RADIO
Breakout players are exciting in fantasy football. They come out of seemingly nowhere and produce huge numbers for your team.
Nico Collins, C.J. Stroud, and Puka Nacua were breakout stars in 2023. None of those players were expected to be fantasy-relevant in 2023. The breakout was also not predictable for those players.
Fantasy football is a game of projections. While we cannot be 100% correct, we can try to project breakouts as best we can. Let's dive into four late-round wide receivers you should be paying attention to in 2024 fantasy drafts.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have an absurd number of quality skill-position players. As of now, the wide receiver room is led by Christian Watson and Jayden Reed. However, Dontayvion Wicks may be on his way to taking a huge step forward in Year 2.
Wicks recorded 39 receptions for 581 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. He was thrust into a prominent role as the season wore on due to injuries to both Reed and Watson. Wicks did the most with his targets. He averaged 14.9 yards per reception and 2.07 yards per route run. Both numbers were top-25 in the league.
Wicks is not lightning-fast but he is a big-bodied wide receiver at 6-foot-1 and 212 pounds. Watson and Reed figure to receive the bulk of targets to start the season. Should Wicks continue to perform with the targets he is allotted, then he is sure to earn more.
Dontayvion Wicks is the Packers WR to own in fantasy football:🧵
- Profiles as the X
- Cheapest ADP of the 4
- Strong 1D/RR numbers
- 2.20 yards per route run
- 20% target rate as rookie
- Top 24 PFF grade as rookie
- 9th best PFF grade from Week 11+pic.twitter.com/TaOWtyURBH— Snoog’s Dynasty Society (@FFSnoog) August 17, 2024
With quarterback Jordan Love on an ascending trajectory, Wicks could capitalize on Love's ascension even as the Packers' third wide receiver. Quarterbacks with large passing volume and subsequent production can often support three fantasy-relevant wide receivers. Love is in a prime position to have both.
If Wicks can find the end zone often, then he is going to be a weekly flex option at worst. Lastly, Wicks has a chance to step into a larger role if the injury woes of Reed and Watson continue.
Watson has only played in 23 of a possible 34 games in his career. Reed only missed one game in 2023, but he was limited in several others due to various injuries. Reed also does not have the frame or archetype of a No. 1 overall wide receiver.
Wicks' frame does resemble that of a typical No. 1 wide receiver. He is practically free in drafts as he is going in the 12th to 14th rounds. He is a great stash in 2024.
Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
Brian Thomas Jr. was selected by the Jaguars with the 23rd pick in April's draft. He has a chance to immediately step into Calvin Ridley's role in this offense.
Christian Kirk figures to garner the most targets to start the year. New addition Gabe Davis' blocking acumen will likely give him the first crack at single wide receiver sets. However, Thomas is more talented than both of those players and could find himself in a large role earlier rather than later.
Thomas is an athletic freak. At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, he runs a 4.33 40-yard dash. Thomas is also a touchdown-maker. In 2023, he led the NCAA with 17 receiving touchdowns to go along with 1,177 yards.
The 21-year-old played opposite Malik Nabers in 2023, which likely opened up lanes for him. As such, it remains to be seen how well he can fare as a No. 1 wide receiver. Even so, Thomas is entering an offense that lost Zay Jones, added a low-volume player in Gabe Davis, and has 136 vacated targets due to Ridley's departure.
The biggest case for Thomas is the fact that Ridley should have had a monster season in 2023. Ridley and quarterback Trevor Lawrence never seemed to develop smooth chemistry, resulting in Ridley scoring far fewer touchdowns than he could have relative to his opportunities.
Ridley was 14th in the NFL in targets, third in red-zone targets with 25, eighth in total air yards, and sixth in unrealized air yards. In other words, Lawrence was cutting the ball loose to Ridley deep and in the red zone often but the two could not seem to connect at a high rate. Ridley still managed to pull in an inefficient eight touchdowns.
Thomas and Ridley have similar styles of play but Thomas is a far more imposing athlete. If he can develop a quick rapport with Lawrence, then you could have a potential WR2 on your hands in approximately the 10th round of fantasy drafts.
Brian Thomas Jr. puts defender on skates pic.twitter.com/dshQVTLxwr
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 18, 2024
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
Jameson Williams is a popular breakout pick in 2024. He is a third-year player in a great offense and he came on strong toward the end of the 2023 regular season and in the playoffs.
What if Jameson Williams is just a third-year leap kind of guy pic.twitter.com/GV5XEHfxrD
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 17, 2024
Williams was drafted with the 12th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was coming off a torn ACL suffered during his final game in college, which cost him most of his rookie season. Williams was in prime position to leap forward in 2023, but a gambling suspension cost him the first four games of the season.
The Lions opted to bring Williams along slowly due to their win-now window and his lack of NFL experience. As such, fans have not had a chance to truly see Williams unleashed.
Toward the back half of 2023, Williams' snap share and targets both increased. The WR was also used in the playoffs in both the running and passing games. The Lions began to trust Williams when it mattered most, which should carry over into 2024.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs will all be heavily involved in the Lions' passing game, which will detract from Williams' value. However, Williams is the Lions' deep threat and will still surely have plenty of opportunities for big plays.
If the Lions start to scheme more ways for Williams to touch the ball in the short and mid-range portion of the field, then he will be a solid fantasy contributor.
The Lions have a quarterback in Jared Goff who has thrown for at least 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns in each of the past two seasons. With output like that, the No. 2 wide receiver on this team should have plenty of opportunities.
Williams is the most talented No. 2 the Lions have had in a while. With a full offseason and no early season setbacks ahead of him, the WR could thrive in 2024.
Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs
Xavier Worthy has been a polarizing pick in 2024. The No. 28 overall pick in April's draft has a chance to be an excellent target for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs wide receiver room is crowded with Marquise Brown, Rashee Rice, and Justin Watson all in the fold. Not to mention Travis Kelce is the No. 1 pass-catcher in the offense. However, Brown is currently nursing a shoulder injury and Rice has faced legal trouble.
Even if Rice does not find himself suspended in 2024, Worthy can still coexist alongside him because they offer different skill sets. Worthy is lightning-fast with a record-setting 4.21 40-yard dash speed. His skill set profiles similarly to former Chief Tyreek Hill although his 165-pound frame is much smaller.
Xavier Worthy’s burst speed is just disgusting pic.twitter.com/eZnX0g2fvO
— Football Digest (@FoootballDigest) August 17, 2024
With Mahomes throwing the rock and Andy Reid calling the plays, anything can happen. Rice is going to be Mahomes' short-area target, but Worthy will likely see a lot of touches schemed his way. His big-play ability will be exciting for fantasy managers.
The Chiefs are due for a bounce-back season in the passing game. As of now, Worthy may be a play for the second half of the season. If Worthy can take advantage of Brown's absence over the next several weeks, then he will be a solid contributor to start the season. Especially since Worthy is being drafted around WR46.
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
Win More With RotoBaller
Be sure to also check out all of our other daily fantasy football articles and analysis to help you set those winning lineups, including this new RotoBaller YouTube video:More Fantasy Football Analysis
