Training camp is roughly a month away for most teams, which means fantasy football drafts are right around the corner giving you another chance to compete for that championship.
There are so many aspects that go into a successful fantasy campaign. This includes finding potential breakout players that outperform their ADP (average draft position), providing managers with value and production.
We took a look at the running back position earlier, so here are five wide receivers poised to break out in fantasy football in 2019:
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Everyone’s favorite breakout candidate this offseason, Godwin has a chance to have a career year in 2019 as long as he stays healthy. With DeSean Jackson out of the picture and Bruce Arians taking over the offense, Godwin is prime for a breakout.
Of course, Mike Evans being the WR1 in the offense hurts Godwin’s ceiling a bit, but the Penn State product has produced nearly everytime he’s been given the opportunity.
In 2018, Godwin had 10 games in which he saw at least six targets. In six of those games, he recorded at least 70 yards receiving or a receiving touchdown. With Arians bringing a better passing offense to the Bay, Godwin is primed for a strong season.
Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
Double-digit touchdowns should qualify as a breakout right? In some ways, sure. But Williams only brought touchdowns to fantasy managers during the 2018 season. While he recorded 10 touchdown receptions, he only had 664 receiving yards working as the WR3 in the Chargers offense.
Much of that was due to Tyrell Williams working as the WR2 opposite Keenan Allen. Now with the former in Oakland, the Clemson product and former No. 7 overall pick has a chance to shine. While the Williams duo saw almost the same amount of targets, Tyrell was on the field more than Mike.
Mike was a big-play machine in 2018, recording 15.4 yards per reception. Working as the WR2 behind the aforementioned Allen with Philip Rivers slinging the rock should benefit him greatly with a strong season.
Robby Anderson, New York Jets
As Sam Darnold enters his second season under center for the Jets, he will be looking at Anderson as his primary vertical threat. Anderson started only nine games in 2018, down from his 15 the season prior. If he gets back to that starting role in the offense, it is likely he returns to form and has a breakout season.
In 46 games over his three-year career, Anderson has recorded 14.7 yards per reception. His best season was in 2017 when he saw a career-high 114 targets. There are some concerns with the additions of Le’Veon Bell and Jamison Crowder, but the Jets will need a vertical threat in Adam Gase’s offense.
The 26-year-old is in a big prove-it year for his career and could be in line with for breakout if he’s able to solidify himself as the WR1 in New York.
Dante Pettis, San Francisco 49ers
There is already an immense amount of hype following Pettis coming out of 49ers minicamp. Most believe he’s in line to be the WR1 in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, which could produce great numbers for fantasy managers.
Entering his second season in the offense and with the return of his starting quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo, Pettis has the chance to put up some big numbers in 2019. The 49ers don’t have any established wide receiver roles in the room, and don’t forget they traded up to grab him in the second round of the 2018 draft.
With the playbook already under his belt and with the return of his quarterback, Pettis is one of the best values right now in drafts.
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
The Giants offense isn’t one to be excited about for the 2019 season and that was when Odell Beckham Jr. was still there. With an aging Eli Manning and the emergence of Saquon Barkley, there isn’t a whole lot of optimism for the passing game in New York.
However, Shepard is likely to become the top wide receiver in the room even if he’s going to work mostly from the slot. There are a lot of targets up for grabs with Beckham Jr. now in Cleveland, and Shepard has always played well in the absence of one of his closest friends.
Given Manning’s desire to get the ball out quickly, Shepard will continue to be one of the veteran’s favorite targets. Now, it could be feasible if Shepard saw around the 130-target range, which would be up from his career-high of 107.
