The RotoWire Blog has been retired.

These archives exist as a way for people to continue to view the content that had been posted on the blog over the years.

Articles will no longer be posted here, but you can view new fantasy articles from our writers on the main site.

ADP Trends: Wide Receiver

Jordy Nelson's torn ACL last preseason was a massive blow to fantasy owners unlucky enough to have selected him in the first or second round. Of course, the Packers weren't thrilled either. There haven't been any such shakeups involving top-end wide receivers since training camp opened in 2016. Those who drafted early this year are fine with that. 

Once again, the ADP data below comes from our friends at National Fantasy Football Championship and is from PPR leagues.

Risers:

PlayerTeamJuly ADPCurrent ADP+/-
Malcolm MitchellNE369.7326.543.2
James JonesSD367.3329.937.4
Josh GordonCle207.6171.736.0
DeAndre SmelterSF367.5333.334.2
Anquan BoldinDet252.9225.527.4
Terrelle PryorCle362.3338.523.9
Ted Ginn Jr.Car213.6190.722.9
Bruce EllingtonSF269.3248.520.7
Dontrelle InmanSD350.9330.620.3
Charles JohnsonMin354.8335.419.4
Davante AdamsGB247.0227.919.2
Tajae SharpeTen325.3307.018.3
Kenny BellTB350.4332.218.2
Chris ConleyKC322.1306.715.5
Kenny StillsMia309.4295.813.6
Will FullerHou209.1198.710.4
Stefon DiggsMin107.698.09.7
Quinton PattonSF319.8311.08.7
Pharoh CooperLA324.3317.56.8
Cecil Shorts IIIHou315.6309.46.2
Brandon ColemanNO299.3293.16.2
Terrance WilliamsDal175.3169.65.6
Justin HardyAtl301.9296.75.1
Mohamed SanuAtl140.6136.14.5
Pierre GarconWas164.9160.84.1
Braxton MillerHou337.5333.73.8

Josh Gordon (+36)
Gordon's conditional reinstatement is driving his rise back into fantasy relevancy. He will still miss the first four games and there are trade rumors swirling, but Gordon has been practicing with the Browns' starting unit and his talent has never been in question.

DeAndre Smelter (+34.2), Bruce Ellington (+20.7), Quinton Patton (+8.7)
This 49ers trio is riding an uptempo wave of Chip Kelly volume. Ellingon and Patton deserve the bump as they are all but locked in as starters along with Torrey Smith in San Francisco's base three-wide set. Smelter, on the other hand, is raw as rain and the fantasy community should probably pump the brakes. The second-year receiver is not practicing due to a lingering hamstring injury and that's after missing almost two years of action since tearing his ACL at Georgia Tech.

Tajae Sharpe (+18.3)
It was only a matter of time for Sharpe to start rising up draft boards. Those who didn't believe in his quick accent to the top of Tennessee's depth chart were forced to take notice when Dorial Green-Beckham was shipped to Philly. Sharpe and QB Marcus Mariota have already created a nice rapport, which should cause the rookie's stock to continue upward.

Cecil Shorts (+6.2), Braxton Miller (+3.8)
It's odd that two players vying for the same targets are both climbing slightly. Miller is the WR to own here as he is seeing the field before Shorts as the main slot receiver in Houston's first two preseason contests. In fact, one could argue that Miller outscores fellow rookie Will Fuller in PPR leagues with his role as the underneath guy in coach Bill O'Brien's offense.

Fallers:

PlayerTeamJuly ADPCurrent ADP+/-
Josh DoctsonWas121.1153.0-31.9
TJ JonesDet297.6321.2-23.5
Robert WoodsBuf189.8212.2-22.4
Eddie RoyalChi292.1312.9-20.8
Jermaine KearseSea212.4230.5-18.1
Stevie JohnsonSD233.8251.6-17.9
Chris HoganNE139.0156.3-17.3
Jamison CrowderWas231.0246.2-15.2
Jeff JanisGB213.9228.7-14.8
Torrey SmithSF101.8114.9-13.1
Kendall WrightTen190.0201.6-11.6
Jaelen StrongHou274.6286.1-11.4
Kamar AikenBal133.0144.1-11.1
Leonte CarrooMia290.8301.6-10.9
J.J. NelsonAri275.6285.4-9.8
Phillip DorsettInd128.3137.9-9.6
Sammie CoatesPit144.4152.7-8.3
Sterling ShepardNYG88.096.2-8.2
Darrius Heyward-BeyPit311.4319.0-7.6
Rashad GreeneJax321.9329.4-7.5
Mike WallaceBal140.9148.2-7.3
Devin FunchessCar157.6163.7-6.1
Seth RobertsOak261.5267.4-5.9
Vincent JacksonTB117.6123.1-5.5
DeSean JacksonWas79.084.4-5.4

Josh Doctson (-31.9), Jamison Crowder (-15.2), DeSean Jackson (-5.4)
Washington receivers are going through a reverse scenario of the above 49ers, and like those three out west, it's not all warranted. Doctson, obviously, is being dinged for his inability to get on the field.  The talented first rounder in April's NFL Draft has been dealing with an achilles injury, leaving his availability for week 1 in doubt. His competition, Crowder and Jackson, should probably not be slipping down draft boards as a result.

Sterling Shepard (-8.2)
The Shepard market is correcting a bit after his stock soared from early camp reports of his route running ability and likely starting role. Shepard, though, has only caught one ball in two preseason games and will always have somewhat limited upside as the No. 2 to Odell Beckham. A bit of a low ceiling, high floor prospect.

Torrey Smith (-13.1)
Smith's value has been all over the place since the end of 2015. After the 49ers hired Chip Kelly, Smith's stock began a steady climb from the 13th round range toward the top-100 overall. Now, after not showing much production through two exhibition games with sub par quarterback play from Blaine Gabbert, Smith has settled back into the 9/10 turn area. This is likely where his ADP will stabilize, which could turn out to be a bargain with the potential negative game scripts and volume in San Francisco.