Wide Receiver Depth Chart Analysis - Week 7

We're back with another look at wide receiver depth charts across the league heading into Week 7. As always, there's plenty of news based on injury and performance.

Some specific situations worth highlighting before reaching the majority of the article include the high-powered offenses of New England and New Orleans, where are there specific changes on the depth chart.

As always, if you have any comments, questions, etc., hit me up on Twitter @DanMarcus3.

Injury Updates

N.Y. Jets

The Jets depth chart will look different heading into Week 7 thanks to injuries to Terrelle Pryor and Quincy Enunwa. That means Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse should be in line to be on the field at a high rate while also getting a number of targets. Don’t count them out due to their matchup against the Vikings, who currently rank 25th as measured by DVOA against the pass.

Indianapolis

T.Y. Hilton appears poised to return to the field in Week 7, which is bad news for Chester Rogers. Rogers benefited from Hilton’s absence by racking up 32 targets in his last three games. In the three games that Hilton played fully, Rogers managed only 10 targets combined.

Washington

Based on practice participation, it appears that both Jamison Crowder and Paul Richardson are in jeopardy of missing Sunday’s game, leaving Josh Doctson, Jehu Chesson, Brian Quick, Michael Floyd, and Maurice Harris as the remaining healthy wideouts.  Based on past snap counts, Harris and Doctson are most likely to emerge with roles. Quick and Floyd are also potential beneficiaries of the thinned depth chart, but their roles and effectiveness are completely uncertain.

New Orleans

The arrow is pointing up for both Tre’quan Smith and Cameron Meredith after Ted Ginn was placed on IR. In Ginn’s absence in Week 5, Smith saw more snaps relative to Meredith and also made the bigger impact. It appears the rookie could play a big role in leagues down the stretch, though Meredith is still plenty worthy of stash.

LA Rams

Cooper Kupp has been officially ruled out of Week 7 action against the 49ers, which should allow Josh Reynolds to see a significant role. Though he was a hot waiver wire add, Reynolds is a nice value play on DFS slates as the 49ers enter the week ranked 26th in pass defense as measured by DVOA.

Cleveland

The Browns are exceptionally thin at receiver, which has given Damion Ratley a regular role on the field. He showed the ability to turn that into decent productivity, hauling in six of his eight targets for 82 targets in Week 6 against the Chargers. Heading into Week 7, he’ll be in line for a big role against the Buccaneers, a favorable matchup to target in DFS and deep leagues.

Depth Chart Changes

New England

It’s time for the Josh Gordon show in New England. Among the other receivers, only Julian Edelman was on the field more frequently than Gordon in Week 6, and Gordon’s 33 routes run was a season high.  

Dallas

While Cole Beasley stole the show last week, he was on the field for only 59.4% of snaps and ran 20 routes. Meanwhile, rookie wideout Michael Gallup saw a massive spike in his snap rate (84.1%) and ran a career-best 22 routes. Allen Hurns joined him as the other outside receiver, hitting the field for 82.6% of snaps and running 20 routes. While the passing game in Dallas is likely to make each of these players a boom/bust option (at best) on a weekly basis, it appears that Dallas has finally settled on its primary receivers.

Situations to Monitor

Though no one will suit up for Seattle, Green Bay or Oakland this week, there a few situations to monitor heading into Week 8. In Seattle, Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett have emerged as the go-to receivers, both in terms of targets and snap rate.

In Oakland and Green Bay, there are a number of injuries to keep an eye on, highlighted by Amari Cooper, Randall Cobb, and Geronimo Allison. We’ll follow up on those next week to help get your lineups set.