3 Late-Round Wide Receivers to Target in Fantasy Football

Don't let the flashy names in the first few rounds of fantasy football drafts distract you from prioritizing your late-round selections. There are league-winning players to be obtained in these rounds, and it's all about sifting through the top options that provide your team with the most upside.

Here, we'll dive into a few late-round wide receivers to hone in on.

If you're drafting over Labor Day weekend, be sure to check out our staff's Fantasy Football Draft Strategy for Each Draft Pick Slot. Now, let's dive into some late-round sleeper options at wideout.

Fantasy Football: Late-Round Wide Receivers to Target

Darnell Mooney, Falcons

ADP: WR69 (172.0 Overall)

Darnell Mooney might be my favorite late-round wideout based on his ability to outdo his average draft position (ADP).

His last two seasons with the Chicago Bears were sour from a volume perspective, though he did achieve 13.4 yards per catch in 2023. I'm choosing to blame a decent portion of Mooney's struggles on Chicago's inconsistent offense and quarterback play from Justin Fields. Plus, in 2021, Mooney cracked 1,055 receiving yards and nabbed five scores, earning him a WR24 finish. He's put up big numbers before and is still somewhat green at 26 years old.

Now that Mooney will be backed by a pocket passer in Kirk Cousins with the Atlanta Falcons, I have legitimate hopes that he can, in some form, run it back akin to that 2021 season.

There are a lot of mouths to feed in Atlanta, and there are three players who are on every fantasy manager's radar -- Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts. Bijan is currently being swiped with No. 5 pick overall while London and Pitts carry similar excitement and upside.

But a key, albeit unfortunate, injury has paved a path for Mooney to get in on the fun. Earlier this month, Rondale Moore suffered a knee injury in practice and will miss the entire 2024 season. With that, Mooney has slid into a role as Atlanta's clear WR2.

I don't want to oversell what it means to be Cousins' WR2, but I don't want to undersell it, either. Had injuries not wreaked havoc on the Minnesota Vikings last year, two wideouts on the team would have glided to a top-20 finish at the position. Cousins also produced two top-12 wideouts in 2018 and 2020. The last thing I want to do is put Mooney in any conversation with Justin Jefferson, Stefon Diggs, and even Jordan Addison, but Cousins does have a strong history of juicing his receivers in fantasy.

There's a place for Mooney in this offense, even with Bijan, London, and Pitts around. Sure, his upside is limited by these assets and their inevitable crazy workload, but a top-40 finish at wideout could be in play for Mooney.

Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars

ADP: WR46 (115.0 Overall)

Every year we see a rookie wideout totally burst onto the scene. In 2023, Puka Nacua was that guy. The No. 177 overall pick in the NFL draft earned an unexpected WR4 finish in his freshman campaign.

This season, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers are the main rookie wideouts on fantasy managers' radars, with Xavier Worthy, Ladd McConkey, Rome Odunze and some other legit options trailing behind. Brian Thomas Jr. deserves to be in this group, too, making him an ideal late-round target.

Thomas was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 24 overall pick in the NFL draft. Harrison Jr., Nabers, and Odunze were the only wideouts to be taken before him.

With Calvin Ridley(and Zay Jones) exiting the team, the Jaguars need a player to immediately fill the void. That's certainly why they nabbed Thomas with their first-round selection, and we should expect a Jacksonville team that has realistic playoff hopes (+118 playoff odds) to utilize him right out of the gate.

Christian Kirk and Gabriel Davis serve as his target competition, though neither is particularly intimidating. It's not out of the question that Thomas becomes Trevor Lawrence's WR1. Not for nothing, Lawrence has produced a WR17 and a WR11 in each of the last two seasons.

Our Kenyatta Storin offers a bold prediction that Thomas will finish 2024 as a top-20 wide receiver. It's quite easy to picture Thomas outperforming his ADP.

Khalil Shakir, Bills

ADP: WR50 (135.0 Overall)

Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are no longer with the Buffalo Bills. In fact, 82% of receptions caught in Buffalo in 2023 were achieved by players who are no longer with the team. Who will Josh Allen throw the ball to this season?

Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman, and Khalil Shakir are his top options at wideout while Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox are sure to eat up a meaty role at tight end, too.

There are arguments to be made for all three of Samuel, Coleman, and Shakir. Samuel has the best track record of producing, though it may indicate he has already hit a somewhat meh ceiling. Coleman brings in the exciting unknowns as a rookie, though perhaps I'd prefer to take my chances on a rookie wideout elsewhere (see above). Shakir is the lone member who has seen work in Allen's offense, and he eclipsed 600 yards in 2023 despite Diggs and Davis eating up the lion's share of targets.

It's fair to be torn between these three. But if you're torn and want to get in on Allen's wide-open offense at a cheap cost, you might as well go with the cheapest option. Coleman is currently being taken as WR48 at pick 116, Samuel is being snatched as WR51 at pick 138, and Shakir is being selected as WR50 at pick 135. There's a small gap in stock between Samuel and Shakir, but I'd be happy to take the latter if I could get to him at or below his current ADP.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.