Drafting Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Tyreek Hill, and Cooper Kupp in the first round of fantasy football drafts will certainly set your team up for success. But fantasy leagues aren’t won on just first-round picks.
Every year, there are a handful of players drafted in the middle rounds that end up as league-winners. Here are five wide receivers poised to break out in 2023 that could help you win your fantasy leagues!
Behind in research? Get a trade offer in your dynasty or redraft league? Not sure who to start or sit this week? Leverage PFN’s FREE fantasy tools — our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and Calculator, and Start/Sit Optimizer! Put the finishing touch on your A+ draft with 1 of our 425+ fantasy football team names.
Fantasy Football Breakouts | Wide Receivers
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders
The No. 16 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Washington Commanders wideout Jahan Dotson is one of the most obvious breakout candidates after a promising rookie season.
Dotson’s rookie year started about as perfectly as it could’ve, as he scored two touchdowns — including the game-winner — in his NFL debut. He continued to shine early on before a hamstring injury in Week 4 forced him to miss the next five games.
It took a couple of games after returning to the lineup for Dotson to feel like himself again, but he concluded his rookie season on a really strong note. Over the final four games, Dotson finished with 291 yards and two touchdowns on an average of seven targets per game.
Dotson finished his rookie season with seven receiving touchdowns, tied for the most of any rookie, despite only playing in 12 games. If he remains healthy in 2023, Dotson certainly could find the end zone 10+ times.
Quarterback uncertainty could hurt Dotson’s value, but it’s worth noting he’s established a strong connection with his draft classmate Sam Howell, evident by their outing in Week 18 last year and in the preseason this August.
Love this connection
📺 NBC4 #WASvsCLE pic.twitter.com/fB7koPoDPf
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 12, 2023
There’s also the chance the Commanders’ top wideout, Terry McLaurin, misses the beginning of the year after suffering a toe injury in Washington’s second preseason game. If McLaurin does indeed miss time, Dotson’s fantasy stock will only rise even more.
Currently being drafted as a seventh- or eighth-round fantasy pick, Dotson has all the potential to return value much greater than his ADP.
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Sticking with second-year receivers, Christian Watson joins Dotson as a prime breakout candidate this fall.
A second-round pick in 2022, Watson started slow as a rookie but became fantasy-relevant with a 107-yard, three-touchdown performance in Week 8 against Dallas. He followed up that performance with four more touchdowns over the next three games, instantly becoming Aaron Rodgers’ go-to target for the remainder of the season.
MORE Breakout Candidates: Yates’ RBs and TEs
In Watson’s final eight games of the year, he averaged 6.5 targets per game and was never targeted fewer than five times in that span. That’s the type of volume elite WR2s in fantasy typically generate.
Rodgers is now in New York, but Watson has seemed to form solid chemistry with the Packers’ new sheriff, Jordan Love. Watson is clearly the Packers’ No. 1 wideout — his only real competition is fellow second-year receiver Romeo Doubs and rookie Jayden Reed.
Jordan Love tosses a back shoulder TD to Christian Watson
📱: Stream #SEAvsGB on #NFLPlus https://t.co/624TrfDUF6 pic.twitter.com/sKRHOhqsVO
— NFL (@NFL) August 26, 2023
With a high target share expected to come Watson’s way, he has all the tools to break out as a top-20 fantasy wideout, if not better.
Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
Initially, it’s hard to forecast the fantasy outlook of rookie receivers. Ja’Marr Chase turned in one of the best seasons ever by a rookie receiver in 2021, but even he entered the season with a ton of question marks (remember when he couldn’t catch the ball in the preseason?) and was drafted around the eighth round of fantasy drafts.
Justin Jefferson totaled 1,400 yards as a rookie in 2020 but spent the first two weeks behind Bisi Johnson (!!) on the depth chart.
With all that being said, Baltimore’s Zay Flowers looks the part of a future elite fantasy receiver. The Ravens’ first-rounder has shined throughout training camp and the preseason, earning praise from Lamar Jackson, Odell Beckham Jr., and several of his teammates.
That's Zay Flowers for ya 🔥 @ZayFlowers
📺: #BALvsWAS on ESPN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/L9mPiySUki pic.twitter.com/7xV6hBcrY2— NFL (@NFL) August 22, 2023
With the addition of Beckham and Flowers, Baltimore’s receiving corps is the deepest it’s been in years. However, there is no true No. 1 wide receiver — tight end Mark Andrews is Jackson’s top target — leaving plenty of opportunities for Flowers to seize.
If Flowers’ strong play from training camp and the preseason translates into the games that matter, it’s only a matter of time before he’s a top fantasy WR.
Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
The 2021 Fred Biletnikoff Award winner, given to college football’s top wide receiver, Jordan Addison has been spoiled, having played with two elite college quarterbacks in current Steelers’ QB Kenny Pickett and reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams of USC.
It’s not just great QB play that’s gotten him to this point, however. Addison is a stud himself and was every bit worthy of the first-round selection Minnesota used on him this past spring. And with the departure of Adam Thielen, there are plenty of vacant targets that could potentially go Addison’s way as a rookie.
MORE: WR Fantasy Football Sleepers To Draft 2023
The one knock on Addison is that as long as Jefferson is on the field, his potential to be the WR1 in Minnesota is nearly impossible. Still, we’ve seen Kirk Cousins support two top-20 fantasy wideouts in the past, and Addison has the skill set to be an immediate contributor as a rookie.
JORDAN ADDISON 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3Jo2jiwlYG
— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) August 24, 2023
Addison has impressed in camp, particularly during joint-practice sessions against Arizona. He’s certainly worth taking a flier on later in drafts, especially at his current ADP at No. 97 overall.
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers
The final wideout on this list, George Pickens has the talent not only to be a fantasy breakout this season but to turn into one of the league’s best receivers in general.
Despite inconsistent QB play in 2022, Pickens finished his rookie season with 52 catches, 801 yards, and four touchdowns. That’s a more-than-promising stat line for a rookie, especially considering it was Pickens’ first full season after tearing his ACL at Georgia.
Pickens’ athleticism is some of the most impressive in the NFL. His chemistry with Pickett appears to be much stronger than it was one year ago, as the duo connected several times throughout the preseason.
every single George Pickens preseason target pic.twitter.com/SlRI9aKx2c
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 25, 2023
Yes, Pickens will have to compete with Diontae Johnson, Allen Robinson, and Pat Freiermuth for targets. While Johnson might currently be Pittsburgh’s top pass catcher, it’s Pickens who has the highest upside of the group.
Optimism is high in Pittsburgh this season, even in the uber-tough AFC North division. Pickens’ potential is one of the biggest reasons why.