Proceed with Caution 2023: Wide Receivers

Like with the previous article and all the ones to come this section will list what these articles are for and how I did last year. For those who don't care, feel free to jump down to the players I picked. Remember, this is titled "Proceed with Caution" because I'm not telling you to avoid drafting them outright, I'm merely suggesting you don't throw all your eggs into their baskets. I'd consider my pick successful if they finished below the top 10 for QB, TE and D, and below the top 20 for RB and WR. Last year I went 2 for 3 (Diontae Johnson and Deebo Samuel both finished outside the top 30).

A.J. Brown (Philadelphia): I believe in my current rankings I have A.J. Brown finishing just outside the top 20. He was fantastic last season. But for Receivers my rankings are based on how many points they averaged per touch compared to the level of competition they played. Brown did reasonably well in his per touch mark, but that was against a pretty easy schedule. This year the schedule projects to be much tougher, so a step back is not out of the question making him a risky early second round pick.

Michael Pittman Jr. (Indianapolis): Pittman hasn't really reached the level that has been expected of him since he entered the league. I don't see him getting there now with Anthony Richardson as his starting QB. Even if Richardson doesn't start week 1 the Colts aren't going to be very good this year, so chances are Richardson will be under Center early on. Fantasy owners and analysts are going to love Richardson because of his athleticism, but his accuracy is a major cause for concern, especially for those who draft one of his Receivers.

Calvin Ridley (Jacksonville): Ridley is currently the 21st Receiver being drafted and is going in the early 6th round. That's way too high for a player that has missed a season and a half. My ranking system has him finishing just outside the top 20, but that's because I can't account for him having missed as much time as he has. Personally, I wouldn't draft Ridley until the 10th-12th range, that's low risk - high reward territory.