If we rewind back to the NFL draft in April, it wasn’t considered a great year for wide receivers. None were selected in the top 20, and it was discussed whether any would even be picked in the first round. But as we hit the halfway point of the season, it’s a group that’s looking a lot more respectable.

For those in dynasty leagues, I would argue that seven rookie wide receivers should be among the first 50 chosen. That’s based not on what they’re doing right now, but what I think they’ll do in the upcoming seasons.

I’ve got rookies tagged with black dots. None of them have hit it out of the park, but there are many that look like they’re going to be solid pros for years.

Calvin Ridley, certainly. He doesn’t have elite size or speed but ripped off 6 TDs in a three-game stretch. He’s going to be fine.

DJ Moore has been good on running plays and caught 5 passes for 90 yards last week. He had a 50-yard touchdown earlier in the year. He’s just moving into the starting lineup now, and he could have a breakout-type game tomorrow against a really bad Bucs defense.

Similarly, Courtland Sutton has made a handful of big plays, averaging 19 yards per catch. The Broncos just traded away Demaryius Thomas, elevating Sutton into the starting lineup. We have recently seen four notable wide receivers traded: Thomas, Golden Tate and Amari Cooper. In a dynasty league (with owners allowed to keep players year after year) I would select Sutton before all of those guys.

Christian Kirk has made a handful of good catches for Arizona. I think he’s going to be just fine. I’ve got Kirk as the No. 3 rookie wide receiver on my board right now.

TreQuan Smith has been starting for the Saints. He hasn’t done a ton on the field year, but I think he’s going to be an NFL starter. With Smith being only 22, I have ranked him higher than that some older receivers who are better right now – like 30-year-olds Doug Baldwin and Golden Tate.

There’s a knucklehead factor with Antonio Callaway, who was kicked off the team at Florida for multiple transgressions and was pulled over with marijuana in his car during the preseason. But he’s definitely talented, and we seen some evidence of that translating to the field – could be a really nice player.

Also sneaking into my top 50, I’ve got Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The Packers used three later-round picks on wide receivers, and he seems to be the one with the best chance of developing into a starter. Anybody starting on a team for the next five years with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, I’m interested.

WIDE RECEIVERS / DYNASTY LEAGUES
RkTeamPlayerAge
1.HOUDeAndre Hopkins26
2.NOMichael Thomas25
3.KCTyreek Hill24
4.GBDavante Adams25
5.NYGOdell Beckham25
6.PITAntonio Brown30
7.TBMike Evans25
8.MINAdam Thielen28
9.PITJuJu Smith-Schuster21
10.INDT.Y. Hilton28
11.CINA.J. Green30
12.MINStefon Diggs24
13.LARBrandin Cooks25
14.DETKenny Golladay25
15.ATLJulio Jones29
16.LARCooper Kupp25
17.TENCorey Davis23
18.CLEJarvis Landry25
19.CAR• DJ Moore21
20.LARRobert Woods26
21.PHIAlshon Jeffery28
22.ATL• Calvin Ridley23
23.CINTyler Boyd23
24.NYGSterling Shepard24
25.LACKeenan Allen26
26.CARDevin Funchess24
27.DETMarvin Jones28
28.LACMike Williams24
29.SEATyler Lockett26
30.HOUWill Fuller24
31.DENEmmanuel Sanders31
32.ARI• Christian Kirk21
33.TBChris Godwin22
34.MIAKenny Stills26
35.CHIAllen Robinson25
36.DEN• Courtland Sutton23
37.BALJohn Brown28
38.JACDede Westbrook24
39.DALAmari Cooper24
40.NO• TreQuan Smith22
41.SEADoug Baldwin30
42.NYJRobby Anderson25
43.CLE• Antonio Calloway21
44.PHIGolden Tate30
45.SFMarquise Goodwin27
46.GBGeronimo Allison24
47.LACTyrell Williams26
48.KCSammy Watkins25
49.GB• Marquez Valdes-Scantling24
50.SEADavid Moore23
51.CHI• Anthony Miller24
52.MIADeVante Parker25
53.NEJulian Edelman32
54.NYJQuincy Enunwa26
55.NEJosh Gordon27
56.ARILarry Fitzgerald35
57.WASPaul Richardson26
58.BALMichael Crabtree31
59.DAL• Michael Gallup22
60.BUFZay Jones23
61.PIT• James Washington22
62.TENTaywan Taylor23
63.HOUDemaryius Thomas30
64.CLERashard Higgins24
65.CINJohn Ross22
66.WASJosh Doctson25
67.CHITaylor Gabriel27
68.JACDonte Moncrief25
69.TENTajae Sharpe23
70.TBDeSean Jackson31
71.DALCole Beasley29
72.ATLMohamed Sanu29
73.PHINelson Agholor25
74.BUFKelvin Benjamin27
75.MIADanny Amendola33
76.BALWillie Snead26
77.JAC• DJ Chark22
78.GBRandall Cobb28
79.NEChris Hogan30
80.WASJamison Crowder25
81.INDChester Rogers24
82.TBAdam Humphries25
83.KCChris Conley26
84.MINLaquon Treadwell23
85.BUFTerrelle Pryor29
86.MIAAlbert Wilson26
87.DET• Brandon Powell23
88.NOCameron Meredith26
89.JACKeelan Cole25
90.SFKendrick Bourne23
91.OAKMartavis Bryant26
92.MIAJakeem Grant26
93.KCDemarcus Robinson24
94.DEN• Daesan Hamilton23
95.NYJJermaine Kearse28
96.OAKBrandon LaFell32
97.INDZach Pascal23
98.PHIJordan Matthews26
99.NEPhillip Dorsett25
100.SF• Dante Pettis23

Last week: tight ends.

Next week: quarterbacks.

—Ian Allan