Wide receiver has become the dominant position in all of fantasy football, as young players like Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb (to name a few) are lighting up the stat sheets. Unfortunately, NFL teams looking to make a major splash at the position will find it difficult to accomplish, as the free agent market is a bit weak heading into the 2023 offseason. With that said, making a big splash trade these days can help fill a void. Look at what Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill did for their respective new teams. Oh, and let’s not forget about the A.J. Brown impact.
One of the bigger names that will be on the market this offseason is Odell Beckham Jr. Once an elite wideout, OBJ has played in just 21 games since 2020 due to a pair of ACL reconstructions, the last one coming after Beckham was injured in Super Bowl LVI as a member of the Rams. He did look good at times as a member of the eventual NFL champs, scoring 13-plus points in four of his eight regular-season contests. But overall, he averaged a modest 10.9 points in a passing game that lacked a No. 2 wideout after losing Robert Woods earlier in the season due to an ACL tear of his own.
Still, OBJ will draw interest from several teams looking to resurrect his career. Can he still make a fantasy impact? That remains to be seen, but here are five teams who could be in the market for a wide receiver and could give Beckham a look.
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Kansas City Chiefs
The Super Bowl champions lack an alpha wide receiver (not that it mattered last season), but imagine acquiring Beckham in the offseason? With JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman slated to become free agents, Kansas City could land OBJ in a “the rich get richer” move. Imagine Beckham catching passes from Patrick Mahomes in an Andy Reid offense? It’s enough to give Chiefs and fantasy fans statistical chills.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens always seem to need an alpha wide receiver, right? As a result, they’d probably be interested in the former fantasy star. The jury is still out on Rashod Bateman as a pro, and their top wideout from 2022, Demarcus Robinson, is a free agent. Assuming the team retains Lamar Jackson, Beckham would be a WR3 option in an offense that might not be so run heavy under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
Top Five Fantasy Landing Spots: Aaron Rodgers | Jimmy Garoppolo | Saquon Barkley | Tony Pollard | JuJu Smith-Schuster | Miles Sanders | Derek Carr | Lamar Jackson | David Montgomery | Josh Jacobs | Jamaal Williams | Kareem Hunt | DeAndre Hopkins | Tee Higgins | Michael Thomas
New York Giants
Reunited and it feels so good? The Giants are still licking their wounds from the Kenny Golladay disaster, and they need wide receivers in a big way. Remember, the team traded Kadarius Toney, and Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton are set to become free agents, so OBJ would come right in and become a targets machine. He would give Daniel Jones a true No. 1 option at wide receiver back in the Big Apple.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys traded away Amari Cooper last offseason hoping that Michael Gallup would pan out as a No. 2 wideout. It didn’t happen. If Dallas truly wants to help Dak Prescott and improve their offense in a division that proved to be one of the NFL’s best, grabbing another playmaking receiver to pair with CeeDee Lamb is a must. Dallas was also mentioned as a team that might have added OBJ late last season.
New England Patriots
The Patriots could lose Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor as free agents, so they might be looking to free agency for a wideout. OBJ could come right in and be that No. 1 option in the passing game for Mac Jones and would pair pretty nicely with DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton. There are questions about Jones and the quarterback position, but the Patriots have a big need at wideout to fill for 2023.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business to help you win a fantasy championship!
