Late-Round Fantasy Football Wide Receivers Topping Depth Charts: Keon Coleman, Ladd McConkey, Diontae Johnson and More
Five teams who don't have a wide receiver among the top 40 in fantasy football and how their top guy could benefit.
Opportunity is everything in fantasy football. Success is measured in total yards, touchdowns and (sometimes) receptions, and it doesn’t matter how they happen. Garbage time is as good as crunch time; hell, in fantasy football, garbage time might be better than crunch time!
In such a pass-happy league, it’s good to be a WR1. The top dawg. The unquestioned option when your quarterback needs a big play. The player who gets the “WR1” label isn’t always a top guy, though. Not everyone can be Mike Evans for a decade (and counting).
Relevant to fantasy football, that means guys who are available late in drafts will theoretically be getting the volume of a top receiver. Even if those yards aren’t contributing to winning, remember what we said about garbage time.
I am looking at teams whose top receiver is ranked outside the fantasy WR top 40. I used our FantasySP rankings for this exercise, correct as of July 30. Guys might be ranked differently on whatever platform you use, but everything here seems to be in line with most popular projections.
When I did this exercise last year, Nico Collins was one name who stood out. While I won’t promise you a breakout to that extreme, I will almost guarantee that someone on this list will challenge for a top-20 finish among wide receivers this season.
Buffalo Bills
Keon Coleman No. 44
Curtis Samuel No. 48
Khalil Shakir No. 50
Maybe the biggest question entering the season for any contender is who will step up among the Buffalo receivers. Kansas City had a similar situation entering 2023 and won the Super Bowl; they also had Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce leading the way.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid might be operating as the de facto WR1 similar to Kelce, something that makes him appealing as a player being drafted near the middle of the tight end group.
Coleman brings the most intrigue as the 33rd overall pick in this year's draft and a player who could step in as the team’s top receiver from Week 1. He looks the part, which often attracts our attention most, and Coleman scored 18 touchdowns over his past two college seasons.
Samuel was signed as a free agent; he is a slot player who had about 60 catches for 630 yards and four touchdowns in each of the last two seasons and probably can’t be expected to do much more. Shakir is a speedster who had 39 catches for 611 yards last season, his second. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him improve again, but he looks more like a second option/deep threat than a true top receiver.
Coleman is the guy with the best hope for a top-20 finish. It is more realistic to expect rookie struggles, though, and that no Buffalo receiver will finish among the top 30.
Carolina Panthers
Diontae Johnson No. 42
Johnson was acquired via trade as Carolina desperately imported talent to support quarterback Bryce Young. Johnson was a star at times in Pittsburgh, topping out in 2021 with 107 receptions, 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns.
Johnson is a productive player, so the question is more about his QB. Young didn’t stand a chance last season; the Panthers were SO bad and devoid of talent, but they’ve made it a clear point to upgrade at every offensive position so that they can properly evaluate their young passer.
Until seeing more from Young, I’m hesitant to expect consistent high-level play out of Johnson. He feels about right at this ranking, fighting for a top-40 spot with top-30 ability.
Denver Broncos
Courtland Sutton No. 46
Things are bleak in Denver. The sixth-best quarterback in the 2024 draft is their best bet for the future, and they haven’t put pieces around him to succeed. I’m getting serious “Bryce Young” vibes around Bo Nix as the guy who is set up to fail because his team lacks talent.
Sutton has essentially repeated the same season over the previous three years with one major exception: After scoring two touchdowns in both 2021 and 2022, Sutton scored 10 times last season. That’s a major fantasy boon, but it’s unlikely to continue in 2024.
Sutton scored a touchdown every 5.9 receptions in 2023. He has otherwise caught a touchdown once every 17.1 receptions. Last season was an outlier that made Sutton an outstanding fantasy player, but it’s unlikely to repeat.
This rough situation isn’t a place for a star to thrive. Sutton is more likely to be traded than break out in 2024.
Los Angeles Chargers
Ladd McConkey No. 43
Oh, how a year changes things. One of the most enviable wide receiver rooms in football suddenly looks barren of high-level talent after Mike Williams left for the Jets in free agency and Keenan Allen was traded to the Bears.
Joshua Palmer and last year’s first-round pick, Quentin Johnston, are still around, and D.J. Chark was signed in free agency. That is about zero accomplished veteran receivers who are ready to seize the top receiver role. Any of those guys could be useful on the right weeks, but the second-round rookie is the best chance at high-level production.
McConkey can’t be expected to step onto the field as a top-20 fantasy receiver, even with Justin Herbert throwing him the ball. Many expect the team to focus on the run more than in previous years because of the arrival of Jim Harbaugh, lowering the number of available targets.
And no one is going to step aside and let McConkey gobble up those targets. Johnston entered the league with the expectation he could be a WR1; let’s give him a year to see how things play out. Palmer is most likely to have a few solid weeks, but he will only be a streamer.
Someone here could form a connection with Herbert and blossom into a top guy. It’s hard to choose who, though, making McConkey more of a lottery ticket than anything.
New England Patriots
Ja'Lynn Polk No. 70
Demario Douglas No. 72
Here’s the true outlier. While New England has a more respectable defense, their offense is without high-level talent. They have locked in a level of competence, though, that will ensure that Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett won’t be left without NFL talent around them.
Maye is the eventual face of the franchise, but he might not play immediately. The Pats don’t have much to lose; they should do what’s right for Maye, and if that means sitting out, then Brissett will be the man. We know what to expect there: ball security, high-percentage plays and not much firepower.
That doesn’t sound like breakout potential for any of New England’s understated receivers. Douglas found a role as a sixth-round rookie, gaining over 600 total yards and catching 49 passes. He can be a useful offensive piece, but he probably tops out around those numbers with a role as a slot/gadget player given his size (5’8, 192 pounds).
Polk has the higher upside as a second-round pick out of Washington, a player who had faint first-round chatter and fits as the possible top receiver in New England. It might take time (including longer than this year), but I like Polk’s chances of being the top option more than anyone else on this team.
Kendrick Bourne (No. 89) is a veteran option who was re-signed this offseason. Injury ended his 2023 season prematurely, a year that was going OK and included a 10-catch, 89-yard performance against the Raiders. He’s probably the de facto WR1 entering the season, but I don’t see him finding consistent success. Bourne will be more of a streamer on the right weeks.
Anyone here is a complete shot in the dark. The highest upside is that Maye starts and forms a rookie connection with Polk, making them both fantasy stars. More likely, things will start slow for the Patriots, leaving their fantasy guys as weak options.
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