With The First Pick
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5 rookie WRs who can start for your fantasy football team

By Bryan Perez

COLUMBIA, MO - SEPTEMBER 9: Deebo Samuel #1 of the South Carolina Gamecocks returns a kick for a 97-yard touchdown against the Missouri Tigers in the second quarter at Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MO - SEPTEMBER 9: Deebo Samuel #1 of the South Carolina Gamecocks returns a kick for a 97-yard touchdown against the Missouri Tigers in the second quarter at Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – DECEMBER 01: Parris Campbell #21 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats in the first quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 01, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – DECEMBER 01: Parris Campbell #21 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats in the first quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 01, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Fantasy football draft season is officially upon us, and with it comes team owners searching for a hidden gem who can put their squad over the top and into a Super Bowl.

Sometimes, those hidden gems come via the class of rookie wide receivers.

Rookie wideouts are different than first-year running backs when it comes to fantasy football. If a running back is selected early in the NFL Draft, more often than not, he’s going to be one of the first few picks in a rookie draft. And even if he isn’t an early NFL draft pick, if he lands in a good situation and has a chance at a lot of touches, he’ll often come off the fantasy draft board earlier than a rookie receiver who — in reality — was drafted earlier.

But this doesn’t mean first-year wide receivers don’t have fantasy value. They do. Look at Calvin Ridley, for example. The 2018 first-round pick of the Falcons topped 800 yards and scored 10 touchdowns as a rookie. He was a starting-caliber fantasy receiver.

Will this year’s crop produce a Ridley-type performer? Let’s take a look at five rookie wide receivers who could end up starting in fantasy football this season.

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