The Value of a WR2
Extracting value at every position should be the goal of every fantasy football owner. Everyone has their own opinion of what that means. Some prefer to pay up for an elite quarterback or an elite tight end within the first few rounds while others wait on both positions. Success can be had both ways.
There is no one right way to build a fantasy football roster.
Now, someone who paid a premium for an elite player might tell you their method is preferred. On the other hand, someone who made late-season moves for Breshad Perriman and Tyler Higbee would argue that their approach was more successful.
Regardless of how you prefer to build your roster, both during the draft and throughout the season, have a goal in mind and stay open-minded. Be willing and ready to adapt and adjust as no one can predict what will happen during the season.
My goal for this piece is to lay out my personal experience with building depth at the wide receiver position over the last few seasons. I have come to find that targeting wide receivers who are the second options on certain teams have allowed me to bank up significant depth and afforded me opportunities to make moves for other positions.
As always, let me know your thoughts and experiences on unique ways you have built your dynasty rosters over the last few seasons.
Chris Godwin (WR, TB) – 2019 WR2 PPR
Sometimes the offseason hype comes to fruition. This was the case for Chris Godwin this past year. The fantasy community endured an offseason of excitement and speculation about what Godwin’s role would be in a Bruce Arians offense. Needless to say, Godwin lived up to the hype.
Coming into the league, Chris Godwin possessed excellent metrics and route-running ability. His athletic profile was strong and his route tree excellent. I first bought in on Godwin after his rookie season while listening to an analysis by Mike Clay over at ESPN. Trusting his insight, I figured why not buy a promising young player who is playing behind an elite wideout.
After a strong sophomore season from Godwin, I began to look more closely at wide receivers who were the second option on their team. While we tend to look for studs, I wanted to explore the notion of filling out my dynasty roster with a deep stable of wide receivers who could rise to become productive fantasy assets.
Entering this season, the Reception Perception profile compiled by Matt Harmon provided even more reason to be excited for Godwin’s third season in the league. He demonstrated a high level of success at nearly every route he ran and was in a prime spot to succeed from a fantasy perspective.
Take a look at what Matt Harmon had to say about Godwin heading into this past season.
If you waited until this season started to buy Chris Godwin, you’ll never be able to get him without paying a ransom. While repeating as the overall WR2 will be tough, Godwin should certainly be locked in as a top 10-12 wide receiver next season.
Jameis Winston, for all his struggles as a true NFL quarterback, is an excellent fantasy quarterback. For the time being, it appears he will be back for at least one more season and that only bodes well for Godwin (and Mike Evans).
As the league has grown more pass-heavy, and as new rules seek to protect players, the depth of the wide receiver position as a whole has only continued to grow. You can find quality wide receivers very late in drafts as almost every team has one or two (or more) viable pass-catchers on their team.
Targeting “unknown” or “undervalued” wide receivers in good situations can provide you with incredible value throughout your draft.
Michael Gallup (WR, DAL) – 2019 WR22 PPR
Third-round draft capital, a modest athletic profile, an average analytical background, and a landing spot on one of the most run-heavy teams in the league all provided enough reason to temper expectations for Michael Gallup his rookie season.
I will admit, Gallup was not someone I initially thought highly of coming out of college. There wasn’t a good reason for my initial hesitancy, but I wanted to see more. At first glance, his landing spot was less than ideal. The Cowboys run their offense through Ezekiel Elliott and I saw no reason for that to change.
To be fair, I did draft him as a rookie and waited to see how he would perform in his first year in the league. While his initial season was underwhelming, the more research I did the more I started to see the true potential. In his sophomore season, he doubled nearly every major receiving category despite missing two games.
Operating behind Amari Cooper in an efficient offense under new Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore, Gallup showed incredible growth and still has room to grow in years to come. While the future of Cooper in Dallas remains up in the air, I am hopeful Cooper does stay with the Cowboys.
Michael Gallup will be drafted higher in 2020 than he was in 2019. Topping 1,000 receiving yards and six touchdowns will drive anyone’s stock up. This will be even truer if Cooper does not return next season. On that note, I do not think Gallup is quite ready to be an alpha, WR1 for a team. He has demonstrated a high level of growth, but as stated before, I prefer his role as it currently is.
Gallup is a great example of someone who, before this season, you could have acquired for a reasonably low price. He was a 500-yard receiver on a run-heavy team with an elite wideout on the roster after his rookie year. Now, he will cost you quite a bit more even if 1,000 yards and six touchdowns is who he is as a receiver moving forward.
I have long been a proponent of buying Day 2 receivers after their rookie season. Players who are drafted inside of the first three rounds have a much higher statistical chance of fantasy production compared to their Day 3 counterparts. Anyone who bought low on Gallup is reaping the rewards as he is an excellent depth piece who has startable value in a variety of leagues.
Calvin Ridley (WR, ATL) – 2019 WR27 PPR
Calvin Ridley has a bit of a different story compared to the first two receivers in this piece. First-round draft capital to a team with an elite offense will cause the price of any player to be quite a bit higher.
However, the perception of value is everything. Two fantasy owners can like the same player, but if one likes him as a top-five wideout and the other likes him as a top 20, the perceived range of outcomes is quite wide.
My favorite trait of Ridley is his route-running. There are a few routes from his rookie season that I love. Both led to touchdowns and both left defenders helpless in his wake.
While he doesn’t have the same strong metrics or production profile as fellow first-round rookie DJ Moore, Ridley can work opposite of future Hall of Fame wide receiver Julio Jones. In a piece I wrote this past fall, I drew comparisons between Ridley/Julio and Julio/Roddy White. From that perspective, it will be exciting to see how Ridley transitions into the WR1 role on this offense over the next several seasons.
Take a look at what Matt Harmon had to say about Ridley heading into this past season.
Calvin Ridley is a bit polarizing for some fantasy owners. His draft capital and landing spot are definite pluses, but his older age (already 25 after two seasons in the league) and lack of an elite analytical and production profile has led some to sell or avoid altogether.
As stated, perception is everything. For as big a Ridley fan as I am, if I was looking at him as the future WR1 on my dynasty team, I will be disappointed. However, looking at him as someone who has a weekly start ability, a penchant for scoring (17 touchdowns in two seasons), and the opportunity to play opposite an alpha wide receiver, he will have a role on my dynasty team for many years.
I have come to realize that not every player I draft or trade for has to find his way to my starting lineup every week. Depth is important. Injuries happen all the time. Opportunities arise for players without notice and values can shift wildly overnight. Building your team around players who others may not value can increase your depth and your ability to shift assets to other areas of your team with greater need.
Admittedly, wide receivers are my favorite position in fantasy football. I enjoy scouting them, digging into the numbers and research, and getting better at watching the film. Wide receiver depth is the approach I have taken to fill out my dynasty roster, and I have found a decent amount of success with it. Targeting “undervalued” wide receivers is a process I continue to refine each year, and I look forward to more time spent on this process this offseason.
Each dynasty owner takes a different approach to roster construction. Some are successful, some are not. Whatever your approach is, be open-minded, willing to learn something new, and be willing to go and get the guys you believe in. At the end of the day, having fun with your team is worth the work and effort put in.
Thanks for checking out my article! For more fantasy football content, follow me on Twitter @Samuel_DFF.
