The 2023 NFL draft is almost upon us, which excites both the real and fantasy fan bases across the globe. Over the years, the league has seen a major move towards wide receivers, especially in the first round. What proof? Well, since 2000, no offensive skill spot has been selected in Round 1 more often, and it’s not close. In fact, 94 have been picked in that time. Compare that to 66 quarterbacks, 51 running backs and 25 tight ends, and the position’s dominance is evident.
The question for our purposes is: How have the increased number of prominently drafted wide receivers fared in terms of fantasy production on an historical basis?
Well, I jumped in the fantasy DeLorean, got that sucker up to 88 miles per hour and looked at exactly that. Why? Because by looking at the past, we can find trends that can help us in the future. Since this focuses on just first-year players and their stats alone, you won’t see Josh Doctson, John Ross, Kevin White or Jameson Williams, who missed all or most of their rookie campaigns due to injuries.
