2 wide receiver sleepers to draft and 2 receiver busts to avoid in fantasy football

Sleeper: Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Unfortunately, Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison has made headlines early in his career for the wrong reasons. He recently pleaded guilty to excessive speeding after being pulled over for driving 140 miles per hour in a 55-mile-per-hour zone. Addison said the reason he was speeding was because his dog was having an emergency at his home. Whether that was true or not, the matter is officially behind him as he prepares for his first NFL season.

The No. 23 overall pick in this year’s draft was brought in to line up opposite superstar wideout Justin Jefferson and replace wide receiver Adam Thielen, who left for the Panthers via free agency. Thielen’s departure leaves 107 vacated targets in the Vikings passing game which should presumably be funneled to Addison. Irv Smith Jr. signed with the Bengals this offseason, also leaving behind his 4.5 targets per game. In other words, there should be plenty of opportunity coming the 21-year-old rookie’s way.

Addison won the Biletnikoff Award in 2021, which is given to the nation’s top receiver, after the monster sophomore season he had at the University of Pittsburgh. That year, he hauled in 100 passes for 1,593 yards and caught seven touchdowns. He is a gifted athlete and has a lot of speed which enables him to win on all three levels of the field despite his small stature. His footwork is very advanced for a player who is only 21 years of age.

Now, he steps into a situation where he was hand-picked by his organization in the first round to come in and make an impact from day one. He has a solid quarterback in Kirk Cousins and the Vikings passed the ball at the third-highest rate in the NFL last season and cut ties with their Pro Bowl running back this offseason, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see head coach Kevin O’Connell lean even further into the passing game.

Between the draft capital the Vikings invested in him, his talent, the opportunity in front of him, and the Vikings desire to throw the ball often, Addison is a sneaky sleeper pick later in drafts. He is currently listed as FantasyPros’ WR38.