Come fantasy football draft day, everyone wants that stud No. 1 wide receiver. Hell, they’ll grab two of them if at all possible. With only so many of those “surefire”, “elite” pass catchers to go around, what is one to do if they miss out on a top-notch wideout or simply wait on selecting players from the deepest position on the board? The easy answer is to look the way of the No. 2’s, as in number-two options not only for fantasy purposes but also on their respective NFL squads. The following group of skilled route runners has proven their worth, demonstrated their upside, and yet still often fall into the fourth, fifth, sixth, even seventh-round range. Let’s take a look.

Davante Adams (GB) - Adams is the second man up behind Jordy Nelson in Green Bay, but during his long-awaited breakout in 2016, he was much more than that for fantasy owners. Last year, Adams finished as a Top-10 performer at the position in most formats, hauling in 75 passes for 997 yards and 12 scores, which tied him for second in the league. Over the course of the campaign, he went north of 100 yards on four separate occasions and turned in three multi-touchdown efforts. 

It’s a bit difficult to project another dozen touchdowns for Adams, but 8-10 is certainly not out of the question nor is a first 1,000-yard season for the 24 year old. Those stats would likely have him firmly fixed among the fantasy football number twos for 2017. 

Michael Crabtree (OAK) - Crabtree is considered to be the second option behind Amari Cooper in the Raiders passing game. However, it is Crabtree that has actually been the better fantasy performer between the two over the past two seasons due mostly to Derek Carr often preferring to look the veteran’s way in the red zone.

2015-16

Targets

Rec.

Yards

TD

Crabtree

291

174

1,925

17

Cooper

262

155

2,223

11

***Both have played in all 32 regular-season games the last two seasons

Around the fantasy industry, Cooper is viewed by many as a Top-10 option at the position and the consensus opinion has him pegged as a second or third-round selection in leagues of standard depth. On the other hand, Crabtree can be had in many drafts as potentially a WR3, lasting as late as the fifth round in some cases.

Martavis Bryant (PIT) - Okay, unlike Crabtree and Cooper, there is no rational debate to be made that places Bryant’s fantasy value above that of teammate Antonio Brown. This is more about Bryant’s upside being among the highest of any No. 2 wide receiver in the league. Unfortunately, Bryant missed all of last season due to suspension. In fact, due to a combination of off-field issues and injuries, he has played in just 21 total regular-season games since his career began in 2014.

When on the field, Bryant has proven time and time again just what he can do. Over those 21 games, he has found the end zone 14 times through the air while averaging 62.6 receiving yards per game. As long as there are no further hitches with his reinstatement to the league, you can confidently leave almost any draft room with the 6’4 speedster as your WR2.