7 Instant-Impact Rookie Wide Receivers

Every year we are always looking for that new shining rookie who we can get later in our fantasy football drafts. The NFL preseason is wrapped up and teams are cutting down to the 53-man rosters. Some prominent rookies will be listed, but others will be late-round fliers if not waiver wire pickups to begin the season. 

Here are seven rookie wide receivers who will make an instant impact on the 2023 season. 

Jordan Addison

Playing in the NFC North on one of the most pass-happy teams is a plus. Furthermore, when your WR2 in Adam Thielen leaves in free agency, and you draft Jordan Addison in the first, you know it’s serious. Although we have only seen Addison in one preseason game, it was enough to get the hype train rolling. Especially with his toe-drag catch that was ruled incomplete.

Although he was put in concussion protocol and missed the last game, Addison looked like the hype we loved against the Arizona Cardinals in joint practices. Not only is Addison going to be special, but let’s not forget that Theilen leaves behind 107 targets, which was good for a 17% target share per PlayerProfiler. 

I’m not saying Addison will see 100-plus targets. But we shouldn’t be surprised if he is somewhere near or above 90 targets. I am comfortable drafting Addison as my WR3.

Quentin Johnston

Many have already called Quentin Johnston a bust, a body catcher, and a player who was called a reach in the NFL Draft. However, he has been looking like a first-round pick and a player with great hands. And as mentioned, being a first-round pick is an archetype that served fantasy managers well.

Johnston has the speed and explosiveness to stretch the field. Additionally, the number of games missed by Keenan Allen and Mike Williams is eye-opening. I am shocked to say they have combined to miss 17 games over the last three years. 

Now I wouldn’t be surprised if Josh Palmer is listed ahead of Johnston to start the season. It won’t be long though before Johnston is the defacto-WR3 in this offense. With Kellen Moore coming in, don’t be surprised to see a pass-happy offense once again. Johnston should be drafted as a WR4 with WR2 upside. 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

While the broken wrist may set him back and drop him in drafts, it has been no joke since Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the first wide receiver drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. He truly is a star in the making. Hence, the preseason games tell us more when players play with the starters. While many thought Smith-Njigba would push Tyler Lockett to the outside, both players have lined up in the slot. 

Smith-Njigba has lined up in 11, 12, and 13 personnel sets, which included three receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. Mind you, he had a 48-yard reception and was tackled at the one-yard line where DeeJay Dallas punched it in for the touchdown. 

Zay Flowers

We’ve been spoiled so far and with another first-round rookie wide receiver you can get in the double-digit rounds. While the Baltimore Ravens have seemed to be swinging and missing on first-round wide receivers, can Zay Flowers change that? So far in joint practices with the Washington Commanders, we’ve heard Flowers“exposing” their defenders. In turn, that looked to be true in the actual game for Flowers. 

Not only did he have two receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown, but showed great hands and vision. Although his first reception went for 11 yards his touchdown was a 26-yard play-action catch and run. Let’s also not forget that this was against the Ravens’ second-string team so temper expectations. But if what we see translates into Week 1 and the rest of the season, then we could have an alpha wide receiver in the making.

Marvin Mims

With the hamstring injury to Jerry Jeudy, there’s one wide receiver to keep an eye on that no one is talking about in Marvin Mims. The hype going into the offseason was how the Denver Broncos traded a first-round pick for head coach Sean Payton. 

With this in mind, let’s not forget that Payton used his first pick on Mims himself. That’s enough right there as Payton prioritized drafting him. Additionally, if you look more into his prospect profile per PlayerProfiler Mims is in the 90th percentile in both speed and burst score. Furthermore, he had more receptions and yards than Quentin Johnston. 

Not to mention Tim Patrick tore his ACL. With Patrick out for the season and an already banged-up Jeudy, look for Mims to start the season as the WR2 in Denver.

Jonathan Mingo

To begin with, how many of us had Jonathan Mingo going in the second round? Exactly, like you, I too was surprised. Although with the Panthers trading away star wide receiver DJ Moore as part of the deal to draft Bryce Young, it made sense for the Panthers to draft a wide receiver within the first three rounds. 

Mingo is one of the receivers who work well in contested catches and tracking the deep ball. Two things that Young is good at targeting his receivers with. Now, we’ve seen against the Detroit Lions that Adam Thielen is Young’s favorite receiver, for now. As we saw in the first preseason game, Mingo was out there with Thielen and DJ Chark.

However, tight end Hayden Hurst has been struggling recently and Mingo has been standing out more. Surprisingly Mingo and Thielen both played Friday night and Mingo played all the 12 personnel along with the only snap in 13 personnel. Little things like this are exciting to see from the rookie going late to undrafted. 

Michael Wilson

If it wasn’t for the injury-riddled career at Stanford, Michael Wilson would have gone a lot higher in the NFL Draft. When he was drafted, I loved the landing spot as he looked to be the DeAndre Hopkins replacement. Although he wasn’t traded, many looked at me like I was crazy. Who’s crazy now?

With  Hopkins being released and signing with the Tennessee Titans, it’s Wilson who now looks to be the wide receiver opposite of Marquise Brown. Many may have not seen this coming, but the Cardinals did. Plus with Kyler Murray recovering from an ACL tear, who knows which way this team goes? 

At this point in drafts, Wilson is going well after pick 400 (440.19) per the latest Fantrax PPR ADP. That’s free and more than anything a waiver wire add. Be sure to put him on your scout list and prepare to add him. 

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