Rookie Wide Receiver Sleepers to Watch in 2020

August 4, 2020

Bruce Matson identifies rookie wide receivers who could be fantasy football sleepers in 2020. These WR are available late in fantasy drafts and could be breakout performers.

This year’s NFL Draft was stacked from top to bottom with high-end wide receiver talent. We are going to see multiple fantasy starters come from this draft class. Some of them will come from the later rounds.

The wide receivers mentioned in this article are going undrafted in most fantasy leagues. These are players we need to be aware of just in case they break loose and start providing fantasy production. All it takes is one of the starting wide receivers to go down with an injury which could lead to one of these forgotten rookie wide receivers to becoming a league-winner down the stretch.

Here are the rookie wideouts most likely to make a splash in 2020 that can be taken in the later rounds of fantasy drafts.

K.J. Hamler, Denver Broncos

Courtland Sutton broke out last year, catching 72 passes for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns. He is expected to be the team’s alpha receiver for 2020. Drew Lock will be consistently looking his way this season. He’s a red zone threat and can make plays downfield.

The Broncos also invested a first-round pick on Jerry Jeudy who was considered as one of the top wide receivers in the draft class. He will enter the NFL as one of the best route runners in the league. During his final season at Alabama, he was very efficient, averaging 3.3 yards per route run.

Another player who could develop into a key contributor in the passing game this season could be tight end, Noah Fant. The team spent a first-round pick to draft him last year. With a 97 percentile size-adjusted speed score, Fant is one of the most athletic tight ends in the league. There’s a chance he takes a step forward in his development. Fant has the potential to finish his sophomore season as a Pro Bowl tight end.

With all the young talent rostered in the Broncos’ passing game, it’s not a surprise that KJ Hamler has become an afterthought in traditional redraft leagues. There’s a lot of competition for targets, and it’s going to be hard for even the main contributors to maintain a consistent workload on a week to week basis.

Hamler’s speed and acceleration adds a new dimension to the offense. He will be a threat after the catch along with being able to stretch the field. The team will also utilize him as a miss-match option in the slot. His short-area quickness combined with his long-speed will make him a nightmare to cover in one-on-one situations.

He was an important piece to Penn State’s offense, posting a 31.42 percent market share of the team’s passing offense while owning a 32 percent share of the team’s passing touchdowns. Hamler broke out early during his red-shirt freshman season at age-19 by owning a 27,57 percent share of the Nittany Lions’ passing offense. His production metrics indicate that he’s a candidate to deliver scalable fantasy results as early as his rookie season. Combine his production with his athleticism, and it’s hard to bet against Hamler for the long-term.

His athleticism may allow him to get targeted early in his career. Hamler is a threat to score from anywhere on the football field. All it takes for him to catch fire and become an out of nowhere impact player in fantasy is for him to catch a few balls in open space and eat up a large number of yards after the catch.

The NFL season is a 16-game war of attrition. If one of the top pass catchers is out of the lineup due to an injury or potentially Covid-19, then Hamler will get the opportunity to showcase what he can do. Often, we players like Hamler produce during the final stretch of the season when the team loosens the leash and allows their rookies to get some playing time. It’s not outside the realm of possibilities that he leads many fantasy teams deep into the playoffs during the back-half of the season.

Antonio Gandy-Golden, Washington Football Team

Just a few weeks ago, Washington’s second-year wide receiver, Kelvin Harmon, tore his ACL and is projected to miss his 2020 season. This will leave an opening for Antonio Gandy-Golden to assert himself as one of the team’s go-to pass catchers.

The 6-foot-4 and 223-pound wide receiver is a true red-zone option. He has the ball skills and body control to manipulate defenders at the catch-point. Dwayne Haskins is going to enjoy having a large target to rifle the ball to. His strong hands allow him to reel in the football during tough contested-catch situations.

The numbers don’t lie, Gandy-Golden was a baller at Liberty. Even though he was playing against lesser competition, he still made the most out of his situation, catching 79 passes for 1,396 yards and ten touchdowns while also commanding a 31.4 percent target share last season. He was a valuable component to Liberty’s offense as he owned a 37.17 percent share of the team’s passing production.

Terry McLaurin will be the team’s WR1 and main deep threat. He will take a lot of pressure off the defense and will help Steven Sims Jr. and Gandy-Golden operate over the short to intermediate parts of the field. If the volume is there and he can see enough red-zone targets, Gandy-Golden could be fantasy relevant as a rookie.

Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady is known for targeting the slot. 34.84 percent of his passing targets went towards the slot last year. Julian Edleman saw 45.09 percent of those slot targets. More than likely, the team will use Chris Godwin as a movable chess piece, lining him up in the slot and outside. He played 63.4 percent of his snaps in the slot last season.

Johnson profiles as a big slot receiver who can line up all over the field. Over the last couple of years, he was one of the best wide receivers in college football. His counting stats didn’t blow anyone away, but he did command a large ownership of the passing offense. He broke out during his sophomore season with a 44.75 percent market share of the team’s passing production. From there continued to be featured as a key piece in the offensive game plan.

Outside of Godwin, and Mike Evans the Buccaneers’ wide receiver depth chart is open for Johnson to earn some playing time. From there, the sky is the limit. He will be competing with Justin Watson and Scotty Miller for the WR3 job. There’s a very real possibility that he wins the job and we see him taking meaningful snaps as early as week one.

He’s a very talented wide receiver. Johnson excels at winning at the catch point. His strong hands and ability to outleap defenders allow him to make plays while the ball is in the air. Defensive backs will need to be aggressive when the ball is in transit because Johnson excels in contested catch situations. He earned a 138.5 passer rating when targeted, making him a very reliable option in the passing game.

All it takes is him building a rapport with Tom Brady. If he’s receiving a large enough snap share, then there’s a chance that he could develop into a fantasy-relevant option sooner than later. If something were to happen to either Godwin or Evan, then it would be wheels up for Johnson with him possibly delivering WR2 results or better.

Joe Reed, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers drafted Joe Reed in the fifth round of this year’s draft. He’s a 6-foot-1 and 224-pound wide receiver prospect who tested with a 4.47 40-yard dash. Reed has the size-adjusted speed to make things happen at the next level.

What makes him a tantalizing option in fantasy is the lack of competition on the Chargers’ roster. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are slotted as the main pass catchers. The WR3 spot is up for grabs. Reed could be seeing the field as early as week one. If the injury bug nips either Allen or Williams, then Reed could receive an influx of targets. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he was on a lot of fantasy rosters during the last few weeks of the season.

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