Welcome back to my series where I take you through players at each position who you should and should not target in your fantasy drafts. Last time, I presented two WRs you should avoid or limit drafting this season. And now, I will present to you two WRs who you should target in your fantasy drafts this coming season! All player rankings are courtesy of Underdog Fantasy.
Josh Palmer (WR62)
Embed from Getty ImagesI am super excited about the future of Josh Palmer! But not just in the next few seasons, I’m excited about him this year. The 6’1 wideout out of Tennessee found a home in LA with the Chargers after they selected him in round 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft. While stuck behind two of the league’s top wideouts, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, there is still potential for Palmer to smash his ADP this year.
Now, I am not one to count on injuries when projecting a player. But if there were a list of the most injury-prone wideouts in the NFL, Allen and Williams would be high on it. If either of these guys miss significant time, the sky is the limit for Palmer.
Regardless of potential injuries, which are impossible to predict, Palmer is in one of the best passing offenses in the league. In 2022, the Chargers finished with the fifth-highest Pass Rate Over Expectation (PROE) at 4.6%. What this means is that the Chargers passed 4.6% more than they were expected to across the entire 2022 season. In other words, a very productive environment for wide receivers.
Last season, Palmer finished as the WR41 in half-PPR scoring. Now, he did benefit from Keenan Allen missing seven games and Mike Williams missing four games. However, at WR62 Palmer does not have to do much to outperform his ADP. If Allen or Williams miss significant time, the sky is the limit for Palmer and he could be a league winner at such a low ADP. Because of this huge upside, Palmer is a must-pick at his ADP.
K.J. Osborn (WR51)
Embed from Getty ImagesAdam Thielen is officially no longer a Minnesota Viking. After being released and signing with the Carolina Panthers, the WR2 spot has opened up in Minneapolis, and Osborn should be ready to answer the call. It is certainly possible that Minnesota will add a wide receiver with one of their picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. But, outside of Jackson Smith-Njigba, this looks like an overall weak wide receiver class. So, even if they do add a receiver in the draft, expect Osborn to still be in the running for the WR2 position come the start of the season.
Should Osborn retain the WR2 role in Minnesota, the offense is ideal for making him a big producer. Remember that PROE stat I mentioned earlier? The Vikings finished the season with the sixth-highest PROE in 2022 at 2.9%. This is the type of offense you want your receivers to be in as a fantasy manager.
With Kirk Cousins returning for his sixth season and head coach Kevin O’Connell returning for his second season, expect a similar passing volume in 2023. Osborn finished as the WR46 last season, not too far off from where he is being drafted now.
With Thielen leaving and, despite the mid-season arrival of TE T.J. Hockenson, I am expecting a big year for Osborn. Osborn finished the season averaging 14.36 PPG in half-PPR in the last five games of the season. Each of these five games was a game in which both Adam Thielen and T.J. Hockenson were on the field. If Osborn can continue his late-season success in 2023, he will smash his current ADP as the WR51.
Tune in soon here at Goingfor2.com for my next two articles in this series, where I take you through running backs you should and should not target in your fantasy drafts! Thank you for reading!
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