By Kenny Ortiz
Follow Kenny @kennethortiz
Kenny has been a fantasy football enthusiast since 1996 and has developed a strong track record of finding quality value picks throughout the draft. Last year, he participated in 12 fantasy leagues and made it to the championship game in six of those leagues and claiming three fantasy championships. Kenny has especially established himself as a guru of auction leagues and keeper leagues. As for his “day job” Kenny is a motivational speaker, web designer, real estate landlord, free-lance writer and the host of this website.
Also, be sure to check out WalterFootball.com’s 2014 Fantasy Football articles, including sleepers, busts, tons of 2014 Fantasy Football mock drafts and other material. Follow Walter @walterfootball for updates.
Published August 20, 2014
2014 Fantasy Football - It's All About Value:
Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Defenses | Kickers
The top-four wide outs are Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, and A.J. Green. All of them are being drafted very early in most drafts, and all four of them are worth being drafted there. I don’t think that any of these guys represent great value per se, but I would be shocked if these aren’t the top receivers at the end of the season.
The wide receiver position has FAR less turnover than the running back position, plus the wide receiver position is FAR more predictable than the running back position, especially at the top of the draft. Drafting one of the top-four wide receivers should be very “safe” in 2014.
However, the goal isn’t to be “safe,” but to draft for value. So, here are some guys with value!
| NAME | My Value | ADP |
| Jordy Nelson | 2.11 | Early second round |
| Antonio Brown | 2.1 | Mid-to-late second round |
| Randall Cobb | 3.01 | Mid-to-late second round |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | 6.02 | Fifth round |
| Kendall Wright | 6.09 | Late fifth/Early sixth round |
| Terrance Williams | 8.07 | Sixth round |
| Jeremy Maclin | 7.1 | Late sixth round |
| Emmanuel Sanders | 9.09 | Mid-to-late seventh round |
| Riley Cooper | 10.07 | Late seventh/Early eighth round |
| Sammy Watkins | 9.07 | Late seventh/Early eighth round |
| Brandin Cooks | 13.07 | Ninth round |
| DeAndre Hopkins | 11.08 | 10th round |
| Rod Streater | 16.08 | 11th round |
| Jarrett Boykin | 17.03 | 11th round |
| Brian Hartline | 13.06 | 12th round |
| Robert Woods | 17.06 | 14th round |
| Andre Holmes | Undrafted | 16th round |
| Jerricho Cotchery | Undrafted | 16th round |
| Miles Austin | Undrafted | 16th round |
| Donnie Avery | Undrafted | 16th round |
Both Jordy Nelson and Antonio Brown are being drafted late in the second round, and both are nearly guaranteed to achieve results worthy of the second round and have a real chance to out-produce their draft slots – especially Nelson. I would take one of these two guys over any of the other wide receivers being drafted in the second round of most drafts such as Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Julio Jones and Vincent Jackson (all of these guys are being overrated).
The Green Bay offense is being undervalued on the internet these days, and that is foolish. Especially when you consider some of the defenses the Packers will be facing late in the season. But Jordy Nelson isn’t the only Green Bay wideout being undervalued. Both Randall Cobb and Jarrett Boykin are being drafted later than they ought to be. Cobb is being drafted in the third round of most drafts, but he is likely to give you second-round production (and if the Packers are really rolling this season, Cobb could be a top-five wideout). But the other guy you ought to consider is Jarrett Boykin. He is easily going to score enough fantasy points to be worthy of being drafted in the 11th round, but his ADP right now is in the 17th round. Boykin could be a very good WR4/flex option most weeks. How often can you draft a guy with that sort of potential production in the 16th or 17th round? Why am I believer in Green Bay? Well, all I have to say is this: In Aaron Rogers I trust!
Cordarrelle Patterson, Kendall Wright, Terrance Williams, and Emmanuel Sanders are all wide receivers being underrated, and all have great upside potential. My two favorites are Sanders and Patterson. I love Sanders because I think the Denver offense suits him well and Manning will definitely get him the ball. I love Patterson because he’s just too talented not to produce well.
I love the Eagles’ offense and I think both wide receiver’s are being underrated. Jeremy Maclin is a classic case of a player being undervalued because he’s coming off of injury. Maclin is fully recovered and will get to play in the Chip Kelly offense for the first time. I see him as a great WR3 option and potentially a good WR2 option in most leagues. He is being drafted a full round later than he should be drafted.
Riley Cooper is being underrated by most fantasy owners, because I think people don’t believe he was the “real deal” or because they believe that the departure of DeSean Jackson will negatively impact Philadelphia’s offense. Others are thinking that rookie Jordan Matthews will take a lot of time away from Cooper, but all those objections are unwarranted. I can tell you for sure that Cooper is a quality NFL wide receiver – not a great talent but good enough to produce. And the Eagles’ offense will not skip a beat this season, even without Jackson. The addition of Darren Sproles, the progression of tight end Zach Ertz, the progression of Nick Foles being in the offense for a second season, and the return of Maclin all point to the Eagles matching or surpassing last year’s stats. Cooper will be a beneficiary of the offense. He is being drafted TWO FULL rounds later than he should.
Sammy Watkins is one player who I will be specifically targeting in most of my leagues around the eighth or ninth round, simply because he is a FREAK-OF-NATURE athlete. Watkins has talent, and I am a firm believer that talent eventually gives players a chance to produce. He will easily produce numbers worthy of a eighth-round selection, but potentially will produce more, especially if he and quarterback E.J. Manual can get on the same page early in the year.
Watkins’ teammate Robert Woods is a very talented wide receiver, too. Woods doesn’t have all the physical tools that Watkins may have, but he is the perfect fit for what the Bills want to do this season. Woods is not going to be worthy of being in your starting line-up most weeks, but he is being drafted THREE FULL rounds after where he ought to be drafted, and that is GREAT value.
Brandin Cooks will be Drew Brees’ new shiny toy this season. I expect him to be a very good fantasy wide receiver over the next few seasons. Cooks is just as good, if not better, than most of the wide receivers that will be selected in Rounds 8-12 in your league. He will EASILY outproduce guys like Reggie Wayne, Dwayne Bowe, Julian Edelman, Hakeem Nicks, Mike Evans, Danny Amendola, Anquan Boldin, Greg Jennings, Rueben Randle and Golden Tate. But Cooks will most likely be available after all these are already drafted. Target Cooks in the 12th round of your fantasy draft and you’ll be very happy!
DeAndre Hopkins and Brian Hartline are both decent young wide receivers being drafted at least one full round later than they should be drafted.
Much like Jarrett Boykin and Robert Woods, Rod Streater is a decent young wide receiver who will produce numbers worthy of being drafted much higher than his current ADP. He ought to be drafted in the 11th or 12th round but fortunately for us, many fantasy owners are allowing him to stay on the board until the 15th round. That is GREAT value.
Four other names to consider late in the draft: Andre Holmes, Jerricho Cotchery, Miles Austin and Donnie Avery. These are four wide receivers who are mostly going undrafted in most leagues, but I think each of them has a great chance to produce solid WR5 numbers, and will greatly out-produce most of the wide receivers being drafted in the last few rounds of most leagues.
Who are the guys being drafted in the later rounds of most drafts? We’re talking about guys like: Markus Wheaton, James Jones, Justin Hunter, Odell Beckham Jr., Jordan Matthews, Mike Williams, Andrew Hawkins, Denarius Moore, Nate Washington, Marqise Lee, Malcom Floyd, Steve Johnson and Andre Roberts. All of these guys are being overrated in most leagues.
2014 Fantasy Football - It's All About Value:
Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Defenses | Kickers
More 2014 Fantasy Football Articles:
Fantasy Football Rankings
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings:
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - 8/30 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends - 8/27 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses - 6/4 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers - 6/4 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings - 5/18 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Dynasty - 8/22 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts:
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 2-QB - 8/21 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Standard - 8/14 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: PPR - 8/12 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 3-WR - 8/7 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Standard - 7/31 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 3-WR - 7/24 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: PPR - 7/17 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Standard - 7/10 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets:
2014 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - PPR - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - 2-QB - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - TD - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Custom - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Spreadsheets - 8/28 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Articles:
2014 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Training Camp - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football: It's All About Value - 9/1 (Kenny)
2014 Fantasy Football Sleepers - 8/31 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Busts - 8/31 (Walt)
2014 NFL Preseason Recap, Fantasy Football Notes - 8/30 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Preseason Stock - 8/30 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Quarterback Targets - 8/30 (Walt)
FanDuel $1 Million Contest - 8/30 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator - 8/30 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Round-by-Round Strategy - 8/17 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Running Backs - 3/28 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football: Overdrafted Players - 2/16 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football: First-Round Bust History - 2/14 (Walt)
Running Backs with Most Carries - 2/14 (Walt)
2024 NFL Mock Draft - April 23
NFL Power Rankings - Feb. 22
Fantasy Football Rankings - Feb. 19
NFL Picks - Feb. 12
