Fantasy Football: One Receiver to Target in Each Round of Your Draft

This is the first year since 2016 that a wide receiver is the top-projected pick in fantasy football drafts, and it can be felt throughout the draft.

Wide receivers are going early and often. As a result, fantasy owners are going to need to be aware of the best receivers available per round because it's going to be the position you want to hit on the most this year -- whether it's early or late.

It's easy to already think of the stress, especially if you're one who's willing to go without a wide receiver in the first or second round, leaving all the elite options off the table. Sometimes the draft just goes that way, though, so we have you prepared for who you should be targeting to fix that throughout the draft.

Unlike the running back position, even if you miss out on the elite, there are potential high-upside options the rest of the way rather than just volume guys. That's the beauty of the position.

Let's dive in and see who are the best options at wide receiver throughout the first 10 rounds of the draft based on their average draft position (ADP).

All ADPs are via FantasyPros half-PPR data.

Round 1 -- Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

ADP: 1.0

No one should be drafted ahead of Justin Jefferson this season, especially at the wide receiver position.

He is understandably the top player off the board in the majority of drafts due to his 2022, where he established himself as the best wide receiver in football.

JJettas ended the season as the WR1 in fantasy, recording 304.7 points on his 128 receptions, 1,809 receiving yards, and 8 touchdowns. He also led the NFL in targets with 184, as his connection with Kirk Cousins is one of the strongest in the league.

FanDuel Research's Brandon Gdula simulated the upcoming season 10,000 times, and unsurprisingly, Jefferson finished as the league-leading receiver 15.2% of the time and was a top-five receiver 42.2% of the time -- both the highest of any WR.

Jefferson offers the best floor, with a ceiling that could hit the likes of Cooper Kupp in 2021 if everything goes right -- and he hasn't even hit his prime yet.

Players like Ja'Marr Chase and Tyreek Hill can compete for that WR1 spot in 2023, but there's no one I'm more confident in this season than Jefferson.

He's only getting better. That's why he is No. 1. Don't let him go past you under any circumstances.

Round 2 -- Garrett Wilson, New York Jets

ADP: 19.3

The hype of the New York Jets might be scaring some drafters away, but if there's anyone who feels like a lock to be a superstar from that team this season, it's Garrett Wilson.

If you've been a viewer of Hard Knocks, it's difficult not to fall in love with the connection Aaron Rodgers has with Wilson already. I mean, the first touchdown Rodgers threw in his lone preseason appearance was a beautiful pass to Wilson after all! He's going to be the guy Rodgers feeds. That usually turns out pretty well!

In his rookie season, with the trio of Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, and Chris Streveler getting him the ball, Wilson still managed 174.2 fantasy points with 83 receptions, 1,103 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Those touchdowns are going to go up, and the yards probably will, too, as long as Rodgers is healthy.

Wilson's a game-changer on the field and a potential league-winner in fantasy. There are a lot of great receivers in the second round -- but none have the upside that Wilson does.

Round 3 -- Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

ADP: 26.3

Michael Thomas is finally back for the New Orleans Saints. Great... for football reasons, perhaps.

But for fantasy football, it's all about Chris Olave these days because the young star should be one of the big breakouts in 2023.

Olave showed flashes of being a top receiver last season when he finished with 72 receptions for 1,042 yards, and 4 touchdowns in 15 games. He, like his former Ohio State teammate Garrett Wilson, did it with less-than-stellar quarterback play, as the duo of Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston surely wasn't something to write home about.

Good news for Olave, he's got a new quarterback in the form of Derek Carr. Carr has managed to supply top fantasy receivers in the past, with Darren Waller finishing as the TE2 in 2020, Hunter Renfrow finishing as the WR11 in 2021, and Davante Adams finishing as the WR3 last season. That's a pretty great track record that makes Olave that much more exciting.

Carr is a great deep-ball thrower, as his 4,701 air yards ranked fifth, and his 9.4 air yards per attempt ranked second. That pairs perfectly with Olave.

In his rookie campaign, the 23-year-old had the ninth-best aDOT (14.0) and was fourth in deep targets (29). That should only go up, meaning big plays are coming for this connection, which means big points.

As a third-round pick, Olave has the most potential to be a top-10 wideout. He's arguably even the best option in the third round of any position.

Round 4 -- Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns

ADP: 44.0

Amari Cooper is both timeless and still younger than you probably think he is.

Entering his age-29 season, Cooper showed everyone that he still has plenty in the tank after an incredibly successful season in his first year with the Cleveland Browns.

Playing with Jacoby Brissett for the majority of the year, Cooper finished with 78 receptions, 1,160 receiving yards, and 9 touchdowns. It was a stellar season in many ways for a guy who was seemingly cast aside by the Dallas Cowboys and fantasy players a year ago. He finished as the WR10 with 207.0 points (0.1 off of WR9).

Now, he will get a full season with Deshaun Watson at quarterback. Watson should be an upgrade from Brissett if we were to go off his last full season in 2020 instead of his few games last year (which were awful). The connection equaled two double-digit games but also four weeks of single digits. There was good and bad.

But now that they've had an offseason to get on the same page and Watson is back in the saddle, Cooper is a No. 1 option in a likely great offense. That is a recipe for success.

Cooper is going as the WR18 in drafts, comfortably as a WR2. He's a good option even with the concerns of Watson, especially if you're taking him as a WR2 for lineups.

Round 5 -- DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans

ADP: 56.0

A proven No. 1 receiver who showed a season ago he still has plenty left in the tank, DeAndre Hopkins is still one of the best.

After returning from his six-game suspension, Hopkins looked, well, like he hadn't missed a step. The wideout averaged 13.3 fantasy points in nine games, putting together a line of 64 receptions, 96 targets, 717 receiving yards, and 3 receiving touchdowns. Hopkins had 10 or more targets in seven of his nine games, as well.

Now, I know the fear will come in whatever this Tennessee Titans offense may look like. It was a struggle a year ago, but a major part of that reason was that they didn't have a true No. 1 receiver -- that's why Hopkins is here.

The last time Ryan Tannehill had a real top receiver, it was A.J. Brown. Brown averaged 11.5 fantasy points in 2021 while dealing with injuries. That was good enough to make him the WR24 that season on a points-per-game basis. With a 56.0 ADP and going as the WR21, that sets up Hopkins to be a fine WR2 who should have one of the safest floors in all of fantasy football.

Round 6 -- Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

ADP: 64.3

Maybe someday the fantasy world will give Tyler Lockett the respect he deserves.

We've reached another year when Lockett is going later in drafts despite always overdelivering on his ADP.

With the uncertainty of Geno Smith's play heading into last season, Lockett was going outside of the top 100 as the WR42. He finished as the WR13 with 195.3 fantasy points. In 2021, he was going as the WR19 and finished the year as the WR13. And finally, in 2020 he went as the WR18 and finished as the WR9.

All Lockett does is deliver, and he's continuously slept on anyway. Crazy.

The fear, I guess, comes in the form of the Seattle Seahawks drafting Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Understandable, but with a wrist injury for Smith-Njigba, he's likely to miss the first week of the season and possibly more. Either way, Lockett has his role and won't be losing too much.

He's going as the WR25 with an ADP of 64.3. If you miss out on receiver early or are looking for a great FLEX, it doesn't get better than Lockett at this spot. He's going to do what he always does -- deliver.

Round 7 -- George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers

ADP: 79.0

It's time we look at some potential breakouts, and few are as exciting as George Pickens this upcoming season.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark went as far to call Pickens a more talented player than Justin Jefferson just a few days ago, so clearly he should have your attention.

We're not saying Pickens is more talented than the best wide receiver in the world, but he has what it takes to be one of football's best receivers. He's showcased it already in the preseason, as his connection with quarterback Kenny Pickett was exciting to see ahead of the real thing.

There was very little consistency on the Steelers' offense last year through the passing game, so it shouldn't surprise you when Pickens only had 52 receptions, 84 targets, 801 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns. He was also playing behind Chase Claypool for part of the season before the Steelers traded him to the Chicago Bears.

If Pickett is able to translate his play from the preseason to the regular season, Pickens could be a league-winner, let alone a weekly fantasy starter.

Round 8 -- Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders

ADP: 90.7

All aboard the Jahan Dotson bandwagon because he's going to be a fantasy stud if all goes as expected.

The year of Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke at the forefront of the Washington Commanders passing attack wasn't good. Most would agree it was a pretty bad decision all-around, including head coach Ron Rivera, who said that he wished he knew how talented the 2023 starter Sam Howell was sooner than he does now.

Well, he is the starter now, and while we won't go crazy based on one game, Howell sure liked Dotson in their last preseason game. Dotson got five targets for five receptions that went for 31 yards. That's nothing to sing about, but it's something to keep in mind, especially with Terry McLaurin suffering from a toe injury for the time being.

Dotson showed flashes last year, including a three-game stretch (Week 13, 15, 16) where he had 13.9, 18.5, and 16.6 points, including a touchdown per game. It's unfair to expect a touchdown per game from Dotson, but he did have a nose for the end zone, and that won't go away.

Going all the way in Round 8 makes him well worth taking a flier on, as he has all the potential in the world to be a star for the Commanders and fantasy teams in 2023.

Round 9 -- Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos

ADP: 109.7

Courtland Sutton has lost pretty much all the hype that once followed him after going for 1,112 yards and 6 touchdowns back in 2019.

After an injury that took away his 2020, followed by two mediocre seasons -- including a disastrous 2022 for everyone on the Denver Broncos not named Jerry Jeudy -- he's just no longer viewed as an exciting option by fantasy football managers.

Well, he may not be exciting, but he should be getting more attention. Jeudy injured his hamstring in practice, which left many wondering when we'd see him next on a football field. Thankfully for him, it wasn't as bad as initially thought, to the point that he was able to avoid the short-term injured reserve.

He's still hurt, though, which means Sutton is the new top receiver for the time being with limited options around him. That means volume. And volume often means fantasy points. The injury to Tim Patrick was enough to give Sutton more value heading into the season as is. In an offense that should be better under new head coach Sean Payton, this is the time to give Sutton one more shot.

At a Round 9 ADP, he's going to be a guy you put on the bench and hope he puts it together like he once did four years ago. And even if he doesn't put it all together, he can still be a FLEX option consistently if this offense is as pass-happy as a Payton offense often is.

Round 10 -- Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

ADP: 112.7

One wide receiver is going to be the top dog in Baltimore. While Odell Beckham certainly has the name value, we'd side with rookie Zay Flowers to be the long-term star.

With Lamar Jackson back at the helm and a new offense led by offensive coordinator Todd Monken that is expected to be a pass-friendly one, it feels as though this team will have at least one wide receiver be fantasy-relevant for the first time since Marquise Brown in 2021.

You have to know that the top target for the Baltimore Ravens is likely to be Mark Andrews -- but after that, it can be anyone.

Going back to Brown, he was the WR23 in 2021 in an offense that was run first, second, and third pretty much. Yet he had over 1,000 yards with 91 receptions and 6 touchdowns.

Rookie wide receivers can take a handful of weeks to get going, but as we saw with the likes of Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave last season, they can put up some consistent numbers quite often -- and Flowers will have a much better quarterback than they did.

The Boston College product was picked with the 22nd pick for a reason in the 2023 NFL Draft. They're going to use him and use him often.

At a Round 10 ADP, he's a guy you take with the long-term hope he breaks out as the season progresses. If the Ravens' passing offense is too much of a headache then you can easily move on. That's the beauty of where Flowers is going.

While you wait for Week 1's daily fantasy football slates to lock, you can get in on some best-ball fantasy football drafts on FanDuel, as well. Just draft your team and watch the points pile up throughout the season.

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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.