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One of the biggest questions at the wide receiver position this offseason was whether the Bills would add major competition for Gabriel Davis. The answer is no. The Bills drafted Khalil Shakir in round five and added Jamison Crowder in free agency, but neither move threatens Davis’s ability to step into a WR2 role in the offense with one of the league’s best quarterbacks. He should see a rise in value.
Rashod Bateman will get the opportunity to be the WR1 in the Baltimore offense after Marquise Brown was traded to the Cardinals. The lack of production in his rookie season is a concern, as he ranked 70th in points per route run. Bateman was hurt during the season and played with backup Tyler Huntley, which should give him some cover for a weak start to his career. Now Bateman will be thrown into the WR1 role and should see a big uptick in value. His value has climbed up to WR24 range, which would be an easy cash-out opportunity for a 2023 1st-round rookie pick.
The trade of A.J. Brown leaves Robert Woods as the de facto WR1 in the Tennessee offense. Woods is returning from a torn ACL after changing teams, factors that typically do not combine well for fantasy success, but he should have a big opportunity for target volume. The Titans selected Treylon Burks, but he may need time to develop before taking a lead role in the offense.
The Cowboys were widely mocked to select a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL Draft after trading away Amari Cooper earlier in the offseason. The Cowboys passed on the position before selecting Jalen Tolbert in Round 3. This gives Lamb a wide-open opportunity for targets in 2022. Lamb has spent much of his time through two seasons in the slot and has not performed as well on the perimeter in the NFL nor in college, so his audition for the WR1 role will be a watch. Lamb is valued as a top-five wide receiver and should be a quality pivot player if looking to trade down the position and extract future assets.
Darnell Mooney will get the opportunity to prove himself as a WR1 option in the Chicago passing game after the Bears did not select a wide receiver until the third round when they selected relative non-producer Velus Jones. With Allen Robinson exiting in free agency, the Bears only brought in Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown in free agency. Neither player has been more than an ancillary role player in their career. This leaves Mooney the ability to add to his 134 targets from 2021, which ranked 14th at the position.
Pre-draft speculation included the possibility the Vikings would select a wide receiver in the first round of the draft. Instead, the Vikings traded down and addressed their defense with five of their first six picks. Thielen has a strong opportunity for targets heading into the 2022 season.