Deep Sleeper Wide Receivers You Need To Know: Michael Wilson, Puka Nacua, Richie James, Hodgins and more
We are here to let you know about a couple of deep sleeper wide receivers that your league mates probably won't know about when you head into your draft. Every one of these wideouts could have significant fantasy value without any other player going down with an injury. Each of these players should be drafted in the last round of your draft or at the very least monitored during Week 1 prior to your first waiver wire pickups.
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Michael Wilson Fantasy Outlook
Wilson was a Day 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft for the Arizona Cardinals and has been a standout in camp this summer. He also has an opportunity to fill a much-needed role for the Cards. On a team full of tiny wideouts, Wilson stands 6'2, 213 pounds on the outside. The team desperately needs a big body on the outside and he could emerge as a top target, especially in the red zone. However, he's more than just a big body. The Stanford alum is a talented wideout who can make big plays and is dangerous once he gets the ball in his hands. Currently, he's being drafted 299th overall as the WR95, so he comes with essentially no risk and a ton of upside. The only real concern is the nightmarish QB situation in Arizona.
Puka Nacua Fantasy Outlook
With Cooper Kupp dealing with a hamstring injury and possibly missing multiple games, fantasy owners are trying to figure out who to target for fantasy value. Van Jefferson is the top target, but he's not a particularly special player and the higher his ADP rises the less we want to draft him. That's why we are turning our attention to the rookie fifth-round pick Nacua. He has made a name for himself in camp this summer and head coach Sean McVay has said that he expects him to be an "immediate contributor" with Kupp dealing with an injury. While Tutu Atwell is technically considered the starter on the Rams' depth chart, we already know he's not someone who sets the world on fire. Nacua should see plenty of opportunities to make a name for himself over the next few weeks.
Richie James Fantasy Outlook
James may be the forgotten guy in Kansas City heading into the season. However, he could emerge as a nice PPR option. We saw him gain fantasy relevancy for a stretch last year with the Giants and that was on a low-volume passing team with a non-Patrick Mahomes quarterback under center. Last season he caught 57 passes for 569 yards and four TDs and had six games with at least five receptions. There is a chance he develops into Mahomes's chain moving wideout. This WR corps is very much in the air and there is no reason to believe that James can't be one of their top three wideouts. We wouldn't recommend looking at him in standard leagues, but he could have sneaky value in PPR format.
Isaiah Hodgins Fantasy Outlook
Hodgins is similar to the aforementioned Michael Wilson in the sense that he is the one big body in a receiver room loaded with undersized guys. We saw him flash a bit last season, especially since coming over to New York from Buffalo. In nine games last year he caught 37 passes for 392 yards and four TDs. In his eight games with the Giants he caught a TD in four of them and only once failed to top 30 years and only in his first game with the team did he fail to catch at least three passes. He's listed as the team's starter on the depth chart heading into the season. This is a guy who know one is talking about and many people don't even know, but he may be the WR1 on his team.
Cedric Tillman Fantasy Outlook
Jalin Hyatt got most of the buzz at Tennessee but Tillman was right there with him and may be every bit as good in the NFL. He dealt with injuries last year in college and missed time, but operated as the WR1 as a junior in 2021. In the five full games he did play last season, he outperformed Hyatt. We also like his size at 6-foot-three to go along with his 4.54 forty-yard dash time. There is an opportunity in Cleveland for the Day 2 pick to beat out Donovan Peoples-Jones and serve as the starting perimeter receiver opposite Amari Cooper sooner rather than later.
