The wide receiver position in fantasy football has been one of the more hotly debated topics in recent seasons. The depth at receiver and amount of consistent scoring led to the advent of the "zero running back" draft strategy.

Utilizing that approach Sam Hubbard Jersey , you would refrain from selecting a running back in the early stages of your draft while loading up on the upper tier of receivers to bolster your roster. What we have seen recently in the NFL is more teams starting to employ balanced and traditional run-based attacks. This change in philosophy has thrown a wrench into fantasy drafts regarding wideouts. As we head into 2018, drafts are once again very running back heavy early on, pushing receivers that we are used to seeing in the first round back into the second round and beyond.

The top tier of WRs is made up of the very elite. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh) could be considered in a class all his own, but inside this superstar group you also have players such as Houston's DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. of the Giants. Brown has led receivers in scoring the last several seasons by a wide margin, but Hopkins and Beckham are two that could close the gap and have first round draft value.

The next grouping is made up of players that will likely be taken during the second round of drafts. Players like Michael Thomas (New Orleans) and Keenan Allen (Chargers) provide solid floors but have the intrigue of an insanely high ceiling as well. Atlanta's Julio Jones and Cincinnati's A.J. Green are stars from previous seasons, but is their time beginning to come to an end? Possibly, but they are still safe enough bets to bring you WR1 production. Davante Adams of Green Bay is the wild card among this group. Playing with Aaron Rodgers vaults his value and the touchdown production is there.

From Mike Evans (Tampa Bay) down to Golden Tate (Detroit), you'll find players in the next range during Rounds 3 and 4 that can give you a mix of points-per-reception (PPR) league value as well as touchdown scoring in standard leagues. T.Y. Hilton of Indianapolis and Denver's Demaryius Thomas find themselves back in this conversation as their quarterback situations have greatly improved from a year ago. Vikings receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs could have even better years in 2018 with the arrival of Kirk Cousins.

You have injury concerns with players like Allen Robinson (Chicago) and Alshon Jeffrey (Philadelphia). Players like Browns wideout Jarvis Landry, Rams receiver Brandin Cooks and Baltimore's Michael Crabtree find themselves in new homes in hopes of making a significant fantasy impact. The potential is there for each of them, but they could struggle at times. Players in this grouping are being drafted between Rounds 5 and 6, a point where you certainly need the value but you can also swing for a bit of upside as well.

In the next tier, you start to see players that will be flex options or even matchup plays in given weeks. You have the upside of players like Corey Davis (Tennessee) Jeremy Kerley Jersey , Chris Hogan (New England) and Sammy Watkins (Kansas City). But even those receivers come with questions and concerns. Can they avoid the inconsistencies that have plagued them in previous seasons? Other players in this group have been disappointments. Those names include Randall Cobb (Green Bay), Devin Funchess (Carolina) and DeVante Parker (Miami). With WRs in this range, just know there will be weeks of poor play. But they can also give you matchup-winning performances if started in the right scenario.

Sterling Shepard of the Giants, Miami's Kenny Stills and Buffalo's Kelvin Benjamin are players that can provide safe floors in production but rarely have huge games that get you excited to put them in your lineups. Will Fuller of Houston and Nelson Agholor of Philadelphia are complete wild cards. They can both have big games or disappear for weeks at a time. Jordy Nelson (Oakland), Allen Hurns (Dallas) and Marqise Lee (Jacksonville) are players that don't jump off the page. They could be worthy of flex consideration but most likely they will be bench guys for you with matchup plays in mind.

As you get into the double digit rounds, you can find the player that is getting undervalued that hits and becomes a weekly staple for you, leading to wins. You will start to see the rookies really come off the board later with a lot of talk surrounding WRs like Anthony Miller of Chicago, Denver's Courtland Sutton and Pittsburgh's James Washington in the preseason. The hype surrounding these rookies will greatly affect their average draft position, so if you like the player be prepared to jump earlier than usual.

The names you will see as you finish your draft off won't give you that tingly feeling, but they will be quality receivers that can provide depth on your bench. Some may catch fire and find themselves firmly implanted in your lineup rotation, others could fall flat. The good thing is that you don't waste much value in these later rounds, making these receivers expendable if they aren't up to par.

Ultimately Chase Daniel Jersey , you may keep hearing about how the wide receiver position is deep. Don't buy into that. This position is very top-heavy with upper echelon players and can quickly fall off as you go through your draft. The best fantasy owner is one that isn't fazed by curve balls being thrown their way during a draft. They are fully prepared for what comes, either good or bad.

ROTOEXPERTS TOP 15 WR

Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans

Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants

Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks

T.Y. Hilton Eric Ebron Jersey , Indianapolis Colts

Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

A.J. Gre

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda is expected to face fellow countryman Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels for the first time in their major league careers Friday night in the series opener at Angel Stadium.

The Dodgers (47-39) have won four in a row to climb eight games over .500 for the first time this season. They moved two percentage points ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks (48-40) for first place in the National League West after Arizona lost its series opener at the San Diego Padres 6-3 on Thursday night.

The Angels (44-44) completed a 10-game road trip with a 4-1 loss against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night, dropping 12 games behind the Mariners for the second wild card from the American League. They’ll try to avoid falling below .500 for the first time since losing their season opener.

Ohtani, who turned 24 on Thursday, is in his first major league season after playing for the Nippon Ham Fighters the previous five years. He began this season as a right-handed pitcher and designated hitter and was having success as a two-way player until he was placed on the disabled list June 8 with a grade 2 sprain of his right ulnar collateral ligament.

He received stem-cell therapy and a platelet-rich-plasma injection to help heal the ligament without surgery, and was activated Tuesday before the Angels opened the three-game series against the Mariners.

Maeda, 30, pitched in Japan for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp from 2008-15 and faced Ohtani a few times, but told the Southern California News Group earlier this week that he considers this a new challenge.

“The image I had about him as a hitter has changed, so my approach to the way I pitch to him will change,” Maeda said through an interpreter. “I’m just going to approach it as if I’m facing a new hitter.”

Maeda (5-5, 3.36) has pitched well since mid-May Dre Kirkpatrick Jersey , when he didn’t allow a run in back-to-back starts against the Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies.

His past two outings have been nearly as good.

Maeda blanked the Chicago Cubs for seven innings in a 2-1 victory June 25, and then allowed three runs (two earned) and five hits over seven innings in a 3-1 loss to the Rockies on Saturday.

Maeda has made two career starts against the Angels and is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA. He threw seven shutout innings in his last appearance against Los Angeles on June 27, 2017 and the Dodgers won 4-0 at Dodger Stadium.

The starting lineup the Angels used against Seattle right-hander Mike Leake on Wednesday is a combined 3-for-25 off Maeda. Angels catcher Martin Maldonado is hitless in eight at-bats against Maeda, which may open the door for rookie Jose Briceno to get his first start since Sunday.

Angels rookie right-hander Jaime Barria was originally scheduled to start the series opener against the Dodgers, but was moved up to Thursday after left-hander Tyler Skaggs went on the 10-day disabled list with a right adductor strain, becoming the 10th starter for the Angels to go on the DL this season.

Felix Pena (1-0, 3.71 ERA) will make the start for the Angels and try to continue his transition from relief pitcher to starter.

He has made two career appearances against the Dodgers, both out of the bullpen covering three scoreless innings overall.

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