Fantasy Football: 5 late-round WRs who deserve more attention

With so many players to choose from in drafts and so many to rank, some underrated gems are bound to fall through the cracks. But here, fantasy football analyst Sal Vetri wants to help you make sure you don’t miss the players possessing great value, and those with potentially league-winning upside. Here are five wide receivers to consider late in your drafts.

I think the fantasy community got off on the wrong foot with Coleman. He was a polarizing prospect who fell out of the first round of the NFL Draft. This caused some people to develop a negative bias towards him. But let’s look at the context we’ve been given since the draft process.

Coleman landed on a team that no longer has Stefon Diggs or Gabe Davis. Many people have discussed a potential down year for the Bills offense, but I don’t buy this, and neither does Vegas. The Bills have the sixth-shortest odds to lead the NFL in points scored this season. Not to mention, Joe Brady took over play-calling midway through last season, but now he has an entire offseason to implement his offense.

There are some concerns with Coleman’s profile, but aren’t these issues accounted for in his 11th-round ADP? I like targeting the 215-pound rookie late in drafts, as he’ll be a starting WR for Josh Allen this season.

Palmer has an established rapport with Justin Herbert from three previous seasons together. This matters because no other starting receiver on this offense has played with Herbert. Palmer’s connection becomes even more important when we consider Herbert missed 2-3 weeks in training camp with a foot injury.

Now, the Chargers have the most vacated targets and receiving yards to replace this season. Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler and Gerald Everett are all gone. This is good news for Palmer, who in 11 career starts has averaged 12.6 fantasy points. This would rank 29th among WRs last season. Despite this, Palmer now goes as the 58th receiver in drafts.

I know what you may be thinking: “Sal, this team is just going to run the ball under Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman!” You’re probably right, but they’re also going to throw the ball 500+ times because that’s what the lowest pass volume teams did last season.

Plus, Harbaugh and Roman have had high-volume receivers during their time together in San Francisco. Including the postseason, Michael Crabtree had 146 targets in 2012, and Anquan Boldin had 150 targets in 2013. Palmer projects for 100-120+ targets. He’s a strong pick in Round 11 of drafts.

A 30-year-old receiver coming off a torn ACL isn’t usually appealing to me. But Williams may be the exception. His ACL tear was early in the 2023 season, and he’s already been back at practice participating in individual drills.

I’m interested in Williams because of his draft price — yes, there’s not much risk when you only need to spend a 12th-round pick on him — but what also interests me is his situation. Williams joins arguably the most talented roster in the NFL as a starting outside receiver for Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers will play behind the most improved offensive line in football, arguably a top-five unit now, which will give him time to find Williams in the intermediate to deep parts of the field. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Williams may be the best red-zone target on this team.

Williams is being drafted after guys like Jaylen Wright, the third running back for the Dolphins. Don’t make this mistake. Target Williams in Round 12 of your drafts.

This is a bet on talent and draft capital late in your draft. Legette is the Panthers’ first-round pick whom they traded up to draft. A few injuries have held him back in camp, which has caused him to fall in fantasy drafts to Round 11.

I believe Diontae Johnson is the clear No. 1 WR on this team, but I won’t be shocked to see the 221-pound Legette, who runs a 4.39 40-yard dash, make serious contributions in Year 1. Legette is a guy who can hit home runs for the Panthers. Legette wins downfield and after the catch, which aren’t strengths of Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson at this stage in their careers. Carolina desperately needs explosive plays after ranking dead last in yards per play last season.

If Bryce Young can take a step forward behind an improved O-Line, then I believe an 11th-round pick on Legette would pay off in a big way. Look for him late in your drafts.

This one is for super deep leagues. Boyd is a veteran receiver coming over to the Titans with his former offensive coordinator. Brian Callahan is the new head coach of the Titans, and he was Boyd’s play-caller the past two seasons with the Bengals. Boyd earned 83 and 98 targets, respectively, during these campaigns. Callahan practically hand-picked Boyd to join this team late in free agency.

The Titans’ new head coach has been vocal about throwing more often and using more three-WR sets this year Tennessee. This means Boyd should be able to get on the field a lot as the primary slot receiver. According to recent reports, Boyd is going to be leaned on a lot by Will Levis in this new offense.