Free Agent Wide Receivers: Landing Spots and Fantasy Value

The free agency period is one of my favorites to follow, especially when it comes to fantasy football and our dynasty teams. I am with you guys when you have some aging players and trying to figure out what you want to do with them. The way I look at it is in two ways. Am I going for a championship or am I tearing it down and rebuilding?

This year’s free agent wide receiver group is the deepest it has been in recent years. This could be due to many receivers last year took one-year deals with their current or new teams, knowing that the NFL salary cap was due to go up in 2022. Well, the 2021 season is over and we have already seen teams restructuring deals with players on their current rosters like Michael Thomas and Aaron Jones to name a couple.

Here I give you a perspective of the current free agent wide receivers and what their fantasy value can be, along with landing spots. Will they resign? Will they sign with the team I think they will? That’s for us to find out!

Let’s check out this year’s free agent wide receivers. If I missed someone that you think should have made the list, feel free to discuss with me on Twitter @RyanMiner_FFB.

Follow along with all of the latest free agent signings with our 2022 Free Agent Tracker.

Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

Age: 29

The Green Bay Packers are restructuring deals like Kenny Clark and Aaron Jones to make cap space. Is this to get Aaron Rodgers to resign for another year or two as they kick the can like the New Orleans Saints did with Drew Brees. The Packers want to re-sign Davante Adams and are trying everything they can to do what it looks like getting him and Rodgers back for another year plus. Adams wants to be the highest-paid receiver in the league, and rightfully so deserves it. Even if he goes elsewhere, he should still be viewed no worse as a back-end WR1.

Potential landing spots: Green Bay Packers or Las Vegas Raiders.

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Age: 26

Around this time last year, Chris Godwin and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn’t come to a long-term deal. Godwin took a gamble on himself and was franchise tagged for $15.94 million. It paid off very well for the receiver as he finished with 98 receptions on 127 targets for 1,103 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games. He tore his ACL/MCL in Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints. Week in, week out, even with players like Mike Evans, Antonio Brown, and Rob Gronkowski and produced WR2 numbers, with some WR1 weeks. With the Salary cap going up, and Godwin expected to make a full recovery, I see the wide receiver signing a multi-year deal and should be viewed comfortably as a WR2 right now with WR1 upside.

Potential landing spots: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, or Los Angeles Chargers.

Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Age: 27

Another injury, another year of Mike Williams was set to disappoint fantasy owners as he missed Week 1 of the 2021 season with a bone bruise on his knee. Little did we know the fifth-year option ($15.68M) would be picked up and the wide receiver would break out. Through the first five weeks of the season, Williams was a WR1. After that, like we always knew him for, was a boom/bust wide receiver. He finished with career highs in targets (129), receptions (79), and receiving yards (1,146). Williams will be looking to get WR1 money from teams and he may get it. Us fantasy managers don’t see him as a WR1. Personally, am comfortable calling him a boom/bust WR3.

Potential landing spots: Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, or Miami Dolphins.

Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears 

Age: 29

First and foremost, what happened to Allen Robinson in 2021? He had the worst season of his career and struggled for us fantasy owners who had him as back-end WR1. He received over 60% fewer targets than he did in 2020 and had his worst target (66) and reception (38) totals since his rookie season. Second-year wide receiver Darnell Mooney outshined the former. A clean start is for sure in the makings for Robinson, but I’m putting him as a back-end WR2/high-end WR3 depending on the landing spot. 

Potential landing spots: Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, or Buffalo Bills. 

Sign up for PrizePicks with the promo code FACEOFF for a 100% match up to $100!

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers 

Age: 25

Coming out of the 2018 NFL season as a sophomore breakout, JuJu Smith-Schuster lit up the fantasy community with 111 receptions off of 166 targets, 1,426 yards, and seven touchdowns. It was also a career-high for Ben Roethlisberger who led the league in pass attempts (675) and pass completions (452). The rest was history after that as Roethlisberger got hurt the following season and the Steelers were relying on Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges to run the team. Even in 2020, after receiving 128 targets, Smith-Schuster struggled. Outside of his nine touchdowns, he was only able to turn that into 97 receptions for 831 yards.

The 2021 season wasn’t much better for Smith-Schuster. He was still on the low-end of noodled arm Ben Roethlisberger and only got the short passes. Outside of a good Week 2 game, it was all downhill for the former high-end WR2 we all use to love as he was done for the season after Week 5 with a shoulder injury. I love JuJu, and he for sure is going to get a fresh start again. He’s going to be the slot receiver on a team that desperately needs one and at this time, I would have him pegged as a WR4 with WR3 upside.

Potential landing spots: New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, or Seattle Seahawks.

Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys 

Age: 26

Going into a contract year, it wasn’t a great start as Michael Gallup was sidelined till Week 9 of the NFL season. Even though he was able to serve as the WR3 for Dallas, he was at times supplanted by Ced Wilson. A Week 17 ACL tear doesn’t help his cause either, as most teams/ fantasy owners want to know how the healing process is going prior to signings and what else. Rumor has it that Dallas is shopping star wide receiver, Amari Cooper. If this happens, look for that “hometown discount” to come back to the Cowboys. If it’s not what he’s looking to get, don’t be surprised if he’s gone. He’s at best, a WR3, no matter the landing.

Potential landing spots: Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, or Jacksonville Jaguars.

Christian Kirk, WR, Arizona Cardinals 

Age: 26

What a career year it was for the fourth-year wide receiver of the Arizona Cardinals. The deep threat he posed worked well for him as he turned 77 receptions into 982 yards and five touchdowns. The speedy deep threat with quick feet is going to make his next quarterback happy. He may not return the value that he did in 2021, but at the bright age of 25, there’s a lot of untapped potential ready to be unleashed. View him as a WR3 with upside.

Potential landing spots: Philadelphia Eagles or Buffalo Bills.

DJ Chark, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars 

Age: 26

The wide receiver who exploded for the last couple of years butted heads right away with then-coach Urban Meyer who called him a “big guy that played little”. Over his last two years, he was over 700 receiving yards, and only two years removed from a 1,000-yard season and eight touchdowns. Going to injured reserve after week four with an ankle injury, his season ended faster than it started. His 4.3 speed and 6’4 frame should have many teams looking to go after him, and following an injury-plagued season, he may be had for a song. For now, let’s play it safe and put him in WR4 territory.

Potential landing spots: New England Patriots or Philadelphia Eagles.

Odell Beckham Jr, WR, Los Angeles Rams 

Age: 29

Who would have known that it was Baker Mayfield holding back the Odell Beckham Jr. that we once knew and loved in his New York Giants days? Matthew Stafford had eyes for him, especially once Robert Woods went down. Beckham Jr. went down in the Super Bowl with a torn ACL. The wide receiver that he was supposed to team up with Robert Woods should be ready for Week 1 of the regular season. Will Woods be part of the team still? Is OBJ going to sign a team-friendly deal for a year? Many questions we’re all looking to get answered at the moment. He’ll more than likely start the season on the PUP wherever he signs and should be looked at as a WR4 before I feel comfortable playing him. 

Potential landing spots: Los Angeles Rams or Buffalo Bills.

Will Fuller, WR, Miami Dolphins

Age: 28

Will Fuller took a gamble on himself coming into the salary cap restricted 2021 season taking a one-year, $10 million deal from the Miami Dolphins. When I saw him sign there, I thought that he was the deep threat that Tua Tagovailoa needed. He wasn’t. He was suspended the first game, followed by only playing weeks three and four before being on injured reserve for the rest of the season with a finger injury. I didn’t think an injury like this would be season-ending. Maybe there’s more to this than we know. I would like to see Fuller team back up with DeAndre Hopkins in Arizona and be once again that complimentary receiver we loved paired with Hopkins. He’s a hold for now, with boom/bust WR3. 

Potential landing spots: Arizona Cardinals or Miami Dolphins.

Honorable Mentions

Wide receivers who were good this fantasy season, but can be looked at best as a WR4 on your fantasy team:

• Russell Gage, WR, Falcons. Age: 26.
• Braxton Berrios, WR, New York Jets. Age: 26.
• Jamison Crowder, WR, New York Jets. Age: 29.
• Cedric Wilson, WR, Dallas Cowboys. Age: 27.
• Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Green Bay Packers. Age: 27.
• Zay Jones, WR, Las Vegas Raiders. Age: 27.

Free Agent Running Backs

Free Agent Tight Ends

Sign up for BetUS today with the promo code FACEOFF and get a 125% match on your first deposit! Join here.

Latest Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft Results

Dynasty Home

Sportsbooks Bonuses

Free NFL Picks

Player Prop Bets