The Wide Receiver position is hands down my favorite position to analyze in fantasy football. With the other positions you might see a half a dozen names show up that surprise you throughout the season. With the WR position, new names can "Wow!" you on a weekly basis. Guys like Jakobi Meyers can carve out their own special place in the fantasy football industry. One-week-wonders like Sammy Watkins will have the fantasy football community roaring in debate and have fantasy managers hedging their bets for weeks to come, betting on just one more huge week. I love that non-household names become part of household conversation amongst football fans everywhere. That, amongst other reasons is why I absolutely love the WR position.
One major benefit of being a WR nerd is that I have had success in my own drafts targeting WR's later in drafts who end up being great draft day values. Drafting a WR in the 4th or 5th round that winds up finishing in the top 8 is quite literally a league winning pick. These picks happen year after year. Here are my top 24 WR's plus a few more names I am targeting in all of my drafts.
WR 1's:
WR 1 | Davante Adams
No comment
WR 2 | Stefon Diggs
You'd be hard pressed to find a player who made the fantasy football community look dumber than Stefon Diggs did in 2020. After being traded to the Buffalo Bills, Diggs was off many peoples' draft board, myself included. After seeing what Stefon Diggs looks like in an alpha WR role, Diggs finds himself being drafted amongst the fantasy football elite. Rightfully so.
WR 3 | Tyreek Hill
Cheetah's evolution as a wide receiver in the NFL has been quite impressive. Initially known for his speed, HIll has established himself one of the best WR's in football. He also happens to be linked to the best QB in football. Hill's consistency week to week has been a concern in the past, but no one in the league has the ability to break a game quite like Tyreek Hill.
WR 4 | Calvin Ridley
Calvin Ridley enters 2021 as 'The Guy' on his team with the departure of Julio Jones. Even with Juilo there, Ridley still produces elite fantasy numbers on a pretty consistent basis. I am very confident in Calvin Ridley's ability to finish as a top 5 WR in 2021 because in 2020 he played 7 games where Julio Jones wasn't on the field at all, proving that when his number is called, he is more than capable to rise to the occasion, even if that occasion is filling a void left by a future Hall of Fame WR.
WR 5 | DeAndre Hopkins
D-Hop proved that even in an air raid system he still deserves a ridiculously high target share, receiving 160 targets in his first season as an Arizona Cardinal. AZ brought in some fresh faces to bolster that receiving room, but factoring in the fact that Hopkins is no longer 'the new guy in town', he enters 2021 with legit potential to be the WR 1 overall when it is all said and done.
WR 6 | Justin Jefferson
Justin Jefferson's rookie campaign was quite literally the most impressive season by a rookie WR we have ever seen. Jefferson found himself in conversations next to some NFL greats while he shattered rookie WR records along the way. Entering year two, it's hard to find flaws in the 22 year old's game. In fact, he might even take it to another level in 2021 with TE Irv Smith Jr. on IR due to a likely season ending injury.
WR 7 | Keenan Allen
In 2020 Keenan Allen was an absolute target magnet for then rookie QB Justin Herbert, racking up 147 targets in just 14 games. Speaking of games played, this is now the 4th consecutive year that Keenan Allen as played in 14+ games, making him one of the most reliable WR's in the league.
WR 8 | CeeDee Lamb
CeeDee Lamb has been an offseason darling after being one of the biggest beneficiaries of the 'Hard Knocks Bump'. For about half the summer Lamb was making highlight worthy catches at practice on what seemed like a daily basis. Disclaimer: I have never watched Hard Knocks, and CeeDee Lamb has been a top 15 WR for me all offseason. With my ranking of CeeDee Lamb inside my top 10 WR's, I am obviously calling for Lamb to supplant teammate Amari Cooper as the WR 1a for the Dallas Cowboys. Lamb will simply be too good not to target.
WR 9 | Terry McLaurin
F1 has proven over his first two seasons in the league that there is nothing he can't do. He can win on short & intermediate routes with surgical route running and YAC ability. He can also take the top off of opposing defenses with amazing speed and a spectacular contest catch rate. Entering year three, McLaurin looks to continue building his impressive NFL resume with his first career finish as a top 10 WR in fantasy football.
WR 10 | Allen Robinson
Allen Robinson's career has been defined by his ability to overcome poor QB play. Entering 2021, Robinson will likely have the opportunity to catch passes from two QB's who are better than any other that he has played with in the past. Andy Dalton will begin the year as the Bears' starter. Dalton has proven he can & will latch on to a WR. When Justin Fields takes over, Robinson's game could be taken to a whole new level.
WR 11 | AJ Brown
Had it not been for the Julio Jones trade earlier this offseason, AJ Brown was in serious consideration for my WR 1 in 2021. The acquisition of Julio Jones (assuming health) cannot be ignored. The biggest negative for Brown is obviously overall market share. Jones has averaged 132 targets per season throughout his career. This means that Brown likely won't be seeing that 150+ target season that many had hoped for. Nonetheless, Brown has proven himself as one of the most dominant WR's in football. He is a threat to score each and every time he touches the football, meaning that double digit TD's are well within his range of outcomes in 2021.
WR 12 | DK Metcalf
DK Metcalf is arguably the greatest physical specimen in the NFL today. He is a freakish combination of size, power and pure speed. The reason he is a back-end WR 1 for me is simply because the Seattle Seahawks' old school, run the ball mentality which they seem to commit to year after year. This caps Metcalf's upside because his production will likely hinge on whether or not the Seahawks are playing from behind or not. If Seattle finds themselves in a lot of shoot-outs this year, Metcalf's ceiling is scary high.
WR 13 | Diontae Johnson
Yep, I'm gonna include Diontae in my WR 1's. If you let Diontae's drops scare you off of drafting him in 2021 you will soon regret that decision. Despite the mistakes and injuries in 2020, Diontae Johnson earned 144 targets. Diontae Johnson saw 10+ targets in 10 games last season. That, my friends, is what we call elite volume. I have been a Diontae Johnson stan since he entered the league in 2019. Athletically, he comps eerily similar to former Steelers great, Antonio Brown. Watching his game develop over time, he could very well turn into another Antonio Brown-esque player. I know I just compared Johnson to an all-time great. No, I don't regret it. #DiontaeWR1Szn is upon us.
WR 2's:
WR 14 | Amari Cooper
WR 15 | Julio Jones
WR 16 | Cooper Kupp
WR 17 | Robert Woods
WR 18 | Tee Higgins - Higgins should lead a pass-happy Bengals team in most major statistical categories in 2021 as he looks to build off of an impressive rookie season.
WR 19 | DJ Moore
WR 20 | Laviska Shenault Jr.
WR 21 | Chris Godwin
WR 22 | Brandon Aiyuk - Aiyuk will have to share some of the work he received as a rookie with returning starters who missed a good amount of time in 2020, but that doesn't take away from how GREAT Aiyuk was in 2020. WR 22 is his floor. Top 15 is well within his reach given his talent.
WR 23 | Mike Evans
WR 24 | Chase Claypool
Sleepers:
Terrace Marshall Jr. - No secret here. Marshall is one of the fantasy football community's favorite breakout candidates. Marshall has been utilized all over the offensive formation in an effort to ensure that Marshall is game ready week 1. One of my favorite stashes late in drafts.
Bryan Edwards - As Twitter's resident #BryGuy, I couldn't be more excited for the opportunity that lies ahead of Bryan Edwards in 2021. Edwards was initially expected to compete for snaps with veteran, John Brown. Just a few weeks ago Brown was released at his own request. This all but guarantees that Bryan Edwards has earned himself a role in this offense.
Dyami Brown - I have been banging the drum for Dyami Brown all offseason. Curtis Samuel is struggling to bounce back from a groin injury, aggravating his injury again just before week 1 kicks off. This opens up a HUGE opportunity for Dyami Brown. Brown was one of the nations elite deep threats in college, but make no mistake, he can do much more than win deep. Brown is a player to keep an eye on in the absence of Curtis Samuel. He may carve out a role and not give it back.
D'Wayne Eskridge - Eskridge was drafted in the 2nd round by the Seattle Seahawks. There has been little to no buzz on Eskridge throughout camp which could be a cause for concern. Despite that fact, Eskridge was one of the most explosive WR's in college football during his time at Western Michigan. Playing alongside two tremendous deep threats in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Eskridge has every opportunity to carve out a role in the slot. His ability to create after the catch plus the fact that he will be catching passes from Russell Wilson make him a unique weapon who virtually no one is talking about.
Tyrell Williams - The Lions are going to be bad, but negative game scripts happen to be a good thing for WR's. Tyrell Williams sits atop the Lions depth chart which means there should be plenty of opportunity ahead of him. Bad NFL teams can still produce good fantasy players if these players receive enough volume. Williams should see plenty.
Bold Predictions:
- Diontae Johnson finishes the season as a top 12 WR
- Laviska Shenault Jr. finishes the season as a top 20 WR
- Bryan Edwards outscores Ja'Marr Chase and finishes as a top 36 WR
- Terrace Marshall Jr. leads Panthers in TD's and finishes the season with more fantasy points that Robby Anderson
- Dyami Brown retains starting job in Washington even after Curtis Samuel returns to the lineup