Early 2024 Wide Receiver Sleepers And Draft Targets For Fantasy Football

There should be a lot of changes atop the wide receiver group in fantasy football next year. Players like Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, and Cooper Kupp will all fall in drafts, while Puka Nacua will fly up drafts boards in 2024. Nacua will go from undrafted in 2023 to a likely top-20 pick this upcoming fantasy season.

There's going to be a lot of moving parts this offseason, which will affect some wide receivers' fantasy value. With free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft quickly approaching, landing spots will be critical in identifying which players to target in fantasy next season.

However, since free agency hasn't started yet, we will go off of what we know for this article. So, let's dive in and see which wide receivers you should target in fantasy drafts next season.

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Honorable Mention: Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

There were some mixed results from New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave in his first season with quarterback Derek Carr. After Olave was the 11th wideout off the board in drafts this past year, he is going later than that in Underdog Fantasy Best Ball drafts so far.

Olave is currently going as the WR17 in those drafts, below players like Brandon Aiyuk, Rashee Rice, Nico Collins, and Deebo Samuel. While he did struggle with some inconsistencies due to his quarterback play, he is a player who could top over 1,200 yards in 2024. Last year, he totaled a career-high 87 catches for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns.

Carr will remain the Saints' quarterback in 2024, which is not the worst thing for the 23-year-old wideout. The two will continue developing a connection, and that could help them reach new heights this upcoming season.

Garrett Wilson, New York Jets

By no means will New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson be a sleeper in 2024 fantasy drafts, but he's a player you should target early. Wilson was going late in the second round last year and might be going higher this season -- despite an inefficient season.

However, there's a good reason for that, as his quarterback play was less than ideal. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles on just the fourth snap of the season, leaving Wilson with quarterback Zach Wilson for the majority of the year.

The NFL decided that Garrett Wilson's incredible week one touchdown catch was the best catch of the entire 2023 season❗🙌🏻#Jets pic.twitter.com/fZX2CnhmDL

— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) February 22, 2024

Wilson, though, finished with another 1,000-yard campaign. He caught 95 passes for 1,042 yards and three touchdowns. The 23-year-old wasn't the most consistent fantasy piece last season with a WR26 finish, but with Rodgers back, a top-five fantasy finish is certainly attainable in 2024.

Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers

Outside of Nacua, Green Bay Packers playmaker Jayden Reed might have been the most surprising rookie wide receiver during the 2023 season. He became an integral part of Green Bay's offense and really came on at the end of the year. He finished with 64 catches for 793 yards and eight touchdowns.

Reed was the Packers' second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and quickly emerged as a security blanket for quarterback Jordan Love. He also contributed solid numbers for fantasy managers, especially down the stretch. On the year, the former Michigan State product finished as the WR25 in PPR formats. In the final nine weeks of the regular season (Week 10 to Week 18), he was a top-10 fantasy option at the position.

Jayden Reed is going to be a problem for opposing teams in 2024. #Packers

What’s your best pro comparison to #11? #GoPackGo
pic.twitter.com/Jc0YXLzlgd

— Brandon Sneide (@Brandon_Sneide) February 19, 2024

Reed's rookie season was a success, and he should be more involved in 2024. The 23-year-old only played over 70% of the Packers' offensive snaps only twice last year. With the wideout entering Year 2 in the NFL, he should be on the field more. That should lead to more chances for the speedy playmaker.

Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

Another speedy wideout makes this list in Zay Flowers. Flowers had a solid rookie campaign, which saw him catch 77 passes for 858 yards and five touchdowns. The Ravens wide receiver also finished as the WR31 in PPR formats while averaging 12.9 fantasy points per game.

Flowers showed a lot of potential in his first year with the Ravens, which should only continue into 2024. In his last seven games (playoffs included), the 23-year-old scored over 19 PPR fantasy points five times. Those came against the Los Angeles Chargers (23.2 points), Los Angeles Rams (20 points), San Francisco 49ers (22.2 points), Miami Dolphins (19.6 points), and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship (20.9 points).

WOW…. #Ravens rookie WR Zay Flowers is looking JACKED.

😳😱😳

MASSIVE 2nd year coming. pic.twitter.com/EsnjDcnX1c

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) February 27, 2024

The speedy wideout really came on at the end of the year and established himself as a true alpha in Baltimore's passing game. Before Week 12, Flowers had zero games over 19 PPR fantasy points and just one receiving touchdown. In the final seven games of his rookie campaign, he had five games over 19 PPR fantasy points and six total touchdowns. The former Boston College product will likely be a great value pick in 2024 fantasy drafts.

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