let's look at some receivers who could make a difference

By Martin Richardson

Shout out to anyone who has not been impacted in any way by injuries this season. I have never known so many that have either been season enders or even those annoying short terms ones where you have to keep the players stashed on your Fantasy bench. This week, I’ve lost Bucky Irving to my already extensive list of Lamb, Kittle, McLaurin and Purdy (that man is made of glass I tell you). So I am scraping the barrel of waivers and struggling to remain positive. So kudos to anyone who still has an injury free team, I wish you all the successes you will no doubt have (not said through gridded and jealous teeth at all).

Right then, who wants some names to look for going forward? This week, I’ve got some wide receivers who I think could be in for a rough ride as well some who have some massive potential.

KHALIL SHAKIR:

If you are not a fan of the Bills, then the Bills will annoy you. They somehow manage to always get to 13-4 or variations of that, and never really seem to get going until the playoffs. I imagine that the hate or dislike comes from the fact that their team, like the Saints, would dream of being an average 13-4 team. With that in mind, it’s time to look at how Khalil Shakir is being a very healthy Fantasy contributor. Especially as he is currently outperforming Keon Coleman on the Bills offense.

With a touchdown in both of his last two games, he is on the up and is certainly worth FLEX consideration in his next two games before a week 8 bye week as he has that touchdown upside. The only word of caution here is that unless he gets the touchdown, his double-digit Fantasy numbers are a concern. But Josh Allen and that offense are hot right now and he is a beneficiary of that. Those two games are New England and Atlanta, two teams that can be exploited by someone like Allen and Shakir.

GARRETT WILSON:

I feel sorry Garrett Wilson. He needs to be on a team that has a chance at a ring, and the Jets are not that. They are struggling at 0-4 and could well be in for a really bad start, middle and end to the season. Aaron Glenn is now tied with Adam Gase as having the worst start as Jets Head Coach and it looks like it could get worse with the schedule coming up, which is the Cowboys, Broncos and Panthers. Now, the Cowboys are a favourable matchup for someone like Wilson, and he should do well. But it is the Jets after all. A poor showing against a team like the Panthers would certainly show people that the Jets are once again a team that cannot be trusted in the NFL.

But Wilson is someone who appears to be doing well for Fantasy players, which is why we are here. He has three touchdowns, which places him in the top 10 for Fantasy receivers, tied 8th overall, but just like Khalil Shakir, is he didn’t have those touchdowns, he would not be hitting a decent return for a top WR. With games of 50, 84 and 82 yards, those touchdowns are essential for Garrett to be productive.

To put it into comparison, whilst Wilson is a top 10 Fantasy WR, if he didn’t have those touchdowns, he would be less productive than a WR2 ranked in the forties, DeVonta Smith, who has similar numbers, with two less touchdowns. Wilson needs to sustain those touchdowns, otherwise he slides into FLEX territory as he just doesn’t get the production needed.

JAYLEN WADDLE:

Looking at another AFC East WR, Waddle now has the perfect audition to secure the status as the next WR1 down in Miami for the foreseeable future.

The injury to Tyreek Hill was awful and I hope he makes a full recovery and can play again. I just think with all the murmurings before this season and the slow start, he could be on a new team when he takes the field again, which would explain his slightly odd, maybe painkiller induced waves to the home crowd.

Anyway, looking at Fantasy football, and If I was to look at Waddle’s numbers without Hill, it’s a full set of 17 games, just over a longer period of time. In that time, he’s put up some decent numbers: 112 catches, 1157 total yards and 8 touchdowns, averaging 10.3 yards a carry. Whilst they are not necessarily elite numbers, that has been a variety of QBs and a poor Oline that is certainly worth noting. If he can get more of Tua having clean games, like he did against the Jets (read into that what you will), then there is chance they Waddle could be a solid upgrade for people in Fantasy football. If you drafted Waddle thinking Hill would be traded or would sit out the game in sheer petulance, you will essentially have got a WR1 for low end money when you drafted him in the summer; so well done if you’re sitting pretty with him on your roster.

 

ZAY FLOWERS:

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If you can come away with over 20 Fantasy points against the Buffalo Bills in week 1, there is every chance that Ravens fans and Fantasy players would have been excited that Flowers would have taken that big leap forward for with his overall production.

However, since that week it has been a very mixed bag for the WR1 of the Ravens. He’s not scored a touchdown since; he’s had targets of 11, 3 and 8 which shows that something isn’t quite right when it comes to how Flowers either being utilized or valued in Baltimore; which is a weird point because when he is getting the ball he is moving the chains with an average yardage of 13.3 yards per reception. When he gets separation, he’s a massive contributor. And just like those I’ve mentioned beforehand, Flowers is certainly someone who needs those touchdowns to be a difference maker as a WR2 for Fantasy players.

To make matters worse, the Ravens have stumbled to a slow start and are in danger of having their season over before it has truly began. They are going into a Texans matchup potentially without Lamar Jackson and then fade a tough game against a Rams defense that has looked the real deal.

WAN’DALE ROBINSON

Finally, I am taking a look at someone who I think has massive upside going into the rest of the season: Wan’Dale Robinson. Is this because Jaxon Dart looked like a more serviceable QB than Russell Wilson, probably. Is it because his volume is going to increases due to absence of Mailk Nabers, probably. Is it because once again I have an injury ravaged Fantasy team and Tre Tucker did nothing for me last week, more than likely.

Looking at last season, Robinson was a great WR2 to Nabers, and had some solid production when you crunch the numbers. Like Zay Flowers who moves the chains for the Ravens, so does Robinson, with an average of just shy of 8 yards a carry. His 3 touchdowns and 699 yards as a WR2 in a poor Giants team certainly showed promise, and now with an exciting QB in Dart and opportunity to become WR1 for the rest of the season, the only way is up for Robinson.

MARTIN RICHARDSON

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

A Yorkshireman living in Lancashire, Martin is a massive NFL fan but his heart belongs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also a huge Fantasy Football enthusiast and spends far too long crunching the numbers! Follow him at @MRBucsFan31

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