Fantasy Football Domination, Part III: Wide Receivers — The New Bloodletting

Back in the 17th century, there was an English king with blood pressure so high it could have boiled tea without a kettle. His physicians — the brightest medical minds of the age — treated him the only way they knew how: blistering his feet and letting the blood run until he looked like he’d just been to war with a cheese grater.

Sounds like medieval torture, right?
It was. But it was also considered state-of-the-art medicine.

We laugh now because we’ve moved on. We have better options. We understand the human body, and we no longer think, “Hey, maybe if I stab the king’s feet and drain him like a keg, his headaches will go away.”

Why do I bring this up? Because for decades, the state-of-the-art in fantasy football was load up on running backs and patch the rest together later. That was the “bloodletting” of the fantasy world. It made sense at the time — but times change, and clinging to that strategy in 2025 is like insisting your surgeon use leeches because “that’s how Grandpa did it.”

The WR Revolution

Most leagues now are PPR. Most NFL offenses have pivoted toward passing as if the football is an IOU they need to get rid of before the cops show up. Wide receivers — with a few notable RB exceptions — are the ones putting up the gaudiest fantasy numbers.

There’s a strong, borderline-inebriated argument for spending your first four picks on receivers.

By Round 4, you can still grab Mike Evans, Zay Flowers, Garrett Wilson — guys who can average 15+ PPR points a game without breaking a sweat. Which RB in that same draft slot is going to give you that return? The answer: none that don’t require prayer candles and an exorcism.

Furthermore — a word I have always wanted to use while dramatically gesturing — a bunch of teams have very capable Hutches to their Starsky — guys who may be WR2 on the depth chart, but are absolutely capable of putting up WR1 numbers on a weekly basis. Tee Higgins. Davante Adams. Jameson Williams. The depth is simply astounding. You might ask, “Doesn’t this mean I can wait on receivers since quality guys will be available in the middle rounds?” And to that I say, “shut up, I’m talking here.”

But What About the Stud Backs?

Look, I’m not telling you to ignore Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs if they somehow fall past pick 5. That’s like passing on a free bottle of 18-year-old Macallan because you’re “not in the mood for scotch.”

If you do land one of them, you can still go “hero RB” — take that one alpha back, then spend your next four picks on receivers who will make your opponents’ starting lineups look like they were assembled during a fire drill.

Every player has a value range, and if you’re passing on guys who have dropped a round or more beyond where they should reasonably be picked, you’re taking advice too literally. Derrick Henry somehow still available in the middle of the third round? Fine! Grab him! He’s your hero. The other four of your first five picks are receivers. Still following? Good, now disregard that point for the next section.

The QB Trap

This is where most drafters self-destruct. They’re off to a decent start with their first few picks, but being 17 High Lifes and 7 slices of pepperoni and jalapeno pizza deep, they lose it. They see Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts in Round 4. Their pupils dilate. Their breathing changes. Suddenly they’re telling themselves, “If I don’t take him now, he’ll be gone.”

Of course he’ll be gone. That’s the point. You can grab a QB later — we’ll cover exactly why in Part IV — but for now, tattoo this on your martini shaker: Receivers, receivers, and then more receivers.

Even Late, the Pool is Deep

It’s getting late. It’s gone well so far. Your date has gone pretty well. Fueled by four cosmopolitans, she finds your humor “quirkily cute.” Your thriftstore fashion “sensibly sophisticated.” Your 1987 Nissan Sentra “practical and efficient.” Finish strong and the world is at your feet. You have a thoroughbred stable of receivers on your roster. Your focus is waning as your confidence soars. Three kickers are off the board already and guys are googling which defenses have the easiest strength of schedule.

STAY THE COURSE. Even in the late rounds, you can still find guys who can crack your lineup on any given Sunday. Ricky Pearsall will be sitting there while your opponents debate whether their fourth-string RB’s “pass-catching upside” is worth dropping their backup kicker for. Jakobi Meyers is one of the most confusing players on the entire board. His production track record screams 80+ catches and 1,000 receiving yards, but his availabillity lingers. What shouldn’t be confusing is that if he’s somehow still available in round 8, he’s your WR5. Adam Thielen, who is amazingly still alive, and even more amazingly still productive, isn’t even being picked in some mocks. That’s absurd.

Reminder, you’re not just drafting your team. You’re eviscerating your fellow drafters. You’re seeing what they don’t. Maybe they’re distracted because you’re still in your tuxedo, shaking martinis like the world’s most dapper Bond villain. Maybe they’re just stuck in that old-school, RB-first brain fog. Either way, you’re stacking WR depth like it’s champagne bottles at a Monaco afterparty, and you’re not stopping… like it’s a Monaco afterparty. Hey, if the anaolgy works, keep using it.

The Disclaimer

If your roster only has wide receivers and the rest of your roster looks like the back row at an open-mic poetry night, you’re more screwed than a margarita machine at a frat house on Cinco de Mayo. Balance matters — but the balance should be heavily skewed toward the position that wins in modern scoring formats.

Coming Next:
Part IV: Quarterbacks — Why You Shouldn’t Touch One Until the 10th Round (Yes, even if your cousin tries to talk you into “just one early for stability”).

Torsten / 120 Proof Ball

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