In fantasy football, breakout players come into play: they appear out of nowhere and bring big results to their team.
Nico Collins, CJ Stroud and Puka Nacua were breakout stars in 2023. None of these players were projected to be fantasy players in 2023, nor were any of these players’ breakouts predicted.
Fantasy football is a game of predictions, and while they're never 100% accurate, you can try to predict breakouts as best you can. Let's take a closer look at four late-round wide receivers to watch in your 2024 fantasy draft.
Check out all of our fantasy football rankings for the 2024 fantasy football draft.
The Green Bay Packers have a surprising amount of talent at the skill positions, with Christian Watson and Jaden Reed currently leading the wide receiver corps, but Dontaeveon Wicks could take a big step forward in Year 2.
Wicks had 39 receptions for 581 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. Injuries to Reed and Watson pushed him into a key role as the season progressed. Wicks had the most targets. He averaged 14.9 yards per reception and 2.07 yards per route run. Both numbers were top 25 in the league.
Wicks isn't lightning fast, but he is a big wide receiver at 6'1″ and 212 pounds. Watson and Reed are likely to get the majority of the targets to start the season, and if Wicks continues to perform well on his assigned targets, he'll undoubtedly earn more.
The Packers WR to own in fantasy football is Dontaevion Wicks:
– Profile as X
– The cheapest ADP of the four
– 1D/RR numbers are strong
– 2.20 yards per route run
– Newcomer but 20% target rate
– PFF's top 24 rating as a rookie
– 9th-best PFF grade since Week 11pic.twitter.com/TaOWtyURBH
— Snoog Dynasty Society (@FFSnoog) August 17, 2024
With quarterback Jordan Love on a development trajectory, Wicks could capitalize on Love's emergence even as the Packers' third wide receiver. A quarterback who can pass a lot and get the production that comes with it can often support three fantasy-relevant wide receivers, and Love is in a great position to do both.
If Wicks can get to the end zone frequently, he could be a week-to-week flex option at worst. Finally, if injury issues for Reed and Watson continue, Wicks has a chance to step into a larger role.
Watson has only played in 23 of 34 games in his career. Reed missed only one game in 2023 but was limited in several others due to various injuries. Reed also does not have the build or archetype of a No. 1 overall wide receiver.
Wicks’ build resembles a prototypical No. 1 wide receiver, and he’s essentially a free pick in the draft, as he will be selected between the 12th and 14th rounds, making him a very valuable player in 2024.
Brian Thomas Jr. was the 23rd pick by the Jaguars in April's draft, and he has a chance to immediately take over Calvin Ridley's role in this offense.
Christian Kirk is expected to get the most targets to start the year, and the blocking acumen of new recruit Gabe Davis will likely get him his first opportunity in a single wide receiver set, but Thomas is more talented than those two players and could see a bigger role sooner rather than later.
Thomas is an athletic phenom. At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, he can run the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds. He's also a touchdown maker. In 2023, he led the NCAA with 1,177 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns.
The 21-year-old Thomas is likely playing opposite Malik Neighbors in 2023 and will likely have an opening, so it remains to be seen how much of a role he'll have as the No. 1 wide receiver. That said, Thomas joins an offense that lost Zay Jones, added in the playing-less Gabe Davis and has 136 open targets with Ridley's departure.
The biggest problem for Thomas is the fact that Ridley was supposed to have a great season in 2023. The chemistry between Ridley and quarterback Trevor Lawrence never seemed to develop smoothly, and as a result, Ridley ended up scoring far fewer touchdowns than he should have had the chance to.
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 deep to Ridley and cutting the ball in the red zone, but the two just couldn't seem to connect at a high rate. Ridley still scored eight touchdowns, albeit inefficiently.
Thomas and Ridley have similar playing styles, but Thomas is a much more punchy player, and if he can build a rapport with Lawrence quickly, we could have a potential WR2 player in the 10th round of fantasy drafts.
Brian Thomas Jr. puts his skates on the defender pic.twitter.com/dshQVTLxwr
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 18, 2024
Jameson Williams is a popular guy to break out in 2024. He's a third-year player in a great offensive line that came on strong late in the 2023 regular season and in the playoffs.
What if Jameson Williams was the type of player who had a breakout third year? pic.twitter.com/GV5XEHfxrD
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 17, 2024
Williams was the 12th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was fresh off a torn ACL in his final collegiate game, which sidelined him for most of his rookie season. Williams was in prime position to make a breakthrough in 2023, but missed the first four games of the season due to a gambling suspension.
The Lions, citing a must-win situation and Williams' lack of NFL experience, opted to develop Williams slowly, meaning fans never got a chance to see him really come into his own.
Heading into the second half of 2023, Williams' snap share and targets both increased. The wide receiver was used in both the running and passing game in the playoffs. The Lions have begun to trust Williams when it matters most, and that should carry over into 2024.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jameel Gibbs will all be heavily involved in the Lions' passing game, which will reduce Williams' value, but Williams is a threat for the Lions and will undoubtedly have plenty of opportunities to make big plays.
If the Lions start finding more ways for Williams to get touches on the ball in the short and intermediate ranges of the field, he could be a solid fantasy contributor.
The Lions have quarterback Jared Goff, who has thrown for at least 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns in each of the past two seasons, so with that kind of production, he should have a good chance as the team's No. 2 wide receiver.
Williams is the Lions' most talented No. 2 wide receiver in a while, and with a strong offseason and no early season setbacks, the wide receiver should be in a good position to thrive in 2024.
Xavier Worthy has been a mixed bag for the 2024 draft. The 28th overall pick in April's draft, he could be a prime target for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs' wide receiver corps features Marquise Brown, Rushe Rice and Justin Watson, not to mention Travis Kelce, the offense's No. 1 pass-catching talent, but Brown is currently nursing a shoulder injury and Rice is facing legal troubles.
Even if Rice isn't banned in 2024, Worthy could coexist with Rice because they have different skill sets. Worthy is lightning fast with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash. His skill set is similar to former Chief Tyreek Hill, but he's much smaller at 165 pounds.
Xavier Worthy has terrible burst speed pic.twitter.com/eZnX0g2fvO
— Football Digest (@FootballDigest) August 17, 2024
With Mahomes throwing the ball and Andy Reid calling the plays, anything can happen. Rice will be Mahomes' short-area target, but Worthy will get the majority of touches on him, and his big-play ability will be exciting for fantasy managers.
The Chiefs are poised for a resurgence in the passing game, and for now, Worthy could be a late-season player. If Worthy can take advantage of Brown's absence over the next few weeks, he could certainly be a contributor to start the season off, especially as Worthy is projected to be drafted around WR46.
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