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5 breakout wide receivers you need in every 2021 fantasy football draft

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool (11) reacts after a first down against the Washington Football Team during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this week, I identified a handful of mid-round running backs with league-winning upside that I’m looking to take in every draft. In this article, I turn to wide receivers. The most profitable breakouts at the receiver position have been those entering their second season, so I went through every viable second-year breakout for 2021 and looked at their closest comps and ADPs.

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This season offers a lot of potential picks, some with better profiles than others for fantasy success. These five second-year wideouts are the ones who best combine upside and price — and at least one should be present in every one of your rosters this season.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS WR BRANDON AIYUK

With the 49ers out of playoff contention for the majority of 2020, Aiyuk’s stellar rookie numbers may have gone under the radar. Aiyuk was the WR9 last season in fantasy expected points per game, and that was in his rookie season while playing much of the year with Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard. Aiyuk will face more target competition in 2021 if George Kittle and Deebo Samuel can stay healthy, but those concerns are baked into his price. In short, you want any rookie receiver who was able to be as dominant as Aiyuk, no matter how much target competition he faced.

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