Middle Round Running Backs and Wide Receivers
These mid-round picks are the make-or-break selections for your fantasy team. Being able to hit on a running back or wide receiver in this area is a huge advantage in your lineup. To win your league you need to hit on some of these mid-round draft picks to be able to have variety in your lineups or have good players that can fill in, in case of injury.
Brandin Cooks – ADP: 72
Brandin Cooks is one of the most underrated players in the NFL and is undervalued in fantasy drafts. Cooks has one of the safest ‘floors’ in all of fantasy football, producing more than 1,000 yards in 6 of the last 7 seasons. Cooks is far and away the number 1 target on this Texans offense. Cooks has a good connection with the second-year quarterback, Davis Mills. Cooks had a 26% target share last season in this offense and averaged 9 targets a game when playing with Davis Mills. Cooks should return top 24 Wide receiver ranking easily this season.
Chase Edmonds – ADP: 74
Miami Dolphins’ new running back, Chase Edmonds could prove to be a steal in fantasy drafts. The Dolphins went out and got their guy in free agency signing him to a 2-year contract. The Dolphins recently released Sony Michel, and the primary backup, Raheem Mostert, has a serious injury history and is going on his age 30 season. The Dolphins’ offense should be more effective with adding Tyreek Hill, which will lead to more chances for Edmonds. Being drafted in the seventh round, Edmonds can fit immediately into the flex and has top 20 running back upside.
Courtland Sutton – ADP: 60
Marquise Hollywood Brown – ADP: 66
Arizona Cardinals’ new young wide receiver, Hollywood Brown, has a great opportunity in this offense. DeAndre Hopkins is suspended for the first 6 games of the season, making Hollywood the number one option for Kyler Murray. Being able to reestablish the connection they had at Oklahoma in college will help both of them take the next step forward. The Cardinals offense is very fast-paced and Hollywood fits the mold perfectly. Brown can struggle with drops at times, but we should expect to see the ball in his hands quite a bit this season. Hollywood’s fantasy production took a hit last season when Lamar Jackson got injured, but Brown still finished the season with 146 targets (9th most in the NFL). He is a talented vertical threat wide receiver that should be utilized by Murray in this offense and should start the season as the primary passing option.
Juju Smith-Schuster – ADP: 89
Juju has moved teams and is now in Kansas City with Patrick Mahomes and has a chance to be the primary receiver. With Tyreek Hill leaving and taking his 159 targets, someone is going to have to step up and that is likely to be Juju. After missing most of last season, the Chiefs offered Juju a 1-year contract to get his career back on track. Taking a shot on Smith-Schuster can prove to be a good move in the middle rounds of your fantasy draft. It is hard to find a possible wide receiver 1 with a quarterback of the quality of Patrick Mahomes and that is what you can get by drafting Juju around the 7th round. Juju starts the season as a flex play but has the massive upside to be a consistent wr2 in your lineup.
Allen Lazard – ADP: 85
Who wouldn’t want the number 1 target for the back-to-back MVP, Aaron Rodgers? Allen Lazard will be the top receiving threat on the Packers this season, and you can draft him in the 8th round and sometimes later. At that point in the draft why not take a shot on a player that has this good of an opportunity? With Davante Adams gone that is 169 vacated targets that have to be found somewhere in the offense. Lazard has yet to break out but the 26-year-old receiver has the tools and the opportunity to this season. He scored 8 times last year on only 40 receptions. The 6’5 receiver should see plenty of targets and has immense upside heading into this fantasy season.
