Taking a look at three must-draft fantasy football wide receivers during the first three rounds of NFL fantasy drafts, including CeeDee Lamb, Brian Thomas Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Fantasy football draft season is here, and making the correct choice can be a difficult thing. This is why we have an award-winning fantasy football draft kit here that you can use to win your draft! This draft guide has a ton of information packed into it, including which players may be the best value picks. Here are three must-draft wide receivers for your upcoming fantasy football draft.
3 Must-Draft Fantasy Football Wide Receivers
CeeDee Lamb (Round 1)
CeeDee had a solid year last season. The Dallas Cowboys, on the other hand, were quite a disappointment. One of the problems with the Cowboys last season was that there wasn’t another WR next to CeeDee. This season, things are different; the Cowboys now have George Pickens. He is a playmaker and was WR1 on the Pittsburgh Steelers for the past three seasons. Pickens is going to take away full focus from Lamb and will also take away double teams. Dak Prescott is also a QB who slings the ball downfield; expect big plays to Lamb.
Lamb finished 2024 as WR7 in PPR leagues. He has had better seasons under his belt, too. In Week 9, Lamb had a shoulder injury that lingered the rest of the way and was shut down for the final two games of the season. Lamb’s QB1, Dak Prescott, also had season-ending surgery. Not much went right for CeeDee Lamb, but expect better this season for the stud WR.
Brian Thomas Jr. (Round 2)
Brian Thomas Jr. had a monster rookie season. In his rookie year, he had 1,282 receiving yards, which was third in the NFL. Thomas had 100+ receiving yards in three of his final four games. Thomas came through in the fantasy playoffs last season. Now that he has a full season under his belt with the Jaguars, he is established as the WR1 and focal point of the offense. Yes, the Jaguars did draft CB/WR Travis Hunter, but Thomas will be the team’s WR1 and is the better WR than Hunter. I wouldn’t let Hunter scare you away from taking Thomas. He also has good QB play with Trevor Lawrence; let’s hope for a repeat of his rookie season for Brian Thomas Jr.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Round 3)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is one of my favorite WRs this season. No more DK Metcalf or Tyler Lockett blocking Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s potential. This is Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s WR room, and he has a new QB. Sam Darnold is going to feed JSN the ball, and I can see JSN having multiple 10+ catch games. JSN finished with 100 receptions (ninth) in 2024. Now, he has the chance to be the WR1. From Week 9-16 in 2024, JSN had six games with 18+ PPR points. That is a crazy stat line, and to think that he was WR3 on the Seahawks last season.
I would feel really good if I could snag Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the third round of my fantasy football draft. Great value, and he can be a WR1 in a PPR league.
Any of these WRs would be amazing to take in these selected rounds. I do not recommend drafting all of these guys back to back to back, though, as I do not think a “Zero RB” strategy will get you far in fantasy football. Good luck with your drafts, and remember to select one of these WRs in your draft if you want to score a lot of points this year and win your league!
