Recently, I broke down receiver targets taken early that don’t fit the mold of what we’re looking for over at Underdog. We want outside receivers or slot guys in elite systems. We want receivers who have proven quarterbacks under center. If you’re not checking those boxes, then it’s hard to feel great about taking you fairly early in drafts. Let’s take a look at five guys who do fit that mold and are currently high up in my ownership levels this draft season!
Elijah Sarratt (ADP 42.6)
Sarratt is the receiver I’ll pay up for the most, typically costing me a mid-fourth round pick in drafts. He finished last season as WR28 for FPPG, bringing down 49 passes for 890 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s shown to be a big-play receiver who plays out wide and can find the end zone just fine.
What we’re missing here is volume. With a 24.3% target rate (full season), Sarratt led the team in targets. The problem with that solid target rate is the fact that Indiana was a run-heavy team in 2024. The schedule is more challenging, and Sarratt continues to have an experienced and good quarterback in Fernando Mendoza. Don’t forget that in 2023, Sarratt with Cignetti caught 82 passes for 1,191 yards and eight touchdowns. This is why I’m excited about the upside of Sarratt in year two of this offense in the Big Ten.
Chase Sowell (60.8)
Sowell comes over from East Carolina as an outside receiver projected to replace Jayden Higgins. It makes sense considering the size similarities and the fact that the next best receiver on this team is tiny (Xavier Townsend). Higgins saw 30% of targets in 2024 ending as the WR8 (80/1,068/9). Rocco Becht returns at quarterback for the Cyclones, giving Sowell a very reliable, productive quarterback in a system that has heavily targeted the top two receivers for years now. This one feels like it almost makes too much sense to draft at this cost.
The negatives to this pick are the triple bye week (one of which is a playoff week) and the fact that this is a G5 to P4 transfer. With the ability to draft seven total receivers, it makes a lot of sense to nab Sowell and be happy with the production I feel is almost certain for those 11 weeks.
Josh Cameron (67.9)
Cameron is the top returning receiver target for the Bears after a season in which he finished as WR42. He only saw 19.9% of targets, which is not the sexiest number for a WR1. So, why do I like him here? He’s a great best ball option as the total numbers aren’t the greatest, but he has really nice spike weeks throughout 2024.
Sawyer Robertson’s emergence as a legitimate quarterback down the stretch may help with this, but even then, you’re looking at a guy who had touchdowns in seven of thirteen games and 100+ yards in four of those games. We need a little bit more to like him here, but I’m encouraged by how the season ended for him. Cameron finished the year with 100+ yards and a touchdown in three of his final four games, including the bowl loss to LSU.
Dane Key (102.7)
Key is one of the guys I’m extremely in on in 2025. His cost is fairly pedestrian while his upside is elite. We want Dana Holgorsen’s WR1, and there’s good reason to believe that Key will be the guy. He’s pumped out incredible CFF talents over the years, and with Dylan Raiola entering his second season starting, I think it’s in the cards that Key will have a big year.
Key is the outside talent for the Cornhuskers, who has received great reviews for his consistency and talent, while Jacorey Barney Jr. is the slot guy. It’s worth noting that while I’m very in on Key, Barney is so cheap that I’m taking shots on him late in drafts when I don’t land Key. Holgorsen has shown to give either role significant usage over the years, so I don’t mind hedging a little at that low cost. The playoff schedule for Nebraska is quite brutal (bye, at Penn State, vs Iowa), but I’ll take Key against an extremely soft regular season considering his upside.
Coy Eakin (108.5)
Finally! Eakin is the first slot guy that pops up in this article, but with good reason. He’s the projected slot receiver for Texas Tech, an offense that loves to throw to the slot guy. Last year’s slot receiver was Josh Kelly, the 2024 WR17. He did it off pure volume, catching 89 passes for 1,023 yards and five touchdowns. There’s been a lot of hype on Eakin this offseason for his play on the field, but also his character off the field.
What I like about this pick is that there is some safety in Eakin’s production this late if he’s playing outside for some reason. Caleb Douglas is the more expensive of the two Red Raiders receivers. Let’s say something changes and it’s flipped. Douglas wasn’t the best fantasy option as an outside receiver in 2024. Still, he did break 100+ yards in three of twelve games, scored a touchdown in four games, and ultimately broke twelve fantasy points six times, making him a viable option half the season.
