14 Under-the-Radar PPR Wide Receivers

Point-per-reception (PPR) fantasy football leagues are exciting because they give owners an opportunity to find under-the-radar receivers who can put their teams over the top.

PPR rankings really should not be drastically different than standard fantasy football rankings. Save for some elite possession receivers like Wes Welker and pass-catching running backs like Darren Sproles, most players have relatively similar values in both leagues.

But there are a few unheralded possession receivers who will see their stocks boosted in PPR because they will have more passes thrown their way. Those players are obvious candidates for this list. 

There are also a few younger wideouts who could have breakout years in both PPR and standard leagues, and those players find themselves on this list as well.

In PPR leagues, owners can also try to find good value by simply looking at which offenses throw the ball a lot and drafting lesser-known players from those teams.

It can also be beneficial to find previously average receivers who have an inside track to move up the depth chart and see an increase in targets, because more targets typically means more receptions.

Here are 14 under-the-radar wide receivers who could excel in PPR leagues this season.

Brandon Gibson

Brandon Gibson got a little lost in Miami's free-agent frenzy this offseason, but he gives second-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill an athletic, reliable target up the middle. 

The 25-year-old had 51 catches and five touchdowns in 2012 while leading the entire NFL in first-down and touchdown conversion percentage. 

The Dolphins' West Coast offense got a lot more dangerous this offseason and I expect Tannehill to throw the ball more than he did in his rookie campaign. Chris Perkins of the Sun-Sentinel has also highlighted some of the rave reviews Gibson is already receiving during training camp.

Kendall Wright

Not many people realize that Kendall Wright tied Justin Blackmon for the most receptions in the NFL by a rookie last year, catching 64 passes while appearing in 15 games and starting only five.

The 20th overall pick was not as explosive as anticipated but showed solid hands and great instincts, which make him valuable in a PPR league. 

This year he has a new offensive coordinator in Dowell Loggains, a creative offensive mind who is expected to give Wright a big role in the Titans' new offense. 

Aaron Dobson

Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Aaron Hernandez and Danny Woodhead are no longer Patriots, and Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski started training camp on the PUP list.

Tom Brady will still throw the ball plenty this year, and those receivers have to be replaced somehow. Danny Amendola may take the lion's share of Welker's targets, but that still leaves a lot of passes to go around.

Look for rookie Aaron Dobson, a second-round pick out of Marshall with underrated playmaking ability, to step up right away. He is not overly explosive, but has phenomenal hands and is elusive in space, making him an ideal fit in New England's offense. 

Rueben Randle

Rueben Randle is one of my favorite sleepers at any position in all league formats this season. The second-year receiver out of LSU could be one of the breakout stories of 2013.

He had a modest 19 catches for 298 yards in his rookie campaign, but he is set for an expanded role after a solid offseason, according to Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News.

Hakeem Nicks has battled with injuries throughout his career, and Randle is just one strain or twist away from a starting role. But Randle can still be a very productive fantasy producer as Eli Manning's third receiver. 

Donnie Avery

After being drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2008 draft, Donnie Avery bounced around the league, struggling to stay healthy and reach his potential.

Heading into this season, Avery finds himself fully healed and in a favorable situation as a member of the new and improved Kansas City Chiefs, featuring a new quarterback in Alex Smith and a new head coach in Andy Reid. 

Smith is an accurate passer, and Reid helped smaller, Avery-sized receivers like Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson succeed in Philadelphia. The Chiefs' No. 2 starting receiver spot is wide open, and I am confident that Avery will step in and take over that role. 

DeAndre Hopkins

DeAndre Hopkins was overlooked during his time at Clemson and has flown under the radar even after being selected 27th overall in April's draft.

He possesses an NFL-ready skill set and has a very good chance at locking up the No. 2 receiver spot opposite Andre Johnson. The fact that his own coaches have been praising him already can only mean good things for his rookie season. 

Bleacher Report's own BJ Kissel does a fantastic job explaining just how much Hopkins brings to the Texans' offense. 

Anquan Boldin

In an ironic twist, Anquan Boldin now plays for the team that he defeated in this year's Super Bowl. But the former Raven and current 49er is actually in a good situation for PPR value.

With Michael Crabtree out for most—if not all—of the season after tearing his Achilles, there is a huge hole at the top of San Francisco's depth chart.

Boldin is an experienced possession receiver who will take advantage of Colin Kaepernick's ability to rifle the ball into tight spaces, and he could end up leading the team in targets in 2013.

Andre Roberts

Andre Roberts had an extremely quiet 64 receptions in 2012, just seven fewer than star teammate Larry Fitzgerald, even while playing significantly fewer snaps. Keep in mind that he caught those 64 passes from the likes of Ryan Lindley, Kevin Kolb and John Skelton.

With Carson Palmer now under center, new head coach Bruce Arians calling the shots and a better offensive line, Roberts should see more quality passes thrown his way. 

Michael Floyd is such a popular "sleeper" pick that his stock has become too inflated. Roberts has already proven that he can be a consistent playmaker and remains the safer selection.

James Jones

The Green Bay Packers have had one of the league's most productive passing attacks with Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback. 

Donald Driver and Greg Jennings are both gone, and Jordy Nelson also just underwent knee surgery, which doesn't seem to be serious but could give James Jones a bigger workload.

Jones is coming off a season in which he posted career highs with 16 starts, 64 catches, 784 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns. His touchdowns will assuredly drop, but he could get 64 catches again, making him a viable play in PPR.

Golden Tate

Golden Tate was a prime candidate for this list after Percy Harvin announced he needed to undergo hip surgery that would keep him out for three to four months.

On top of Harvin's injury, Sidney Rice went to Switzerland to undergo non-surgical treatment to help with his patellar tendonitis, and Zach Miller's foot has been hampering him for a while.

Even though neither of those injuries seems to be extremely serious, Tate should get a lot of opportunities this fall. He's going into a contract year as well, which should give him even more motivation to take hold of the added responsibility. 

Emmanuel Sanders

With Mike Wallace taking his talents to South Beach, Emmanuel Sanders will step right into the No. 2 receiver spot behind Antonio Brown.

Ben Roethlisberger always produces quality fantasy wide receivers, and this year should be no different. Sanders is coming off a career-high 44-catch season as the Steelers' third receiver.

The fourth-year wideout told ESPN in an interview that Pittsburgh expects 70 catches and 1,000 yards for him this season and that he expects the same of himself. If he can even approach those numbers, he'll be a steal in any PPR league. 

Andrew Hawkins

The Cincinnati Bengals throw the ball a lot more than anyone realizes—Andy Dalton had 528 attempts last year—and three receivers combined for a massive 62.6 percent of the team's targets.

A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham were the obvious most targeted players, but Andrew Hawkins had just 14 fewer targets than Gresham on his way to a sneaky 51-catch season.

Similar to the situation in Arizona, where Andre Roberts is competing with popular sophomore "sleeper" Michael Floyd, Hawkins will have to battle with 2012 third-round pick Mohamed Sanu. But Hawkins is a lot more reliable at this point, and he is more valuable in PPR.

Jason Avant

After Jeremy Maclin went down with a torn ACL, Riley Cooper initially stepped up and took the reins as the No. 2 receiver, which was extremely short-lived.

Chip Kelly's new offense is expected to be pretty run-heavy, but there are still a lot of passes to go around and a receiver other than DeSean Jackson has to catch some of those passes.

Jason Avant has been the picture of consistency since 2010, recording 51, 52 and 53 catches in the past three seasons. There is no reason to think he won't match and potentially exceed those numbers.

Nate Burleson

Last season, Matthew Stafford threw 727 passes, shattering the NFL record for attempts. There can be a lot of value in drafting receivers on teams like Detroit who throw so often.

Nate Burleson is a prototypical possession receiver who has been very productive in the past. He actually averaged over seven targets per game in 2012, but only played in six contests due to a broken leg.

Titus Young is gone, and Ryan Broyles is recovering from his second torn ACL in as many years, so Burleson has a great opportunity to increase his productivity.