With free agency and the draft long gone, rosters are all but finalized beside training camp/preseason cuts. Several teams still have question marks inside there own locker room. The question marks we will pinpoint today are #2 wide receivers and there fantasy importance. Some teams will have stiff competition while others will win by default. Without further ado, lets look at some of the closest battles we should have.
Indianapolis Colts
Parris Campbell, Michael Pittman Jr, Zach Pascal
The Colts have a crowded battle at the 2nd WR position. Behind the veteran TY Hilton stands 3 young athletes fighting for a starting spot. Newly signed QB Philip Rivers will bring a new look to the Colts offense who should be an upgrade over Brisset. While Rivers has had an astonishing career and is already better then last years Colts starting QB, he has fell off quite a bit leading to a departure from the Chargers. Rivers is going to need all the support he can get if hes hoping for success in the 2020 season.
Campbell was drafted in 2019 in the 2nd round but failed to make much of an impact his rookie year. With Chester Rogers gone, Campbell is slated to slide into the starting slot position. Like Campbell, Michael Pittman Jr was drafted in the 2nd round but in this past draft. Pittman is a big target who have been given a lot of praise from scouts. Zach Pascal stepped in last season somewhat as an unknown and had some huge fantasy weeks. He finished the season first for the Colts in receiving yards and tied first in receiving touchdowns.
3 gentleman but only one can end at the top of the group and to me I’m grabbing the rookie. Despite all the positives mentioned above the Colts still used a high pick on Pittman Jr. this year. The Colts clearly want a new look on the offense. They had a fantastic draft snatching up Pittman and then RB Jonathon Taylor a few picks later. To me grabbing a wide out so early tells me they don’t have complete trust in what they already have. Pittman Jr lines up well on the other side of the field compared to TY Hilton as Hilton is a smaller more versatile weapon while the rook gives Rivers a huge target and already should be considered a red-zone threat. Its easy to jump on rookie bandwagons before they even play but all the signs are pointing to Pittman Jr. to receive a heavy workload. Pittman Jr. ADP has him going in the 15th round. Low risk, high reward.
Green Bay Packers
Allen Lazard, Devin Funchess, Marquez Valdes-Scantling
When we talk about the Green Bay Packers in recent years only one name comes to mind. Discount Double Check Rodgers has been a staple at the QB position league wide but things are…..happening. Green Bay brought in Matt LaFleur who has a coaching philosophy which gives heavy emphasis on running backs. While Aaron Jones was dominant last year and the Packers offensive MVP, Aaron Rodgers still was cool, calm and collective.
Rodgers will still be one of the premium QBs but the Packers continue to fail him by not drafting a wide out early or signing a big name. As it stands, behind Davante Adams are 3 guys with the potential to have a career year. Rodgers has the talent and wits to make any of these guys a success story.
Lazard is an undrafted receiver who stands at 6’5. He stepped onto the 2019 scene for the Packers with some impressive performances. Devin Funchess is a name we have heard a lot. He had one huge year with our man Cam in Carolina and got screwed over last year with Andrew Luck suddenly retiring then got hurt. MVS has been a big play threat for GB who has averaged over 16 yards per catch.
While everything sounds peachy with the above mentioned guys, only one will end the year with the best stats. To me that guy is Lazard. Lazard really stepped on the scene in week 6 after the Davante Adams injury. He was mostly used on special teams before getting a chance on the offense. What makes this impressive is that he finished the second on the team in air yards, yards per target, yards per game and yards per route run. The Packers passing on drafting a receiver a few months ago was extremely surprising but also tells me they might feel comfortable with there current players. Aaron Rodgers spoke highly of his receiver as well. “By the end of the season, he was called upon many, many times in important situations to make big plays and he did. He’s just a great teammate , and ascending player, loved his approach every week and he made some big-time plays for us.”
Devin Funchess worries me as he always is labeled a sleeper and rarely follows through. MVS played all 16 games last year but quickly fell behind the depth charts to Lazard. Lazard found his opportunity last year and ran with it. While I mentioned above the Packers have begun to rely on the running game compared to recent years but this is still a passing league. Lazard currently can be had very cheap come draft dray.
Kansas City Chiefs Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson
The most exciting offense in the NFL makes the list for WR battles. Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson all benefit from something the above men do not; Patrick Mahomes. We all know someone is going to benefit from the best Quarterback currently in the world. Tyreke Hill and Travis Kelce are going to eat, but others will absolutely and already have benefited from young Patty cakes.
Sammy Watkins returns to the Chiefs after 2 seasons as the #2 wideout. He has the most experience with Mahomes compared to the young guys. Mecole Hardman is a speedster wide receiver who flashed multiple times in his rookie year. Demarcus Robinson is another explosive player who like Hardman had some huge games. The issue with all these guys last year was consistency, but that is mostly on Mahomes scattering the ball around. In my heart I feel Hardman steps up to be the #2 Wide Receiver and could be a steal in your drafts.
I am no fan of Sammy due to his injury history and hot/cold play. Demarcus Robinson to me is more of a one trick pony. Mechole Hardman sticks out to me for several reasons. He is almost like a clone of Tyreke Hill with his style of play. Mahomes loves the speedy deep-threat and the Chiefs traded up in the 2019 draft to get him.
Hardman wasn’t heavily targeted but he did big things with what he was given. He averaged over 20 yards a reception and put up huge yardage in the kick return game. This speaks to his athleticism and ability to avoid defenders. It is already noted by the Chiefs staff that he will not be returning kicks or punts this year which tells me they want him to play a larger role in the offensive gameplan. Hardmans ADP is currently at 115.
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