In fantasy football, wide receivers have become as dominant, if not more, than running backs in the past ten years because of the rise of points-per-reception (PPR) leagues. A more average wide receiver with less yards and less scores can be as productive as a wide receiver with more yards and more scores because of the number of receptions they haul in during a season. Players like Stefon Diggs and Jarvis Landry helped their fantasy football stock in that way.
Also, there is a ton of turnover. If you look at least season’s rankings, you will be surprised by how many names do not appear below or which players have moved up and which have moved down.
As most fantasy football leagues are twelve-team leagues, we’ll focus on the top twelve wide receivers, then rank the next best twelve and so on, until we reach wide receivers who’ll likely need an injury to become relevant outside of the bye weeks. Outside of the top thirty-six, there is no such thing as a sure thing with wide receivers this season.
The ranking below is for non-PPR fantasy football leagues. To the right of each player’s name, would be how they rank in PPR leagues (points-per-reception) IF different from their ranking in non-PPR leagues.
An asterisk to the right of a player’s name denotes an injury or off-the-field issue at the time of writing.
1. DeAndre Hopkins Texans
2. Julio Jones Falcons
3. Davante Adams Packers
4. Michael Thomas (5) Saints
5. Odell Beckham Jr. (6) Browns
6. Keenan Allen (9) Chargers
7. Mike Evans (8) Buccaneers
8. Tyreek Hill(7) Chiefs
9. JuJu Smith-Schuster(4)Steelers
10. T.Y. Hilton (15) Colts
11. Amari Cooper (10) Cowboys
12. Brandin Cooks (16) Rams
The ‘cream of the crop’ of fantasy football wide receivers. These are players expected to haul in 1,300-plus yards receiving, with at least three expected to top 1,500 yards. At least five will top 100 receptions on the season. DeAndre Hopkins is assuredly a top-five fantasy football draft pick in all formats and Julio Jones orDavante Adams will likely sneak into the top five in PPR leagues.
13. Stefon Diggs (12) Vikings
14. Antonio Brown Steelers
15. Julian Edelman(11) Patriots
16. Adam Thielen (13) Vikings
17. Robert Woods Rams
18. Tyler Lockett (20) Seahawks
19. Kenny Golladay(19) Lions
20. Cooper Kupp (18) Rams
21. Chris Godwin (21) Buccaneers
22. Calvin Ridley Falcons
23. A.J. Green* Bengals
24. Tyler Boyd Bengals
A few of the above players are no stranger to the fantasy football wide receiver rankings. Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, and Julian Edelman look like sure bets to finish at least in this second tier. The rest are in good situations and have the talent to finish this high. A.J. Green is expected to miss half the season. So, depending on your risk aversion, he could fall down the rankings further.
25. DJ Moore (26) Panthers
26. Christian Kirk (25) Cardinals
27. Mike Williams (32) Chargers
28. Robby Anderson Jets
29. Allen Robinson Bears
30. Alshon Jeffery Eagles
31. Dede Westbrook (27) Jaguars
32. Will Fuller V (34) Texans
33. Curtis Samuel Panthers
34. Sterling Shepard (31) Giants
35. Sammy Watkins Chiefs
36. Marvin Jones (38) Lions
Here are potential breakthrough fantasy football wide receivers. Among this group, DJ Moore and Dede Westbrook are intriguing. On the rest, they are players who will likely have good weeks but be held back by other great wide receivers on their team.
Among this group, be cautious of Alshon Jeffery. He’s been notorious for missing games due to soft tissue injuries.
37. Corey Davis Titans
38. Dante Pettis (37) 49ers
39. Tyrell Williams Raiders
40. Jarvis Landry (36) Browns
41. M. Valdes-Scandling (42) Packers
42. Donte Moncrief (41) Steelers
43. DeSean Jackson (40) Eagles
44. John Brown (43) Bills
45. Courtland Sutton (44) Broncos
46. Larry Fitzgerald (41) Cardinals
47. Geronimo Allison (45) Packers
48. Anthony Miller (46) Bears
In this fantasy football group, various issues surround the wide receivers which include quarterback talent (John Brown) or other good wide receivers on the roster (Chris Sutton).
49. Kenny Stills Dolphins
50. Devin Funchess (48) Colts
51. Emmanuel Sanders(47) Broncos
52. Michael Gallup (53) Cowboys
53. M. Boykin (54) Ravens
54. J. Washington (55) Steelers
55. A. Wilson (50) Dolphins
56. Golden Tate (52) Giants
57. D. Hamilton (51) Broncos
58. N. Harry (56) Patriots
59. Josh Gordon (60) Patriots
60. Mohamed Sanu(59) Falcons
These are fantasy football wide receivers with a lot of talent expected to have the occasional breakout game. Michael Gallup is a great late round pick as he is ostensibly the Cowboys second receiving option behind Amari Cooper.
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