What a year for free agent WRs! There is so much talent and a lot of fantasy football implications riding on a handful of these players. In my last article I broke down the top names in the class, gave you my thoughts on where they could land, and what you should be doing with them on your dynasty squads.
In this article, I’ll breakdown a few sleeper names. These aren’t your household names, but have flashed and are players I’d watch closely as free agency rolls around.
I wanted to give realistic landing spots based on where teams stand with cap space as of right now and the type of WR they might be looking for. Teams always seem to find ways to manipulate the cap and free up space, however I went with the knowledge I have right now according to Spotrac.
*all points and rankings are Half-PPR scoring unless mentioned otherwise.
Sleepers
Zay Jones
Zay Jones was an early second round pick by the Bill in 2017. His best season came in 2018 when he finished the year with 107 targets, 56 receptions, 652 yards and 7 TDs. Those stats lead to an average of 7.5 fantasy points per game and a WR46 finish in fantasy football.
He was traded to the Raiders early in the 2019 season after becoming disgruntled with his playing time. He was off the fantasy radar completely until the last six games of the season. Jones finished Weeks 12-18 averaging 5.4 receptions a game on 7.7 targets.
His fantasy football production during that span wasn’t anything to write home about, averaging only 7.7 fantasy points per game, but that was without scoring a single TD.
I am not actively shopping for Zay Jones, but he is a guy I’ll leave on the end of my bench to see what happens. He will be 27 when the new season begins, but he could be signed by a cap strapped team like the Packers, Saints or Falcons. There are a lot of question marks for these teams, but Jones could step in as the WR2 on a cheaper deal.
Cedrick Wilson
Wilson averaged 9 fantasy points per game, doing the vast majority of his damage out of the slot. He stepped up in the absence of Michael Gallup for the majority of the year, finishing with 45 receptions, 602 yards and 6 TDs.
For fantasy football, he finished inside the top-24 four times this year, including two weeks as a top-12 WR. In Week 18 he finished as the WR3.
With Gallup likely moving on and the recent Amari Cooper trade rumours, I’d be holding tight on WIlson. Prescott seems to trust him, even targeting him with the season on the line. I believe his only chance at fantasy football relevance is signing back with the Cowboys.
However, the Cowboys are in the negative when it comes to cap space, so there is a chance WIlson priced himself out. With his 6th round draft capital and lack of production up to this year, I don’t see teams lining up to overpay him; so hopefully the Cowboys can work something out.
James Washington
The Steelers selected Washington in the second round of the 2018 draft. Besides the odd game here or there, he hasn’t been relevant in fantasy football. The question is, has his way been blocked or was he never that good to begin with?
Washington’s best season came in 2019, where the Steelers played most of the year with Dalvin Hodges and Mason Rudolph. Washington finished as the WR52, averaging 7.4 points per game. He had 5 TDs in 2020 playing as the 4th string WR behind Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
If you have an extra bench spot he is an intriguing option to pick up off of waivers to wait to see what happens. Players with higher draft capital tend to get second chances more often than not.
I think a good landing spot for him is the Falcons. They can’t afford, at the moment, to pay for one of the high priced free agents. Washington could step in as one of the two outside WRs and become very fantasy relevant if Ridley were to leave town; but could be a secondary option even if he stays.
PPR WRs
Russell Gage
A name who could have been in my last article in the coin flip category; Gage can play outside or in the slot, as 3 of his 4 TDs this year came when lining up outside. However, most of his work and yardage comes when he is lined up in the slot.
From Week 7 on, Gage finished as the WR17 in fantasy football PPR leagues; despite having two games where he put up a goose egg. He averaged a surprising 14.1 points during that span.
Gage is still young, as he just turned 26 this month. He doesn’t have the high draft capital or consistent production to demand top dollar. With the Falcons having little wiggle room with cap space, I think they likely bring him back. It is sounding more and more like Calvin Ridley will be on the move, or potentially even retiring.
Gage is a good target to trade for, as there is a chance he could be the Falcons WR1 again next year. He can be had for a late second or even an early third in most fantasy football leagues. Even if he leaves Atlanta, he has shown he can produce in a secondary role as he did for stretches in 2019 and 2020 when Ridley or Jones were out with injuries.
PPR Sleepers
Braxton Berrios
Berrios was a great option down the stretch, taking advantage of the Jets’ WR injuries. From Weeks 12-17 he was the WR20 in fantasy football, averaging 11.9 points per game.
If you trusted him in your lineup for Weeks 16 and 17, you weren’t disappointed. He scored 15 points in week 16, then followed that up with 20.4 points in championship week. During that span he finished as the WR8 in PPR leagues. If your league has return points, he upped those totals even more.
There has already been talk of an extension with the Jets. This wouldn’t be horrible for him, but don’t expect the same target share once Elijah Moore and Corey Davis are back and healthy.
One sneaky landing spot is back with the Patriots, who originally drafted him in the 6th round in 2018. According to a piece by Mike Luciano at musketfire.com, Belichick contacted former Jets head coach Adam Gase praising the waiver claim of Berrios. Look out if this reunion happens!
Isaiah Mckenzie
Mckenzie has two games on his resume that make you think, why doesn’t he have a full time job? In Week 17 of the 2020 season he finished as the WR7 with 30.5 PPR points. This past year he did it again in Week 16, finishing as the WR4 with 29.4 points. In both these games he was filling in for Cole Beasley.
My hope is the Bills move on from Beasley, who can be cut for only $1.5 million in dead cap. If they do that, it would open room to re-sign Mckenzie who has proved useful in the return game as well. It’s a bit of a pipe dream, but it has me holding Mckenzie to see what happens. I suggest you do the same if you picked him up at the end of the year.
Other notable free agent WRs
Allen Lazard
Flashed from time to time, but couldn’t put up consistent numbers with one the greatest QBs. However, he did have 8 TDs this past year. Maybe there is hope, but not holding my breath.
Tre’Quan Smith
He was expected to step up the last two years in the absence of Michael Thomas. However, he only had 50 targets both years. He is only 26 years old, but hasn’t done anything when the opportunity came knocking.
Josh Reynolds
All hope of fantasy football relevance was lost when Julio Jones was traded to the Titans. Reynolds was later cut by the Titans, but found his way to the Lions. He was able to find the end zone a few times, but no consistency. If Goff remains the QB for the Lions there’s a chance Reynoalds is brought back, but I expect the Lions to address the WR position with a bigger name.
Jamison Crowder
He has two seasons of top-36 production in fantasy football PPR leagues. In 2020 he averaged 14.4 points per game. There might be some left in the tank, but he will be 29 when the season starts. He’s also coming off of two different injuries that plagued his 2021 season.
Sammy Watkins
High draft capital and name value will likely get him signed, but injuries and inconsistent play will make him a depth player at best. He couldn’t get the job done with Mahomes for two years. He’s not likely to find his mojo going into his year 29 season.
Zach Pascal
Flashed as a fill-in from time to time with the Colts. Has done well inside the red zone, but no production on games without a TD.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
See note about Lazard and apply here, however he only scored 6 TDs instead of 8.
Dante Pettis
Injury after injury. He had a promising rookie year and even had a couple decent games this year, but he can’t stay healthy. Four years and only 33 games played.
Rashard Higgins
Had games where he was useful in 2020. Wasn’t at all on the radar this past year.
Sheldon Hand
Sheldon Hand is an elementary school teacher. He started writing in 2019, and started working with The League Winners in 2021. He has been playing fantasy football for fifteen years, got into dynasty seven years ago and have become a bit obsessed.