Is it just me, or did there seem like there were more surprise receivers last year? At the end of the season, guys like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Hunter Renfrow and Russell Gage were helping to win fantasy leagues.
St. Brown more than anyone else. He caught at least 8 passes in each of his last six games, with 6 TDs. Renfrow and Gage also averaged over 6 catches in their final six games.
And not just those guys. Braxton Berrios came up huge in a late-season game for the Jets. Laquon Treadwell was surprisingly reliable for the Jaguars. And K.J. Osborn had a nice late-season run for the Vikings.
Below see the chart showing wide receiver production for the last six weeks of the season, using PPR scoring. To avoid making the chart too cumbersome, I’ve bundled rushing and receiving stats together. That is, “yards” aren’t receiving yards but both rushing and receiving yards. And touchdowns include scores on running plays.
Stats show that 10 of the top 40 wide receivers during those final six were players who were afterthought guys in most fantasy drafts – late-round picks if they were chosen at all. Last year more so than in a typical season, there were plenty of viable options available on the waiver wire in many leagues.
| WIDE RECEIVERS: Weeks 13-18 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rec | Yards | TD | PPR |
| Cooper Kupp, LAR | 53 | 733 | 6 | 162.3 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown, Det. | 51 | 621 | 6 | 151.1 |
| Davante Adams, G.B. | 43 | 470 | 6 | 126.0 |
| Justin Jefferson, Min. | 41 | 593 | 4 | 124.3 |
| JaMarr Chase, Cin. | 31 | 555 | 5 | 116.5 |
| Hunter Renfrow, L.V. | 39 | 376 | 5 | 106.6 |
| Tee Higgins, Cin. | 31 | 531 | 3 | 102.1 |
| Diontae Johnson, Pitt. | 39 | 369 | 4 | 101.9 |
| Deebo Samuel, S.F. | 21 | 561 | 4 | 101.1 |
| Russell Gage, Atl. | 39 | 500 | 2 | 101.0 |
| Stefon Diggs, Buff. | 36 | 378 | 3 | 91.8 |
| Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 23 | 371 | 5 | 90.1 |
| DK Metcalf, Sea. | 28 | 323 | 4 | 84.3 |
| Allen Lazard, G.B. | 21 | 322 | 5 | 83.2 |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 24 | 340 | 4 | 82.0 |
| Brandin Cooks, Hou. | 28 | 349 | 3 | 80.9 |
| Mike Williams, LAC | 26 | 402 | 2 | 78.2 |
| K.J. Osborn, Min. | 19 | 290 | 5 | 78.0 |
| Darnell Mooney, Chi. | 35 | 366 | 1 | 77.6 |
| Brandon Aiyuk, S.F. | 24 | 398 | 2 | 75.8 |
| Tyler Boyd, Cin. | 21 | 365 | 3 | 75.5 |
| Keenan Allen, LAC | 25 | 243 | 4 | 73.3 |
| Amari Cooper, Dall. | 24 | 282 | 3 | 70.2 |
| CeeDee Lamb, Dall. | 29 | 408 | 0 | 69.8 |
| Christian Kirk, Ariz. | 28 | 354 | 1 | 69.4 |
| Laquon Treadwell, Jac. | 27 | 352 | 1 | 68.2 |
| Michael Pittman, Ind. | 27 | 313 | 1 | 66.3 |
| Gabriel Davis, Buff. | 18 | 237 | 4 | 65.7 |
| Jaylen Waddle, Mia. | 27 | 256 | 2 | 64.6 |
| Odell Beckham, LAR | 20 | 206 | 4 | 64.6 |
| Zay Jones, L.V. | 33 | 309 | 0 | 63.9 |
| Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 27 | 309 | 1 | 63.9 |
| Marvin Jones, Jac. | 27 | 303 | 1 | 63.3 |
| Robby Anderson, Car. | 24 | 264 | 2 | 62.4 |
| Chris Godwin, T.B. | 31 | 306 | 0 | 61.6 |
| Braxton Berrios, NYJ | 21 | 216 | 3 | 60.6 |
| DJ Moore, Car. | 27 | 316 | 0 | 60.6 |
| Jalen Guyton, LAC | 17 | 249 | 3 | 59.9 |
| Chase Claypool, Pitt. | 22 | 296 | 1 | 57.6 |
| Jauan Jennings, S.F. | 17 | 220 | 3 | 57.0 |
—Ian Allan