It was typical in fantasy football drafts just a decade ago to not see a wide receiver taken until the 3rd or even 4th rounds. Today, 75-percent of the players taken in the first round are wide receivers.
The Strategy
As noted by Michael Salfino of Yahoo Fantasy Sports here, wide receivers carry much less risk for injury and regression than running backs do in 2016. Thus the rise of the Zero Running Back draft strategy.
In this strategy, the goal is to take wide receivers with at least your first three picks. Some like to do four of their top five. It's a bold and outside-the-box strategy.
In my fantasy football mock drafts, Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., and Julio Jones go in the top 3 every time. At times, I've even seen 6 WRs taken before Todd Gurley, David Johnson, or Ezekiel Elliott.
Especially when considering PPR (points per reception), wide receivers are driving the fantasy football bus.
Don't let the old way rule you.
Here are some of my favorite late round wide receivers. Corey Coleman, Marvin Jones, Phillip Dorsett, Michael Thomas (NO), Richard Matthews, and Devin Funchess.
Wide Receiver Rankings
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