Road to #1 Receiver - AFC South

We've already taken a look at the AFC East, AFC West, and AFC North. Now, we wrap up our tour of the AFC divisions with a look at the ultra-competitive South.

Each year, elite wide receivers are some of the mainstays of fantasy football rosters. With high target shares and production values, these consensus top-tier wide receivers are some of the first names off of draft boards and consistently perform well throughout the season. However, there is also a good amount of unpredictability at the position, with breakout players appearing from out of nowhere year-in and year-out. Whether they dominate for stretches over the year or end up as top-level talents themselves, unproven or underrated wide receivers represent a very good opportunity for fantasy owners entering drafts due to their lower draft capital and high production premiums.

In this series, we will go through each NFL division and point out one wide receiver on each team in that division that is currently ranked outside of the top twelve at the position who could finish among the league's best when all is said and done. Today, let's look at the AFC South and see who could be that next elite receiver.

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Wide Receivers - AFC South

Dede Westbrook, JAX

After winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best college wide receiver, Dede Westbrook was selected as a fourth-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars after having some character concerns that sunk his draft cost. Additionally, Westbrook missed the first half of the season due to injury after playing extremely well in the preseason (leading the preseason in receiving yards). Westbrook came back and ended up with 27 catches for 339 yards and a score in just seven games. Although Westbrook petered out in the playoffs (despite leading the team in catches in their 10-3 victory against the Bills), he demonstrated some big-play potential in the regular season and should be a starting receiver in 2018.

However, Westbrook will face stiff competition from the likes of Marqise Lee, Keelan Cole, and free agent acquisition Donte Moncrief. Furthermore, new tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins could make his mark on the team in an offense that should feature its tight end frequently. Regardless, Westbrook has the most pedigree of the bunch and could have himself a breakout year in 2018 (similar to Allen Robinson's breakout in 2015). With a draft cost of a last round pick, you should have no trouble securing Dede Westbrook in your lineups as a lottery ticket who is a starting receiver on a solid NFL team.

Corey Davis, TEN

After being selected fifth overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2017 NFL Draft, Corey Davis disappointed massively in the regular season. Only able to suit up for eleven games, Davis ended the year with 34 receptions, 375 yards, and zero touchdowns. However, in two playoff games, Davis was able to muster up nine receptions, 98 yards, and his first two professional touchdowns, showing fans and the fantasy community just how valuable of an asset he could bet. Davis is hoping for a breakout sophomore campaign and should be the Titans main offensive weapon under a new style of offense. Given his draft pedigree and postseason production, Davis is expected to be the Titans star in 2018 and should have a very large market share among the receivers on the team.

Hopefully, Davis and quarterback Marcus Mariota can use the offseason to develop some more chemistry between them and elevate both of their games. If this happens, we could see Davis justify his very high draft stock (given his lack of production) of a sixth-round pick and finish the year as a WR1 in a breakout campaign.

T.Y. Hilton, IND

Hilton has been one of the most consistent NFL wide receivers over the last few years, with four straight 1,000 yard, five+ touchdown seasons between 2013 and 2016. However, with the quarterback play of Jacoby Brissett limiting Hilton's 2017 output, the speedy wideout saw himself record only 57 catches for 966 yards and a career-low four touchdowns. Now, with Andrew Luck hopefully returning to the starting quarterback job, Hilton could recapture his 2016 form and is a good bet to get at least 1,100 yards as well as some positive regression in the touchdown department. With a draft cost somewhere around the end of the 3rd round in 12-team leagues, you could grab yourself a high-chance WR1 at a WR2 cost who has shown that he has a WR2 floor, no matter who is quarterback.

Will Fuller, HOU

We all remember Will Fuller's four-week stretch in 2017, where the wide receiver scored seven times on thirteen receptions while playing alongside fellow wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and quarterback Deshaun Watson. Although Fuller only lined up in ten games, and his play decreased substantially following Watson's injury, he was still able to muster up 423 yards on the season. Although this represents a decrease from his 2016 yardage, remember that Watson is back in 2018 following his injury and has the potential to unlock Fuller's elite upside once again come the start of the season. Although suggesting that Fuller will produce at the same level as that stretch last year is quite ludicrous, we have now seen what his ceiling is even though he was playing as the second receiver and will continue to play in that role in 2018.

Fuller has a good chance to end the year as a boom-bust WR2/3; however, there is always the possibility that the Texans ball out and Fuller is able to approach WR1 numbers like he did for that stretch last year. However, with a fifth-round draft cost, he may be a little too pricey given his lack of respectable stats across an entire season and the likely regression in Watson's quarterback play. Nevertheless, Fuller still has WR1 upside given the connection that he and Watson displayed last year and the hope that it will continue into the new season.

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