This is our third entry in the “NEED to Target” series, with quarterback and running back coming in the last few weeks. Supplemental drafts are bound to be underway soon as the NFL Draft Declaration deadline passed on January 15th (for non-championship game participants.) Now that there’s a clearer landscape, we can identify key wide receiver targets.
Yannick Smith, East Carolina
Starting with a banger – East Carolina freshman breakout Yannick Smith. As a true freshman, Smith had a 25 – 434 – 3 receiving line, averaging 17.4 yards per reception. He went undrafted in college fantasy supplemental drafts last season largely because he developed late as a recruit, focusing on basketball until his final year of high school football. In his final season, he had 62 receptions for 1,387 yards and 17 touchdowns, adding 260 yards on 23 carries in a wildcat quarterback role.
Campus2Canton has him with an 81st-percentile Star Index score, which attempts to project success using production, multi-sport players, and athleticism. Smith, it’s quite a few of these buckets. He brings a prototypical X-receiver frame at 6’3″ 215 lbs and consistently shows the ability to win at all levels of the field.
In his final four games (where he had >20 snaps), Smith averaged 6.5 targets and 15.0 fantasy points per game. He now leads a receiver room that lost Chase Sowell to Iowa State and Winston Wright Jr. alongside Jhari Patterson to graduation. That group accounted for 42% of receiving targets last season. The Pirates do add Jacquiaze Pettaway from Oklahoma, a slot receiver who saw limited run with the Sooners.
The biggest question facing Smith is if he can overtake six-year Anthony Smith (no relation) as the WR1 for the offense. Over the last four weeks, Anthony Smith out-targeted Yannick Smith 28-to-26 but trailed in yards (262-to-298) and fantasy points (11.3-to-15.0). Anthony Smith is the incumbent with the most experience, starting in all 13 games and leading the team with 805 yards, and he operates on the boundary opposite Yannick Smith.
Anthony Smith’s 800-yard season has earned him more notoriety, so he is likely rostered or top of mind for drafters. I would consider taking both Smiths in my supplemental drafts with the offense, but I prefer Yannick because he has more room to grow, given that he’s entering his true sophomore season. He also has NFL upside that is going unnoticed, making him more interesting in Campus2Canton supplemental drafts.
The offense under Kaitin Houser took significant steps in the final seven games following Jake Garcia’s benching. Houser averaged 268 pass yards and 2.6 touchdowns per contest in his starts, and the offense scored 36.7 points per game, all in conference play. The offense returns key pieces, but most importantly, offensive coordinator John David Baker, who had ECU ranked 4th in plays per minute last season.
Target: Rounds 4 -5
Jacory Barney Jr., Nebraska
Let’s play a quick game. Who led Nebraska in targets in 2024?
A. WR Isaiah Neyor
B. WR Jahmal Banks
C. TE Thomas Fidone
D. WR Jacory Barney
The answer is D true freshman Jacory Barney led the team in targets with 76. Barney, who played multiple positions in high school, was recruited as an ATH by Nebraska but ultimately settled in at WR, a role he thrived in. His usage was highly manufactured touches (6.9 aDOT), operating almost entirely from the slot (76.0% of snaps). However, his role expanded down the stretch, averaging an aDOT >11 yards all but twice in six games. In the final seven-game stretch, he saw 7.7 targets per contest.
Barney’s game is built on athleticism after the catch and getting open underneath, providing a safety blanket to quarterback Dylan Raiola in his first year on campus. With a rumored 4.6 40 time to his name, Barney already shows plus speed given his track background and consistently won deep using his athleticism. The Huskers also used him as a chess piece at times, giving him 11 carries for 134 yards and three touchdowns. His running back background and explosive first step consistently resulted in chunk gains.
Nevertheless, Barney is likely to be undervalued on raw statistics entering 2025 supplemental drafts but should not be overlooked. An athletic creator with the ball in his hands, he is a type that the NFL has gravitated to in recent years and has already earned a starting spot as a true freshman. He returns to a room that loses both Banks and Neyor from 2024.
Target: Rounds 3 – 4
JaVonnie Gibson, Oklahoma
One of my favorite transfer receivers from the FCS is Oklahoma’s JaVonnie Gibson. Gibson played last season at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where he had 1,215 receiving yards on a whopping 17.5 yards per reception. He truly dominated for the Golden Lions, receiving 41.4% of their target share among UAPB receivers and 46.3% receiving market share. His regular season yardage total was second among all FCS wide receivers.
He steps into an Oklahoma room, missing the exact archetype that Gibson brings. Potential X-receiver Nic Anderson missed time with injuries and subsequently transferred. Expect him to earn starting reps outside as a compliment to slot receiver Deion Burks. At 6’3″, 205 lbs., he is another big-bodied X-receiver who stretches the field and uses his plus-athleticism to win against inferior corners.
Gibson is a late-bloomer who caught in in his first year with UAPB after spending two seasons with Arkansas-Monticello in Division II, where he was recruited as a tight end but saw limited usage. He was one of the best FCS receivers in the country last year, finishing First Team All-SWAC.
Unfortunately, the flashing red flight concern with Gibson is how much of a jump the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is to the SEC. If he were coming in from a more competitive FCS conference, the concern would be minimized, but per Sagarin, the SWAC-West is the worst Division in a Conference at the FBS/FCS level. It’s truly a monumental jump up here.
However, I like Gibson. I think his size/athleticism combination translates well to any level, but given that he’s only seen one extended stretch of football in the last three seasons, the technical aspects of his game may lag. He’s a high upside player in supplemental drafts with athleticism that could translate to the NFL.
Target: Rounds 6 – 8
Ian Strong, Rutgers
Hear me out. Second-year receiver Ian Strong emerged as one of Rutgers’ best playmakers in the season’s final weeks as a compliment to Dymere Miller. Strong averaged 17 fantasy points in the final six games, averaging over 10 targets per game for the Scarlet Knights for 77 on the season. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis returns for his final season of eligibility after throwing for nearly 2,700 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. His 395 pass attempts ranked 32nd among quarterbacks last season. There’s enough volume here, especially post-Kyle Monangai.
Dymere Miller’s departure leaves 110 targets up, and despite Miller operating out of the slot with an entirely different physical archetype, Strong is poised to be the primary beneficiary. Bobby Dern, with 247Sports Rutgers notes,
“Strong looks ready to take over as the No.1 wide receiver and could become the most dominant wide receiver RU has featured since Leonte Carroo.”
– Bobby Dern, 247Sports, Scarlet Nation
Strong is the type of player that college fantasy drafters should be targeting. A true X-receiver (6’3″, 215 lbs.) with athleticism, he is not only a late bloomer but entered Rutgers as a safety, shifting to WR his first year. He played defense as a high schooler before his senior season; even then, he had fewer than 800 yards but 25.6 yards per catch. Strong came into Rutgers as a physical safety with good ball skills, two elements that have transferred to his game as a receiver. He also brings length and the ability to win contested balls at a high level (65% contest catch rate) with good hands (two drops on 77 targets).
Strong’s competition will be North Texas transfer DT Sheffeild, who likely takes over as the slot receiver post-Miller. There is little overlap between these two in terms of role and expectation. Strong averaged 13.5 aDOT, compared to Sheffield’s entirely schemed of 6.5 aDOT. Does that translate to the Big Ten? Even Dymere Miller’s slot job, the role that Sheffield is expected to assume, averaged 13.6 aDOT.
In this case, preferring Strong is backing a player likely overshadowed by Sheffield’s big-name transfer but is simply a more talented receiver when projecting to the next level. I suspect Sheffield goes higher in drafts where both are available, but his late-season struggles create questions about moving up from the AAC to the Big Ten, especially in his limited role.
Maybe this is a flag plant player for me. Strong has legit next-level skills and will be a huge factor in the Big Ten next season. He is one of the most underrated third-year receivers in the country. Luckily, Strong won’t command a premium in supplemental drafts, making him an easily acquirable mid-round target.
Target: Rounds 5 – 7
