Wide Receiver Free Agency Preview

Photo: USA Today Sports

The 2019 draft class was a strong success, and much of the class has been re-signed. Marquise Brown is scheduled to play the 2023 season on his fifth-year option, and the only other receiver selected in the first round, N’Keal Harry, has been a bust. Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf, Diontae Johnson, and Terry McLaurin, Day 2 picks in the draft class, were all signed to extensions.

This has left this season’s free agent class weaker, with few big-name fantasy difference-makers hitting the market.

Jakobi Meyers

Jakobi Meyers may be the best wide receiver in the free agent class. Meyers is a good player, but that is an indictment of the free-agent class. Meyers has been targeted on 21.4% of his routes and has a career of 1.78 yards per route run, both of which are top-15 percentile performances. Meyers is coming off a career-best WR34 performance in a bad New England offense in 2022. He is in the 40s of wide receiver ADP in dynasty formats and could see a boost in cost with a Christian Kirk-type free agent signing.

Mecole Hardman

Mecole Hardman has been a disappointment during his career with Kansas City. He has only started 26 games in his first four years and has a career-high of 693 receiving yards. Hardman has only run routes on only 45.1% of the team’s passing dropbacks, the sign of a part-time player. Hardman will get a quarterback downgrade wherever he lands in free agency but can hope for a bigger role in an offense. He is currently in the 70s in dynasty ADP.

JuJu Smith Schuster

JuJu Smith-Schuster signed a one-year free agent deal with Kansas City and had 101 targets, 78 receptions, 933 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns in 2022, the second-highest receiving yardage total in his career. Smith-Schuster finished as WR33 and projects as more of an innings eater at wide receiver than a major difference maker he was earlier in his career. Smith-Schuster has one of the best resumes of any wide receiver in free agency, but his role is considered more limited than other options. He is in the mid-40s in dynasty valuations.