Top 10 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Breakouts 2020

Published by Joseph Robert at July 25, 2020

1. AJ Brown

The first guy here, now this guy, you can get this guy typically in the fourth round, on average. The guy I’m talking about here is AJ Brown. Now, AJ Brown finished 21st last year amongst wide receivers in PPR. But listen, this year he’s in the groove. Ryan Tannehill’s there. There may be some stacked boxes for Derrick Henry. I love AJ Brown. He is primed for a major breakout season. Now, again, he’s sitting 18th on the consensus rank. He’s amongst wide receivers. Love the talent, love the upside, and you can load up on running backs early, and get yourself an AJ Brown, a guy, again, who’s primed. He’s the main guy there. They have Corey Davis, and again,, are going to focus on Derrick Henry, probably, for the running game. So, AJ Brown, very dynamic, strong hands, can do some things after he catches the ball. Really excited about AJ Brown, good value in or around the fourth round, depending on how many people are in your league. I typically talk 12 person, one point PPR. Love AJ Brown, primed for a breakout. Now, you can invest that first-round pick on Hopkins, but he’s in a suspect situation, with a quarterback that’s he’s not really gelling with him, and in the groove with him. So, you can get yourself AJ Brown, the fourth round, a lot better value. And you’re going to see here, with this list, these guys can finish top 10, any one of these guys here that I’m going to mention, has that potential. Now, the last guy that I’m going to mention, a couple of the last guys, a little bit of a reach, but these guys are not only in situations to succeed, but the talent is there, as well. It’s a combination of everything that makes the perfect recipe for a breakout. So, AJ Brown, we’ve seen a little bit of a snippet of him last year, but this year due for a breakout.

2. DJ Chark

Coming in at number two, again, no particular order, but just listing it off here, for you. The guy I like here is D.J. Chark, finished… What did he finish? 23rd last year, amongst wide receivers. Nothing exciting, but listen, 118 targets last year, 73 receptions, 1,008 receiving yards, eight touchdowns. He’s the primary guy in Jacksonville. Another year under the belt, with the connection with Gardner Minshew, and Jacksonville clearly believes in the Minshew. You should believe in the Minshew. And Chark, another guy, good value. Get in or around the fifth round, and it’s going to be a coin toss between him and T.Y. Hilton, in the fifth round, if you are looking at a wide receiver, and I think you’re good either way. Now, I just heard the Frank Reich, from the Colts, said that T.Y. Hilton is going to be the focal point of that offense. The entire offense goes through T.Y. Hilton. As long as he stays healthy, he is primed for a good season. Now, I didn’t put Hilton here as a breakout, because he’s already broken out in his career. So, I left him out, but keep him on your radar, as well. But Chark is a guy that I’m eyeing, as well, in the fifth round. A coin flip between him and Hilton. I feel a little safer with Chark, based on durability, but I like the ceiling of T.Y. Hilton, with Philip Rivers throwing the ball. Okay? So, that’s number two, D.J. Chark.

3. Darius Slayton

Coming in at number three, guys, the guy I like here is Darius Slayton. So much uncertainty with the giants, but they do have an improved o-line. They invested a couple of early drafts picks in the NFL 2020 draft on some o-line guys. They’re going to help Daniel Jones get some more time to throw the ball. They’ve got Saquon Barkley, fully healthy, beyond excited, here, about Saquon Barkley. Slayton’s the guy who led the team in targets, 83 targets last year. So, this is a guy that can really step up. I’m not sure if Shepard’s going to stay healthy, there. I think, Slayton’s got the youth, right? He’s got the upside. You can get this guy for a super great value. He’s sitting 41st on the consensus ranking. So, you can get him later, pay pretty much nothing for him, right? And get that wide receiver one. So, potential breakout, that’s what we’re talking about here, guys. Don’t get too excited. Don’t say, “Well you told me Slayton, and I got him in the fourth round.” No, you get this guy after the seventh round, for amazing value, and he could breakout. Okay?

4. Diontae Johnson

Coming in at number four, Diontae Johnson. I’ve been kind of promoting this guy and really talking about this guy. 92 targets, 59 receptions last year, 680 yards, five touchdowns, and he had a bunch of bottom feeder quarterbacks throwing him the ball. He takes a step up this year, with big Ben throwing him the ball. I’m not sold on JuJu being the wide receiver one, full out, right? So, this guy is going to come in and step it up. He looked pretty good. Now, there is some suspect situation, a little bit, with him catching the ball, dropped balls, here and there. But understand guys, the people throwing the ball to him last year, Rudolph, and other guys, they weren’t on a targeted pinpoint, like big Ben will be. Diontae Johnson is a guy that I see really breaking, out and having a great year, this year. He has been training with big Ben, and I think the connection is going to be really good. I am excited. Diontae Johnson, potential wide receiver, fantasy football breakout.

5. Justin Jefferson

All right. Number five here, Justin Jefferson. Listen, a guy came out of LSU, great talent makes some really difficult catches, based on the tape I’ve been watching. And when I look at these rookies, I am including rookie wide receivers here, because they’re in a position to succeed, primed for success. He’s got Cousins throwing the ball, not the most exciting thing, but he’s going to be a solid quarterback throwing the ball. This guy is sitting 55th on the rankings. Amongst wide receivers, this guy is a plug and play for the Vikings. Going back to when Diggs had a good year, he had 150 targets back in 2018. Now, you’ve got Jefferson plug and play Diggs, gone. This guy is primed to start right away. Again, first-round draft capital by the Vikings. I mean, they’re going to use him. I can’t imagine them not using him. He is a plug and play, and you can get this guy for amazing value, after the eighth, ninth round. I mean, you’re getting a wide receiver two with upside here, and I love the value. Now we’re going to get to six in a second, but I want to tell you guys, we did move the studio. I think I mentioned it, briefly, in the beginning, we moved the studio, new location. Tim’s coming back. Come August, we’re going to get Tim back, and get the full production going. But, if you haven’t noticed, Rocky’s in the background. If you guys have been watching this video, and I haven’t talked about it, Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed are in the studio with me. And guys, one of my favorite movies and inspiration, as a child growing up. I know it’s cheesy or corny that I have a movie as an inspiration, but whatever moves you. Guys, the Rocky movies, if you have not seen them, a true inspiration. Watch the saga. And that’s why I’ve got a picture Rocky behind me. Okay? Beautiful picture, right there.

6. Allan Lazard

All right. Number six, here. I can’t contain the excitement. All right. Number six, we got Allen Lazard,. Now, this guy is an amazing value, sitting 62nd on the wide receiver rankings. I mean, this is a steal, okay? And the guy had 52 targets, 35 receptions, 477 yards, and three touchdowns. Now, what’s so appealing about Lazard is this, there’s a big chip on Aaron Rodgers’ shoulder. So, Aaron Rodgers is like, “Hey, I’ve got to perform this year.” So, right off the bat, Aaron Rodgers has got to perform, right? Number two, they did not draft another wide receiver, which tells me they believe in Lazard. So, Lazard had a couple of breakout games. And again, this guy you can get him late. He’s going undrafted, sometimes, okay? Super great value, super late, super great upside. Again, Allison didn’t do anything last year, Geronimo Allison. MVS didn’t do anything last year. Geronimo Allison is gone. MVS, still there, not much of a threat for Allen Lazard. So, I really like Lazard here, and he’s definitely a potential breakout at wide receiver, with Aaron Rogers, who’s got a chip on his shoulder, throwing the ball. Okay? Keep him on your radar.

7. Michael Pittman

All right. Coming in at number seven, Michael Pitman. Now again, this guy sitting 64th on the consensus rankings. He’s going undrafted. Now, why do I like him so much? Well, number one, Rivers throws a ton of balls. So, he’s going to have a ton of attempts. They’ve got a great o-line. They’ve got a running game with Jonathan Taylor there. He’s going to distract the defenses, maybe fake some stack boxes if he really starts breaking out. So, you’ve got Pitman here, and there’s nobody really there that I trust. Zach Pascal, not really sold on him. Campbell, not really sold on him. Pitman’s got upside. And again, I look at it, and I see what the Colts did. They got him with their first pick. The second round, 34th pick. Now, listen, this was their first pick. That’s what I’m telling you. 34th overall, in the second round. Colts grabbed this guy before Jonathan Taylor. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. So, Michael Pitman, I get him for free, and he can line up outside with T.Y. Hilton, and if Hilton goes down, this guy could break out as a one. And you know, you don’t really invest a lot of capital, and especially in fantasy, in wide receivers, especially the first year. They don’t have a huge rookie impact, but I really feel this is the year. And I think I’ve nailed it. I think I’ve got it. I think Jefferson, Pitman, are the guys that could really break out. I’ve got another two guys here, and I mentioned to you, not as excited as I am with Pitman and Jefferson, but the other two guys could be good, as well. So, Pitman at seven, as a potential breakout. And again, they invested heavy capital on him. The talent is there. Big guy, man, can bring the ball down, going to be exciting.

8. Terry McLaurin

Number eight here, Terry McLaurin. You know the name here, 22nd on the consensus rankings. Now, this guy finished 29th last year, 93 targets, 58 receptions, and seven touchdowns. Now, am I excited about him? Yes, because he’s going to get a lot of targets, but not really because Haskins is throwing the ball. So, it’s a trade-off. You get a lot of volume, but the talent throwing the ball doesn’t excite me. The Washington Football Team… And I don’t know if you guys heard that. They changed their name to the Football Team. I mean, I’m going to name my dog, Dog. I’m going to name my children, Children. I mean, it’s just crazy, but I guess it beats Redskins, right? So, Terry McLaurin, love the upside, because of the volume.

9. Chase Claypool

Number nine here, Chase Claypool, another breakout fantasy wide receiver. Sitting 90th on the consensus rankings. Another thing that’s appealing about him, is the Steelers know how to draft wide receivers. I’m not going to lie to you. They know how to draft wide receivers, and this guy could be a wide receiver two, with upside. Now, he may not get the reps, initially, but I think he could work it, get into his own, and be a stud. So, Claypool’s a guy I absolutely love this season, with big Ben throwing the ball. Love the ceiling, love the upside. Either he or Diontae will really emerge. Why not get both on your roster? Instead of spending a third-round pick on JuJu with a lot of uncertainty, you get yourself a Claypool and Diontae, and lock yourself with their wide receiver two, plus your wide receiver one on that team. Love the upside, big guy, there.

10. Tee Higgins

And the last guy here, number 10, Tee Higgins. Now Tee Higgins is, potentially, going to be a plug and play. What I like about him, especially in the dynasty, is that he can grow with Joe Burrow. AJ Green, I don’t think he’s a longterm solution, that’s why they invested in Higgins with their second pick. I like him. They went Burrow. They went Higgins, in the draft. They took a quarterback, first, and then they paired him up with an ace wide receiver. This guy is really versatile and he’s wiry. That’s the word I’m trying to look for. Right? Wiry can bring the ball down, good red-zone target. And I think he could be really explosive. And I think there could be some good things happening with him and Burrow. I think you’re going to get a snapshot of it this year. I’m not sure if it’s going to mature to the point where this guy’s going to be really viable for fantasy, but he could really break out near the end of the season. If AJ Green gets hurt, look for these guys, because Boyd, not really sold on him, right? This guy could be special. Again, they invested high draft capital in him, to pair them up with Burrow.

So, there you have it, guys. Top 10 breakouts, fantasy, of all wide receivers. And AJ Brown, D.J. Chark, Slayton, Diontae Johnson, Jefferson, Lazard, Pitman, McLaurin, Chase Claypool, and Tee Higgins. Guys, there you have it. Top 10 breakout potential guys, here for you. And I’m telling you guys, I’m beyond excited about the season. It’s happening. Get the 16 round draft solution. Tim, the ball guy, coming back. We’re going to be in the studio together, hopefully. And we move on with life, and we want some sports in our lives. Guys, I am beyond excited. So, we’ll talk soon. I appreciate you guys being here, and I am out. Smash that thumbs up. Talk soon.

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Joseph Robert

Joseph Robert's outside of the box, LION mentality has created the strongest and most loyal fan base in the fantasy football industry! @fantasyfootballcounselor