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2016 Fantasy Football Tiered Wide Receiver PPR Rankings (August)

Welcome to the next round of analyzing our 2016 fantasy football rankings here at RotoBaller, as our best and brightest have put their minds (and numbers) together to drop some serious knowledge on the world. The rankings come from Nathan Powell, Zach Wilkens, Nick Mariano, Frankie Soler and myself, Bill Dubiel.

This will be an in-depth look at the wide receiver PPR rankings, where we’ll analyze some tiers and check in on some polarizing names and trends as draft season descends upon us. More in-depth breakdowns by position will follow for both standard and PPR formats, so don’t touch that dial after this episode ends!

First order of business - for those that want to play along, you can also click here to access our rankings assistant page (for all types of formats). I've pasted the entire table in this article below, but it's a long list. Our handy rankings tool shows you all of our staff rankings, player news, ADPs, tiers, target rounds and more. You can easily filter, sort, and export all sorts of ranks – standard, half-PPR and PPR leagues, tiers, rookies, dynasty formats, keeper values and more. It's all in one place, and all free.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

2016 Wide Receiver PPR Rankings Analysis (August)

Tier One

There isn't a ton to say about the guys in the top tier--they're the unquestioned best at the position, and in a PPR format they're all as safe as you can get with a first-round pick.

DeAndre Hopkins is the newest face to this tier (from previous years), but he's certainly earned the promotion. He turned a whopping 111 catches into 1,521 yards and a studly 11 touchdowns with a cavalcade of crap quarterbacks throwing him the ball. Brock Osweiler is unproven, sure, but he can't possibly be worse than Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallet, T.J. Yates...I think they had a Jugs machine out there spitting balls into the air for one game. The 11 touchdowns might be a bit ambitious for 2016, but the volume will be there for NukDaBomb come hell or high water.

Tier Two

Just about everybody in this tier has the potential to break into the top 10. I love A.J. Green this year again, as he should see Nuk-type volume in the Bengals offense. Andy Dalton took a big step forward last year, and if he and Green get 16 games together he should push for the top five.

I likely won't end up with Alshon Jeffery in any leagues this year, simply because of his injury history. He's a stud receiver, but with so many soft tissue injuries in the ledger I'm looking for a safer pick in round two. Speaking of, Jordy Nelson should bounce right back as a hands-down top-10 receiver a full year removed from ACL surgery.

Tier Three

These guys all have big ceilings, but each one carries some inherent risk. I actually think Brandin Cooks is the safest bet in this bunch, with Drew Brees as his quarterback and a near-guarantee for 9-10 targets per game. After a slow start he finished 2016 with a WR1 line of 84-1,138-9, and I think that's right around where his floor is in 2016. He's just 22, so there is plenty of room for growth as well.

I can't get over the lack of a quarterback for Demaryius Thomas, and I won't be drafting him at all this year. He suffered from bad quarterback play last year and still turned in a 105-1,304-6 stat line. DT is truly a great receiver, but with Mark Sanchez as the best-case scenario I just don't want to risk a second-or third-round pick on him. I'm all about safety, and I just don't see it this year.

Tier Four

Just like Jordy, Randall Cobb should bounce back in 2016--he can't be much worse than he was in a primary role last year. The reason he ranks this low has to do with the candidates for the WR3 role. Davante Adams, Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis all could see targets at different points in the year, and it will be Cobb who loses them.

I want Kelvin Benjamin higher on this list really, really badly. However, my colleagues seem to disagree. I have Benjamin as a locked-in to-20 wide receiver this year, as I believe the situation is simply too good for him not to succeed. In his rookie season he put up 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns on 73 receptions, and that was in a year in which Cam Newton had the lowest yardage totals of his career. Newton also played with one ailment or another in most of the games that he did play in as well, so who knows how high Benjamin's ceiling truly is. I'll tell you who--come January, WE will.

Tier Five

I thought Doug Baldwin would end up higher in these ranks, but apparently my colleagues agree with me. I need to see the production a bit more before I invest a higher draft pick on Baldwin. If he picks up where he left off in 2015, then you can Tweet me @Roto_Dubs and let me hear it. I'm placing his ceiling at around 1,000 yards with five or six touchdowns, which barely justifies his current fourth-round ADP (FantasyPros.com has him at #47 overall).

On the other side of that coin, I think DeVante Parker has a sky-high ceiling. Actually, sky-high might be a bit generous--his ceiling will depend largely on whether or not the Dolphins give Ryan Tannehill enough time to get the ball downfield. For an in-depth look, check out my breakdown of Parker here.

Tier Six

I believe John Brown is the heir-apparent to Larry Fitzgerald's seat atop the Cardinals WR depth chart. My colleagues have Michael Floyd ranked higher, but I think Brown is the one you want at his current ADP (FantasyPros.com has him at #64 overall). Floyd has struggled with drops in his career, and while he's definitely the bigger touchdown threat at 6'3" I'd rather have Brown's (likely) higher volume.

Allen Hurns is an interesting flex play in 2016 as the number two WR in the Jacksonville offense. Blake Bortles improved in leaps and bounds last year, and while the volume will likely decrease with the Jaguars defense being better (meaning fewer shootouts) Hurns is still a premier deep ball threat. Bortles isn't afraid to uncork it, and Hurns may still approach double-digit touchdowns if he can stay healthy.

Tier Seven

This tier is made up mostly of guys with a bunch of potential who are either poised for a breakout or have the skills to do so. Kevin White has been blowing people away at Bears camp so far, and I envision him having a year similar to Alshon Jeffery's breakout 2013 campaign. While I don't see him matching Jeffery's 1,421 yards, White could definitely rake Jeffery's role as the dynamic young complement to Jeffery's dominant veteran. Assuming his health, I think his floor is 900 yards and five or six touchdowns in a Bears offense that will be without Matt Forte carrying the run game.

Sterling Shepard is currently working as the starter opposite Odell Beckham, Jr. even though Victor Cruz is apparently healthy enough to participate in camp, and I think that's no mistake. Shepherd is light on his feet and has incredible hands, and should carve out at least 75 catches in the slot for Ben McAdoo.

Tier Eight and Beyond

Just some quick notes on the lover-level guys:

--Can you just get healthy, Breshad Perriman? There is literally nobody challenging you for the WR1 job in Baltimore besides the corpse of Steve Smith.

--I'm all-in on Sammie Coates this year. I think he's going to beat out Markus Wheaton for the starting spot opposite Antonio Brown, and in that role he should catch 70 balls and approach 900 yards.

--Chris Hogan will likely be the main beneficiary of a Julian Edelman injury, and as such I plan on snagging him with a late-round pick. He'll put up a few flex-worthy weeks as the second or third wide receiver anyway.

--Brandon LaFell might have a low-end fantasy role as the second option in the Bengals new-found passing offense, but you can definitely wait to get him on the waiver wire.

 

Tiered Wide Receiver PPR Rankings

Tier Player Overall
1 Antonio Brown 1
1 Odell Beckham Jr. 2
1 Julio Jones 4
1 DeAndre Hopkins 5
2 A.J. Green 7
2 Dez Bryant 10
2 Allen Robinson 12
2 Jordy Nelson 16
2 Alshon Jeffery 18
2 Brandon Marshall 19
3 Mike Evans 20
3 Keenan Allen 21
3 Demaryius Thomas 22
3 Brandin Cooks 25
3 Amari Cooper 27
3 Julian Edelman 29
3 Sammy Watkins 31
4 Randall Cobb 32
4 T.Y. Hilton 33
4 Golden Tate 34
4 Jarvis Landry 35
4 Kelvin Benjamin 39
4 Jeremy Maclin 43
5 Jordan Matthews 47
5 Eric Decker 50
5 Doug Baldwin 51
5 Larry Fitzgerald 52
5 Emmanuel Sanders 55
5 Michael Floyd 56
5 Devante Parker 60
5 Donte Moncrief 64
6 John Brown 67
6 Allen Hurns 68
6 Michael Crabtree 73
6 DeSean Jackson 76
6 Marvin Jones 82
6 Tyler Lockett 83
7 Kevin White 85
7 Josh Gordon 86
7 Corey Coleman 88
7 Dorial Green-Beckham 94
7 Laquon Treadwell 98
7 Markus Wheaton 103
7 Stefon Diggs 104
7 Steve Smith 105
7 Willie Snead 106
7 Tavon Austin 108
7 Torrey Smith 109
7 Sterling Shepard 112
7 Travis Benjamin 115
7 Josh Doctson 116
7 Vincent Jackson 119
8 Michael Thomas 123
8 Devin Funchess 125
8 Kendall Wright 136
8 Mohamed Sanu 138
8 Nelson Agholor 144
8 Kamar Aiken 146
8 Breshad Perriman 147
8 Terrance Williams 149
8 Pierre Garcon 151
8 Rishard Matthews 153
8 Phillip Dorsett 156
8 Sammie Coates 166
8 Will Fuller 169
8 Ted Ginn 170
9 Rueben Randle 174
9 Mike Wallace 177
9 Jeff Janis 179
9 Victor Cruz 182
9 Tyler Boyd 186
9 Chris Hogan 194
9 Davante Adams 196
9 Danny Amendola 198
9 Justin Hardy 199
9 Steve Johnson 200
9 Jamison Crowder 207
9 Kenny Britt 211
9 Jaelen Strong 214
9 Brandon LaFell 219
10 Anquan Boldin 223
10 Seth Roberts 227
10 Brandon Coleman 230
10 Robert Woods 231
10 Jermaine Kearse 240
10 DeAndre Smelter 243
10 Brian Quick 244
10 Eddie Royal 247
10 Cole Beasley 250
10 Ty Montgomery 252
10 Pharoh Cooper 254
10 Leonte Carroo 256
10 Nate Washington 257
10 Philly Brown 280
10 Brian Hartline 288
10 Braxton Miller 289
10 Marques Colston 293
10 Marqise Lee 296
10 Cody Latimer 303
10 Albert Wilson 307
10 Chris Conley 308
10 Cecil Shorts 311
10 Kenny Stills 316

 

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Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




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