1. Jordan Suell – Stars (Southern Oregon University)
Suell was a small school receiver making him a big fish in a small pond at South Oregon University. Unfortunately, injury and his small school status held him back from the NFL so far, but he shined in the TSL with the Generals on their championship team coached by Bart Andrus. Suell was the star target for his TSL QB and now USFL QB, Bryan Scott, and we can only believe that this chemistry carries over. Suell is basically the perfect prototype outside receiver at 6’6” 205 lbs and running a 4.49s 40 yd dash. The Andrus offense is going to start fast and efficient in the USFL and if you want your fantasy team to do the same, you should target Suell as a high pick.
2. Shawn Poindexter – Breakers (University of Arizona)
Poindexter was a record-breaking receiver at Arizona, tying the single season TD record in 2018. While most people look at speed first with a WR, where we think Poindexter stands out is his ability to create space and always be in a position to catch the ball. Anyone who has done a draft profile on the Breakers QB Kyle Sloter has beaten to death the fact that he is mobile and loves to throw on the run, what this means for the Breakers receivers is that there will be many balls not completely on target and a decent amount of improvisation in their routes, THIS is where Shawn is going to shine. We haven’t gotten a great feel of how chemistry and practices have gone during the USFL training camp, but if we were betting people (we are), we would put money that Sloter is showing some favoritism to his 6’5” 212 lb teammate out wide.
3. John Franklin III – Bandits (FAU)
JF3 honestly shouldn’t be narrowed to one position, he is a physical freak and athlete at 6’1” 184 lbs and running a 4.19s 40 yd dash. He earned his reputation as a quarterback being committed to Florida State then starring on the Netflix Show “Last Chance U” at EMCC. Franklin didn’t feel that his ceiling was as high as he wanted at QB and moved to receiver which took him to the NFL and now the USFL. You may be asking “why does all of this matter?” and we will tell you! The USFL released their new rules to the public and one of them shot JF3 up fantasy lists instantly, the double pass. The USFL will allow two forward passes behind the line of scrimmage, which means JF3 could have all the opportunities to both catch and throw a touchdowns. This is our hail Mary pick at WR and we think you should catch it.
4. Victor Bolden Jr – Stallions (Oregon State University)
Our first WR under 6 foot on our list a5 5’8”, but his play is anything but small. Bolden had some time in the NFL making a good impression as a returner, he had 70 return yards on three returns against the Seahawks in a regular season game. Being drafted by the Stallions made sense as Skip Holtz loves moving down the field fast and small chunk by small chunk. Bolden will be the Stallions go-to for screens, mid crossing routes, and end arounds. The new rules in the USFL have made it clear that there will be less touchbacks and more returns, which is a massive advantage of anyone who takes a chance on Bolden in their fantasy draft. If you want a player that is going to get plenty of chances to blow up with fantasy points, you should make the bold(en) move and grab this receiver.
5. Isaiah Zuber – Gamblers (Kansas State/Mississippi State)
Coach Sumlin took a gamble on Zuber with their first pick at WR, but we think the payout is going to be huge. Zuber is 6’ even and runs a 4.5s 40 yd dash making him a natural playmaker for any league he joins. Zuber uses his speed and quickness to create space in his routes, especially on fades in the end zone, and end zone means TDs and fantasy points. HC and OC Kevin Sumlin is known for his explosive and creative offenses which are especially pass heavy. Zuber is set to be the WR1 in Sumlin’s offense and his versatility makes it likely that he will be handed a heavy load in touches both pass catching and returning. Zuber will be a heavy hitter in fantasy leagues that have PPR scoring as he will be getting many swing and screen passes targeting him. When you’re thinking about rolling the dice on a WR1 for your fantasy team, Zuber is a fairly safe bet Tat our number 5 spot.
6. Kavontae Turpin – Generals (TCU)
Mike Riley took Turpin early in the WR rounds and we think that it made perfect sense for him to go to the Generals. HC Riley has proven consistently that he is not afraid of going deep and making the chain gang run every time his offense is on the field. With the literal cannons on Deandre Johnson and Luis Perez, it is safe to assume that whichever QB starts, they will have the power to get the ball downfield to the predominant deep threat that is Kavontae Turpin.
7. Jeff Badet – Panthers (Kentucky/Oklahoma)
The Panthers may have made some iffy picks in the USFL draft, but we can’t say
hat Badet was one of them. He is an absolute speed merchant running the fastest 40 yard dash at his OU Sooners pro day at a 4.27s. He isn’t the biggest receiver at 5’11” but you don’t need to be big when you have that much speed. With the news that Quincy Adeboyejo has been released, Jeff Badet is set to be the favorite target of whichever quarterback on the Panthers throws him the ball, and a favorite in fantasy drafts. He is versatile and athletic enough that we believe he will be an integral part of the offense that Jeff Fischer runs, and his target numbers will be on the higher side. If you haven’t gotten one of the guys above on this list, then we urge you to grab him.
8. Jay “Don’t call me Jonathan” Adams – Breakers (Arkansas State)
While everyone is incredibly high on Poindexter to be the WR1 in New Orleans (including us), we can’t sleep on Jay Adams. This guy is a little smaller than Poindexter, but his talent speaks for itself. Playing at Arkansas State, he wasn’t highly praised coming to the professional level, but he was a man among boys in the Sun Belt Conference. His play makes him seem like he should be much higher on this list, but someone has to be 8th, and the fact that he is splitting targets with our number two spot keeps him here. If you have your solid WR1 on your fantasy team and you don’t feel like playing it safe, then Jay “don’t call me Jonathan” Adams is the gamble you should take.
9. Devin Gray - Stars
10. Branden Mack – Maulers
11. Teo Redding – Gamblers
12. Derrick Willies – Bandits
13. Johnnie Dixon – Breakers
14. Diondre Overton – Stars
15. Darrius Shepherd – Generals
16. Bailey Gaither - Maulers
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