We asked our staff to plant their flag on players this fantasy season. These are the guys they want and have big hopes for this season. Let’s take a look at our staff’s running back flag plants.
Flag Plant- Wide Receivers
Ty Recino: Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders
When someone finished as a top-25 wide receiver last year and their situation only got better, but they are being ranked around WR40-WR50, then 100%, I am going to take them. That guy this year is Jakobi Meyers, and he’s a cheat code in fantasy. He’s a high-floor guy who quietly goes unnoticed. In ½ PPR leagues, he only had 2 games below 6.8 fantasy points and only 4 games below 8 fantasy points on the year. Only once did he have more than 20 points last year, but I’m not drafting him for that. I’m taking him for a consistent 10-point game, week in and week out. For someone who is going after the top 40 receivers, I’ll take a 10-point game from them all day, any day. I know I can count on him, and I actually think he capitalizes on his performance last year, with the upgrade at quarterback. With Geno Smith just chucking the ball downfield, I have Meyers having a career year and cracking the top-20 wide receivers list. When there are many boom or bust players ahead of him, players missing time due to injuries, I’m taking Meyers and happily doing so.
Aaron St. Dennis: Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns
Jerry Jeudy is your typical value brand. A once highly sought-after player whose stock has been hurt by chronic injuries and fears about his quarterback. No one can tell you with any degree of accuracy who the Week 1 starting quarterback will be for Cleveland, but whoever it is, they will be throwing consistently to Jeudy. Last season, with Joe Flacco as his quarterback in most games, Jeudy saw a career-high fantasy finish at WR12 in full-PPR. His ceiling with Flacco at quarterback is that of a borderline WR1. Even if the Cleveland chooses to start Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders, or Kenny Pickett at quarterback, Jeudy is a locked-in WR2 as the only consistent threat in this wide receiver room. So, with a worst-case scenario of WR2 production, it’s confusing to see him being valued as WR35 in ECR. That price tag is simply so low that he can’t underperform it. If Cleveland starts Flacco and he can even be an average NFL quarterback, Jeudy is a lock to finish as a Top 15 receiver. What makes his WR2 potential even more enticing is that you can draft him as your WR4 or 5 in most drafts. If Flacco gets the nod for Cleveland all season, Jeudy could see 160 targets go his way.
Aaron Weiner: Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs
Here’s my checklist of reasons Xavier Worthy should smash this year. First-round rookie last year? Check. Finished with more fantasy points than Marvin Harrison Jr, D.K. Metcalf, and George Pickens? Check. Ended the season with a three-game stretch where he was WR10, outscoring Ladd McConkey and Ja’Marr Chase? Check and double-check. Maybe the best offensive player in the Super Bowl, not named Jalen Hurts? Eight catches, one hundred and fifty-seven yards, and two touchdowns says he was. Despite all of this, Worthy is coming off the board somewhere between an ADP of 50 and 64, which means you can get this guy in the fifth, sixth, or even seventh rounds in drafts. His quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, is probably discount double-checking him right now on every fantasy site. With Rashee Rice‘s suspension set at six games to start the season, Worthy has an early-season schedule where he is all alone at WR1. And even if Rashee Rice comes off his injury and his suspension ready and raring to go, Worthy isn’t just going to disappear. Kansas City is likely to concentrate targets between Worthy, Rice, and Travis Kelce all season long. Reports in camp are that Worthy is improving his route running, too. Despite his WR3 price tag, I think Xavier Worthy could finish as high as a top ten wide receiver for the full season. He’s even better in best ball formats.
Tyler Bradley: DeAndre Hopkins, Baltimore Ravens
DeAndre Hopkins is being drafted like a dart throw, not a difference maker, and it is absolutely criminal. He is being drafted around 170–190 (WR70s). That is basically free for a future Hall of Famer tied to Lamar Jackson.
Here is the thing: Context matters. First, Baltimore invested. Hopkins just signed a one-year deal set to make him up to 6 million. This is always a clear indicator for any team, but definitely for the Ravens, that they view him as a real piece and not just a camp body. Second, don’t be fooled by last year’s stat line. In 2024, Hopkins split the season between Tennessee and Kansas City and still posted 56/610/5, of which 41/437/4 came after the midseason trade. This is despite QB woes and having to learn and integrate into a new offense. Had he been with KC the whole time, I am sure that 41/437/4 would have looked much different, or at least doubled.
Now the upside: Lamar just authored a historic 2024, with 4,172 yards, 41 TD, 4 INT, leading an offense that set franchise and league marks under OC Todd Monken. That’s elite efficiency and red-zone volume waiting for a veteran WR who wins on isolation routes and contested balls, of which Hopkins does. He is exactly what they are missing. Currently, Zay Flowers stretches coverage; Mark Andrews punishes seams; Derrick Henry forces heavy boxes and turbocharges play-action. Hopkins slots in as Lamar’s boundary and third-down option, which is exactly where his hands and body control shine.
Stop letting the age cliff talk you out of premier possibilities. Chemistry is already a camp talking point in Baltimore. Hopkins is a proven target earner with sticky red-zone skills attached to one of the NFL’s most efficient QBs. At a round 16–18 price, even if volume is modest, Hopkins’ weekly touchdown equity and third-down role provide a sturdy floor. If the connection pops, like I think it will, you’ve got a top-36 WR for free. That’s how you beat ADP.
Remember, at this point in the draft, you have your Starters. Now, we look for upside. Smash the late-round discount on Hopkins and let the elite QB play do the rest.
Greg Cramer: Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans
Calvin Ridley is going to light it up this year, and it’s like no one cares. You can draft him in the back 7th early 8th this year at WR34, after guys like Zay Flowers, Xavier Worthy, Travis Hunter, Jaylen Waddle, Jerry Jeudy, and just before Jordan Addison and Rome Odunze. Every single one of those guys is are player I would absolutely smash having Ridley over. Even if you had to “reach” in the 6th round for him, it’s still a steal. Look at last year, he was the WR25 with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph throwing him the ball. Had two games back to back, where he had 8 targets and 0 receptions, and then 9 targets with 3 catches. He was getting terrible targets and was still one spot outside of a WR2 in fantasy. I’m a big believer in Cam Ward, and he, at worst, is still a massive upgrade for Ridley. In camp, all you’re seeing and hearing is Ridley making DBs have long days trying to guard him, and Ward can’t stop throwing to him. He’s Ward’s favorite target by far. In my honest opinion, he has a WR10-12 fantasy finish as his ceiling and WR24 floor, but I’m heavily leaning towards his ceiling. You can draft him at the flex position this year, which is so crazy to me. He is going to crush his ADP by such a large margin it’s not funny. His ADOT last year was 4th in the league at 16, and his YPC was 8th with 15.9, which shows just how efficient he is. I mean, he had 3 catches for 50 yards in the first preseason game, which just goes to show the work he’s going to get. He’s 30 years old but has 2 seasons where he didn’t play, and it wasn’t because of injuries; he still has a ton of juice left and will show the world this season.
Joe Frick: Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots
Coming off ACL surgery at age 31 is no easy task, but Stefon Diggs appears ready to go for Week 1, which means wheels up on my fantasy team. Drake Maye has been a popular breakout pick amongst quarterbacks, and the biggest beneficiary will be Stefon Diggs. In his 8 games in 2024, he averaged over 15 points per game and 8 targets per game as a secondary option to Nico Collins. In the four years before Buffalo, he was a perennial top 10 WR option and an absolute target hog. Expect Maye to pepper Diggs early and often to appease New England’s 63 million dollar man. The rest of the New England WR room is unproven at best. Demario Douglas, Kyle Williams, and TreVeyon Henderson will likely take some targets, but the passing game will feature Diggs as a focal point. Diggs is currently being drafted as WR39 (ADP 98.4) but should very easily surpass that. I currently have Diggs as my WR26, and the upside he possesses as the number one receiving option on his team makes him a must-draft for me.
Matt Mutchler: Jaylon Waddle, Miami Dolphins
He’s healthy, his quarterback is healthy. When those things happen over the course of the season, Jaylon Waddle is a top 15 (12th in 2021), if not a top 10 receiver (8th in 2022), yet he’s being drafted as a WR3. He is only 26 years old, so he will bounce back from minor strains and sprains quickly. Give me Jaylen Waddle over players like George Pickens, Xavier Worthy, Tetairoa McMillan, and others. Of course, if Tua dives headfirst into a defender again, I may regret this take.