Transcription
Do you ever struggle during your fantasy football draft sometimes when trying to decide which players you should take when you're on the clock? Well, what if I told you that there was one stat that no one ever talks about, but 75% of the top 12 wide receivers all had this stat in common?
What is going on, Headliner Nation? Hopefully, everyone is doing well out there. Today we're going to be talking about a secret stat that a lot of people just don't pay enough attention to, and I'm talking about them slot snaps. We want wide receivers that get a lot of action out of the slot. Why? Well, thank you for asking. There are not a lot of number one defensive backs on opposing defenses that travel to the slot. So, when we get a high volume wide receiver there, more times than not, he's going to have a nickel corner on him. Now, that corner on most teams is probably their second or third best defensive back who is trying to cover arguably one of the better wide receivers on the offense. Some of these guys are absolute mismatch nightmares for opposing defenses. So, I'm always looking for those wide receivers who rack up slot snaps. It's really going to give me more opportunities at big-time receptions and big plays.
So, let's go ahead and let's take a look at last year's top 12 wide receivers in 2024 just to start things off today. So, in case you've forgotten, last year's top 12 went like this. Number one was Jamar Chase, the Triple Crown winner, then Justin Jefferson, followed by Almond Ross St. Brown, Brian Thomas Jr., Drake London at number five, CeeDee Lamb at number six, even without Dak Prescott for a portion of the year. Then Mike Evans, Terry McLaurin at number eight, the rookie Malik Neighbors at number nine, followed by Jackson Smith-Njigba at number 10, Garrett Wilson at 11, and Ladd McConkey at number 12.
But now, let's take this list and look at how many times these guys lined up and took snaps out of the slot last year. And I don't know about you, but I was a little bit shocked to see that Jamar Chase had 325 slot snaps last year. I guess it's just because we're so used to seeing him make those big plays down the sideline that we're expecting him to be outside more times than not. All right, after him, Justin Jefferson had 190. Almond Ross St. Brown, the slot god, had 436. Brian Thomas Jr. at 209. Drake London at 391. That's a lot of Drake London in the slot, and we love to see that. Then we had CeeDee Lamb, known for being the slot, 380 slot snaps. Mike Evans at 177. Terry McLaurin at 140. Two guys really known for being on the outside. So, not a surprise there. Malik Neighbors, how about this? 2012 snaps in the slot for Malik Neighbors. Loved to see that last year. Then we had Jackson Smith-Njigba. Dude basically set up a tent in the slot. 701 slot snaps. I think he's their slot wide receiver. Then after him, we had Garrett Wilson at 228 and Ladd McConkey. Now, nine of the top 12 wide receivers finished the season with over 200 snaps out of the slot. That's 75% of the top 12. And that tells me that slot snaps are important.
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But all right, now let's move on. So, what other wide receivers saw over 200 snaps in the slot last year that have a chance to do it again this year? Well, here's the list. We had Jahan Dotson at 558. You've heard his name here the last few weeks in a few of my shows. Josh Downs at 437. That's a huge number. Khalil Shakir at 402. Cooper Kupp at 367. DeVonta Smith at 362. Jerry Jeudy at 355. Davante Adams at 348. Calvin Austin at 315. Zay Flowers at 279. Jakobi Meyers at 273. Christian Kirk, in an injury-shortened season, still had 258. How about Tyreek Hill at 250? Jameson Williams at 240. Chris Godwin 229, an injury-shortened season for him as well. And then Xavier Worthy at 229, and Jordan Addison at 210.
But can these guys do it again? Did their situation change at all? And if it did, did it change for the worse? So, we'll start at the top with Jahan Dotson and his chances got better for 2025. We know his quarterback play is about to be improved. Whether it's Russell Wilson, Jayden Daniels, Jameis Winston, anything is better than what we had in 2024 in New York. But they also didn't add any additional weapons. And Jahan Dotson saw 140 targets last year. How about Josh Downs? The Colts added another weapon in rookie tight end Cade Stover. They still have Michael Pittman. Add Adonai Mitchell and Alec Pierce. Plus, we also know there's a little bit of quarterback controversy in Indianapolis. Some red flags there for Josh Downs. How about Khalil Shakir? If this guy can stay healthy, he's a lock for 85 catches and 1,000 yards. He's the safety outlet for Josh Allen once again. Then we got Cooper Kupp, a new team in Seattle, but back in his hometown. The bad part here, do you remember how many slot snaps JSN had last season? It was huge. It was 701. So if JSN is just dominating the slot, what does that do to Cooper Kupp this season? Then we have DeVonta Smith. He's really reliant on injuries to other members of this offense since Philadelphia just runs the ball so much. After him is Jerry Jeudy, the Browns wide receiver one as of right now. And remember, Joe Flacco is leading that quarterback battle in camp. Do you remember what Joe Flacco did with Josh Downs in Indianapolis? He fed the slot. So that's a good sign. How about Davante Adams? Well, Cooper Kupp is gone and Puka Nacua has his role established already. We saw Kupp rack up slot snaps. So, with him gone, Davante Adams could slot in there easily. Then we got Calvin Austin in Pittsburgh. The wide receiver two in Pittsburgh as of right now. And we know that DK Metcalf is going outside the majority of the time. With Rodgers all of a sudden checking down more and we saw him utilize Davante Adams out of the slot last year, there's a chance for Calvin Austin. How about Zay Flowers? The team added DeAndre Hopkins, but Flowers will continue in the slot once again this season. How about Jakobi Meyers, the team's wide receiver one in Las Vegas, and now with an upgraded quarterback in Geno Smith, who spreads the ball around. Jakobi Meyers is going to have a chance. Then we get to Christian Kirk. A lot of people forget that this guy was a top 12 fantasy wide receiver just a couple years ago. Now he's in Houston and we've seen C.J. Stroud utilize Tank Dell in this very role. If he can stay healthy, Christian Kirk will be a huge surprise to a lot of people. How about Tyreek Hill? It's simple here. If Tua stays on the field, Tyreek Hill will be a league-winning wide receiver in 2025. Jameson Williams, his role has continued to grow in back-to-back seasons, and opposing defenses can't stop all of Detroit's offensive weapons. With the backfield of Gibbs and Montgomery and then add in pass-catching weapons like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta, Jameson Williams has a great opportunity once again this year as well. How about Chris Godwin? He's coming off a major injury and Tampa Bay drafted slot stud A.J. Brown. That right there has me a little bit worried for Chris Godwin this year. Then we get Xavier Worthy. How long is Rashee Rice suspended? Because the longer the suspension, the better it is for Worthy. Rice, however, is the slot guy when he's on the field in Kansas City. Then we round it out with Jordan Addison. He's also facing a suspension and has a new quarterback in 2025. He could start slow and miss some time, which is not a great combo.
So, after going through that entire list, there are 10 guys that I'm really going to be paying attention to on draft day, trying to capitalize on their time in the slot. But, let's also go ahead and take a look at the round that these guys are being drafted in. Remember, very few of these guys are going to be drafted to be relied upon in Week 1. If I'm stashing guys on my bench, I would love to stash slot wide receivers so at least I know they have the opportunity at large volume when I need them.
So, here are the 10 guys I'm really paying attention to and their current projected ADP. Jahan Dotson, right here in the 16th round, is basically a no-brainer for me in 2025. He'll probably be on the majority of my fantasy football teams. Then we have Khalil Shakir. I was high on Shakir in 2024 and I am once again in 2025. Sure, there are other pass-catching weapons in Buffalo, but he's Josh Allen's security blanket. He just needs to stay on the field. He's in the ninth round. Then we got Cooper Kupp in the eighth round. How do we see Seattle utilize Cooper Kupp this season? With both him and JSN being slot guys, something has to give here. But the upside in the eighth round is not horrible. Then there's Jerry Jeudy and his potential 140-plus targets in Cleveland this season, sitting in the seventh round, not a bad option out of the slot. Then we get Davante Adams, a little bit more expensive into the fourth round this year. But with the volume we've seen going to the slot in LA the past few years and taking into account that Davante Adams at this point of his career is better than what Cooper Kupp is right now, I love the fourth-round value for Davante Adams. How about Calvin Austin? Currently going undrafted. Now, he's a little bit more of a long shot lottery ticket, but if Aaron Rodgers checks the ball down a lot, Calvin Austin has game-breaking speed and could get some big plays pretty often. Then, we got Jakobi Meyers in the ninth round. Outside of Brock Bowers at the tight end position in Las Vegas, there is no one else in this offense with a for-sure target share. Jakobi Meyers is the leader, the wide receiver one. He's a safe pick for the bench of your fantasy football squad. Then, I'm eyeing Christian Kirk in the 16th round. There is no risk at that point of your fantasy football drafts, but the upside is potentially huge. We know that Joe Mixon is currently battling an injury and Nick Chubb is coming off a major injury. What that tells me is we could see a whole lot more in the passing game of Houston. Now, sure, they got some young studs there, but Christian Kirk out of the slot in the 16th round, not a bad choice. Then Tyreek Hill, the most expensive guy on the list in the third round, and I'm telling everyone out there right now, if you can draft Tyreek Hill in the third round, do not pass on that potential. Now, yes, obviously, if Tua goes down, Tyreek Hill is going to struggle. But if Tua can play 15 games, Tyreek Hill is a league winner for your fantasy football team. And then after him, last but not least, is Jameson Williams of the Detroit Lions going in the fifth round as of right now. His role has continued to increase now in back-to-back seasons, and we expect the exact same thing to happen in 2025 in a high-powered Detroit offense. Jameson Williams and his big-play potential out of the slot, not a bad option either.
Now, there are also two guys that haven't produced lately or ever in the NFL for that fact, but they have a chance at it this year from the slot. The first guy, Hunter Renfrow of the Carolina Panthers. He is absolutely killing it in camp. Seems to be 100% healthy, and we have seen Adam Thielen thrive in the slot here the last couple of years. And don't forget, before Dave Canales came to Carolina, he was in Tampa Bay, and he was one of the guys behind moving Chris Godwin back to the slot. With what we've seen from Renfrow and how we've seen him produce at this level before, dude is definitely a sleeper as of right now. Alongside A.J. Brown, I mentioned his name a little bit earlier. He's in Tampa Bay, and with Chris Godwin not 100%, this kid will get a shot early in the season, and he may never give it back. If you take into account the high-powered offense in Tampa Bay and this kid's skill set, he could just rack up receptions each and every week. Now, obviously, a lot is going to depend on the health of Chris Godwin, but at least to start the season, A.J. Brown out of the slot is a name to watch.
Now, in no way is the point of this video to tell you that all of these guys are some top 12 options in 2025 fantasy football. That is not the point of this show. You got to remember, we want to target the wide receivers that get the slot snaps because more than likely they're going against lesser defensive attention and they have the opportunity to rack up big yardage and big-time receptions. Analytics off the chain of the channels not the same. Shaking Cow, you know the name.