Fantasy Football Ideal Landing Spots in the Draft: Wide Receiver

The 2024 wide receiver class is insanely deep. And with roughly a week until the 2024 NFL Draft, we are all anxiously awaiting the landing spots of all of the wideouts. As we have seen in previous drafts, some landing spots are certainly more favorable than others, which can impact the immediate production from a rookie receiver.

So let’s take a look at some of the top wideouts from this class and highlight the best potential destinations.

More ideal landing spots: Quarterback | Running Back

Ideal Landing Spots in the NFL Draft: Wide Receiver

Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State

Ideal landing spot: Any

Seriously. Marvin Harrison Jr. (as well as the other top-three wideouts in this class) feels landing spot-independent. He is that good of a prospect, possessing an incredibly well-rounded skill set. Harrison can play with size and physicality, but also with finesse and suddenness. Everything about what he does on the football field is calculated and intended, especially in his routes. He knows how to attack leverage and an underrated part of his game is how he seemingly always works back to the football, making defenders defend until the play is over. There have been many comparisons to A.J. Green, and you can easily see why. Harrison is elite.

Oh yeah. He’s also 6-foot-4, 210 pounds.

While I do think he will thrive wherever he goes, there are spots better than others for Harrison. If the Arizona Cardinals don’t trade back and select him fourth overall, Harrison is going to flirt with 150 targets right out of the gate. 30% of Arizona’s targets from last year need to be replaced, and we’ve seen the WR1 for this team see massive target totals. Back in 2020, DeAndre Hopkins posted a 29.4% target share, averaging 10 targets per game. And with Hopkins suspended for the first six weeks of the 2022 campaign, Marquise Brown operated as Arizona’s WR1. During that span, Hollywood averaged 10.7 targets and 7.2 receptions per game, while sporting a 26% target share and 23% target per route run rate. Pairing Harrison with Kyler Murray would result in a top-15 ranking from me for 2024.

Malik Nabers, LSU

Ideal landing spot: Los Angeles Chargers

Many have made the case that Nabers is the WR1 in this class, and it isn’t crazy. He is so dynamic and changes direction incredibly easily, which makes him electric after the catch. A 34.9% broken tackle rate is pretty insane, and his elite start/stop ability makes him a headache to defend, especially on double moves. Watching him reminds me a lot of former LSU wideout, Odell Beckham Jr. I would prefer Nabers to land on a team that will be a bit more creative on offense than what I expect the Chargers to showcase with Jim Harbaugh, but he would also immediately be in line for a healthy target share. After moving on from Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler and Gerald Everett, the Chargers now have roughly 58% of their targets gone from 2023.

Rome Odunze, Washington

Ideal landing spot: Buffalo Bills/Chicago Bears

Of course, the Buffalo Bills fan thinks this is the best landing spot for Odunze. But I can defend it. If Brandon Beane wants to create a package to move up and select Odunze, it would be light years better than if he were drafted by the Bears, Giants or Jets.

In just about any other draft class, Odunze would be the clear WR1. He’s one of my favorite players in this class anyway. Odunze has elite contested catch ability, always high-pointing the ball and possessing the physicality and body control to make the play. In 2023, he converted 21 of his 28 contested catch opportunities (75%) and was nearly unstoppable on fade routes. He lacks top end speed but has good enough speed at 6-foot-3, 212 pounds. The Bills obviously have to replace the insane volume Stefon Diggs is leaving behind. Since his trade to the Bills in 2020, only Davante Adams has more total targets than the now-former Bill Diggs, who has posted target share totals of 29.5%, 28.4%, 26.4% and 29.1% during that span. And while he is an elite at separating against all coverages, the Bills have not had a wideout with the profile of Odunze in the Josh Allen era. His combination of size, physicality, strong hands and ball tracking skills would make him such a fun player to pair alongside Allen, especially on go, fade and back shoulder throws.

If you look at the makeup of the current Bills’ wide receiver room, they are obviously missing the perimeter wideout with size. Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir mainly operate from the slot, while Dalton Kincaid will be this team’s zone coverage destroyer. Odunze would be exactly what this team is missing, in more ways than one. And while it may seem unrealistic for Buffalo to move up to add him to their roster, they have the draft capital and a team like the Chicago Bears, who are atnin9th overall, only have four 2024 draft picks and just added Keenan Allen. Plus, Brandon Beane has moved up in the draft multiple times.

I’m not saying. I’m just saying.

Brian Thomas Jr., LSU

Ideal landing spot: Pittsburgh Steelers/Buffalo Bills

Admittedly, the Steelers need someone to play the slot full time right now, but I can’t overlook the moon shots that Russell Wilson could throw to Brian Thomas Jr. At LSU last year, Thomas led the nation with 17 touchdowns, averaging 17.3 yards per catch and 13.5 yards per target. He was second in college football in deep receiving yards (670) and third in deep receptions (15). Thomas has a tremendous combination of size (6-3, 209) and speed (4.33 40-yard dash), but my favorite part of his game is his sideline awareness, especially in the end zone. Sure, you only have to get one foot down in college football, but Thomas doesn’t care. He constantly got both feet down in bounds and was always aware of the sideline. I think the Steelers can pair Thomas with George Pickens and have two explosive players on the outside and still answer their slot questions with their fourth-round selection. They could even sign a veteran like Tyler Boyd, who played college football in Pittsburgh and has been linked to the team. Arthur Smith’s scheme favors the middle of the field, but we know Russell Wilson loves to throw toward the boundary.

Adonai Mitchell, Texas

Ideal landing spot: Baltimore Ravens/Kansas City Chiefs/Buffalo Bills

One of my favorite players in this entire class, AD Mitchell has become a bit of a polarizing player. You either love him or think he’s overrated because his production profile isn’t otherworldly. I, however, think Mitchell is a top-five wideout in this class and has immense upside. At 6-2, 205 pounds, Mitchell has the size and speed to be a very impactful outside wide receiver. His movement is so fluid, especially for a player of his size. Double moves are his speciality and can really make some noise with his routes at the second level of the defense. And when the ball is in the air, Mitchell demonstrates strong body control and contortion. I know many don’t love his production (55-845-11) but he also played in run-first offenses in both Texas and Georgia. And keep in mind he missed most of the 2021 season with a high-ankle sprain.

You shouldn’t be shocked to see the Buffalo Bills as an ideal landing spot for, well, every receiver. But let’s talk about the Baltimore Ravens. While it seems unlikely Baltimore drafts a first-round wide receiver for the second consecutive season (and third in the last four), I can’t get over how ideal the fit would be. Mitchell is at his best when using his size, speed and fluidity down the field, which makes him a really good fit in a play-action-heavy offense that will take shots. In 2023, Lamar Jackson ranked eight in play-action dropback rate (28%), averaging 10.3 yards per attempt off the play type (top-five). Odell Beckham Jr. was supposed to be the vertical target in this offense, but he just wasn’t on the field a ton. He ran a route on over 60% of dropbacks once all year long. Zay Flowers had a strong rookie season but was mostly used around the line of scrimmage and in pre-snap motion. Mitchell would give the Ravens a versatile and dynamic vertical receiver.

Xavier Worthy, Texas

Ideal landing spot: Kansas City Chiefs

Let’s stay with the Longhorns and take a look at Mitchell’s teammate, Xavier Worthy. In case you missed it, Worthy set the record at the combine, posting a blazing 4.21 40-yard dash. He has game-changing speed at all levels of the field, while his ball tracking skills are much better than former Chiefs wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Worthy absolutely dismantled off coverage and would see plenty of that in Kansas City’s offense. Worthy did struggle when he faced press coverage but that’s why I love him in this scheme. According to FTN Data, Kansas City has ranked fourth and third in the league in pre-snap motion rate over the past two seasons, sporting an overall rate of 51.9% during that span. Giving Worthy free releases alongside Mahomes could be terrifying for opposing defenses.

Ladd McConkey, Georgia

Ideal landing spot: Carolina Panthers

I could easily list the Bills and Chiefs for the rest of the wide receivers, but I won’t. If McConkey doesn’t go in the first round, the top of the second round to Carolina makes sense. Yes, the team just traded for Diontae Johnson, but why not just continue to help Bryce Young have the best sophomore season possible? The addition of Johnson should go a long way towards giving Young something he rarely had during his rookie year — open targets. According to FTN Data, Young averaged just 1.60 yards of separation per pass attempt, the fourth-lowest mark in the league. With Ladd’s combination of speed, athleticism, footwork and release packages, he will only help with that, and I trust new head coach Dave Canales to utilize him in the best way. And from a fantasy perspective, while it may not sound as exciting in year one, keep in mind that Johnson is a free agent in 2025 and Adam Thielen is 33 with a potential out after this season.

Troy Franklin, Oregon

Ideal landing spot: Washington Commanders/Carolina Panthers

For a while, it appeared as if Franklin would be a first-round selection. But it now seems like the early/mid second round is ultimately where he’ll come off the board. Franklin was very productive in 2023, catching 81 balls for nearly 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. At 6-foot-2, Franklin has low 4.40 speed and although he’s only 176 pounds, Franklin has a really good release package off the line of scrimmage that helps him against press coverage. He sells his routes with a variety of head fakes and is really good at changing his tempo in routes to keep defenders on their toes. Franklin played in the slot 20% of the time throughout his career and can do damage on slot fades, which could make him a great fit alongside Washington’s expected next quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who excelled in that area at LSU. Washington has a ton of draft capital and with Curtis Samuel gone, there is a vacated spot at wide receiver. And with Kliff Kingsbury in town, expect plenty of three-wide sets this year.

Xavier Legette, South Carolina

Ideal landing spot: Indianapolis Colts

I absolutely love the idea of Xavier Legette in this offense. Legette has an insane combination of size and speed, showcasing 4.39 speed at 6-1, 221. 33 of his 71 receptions last year gained 15-plus yards (46.4%), averaging 6.4 yards after the catch per reception. He was schemed a lot of touches at South Carolina and is a wideout you want to feature in an RPO-heavy system that utilizes plenty of slant routes. That is the Colts’ offense with Shane Steichen. According to FTN Data, the Colts ran RPOs 18.3% of the time last year, the highest rate in football. Legette has so much upside and would be really fun in this RPO-heavy, movement-based offense.

Other Notable Receivers

Keon Coleman, FSU: New Orleans Saints
Roman Wilson, Michigan: New England Patriots
Ricky Pearsall, Florida: Cincinnati Bengals