Fantasy Football: 4 Late-Round Wide Receivers to Target

The wide receiver position seemingly gets deeper and deeper each year in fantasy football, and this year isn't any different. Discovering late-round players who can produce at receiver can be the difference between taking home a fantasy football championship and missing the playoffs.

Ahead of the upcoming season, there are four wideouts who look like late-round gems. All four cary an average draft position (ADP) of 117 or later in FantasyPros' consensus ADP for half-PPR leagues .

Here are four wide receivers to consider in the later rounds.

Fantasy Football: Late-Round Wide Receivers to Target

Keon Coleman, Bills

ADP: WR45 (117.7 Overall)

Stefon Diggs is no longer a member of the Buffalo Bills, paving the way for someone else to become the No. 1 target for Josh Allen in a potent offense. Aside from adding veterans Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the Bills used the 33rd overall pick in this year's draft on Keon Coleman out of Florida State.

While Coleman never eclipsed 800-plus receiving yards in his three collegiate seasons and finished with 658 receiving yards in 2023, he was limited to 5 receptions for 43 yards in the two games he played without Jordan Travis at quarterback. What makes Coleman such an intriguing rookie is the fact he averaged 13.5 yards per reception and totaled 18 receiving touchdowns in his final two years of college while recording a solid 1.54 10-yard split at the NFL Scouting Combine despite measuring in at 6-foot-3.

When looking at Buffalo's receiver room, no one on the current roster has ever shown flashes of being a WR1 in an NFL offense. There's certainly a chance the Bills take a committee approach to replace the lost production of Diggs and Gabriel Davis.

At the same time, Coleman has the potential to earn an expanded role in an Allen-led passing attack. The upside at this ADP is tough to pass on despite Coleman not having the same numbers a season ago as the other top receiver prospects in this year's NFL draft.

Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars

ADP: WR49 (125.0 Overall)

Another rookie wideout who has a chance to earn a decent-sized role is Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his final season at LSU in 2023, Thomas exploded for 68 receptions, 1,177 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns.

Despite sharing the field with fellow first-round pick Malik Nabers, Thomas tallied 17.3 yards per reception and 2.61 yards per reception last year, per PFF. Thomas' size and ability give him a chance to be the immediate replacement of Calvin Ridley, who departed in free agency to the Tennessee Titans.

Christian Kirk excels out of the slot for the Jags while Evan Engram should continue commanding targets from the tight end position. With Ridley and Zay Jones both joining new teams in the offseason, Thomas can immediately see the field in two-receiver sets, something that would give him more opportunities to shine as a top target for Trevor Lawrence.

Among college receivers with at least 20 targets on balls 20-plus yards down the field last season, Thomas posted the 10th-most yards per reception (44.7) and the most yards per route run (30.5). Those numbers should help Thomas become a lethal vertical weapon for Lawrence, who finished with the seventh-highest adjusted completion rate (50.7%) on passes 20-plus yards down the field in 2023.

Brandin Cooks, Cowboys

ADP: WR55 (151.3 Overall)

It was a slow start for Brandin Cooks in his first year with the Dallas Cowboys in 2023 as he totaled only 13 receptions for 109 yards and 1 touchdown in five games before Dallas' bye week. But from Week 8 to Week 18, Cooks accumulated 41 receptions, 548 yards, and 7 touchdowns.

In terms of fantasy football, Cooks was the overall WR15 in half-PPR formats from Week 8 to Week 18. Even though Cooks earned just a 14.0% target share during that 11-game span, he had a 23.3% air yards share and team-high 13.9 average depth of target, via NextGenStats.

Throughout the offseason, the Cowboys haven't added any notable receivers who could usurp Cooks on the depth chart. At worst, Cooks appears to be locked in as the No. 3 option for Dak Prescott alongside CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson in a pass-centric offense.

Coach Mike McCarthy called plays for the Cowboys for the first time last season, and Dallas had the fifth-highest pass rate over expected (2.8%) entering Week 18. Our fantasy football projections -- which assume a 17-game season for each player -- sees slight value in Cooks, forecasting a WR51 finish with 52 receptions, 671 receiving yards, and 5.2 touchdowns.

Dontayvion Wicks, Packers

ADP: WR65 (165.0 Overall)

The Green Bay Packers are an offense that is receiving lofty expectations ahead of the upcoming campaign. Jordan Love flashed plenty of potential at quarterback down the stretch, and the Packers have a handful of capable pass-catchers to get the ball to.

While Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, and Romeo Doubs all possess specific skills that are intriguing, Dontayvion Wicks may have the highest ceiling of the bunch. As a fifth-round pick a season ago, Wicks produced the second-most yards per route run (2.14) among Packers skill players who were active for 10-plus games despite receiving just a 49.9% route rate.

Green Bay is going to have a tough time from keeping Wicks off the field in his sophomore season. While the Packers are likely going to be rotating their wideouts often early in the year, Wicks appears to be running with the starters in recent training camp practices.

FanDuel Research's projections have Love throwing for the sixth-most passing yards (4,376) and seventh-most passing touchdowns (29.6) in 24. With the Packers' passing attack potentially being a high-powered unit this coming campaign, taking a swing on Wicks at his ADP seems like a wise idea given his potential in the offense.

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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.