WRs to Draft in Fantasy Football If You Go RB Early

There are many paths you can take in a fantasy football draft. I recently broke these down and you can check them out in the fantasy football draft strategy guide. If you end up going running back heavy in the early rounds, you’ll need to have a plan of attack in place for wide receivers to start targeting in the sixth round and beyond. The good news is that I put together that list based on current ADP data from Sleeper. 

Below you will find 26 wide receivers to target if you go RB-early in 2022 fantasy football drafts. While I included their current ADP, don’t take that information as a recommendation for where you should draft them. Be sure to use a set of fantasy football tiers, or better yet, my draft personal board in our fantasy football cheat sheets so that you can see their value during your actual drafts. 

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Allen Robinson, Los Angeles Rams

ADP 5.11

Sure, he’s coming off a down year, but Allen Robinson is still south of 30 years old and gets to play with the best quarterback of his career. Yes, there’s some risk given Matthew Stafford’s elbow, but the discount is baked into Robinson’s price. He’ll be second fiddle to Cooper Kupp but is set up for a big year in Los Angeles.

Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans

ADP 6.02

Annually underrated, Brandin Cooks is coming off arguably his most consistent statistical season as a pro. Sure, the Texans aren’t a good football team on paper, but someone has to catch the football. Cooks is that someone and he has very little competition for targets.

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ADP 6.03

We aren’t out of the woods with Chris Godwin just yet, as the veteran wide receiver isn’t practicing full despite avoiding the active/PUP list. Having said that, he’s worth a pick in this range even if he misses a few games to start the season. Godwin will eventually slide right back into his role as one of Tom Brady’s top targets.

Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

ADP 6.05

Here’s a classic example of a player presenting value at his ADP. If Michael Thomas was going two rounds earlier, he’d be a hard pass given what has gone down over the last two seasons. However, he’s very interesting at this price. If he’s able to return to form, Thomas will almost certainly provide a healthy return on investment as the Saints’ No. 1 wideout.

Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens

ADP 7.04

This one is just straight up stealing. With Marquise Brown out of the mix, Rashod Bateman is inked in as the Ravens’ top wide receiver. Like Drake London below, he’s behind a tight end in the target pecking order with Mark Andrews in the building, but Bateman has a large gap between himself and the rest of the Baltimore wideouts.

Drake London, Atlanta Falcons

ADP 7.09

Rookie wideouts are often a risky proposition for fantasy purposes, but Drake London is worth the gamble. The talented USC product figures to be the Falcons No. 1 wideout from the gate. Sure, Kyle Pitts is the top passing target, but London isn’t far behind him in the pecking order.

Gabe Davis, Buffalo Bills

ADP 7.10

I had to do a triple-take on this ADP, as Gabe Davis has been one of the hottest names of the offseason in the fantasy industry. While this certainly could be on the rise in the next few weeks, Davis is still a player to target as early as the fifth round. He’ll be locked in as Josh Allen’s No. 2 target in the powerful Bills offense.

DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

ADP 8.02

He may be playing second fiddle to A.J. Brown, but DeVonta Smith still has a very intriguing ceiling in what figures to be an improved Philly passing game. Yes, his value is closely tied to Jalen Hurts’ progress, but you’re getting plenty of bang for your buck in this range of drafts.

Elijah Moore, New York Jets

ADP 8.05

We saw flashes of potential out of Elijah Moore last season, and reports suggest he’s cemented himself atop the Jets target pecking order. Of course, his fantasy success also hinges on the development (or lack thereof) from Zach Wilson.

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

ADP 9.01

Let’s try this again. After being one of the biggest fantasy disappoints at wide receiver last season, Bradon Aiyuk has reportedly shown a great connection with Trey Lance in the preseason. If Lance hits this season, then Aiyuk will almost certainly pay dividends at this ADP.

Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

ADP 9.04

The second of the two Ohio State rookies on this list, Chris Olave is positioned well to serve as a higher air yards option in the Saints offense. The precision route runner should start from the gate and gives you plenty of bang for your buck in this range of drafts.

Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers

ADP 9.05

With Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling out of the mix, Lazard is set up to enter the season as Aaron Rodgers top receiving target. That’s a very valuable role. Yes, rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs have been getting some buzz, but Rodgers himself has gone out of his way to praise Lazard. He could end up being a massive steal right here.

Garrett Wilson, New York Jets

ADP 9.06

Like Elijah Moore above, Garrett Wilson also will depend on Zach Wilson. However, the massive ceiling he showed at Ohio State last season makes him a very interesting name in this range of drafts.

Additional Late-Round Options

Christian Kirk – ADP 10.01
Kadarius Toney – ADP 10.03
Skyy Moore – ADP 10.05
Marquez Valdes-Scantling– ADP 12.06
Christian Watson – ADP 12.07
George Pickens – ADP 12.11
Michael Gallup – ADP 13.02
Rondale Moore – ADP 13.03
Julio Jones – ADP 14.03
Jahan Dotson – ADP 14.06
Jalen Tolbert – ADP 15.04 
Mecole Hardman – ADP 15.07
Romeo Doubs – ADP 16.07
Alec Pierce – ADP 17.04
K.J. Osborn – ADP 17.05
Nico Collins – ADP 17.12
Joshua Palmer – ADP 18.04