the fancy tabs up top). Similarly, if you've been paying attention to the first couple of paragraphs of this piece, you can probably figure out that we're going to talk about wide receivers now ... assuming you haven't already scrolled down to check out the names. For the rest of you, keep on reading.
The kids are all right
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants: Shepard is currently a late round option, but by the time we reach mid-August it could all change. The former Oklahoma star was rated as one of the best route runners in the draft and now gets to pair up with one of the best route runners in the NFL in Odell Beckham Jr. Yes, the same Odell Beckham that is touting Shepard as this season's Rookie of the Year.
But the biggest case for Shepard comes from the potential for him to be a target monster in 2016. With Rueben Randle now taking up residence in Philadelphia, that's 90 targets unaccounted for. Then again, that number could go up if Shepard proves to be a more capable receiver than Randle ever was. The early returns suggest that this is a very real possibility.
Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings: After dealing with the fantasy fool's gold that was Cordarrelle Patterson and Charles Johnson, we might have truly found a gem in Diggs. As a rookie in 2016, Diggs owned a plurality of the targets with a team-leading 19 percent share of all the passes thrown. He also finished last season second on the Vikings roster with 733 scrimmage yards -- though admittedly he was nearly 1,000 yards behind team leader Adrian Peterson.
Drafting Diggs comes with certain realizations. The biggest is that no receiver is ever going to be the top threat in the Minnesota offense as long as Peterson can still put on a purple jersey. The other is that Laquon Treadwell is coming. The rookie looks ready to become Teddy Bridgewater's new favorite receiver, but it's not likely to happen overnight. Diggs should still have a decent share of the targets in the early part of the season.
Dorial Green-Beckham, Tennessee Titans: Honestly, this one can go either way. On paper, DGB is in position to be Tennessee's top receiving option. But if you've considered him at all, you've probably heard the rumors of rookie Tajae Sharpe pushing to be the team's top wideout. It remains to be seen if these stories have merit or if they're just an elaborate ruse to light a fire under last season's second round pick.
One thing that's certain is that Green-Beckham is the combination of size and speed that offensive coordinators covet. That should be enough to give him a legitimate shot at contributing in Mike Mularkey's "Exotic Smashmouth" offense (whatever that means). The biggest question will be whether Green-Beckham can avoid the mental issues that have plagued him in the past. That makes DGB a risk, but the reward is potentially huge. That's what you're looking for from a late-round pick.
The rising
Tavon Austin, Los Angeles Rams: I know ... it's scary potentially trusting your fantasy existence to the consistently inconsistent Tavon Austin. But take my hand and come with me. Together we can drive this bandwagon to prosperity.
The knock on Austin is that he doesn't post many receiving yards -- which is sort of a problem for a receiver. In fairness, he set a career high last season with 473 (!!!) receiving yards. But a second glance at Austin's 2016 stat line shows that he rushed for 434 yards. In total, you're talking about 907 scrimmage yards and nine total touchdowns. I'll save you from doing the math but Austin finished as the 21st ranked fantasy wideout last season, ahead of players like John Brown, T.Y. Hilton, Amari Cooper and Mike Evans.
Keep in mind that he's entering just his fourth season in the league. Maybe it's taken this long for the Rams to figure out how to use such a dynamic weapon, but with teams likely scheming to stop Todd Gurley, it'll be key for Jeff Fisher's team to have a secondary weapon to go to.
Markus Wheaton, Pittsburgh Steelers: It's amazing to think that Wheaton is still hanging around in the later rounds of drafts. With Martavis Bryant suspended for the season, Wheaton is ostensibly the No. 2 receiver in one of the league's most potent offenses.
Combine Bryant's suspension with Heath Miller's retirement and there are 173 targets gone from last year. It's crazy to believe that Wheaton will suck up all those throws with Ladarius Green and Sammie Coates hanging around the roster. But on a team that has thrown the ball nearly 600 times per season over the past three years, there should be plenty of chances for Wheaton to prove himself.
Are you experienced?
Kamar Aiken, Baltimore Ravens: Aiken broke out last season when the Ravens were beset with more misfortune than the Springfield nuclear power plant's company softball team. Guess what? There's no indication that any of those missing pieces will be in place once the season starts. Maybe there's a little concern that Mike Wallace is there to steal targe... okay, I can't honestly finish that sentence.
After four NFL seasons, Aiken seems to have found a home in the Baltimore offense and has built a rapport with the team's entire cadre of quarterbacks. He should be a consistent target for Joe Flacco and could end up as a nice flex option off the bench.
Travis Benjamin, San Diego Chargers: With Malcom Floyd now chilling in retirement, Benjamin steps in as the Chargers new deep threat. That's not a bad gig since Floyd led San Diego with 18.7 yards per catch last season. If the Bolts again struggle to get their running game in 2016, look for Philip Rivers to take to the air.
Keenan Allen will remain the top target in the Chargers aerial attack -- he finished second on the team in targets last year despite missing nearly half of the season. But the added attention Allen attracts could open some things up for Benjamin as the year progresses.
Torrey Smith, San Francisco 49ers: There's a little bit of "someone has to catch the ball" working in Smith's favor here. Of course, there's also the concern over the Niners quarterback situation. No one should be excited about putting their fantasy fortunes in the hands of either Blaine Gabbert or Colin Kaepernick, yet that's what we're facing.
Nonetheless, Smith should be the most-targeted player on the roster this season. Hopefully that means seeing significantly more than the 62 balls that came his way in 2015. In Chip Kelly's uptempo offense, there should be more plays run which should mean more opportunity for Smith. Now it's about him taking advantage.
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Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarcasG.
