When the Chiefs and Packers got rid of Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams without replacing them with viable No. 1 options this past offseason, there was a lot of talk in the Fantasy community about things like “vacated targets,” and a lot written about the “opportunity” guys like Mecole Hardman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, and JuJu Smith-Schuster (among others) had to step in become must-start Fantasy options because of those absences.
So far, none of those players have managed it yet, and we got some more examples in Week 2 of why vacated targets and opportunity don’t necessarily matter all that much at wide receiver. The Colts were missing Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce, and they had one player reach even 40 receiving yards against the Jaguars this week. Similarly, the Buccaneers were missing Chris Godwin and Julio Jones, and Mike Evans had 61 yards before being ejected from the game. Russell Gage stepped up for 28 yards, while Breshad Perriman had 45 – at least he had a touchdown.
The point? Unlike at running back, where simply being on the field means you’ve got a pretty good chance of literally being handed the ball a bunch of times, wide receivers have to be good enough to get open often enough for their quarterback to find them and then do something with the targets they inevitably earn. Sometimes, guys really do step up when the opportunity becomes available and emerge as breakouts, but when that’s the primary – let alone the only – case for a player’s Fantasy appeal, you should be pretty skeptical of them.
For what it’s worth, I think Smith-Schuster can still become a viable Fantasy option, and I don’t want to write off Gage entirely – he was one of those players who actually did take advantage of an opportunity for a bigger target share with Atlanta last season. But, it’s worth keeping in mind that, while “opportunity” can be a viable tie-breaker when setting your lineup, you shouldn’t just automatically start a player because his better teammates are out. Lazard, Gage and Smith-Schuster are decent starting options this week, but none of them are owed a spot in your lineup. They’ve still gotta earn it, and none have so far.
Here are my WR rankings for Week 3.
Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
- Cooper Kupp @ARI
- Davante Adams @TEN
- Justin Jefferson vs. DET
- Stefon Diggs @MIA
- Ja’Marr Chase @NYJ
- Amon-Ra St. Brown @MIN
- Deebo Samuel @DEN
- Tyreek Hill vs. BUF
- Tee Higgins @NYJ
- A.J. Brown @WAS
- Jaylen Waddle vs. BUF
- Brandin Cooks @CHI
- Michael Pittman Jr. vs. KC
- Michael Thomas @CAR
- D.J. Moore vs. NO
- Christian Kirk @LAC
- Keenan Allen vs. JAX
- Mike Williams vs. JAX
- CeeDee Lamb @NYG
- Garrett Wilson vs. CIN
- Curtis Samuel vs. PHI
- Marquise Brown vs. LAR
- Rashod Bateman @NE
- Courtland Sutton vs. SF
- Elijah Moore vs. CIN
- Adam Thielen vs. DET
- Allen Robinson @ARI
- JuJu Smith-Schuster @IND
- Drake London @SEA
- Terry McLaurin vs. PHI
- D.K. Metcalf vs. ATL
- Jerry Jeudy vs. SF
- Tyler Lockett vs. ATL
- Russell Gage vs. GB
- Darnell Mooney vs. HOU
- DeVonta Smith @WAS
- Brandon Aiyuk @DEN
- Gabe Davis @MIA
- Treylon Burks vs. LV
- Sterling Shepard vs. DAL
- Tyler Boyd @NYJ
- Robert Woods vs. LV
- Allen Lazard @TB
- Greg Dortch vs. LAR
- Cole Beasley vs. GB
- Corey Davis vs. CIN
- Chris Olave @CAR
- Jarvis Landry @CAR
- Jahan Dotson vs. PHI
- Zay Jones @LAC
- DJ Chark @MIN
- Robby Anderson vs. NO
- A.J. Green vs. LAR
- Nico Collins @CHI
- Kyle Phillips vs. LV
- DeVante Parker vs. BAL
- K.J. Osborn vs. DET