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Harrison, Nabers should deliver

Top-6 WRs usually start great

Working on the Giants text for the first issue of Fantasy Index Weekly (out tomorrow!), I wondered how Malik Nabers might do. I've been a little skeptical, what with Daniel Jones not being very good. But the recent history of wide receivers selected as early as Nabers is pretty strong.

This century, there have been 14 wide receivers selected within the top 6 picks of the draft, like Nabers (6th) and Arizona's Marvin Harrison (4th). Nearly half of them (six) have finished with at least top 25 numbers in PPR leagues in their rookie seasons. Three others made it into the top 30, while two others finished in the top 40. Some of those guys (like Calvin Johnson) were brought along slowly because they had more ahead of them on their respective teams than Nabers and Harrison do.

WIDE RECEIVERS DRAFTED IN TOP 6, 2000-PRESENT
PkYearPlayerTgtRecYdsTDRk
52021JaMarr Chase, Cin.128811455135
62021Jaylen Waddle, Mia.1401041015712
42011A.J. Green, Cin.115651057717
42015Amari Cooper, Oak.130721070621
62011Julio Jones, Atl.9554959821
32003Andre Johnson, Hou.11966976422
42014Sammy Watkins, Buff.12865982627
52012Justin Blackmon, Jac.13264865529
42000Peter Warrick, Cin.12651592730
32004Larry Fitzgerald, Ari.11558780831
22007Calvin Johnson, Det.9348756538
32005Braylon Edwards, Cle.5932512367
52017Corey Davis, Ten.6534375085
22003Charles Rogers, Det.5222243388

As the table shows, not all of those guys have gone on to be stars. Blackmon, Warrick and Rogers certainly didn't. But the vast majority were starters in typical fantasy leagues as rookies, and two-thirds of them went on to have very good (or Hall of Fame) careers. No one should be doubting the potential of either Harrison or Nabers to start putting up strong numbers right away.

--Andy Richardson

Fantasy Index