It’s time to put a bow on the fantasy football rankings. IN previous articles we discussed the QBs, TEs, and RBs, now it’s time to get to the new premiere positions of fantasy football, the WRs, so, let’s get right into the Wide Receiver Rankings and tiers for the 2019 NFL season.
Once again, these rankings are in the order of my personal preference. If they are within the same tier, all should be around the same range from a fantasy point projections perspective. Feel free to choose the player of your choice.
Tier 1 – Elite Studs
DeAndre Hopkins – Houston Texans
Davante Adams – Green Bay Packers
Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons
Odell Beckham Jr – Cleveland Browns
Michael Thomas – New Orleans Saints
Tyreek Hill – Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Evans – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Antonio Brown – Oakland Raiders
Sometimes the #1 WR isn’t the best WR in the sport, that’s not the case here. Hopkins has proven in the past that no matter the QB, no matter the line, no matter the other weapons on the field. He will be THE GUY. The #1 target for the best QB in the league, Aaron Rodgers, will also produce big time numbers, routinely. Jones and Ryan have arguably the best connection in the league, except for when they’re in the red zone. Beckham goes to a team with a better line, better QB, and better weapons. He’s all-in.
Thomas is a shoe-in for around 1400 yards and 10 TDs, most of these guys are, it’s truly a stacked position. Hill has the highest ceiling in the group, but also the lowest floor with the danger of always getting suspended looming. Evans is a stud when Jameis Winston is the QB, he is this year, and that’s a great thing for Evans’ fantasy owners. Brown will take a hit in the rankings, rightfully so, but he’s still one of the 3 best WRs in the sport. That’s a hard thing to ignore.
Tier 2 – Top 10 Possible
Juju Smith-Schuster – Pittsburgh Steelers
Stefon Diggs – Minnestoa Vikings
Adam Thielen – Minnesota Vikings
Amari Cooper – Dallas Cowboys
Keenan Allen – Los Angeles Chargers
Brandin Cooks – Los Angeles Rams
TY Hilton – Indianapolis Colts
AJ Green – Cincinnati Bengals
There is a great debate to put Juju in that top group, I just want to see him do it for a 2nd year, and this time with all the attention. Digg and Thielen can really split the stats down the middle. They are both good, both huge parts of the offense. It does hurt them as if 1 of them wasn’t there, the other would be in the top group, but there I still plenty to go around with no real #3 WR on the team. Cooper is on the verge of a big year and could be playing for a contract. There’s no bigger incentive than that.
Allen is undervalued every year. He’s not flashy, but he will get you the numbers you need. Playing with a heavy passing offense is a great boost to his numbers. Cooks is very similar to Allen as he seems to just go everywhere, he is traded to, and puts up around 1200 yards. Very dependable player in fantasy. Hilton is Andrew Luck’s favorite target and if healthy, he will challenge to be a top 10 WR. Most would not put Green this high, but if he’s healthy, he’s still a great weapon in the league. Just don’t pick early.
Tier 3 – Starters
Calvin Ridley – Atlanta Falcons
Kenny Golladay – Detroit Lions
Robert Woods – Los Angeles Rams
Tyler Lockett – Seattle Seahawks
Julian Edelman – New England Patriots
Alshon Jeffery – Philadelphia Eagles
Mike Williams – Los Angeles Chargers
Tyler Boyd – Cincinnati Bengals
Ridley and Golladay is a great debate on who will be the next in line after some of the older WRs that are over 30 start to wind down. Ridley may get more targets while Golladay more TDs. It’s similar to the Antonio vs Julio Debate. Woods is someone I don’t really prefer to have, but he puts up numbers in an offense that throws the ball around like a hot potato. Lockett quietly had a big year last year and now with him being the clear #1, I expect similar numbers He’s a top 20 WR.
If you projected Edelman stats through the year last year, he would have been a top 10 WR. He’s a guy who you can get later, pencil him in, and never worry about it. Jeffery seems to be dealing with injuries every year, but when healthy, he’s still a beast. That Philly offense will be rolling this year, go with it. Williams will be Philip Rivers big WR, which means expect over 1000 yards and over 10 TD. I had someone convince me to put Boyd in here, his numbers deserve it, but can’t he do it again?
Tier 4 – Borderline Starters
Sterling Sheppard – New York Giants
Corey Davis – Tennessee Titans
Allen Robinson – Chicago Bears
Jarvis Landry – Cleveland Browns
Marvin Jones -Detroit Lions
Cooper Kupp – St Louis Rams
I think Sheppard is in line for a big season. He’s on a team that will be behind a lot and he can gobble up targets in the slot. Davis is putting on a show in camp this year and if he and Marcus Mariota get on the same page, watch out. Robinson had to fight through injuries last year, but this year, he starts with a clean slate, and a better offense. He’s still the #1, so he must be given respect.
Landry goes back to being the 2nd WR option and that may make his numbers even better. He will never be double teamed and still catches everything. Marvin Jones will be the forgotten man. He’s very consistent and if healthy, is a guarantee for over 1000 yards and around 8 TDs. Kupp is Jared Goff’s favorite target. He’s recovering from an injury, but don’t let him drop too far.
Tier 5 – Flex Starters
William Fuller – Houston Texans
Chris Godwin – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Adam Humphries – Tennessee Titans
Robby Anderson – New York Jets
John Brown – Buffalo Bills
DeSean Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles
Fuller seems to be always hurt, but when he plays, he adds an element to that Houston team that really makes their offense take off. His speed is elite. Godwin should be in a great positions as his battle for target went up with the loss of D.Jax and Humphries. Speaking of Humphries, he is looking like he will play the Edelman role for the New England, I mean the Tennessee Titans. Expect a lot of targets early.
Anderson is starting to make a believer out of me. I thought of him as just a straight-line runner, but he is turning into a solid football player. Has a chance to grow a lot with Sam Darnold. Brown will be a deep threat for the man with arguably the hardest throwing arm in the sport. He will have lots of bad games, but some great big ones. Similar to that, will be the man who made the high risk, high reward famous. As I mentioned earlier, that Philly offense could be flying around this year.
Tier 6 – Bye Week Replacements
DJ Moore – Carolina Panthers
Dante Pettis – San Francisco 49ers
Courtland Sutton – Denver Broncos
Emmanuel Sanders – Denver Broncos
Curtis Samuel – Carolina Panthers
Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals
Christian Kirk – Arizona Cardinals
Tyrell Williams – Oakland Raiders
This group is a weird group that even I have a hard time putting in order. The entire group could sit around 800-900 yards and 5-7 TDs. It’s a mix of young and old players as we all try our best to find out when the older guys will hand off the baton. Not sure if the young guys in this group are ready, so draft as a bye week guy and maybe you’ll get lucky.
Tier 7 – High Risk High Reward Players
Deebo Samuel – San Francisco 49ers
Parris Campbell – Indianapolis Colts
DK MetCalf – Seattle Seahawks
N’Keal Harry – New England Patriots
Michael Gallup – Dallas Cowboys
Terry McLaurin – Washington Redskins
Andy Isabella – Arizona Cardinals
Marquise Brown – Baltimore Ravens
This is a young guys group. Bunch of mostly 1st or 2nd year players that could make an impact, but it will be very hard to predict. Most WRs don’t hit their stride till year 3, so this maybe a year early for them. However, if you are in a keeper or dynasty league, this is the group you should be looking at for your future. Harry has the most long-term potential IMO, but guys like Samuel, Metcalf, McLaurin, and Brown may get a crack at the starting lineup earlier.
Tier 8 – Depth and Late Round Players
Geronimo Allison – Green Bay Packers
DaVante Parker – Miami Dolphins
Marqise Lee – Jacksonville Jaguars
Kenny Stills – Miami Dolphins
Anthony Miller – Chicago Bears
Donte Moncrief – Pittsburgh Steelers
DJ Chark – Jacksonville Jaguars
Ted Ginn – New Orleans Saints
This is a group of guys who will be in a prime position to help your team at some point, you just maybe too afraid to pull the trigger. Most of the time you will have injuries to try to derail your road to a fantasy football championship. These are the type of guys you have to pickup late in drafts to fill that void. They all will have a chance to be a starter and are an injury away from being a big-time midseason pickup, get them before they chance. You’ll thank me in the long run.
So, with that, you should be ready to fully go into your draft and wreck shop. The WR position is an extremely deep position. My recommendation is if you have a late 1st, don’t be afraid to skip RB till round 2. If you pick early, then I’d go RB-RB, which is a thin position, and get a WR in round 3 that you can probably get from tier 2. The most important advice I can give you for fantasy football is have fun, crack jokes, and go and beat everyone cause you followed Rankings and Tiers articles.
If you want fantasy advice during the season, you can reach me on twitter @pacman453323 or checkout my weekly fantasy podcast on youtube (information within my twitter).