Packers: Davante Adams is the No. 1 wide receiver for fantasy football

You’re on the clock. Many of the elite fantasy running backs are off the board, but you have the choice of every wide receiver. Who should you make your team’s WR1 for the 2019 season? Look no further than Davante Adams.

Name a more consistent wide receiver in fantasy in 2018 than Adams. I’ll wait. According to FantasyData.com, in PPR scoring (point per reception), the Green Bay Packers‘ star pass catcher had at least 16 fantasy points in every game he played in 2018. He offered as safe a floor as any player in the league, but he also had a sky-high ceiling, putting up 24 or more fantasy weeks in four games, including 35.2 in Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers.

As a result, Adams finished as the No. 2 wide receiver in PPR scoring, according to Fantasy Pros. And he did so despite the fact the Packers offense struggled throughout the season and the team won just six games.

Now imagine Adams in a fresh, more creative offense led by Matt LaFleur in 2019, and Adams could be set for even more incredible fantasy numbers.

The targets will still be there. Aaron Rodgers likes to lean on receivers he trusts, and Adams has become his go-to target. Without Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, Adams is far and away the most experienced receiver on the roster.

And he also happens to be among the best to play the position in all of football. No receiver can match Adams’ dominant release. But don’t just take my word for it. All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore tweeted that “Adams has the best release game”. Another All-Pro, safety Tyrann Mathieu, tweeted that Adams is a top-two route-runner in the NFL. That’s high praise from two defensive backs who have played against Adams.

Opportunity is key in fantasy football, but when that is paired with elite talent, you have found a star on your roster. Adams’ ability to get open on just about every play will ensure the ball keeps coming his way, and if LaFleur can help the Packers offense reach its potential, it could be a high-scoring unit, which will only help Adams.

Already one of the best red-zone threats in football with double-digit touchdown catches in each of the past three seasons with a total of 35 in that time, if the Packers are able to move the ball and sustain longer, scoring drives, Adams’ opportunities will increase.

Antonio Brown has long been the consensus number one receiver in fantasy, but with JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s breakout season in Pittsburgh, Brown finished fifth at the position in PPR scoring. And now with a move to Oakland, it’s hard to imagine the soon-to-be 31-year-old will finish 2019 in first place.

DeAndre Hopkins is easily a top-three WR, particularly in PPR, and he could be the first receiver off the board in many drafts. A case can also be made for superstar receiver Odell Beckham, who finally gets good quarterback play in an exciting young offense in Cleveland.

Adams, Hopkins and Beckham likely make up the top-three choices at the wide receiver position for 2019, but for me, Adams gets the slight edge.

We know what to expect from Hopkins — he’s an elite receiver and a superstar in fantasy. Beckham’s ceiling is higher this year with the Browns, but he has missed 16 games over the past two seasons, perhaps the only concern moving forward.

Adams has missed three games in the past two seasons. And considering the elite, consistent production he has put up in the past two years — one without Aaron Rodgers for nine games, and the other with a struggling Packers offense — there is plenty of excitement about how he could dominate in LaFleur’s offense this year.

All three wide receivers will make for great choices in fantasy drafts, but Adams has the potential to be the WR1 in 2019.