March 31, 2017

RotoBaller's Frankie Soler analyzes the top wide receiver (WR) rankings in points-per-reception (PPR) fantasy football leagues heading into the 2017 season.

If you caught our earlier pieces on either quarterback, running back, or tight end, you're privy to our early fantasy ranking analysis for 2017. I firmly believe in the philosophy that fantasy should be as fun as humanly possible so what better way than to start preparing early? It's time to take a look at RotoBaller's early PPR wide receiver rankings to see who's up, who's down, and who's right where they should be. Keep in mind that these rankings were done prior to NFL free agency so expect some updates coming soon as well as a big one right after the draft.

Early 2017 Wide Receiver Rankings - PPR Leagues

Tier One

1. Odell Beckham Jr, New York Giants
2. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaners
3. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
4. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

Welp, Antonio Brown is too low. I know, I know, I'm nitpicking with him being No. 4 but I still think he should be the top wide receiver off the board, especially in PPR. He was second in receptions in 2016 with 106. (More on who beat him by out by ONE later. That's called a tease.) Throw in being tied for second among WR with 12 touchdowns and fourth may be a stingy ranking. That said, the three ahead of him are all studs.

If Brown is low, that would mean Odell Beckham, Mike Evans, and Julio Jones are high right? Not really. Evans was tied with Antonio at 12 touchdowns, OBJ had the most yards out of the bunch with 1,367, and Julio Jones can throw up monster numbers in any given game. They're interchangeable as far as I'm concerned.

Tier Two

5. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
6. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
7. Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jordy Nelson and A.J. Green are appropriately ranked for me. Again, you can nitpick, and I'd take Green right after the top four, but it's all preference at that point. What is surprising to me, however, is that Allen Robinson is right on their trail. I understand that he has immense talent but Blake Bortles is crushing his fantasy value. Simply put, Bortles is a bad quarterback. Blake's own fantasy stats get padded in come-from-behind scenarios, sure, but that doesn't mean he's a good real-life QB. Robinson topped out at 883 yards and six touchdowns last year. Barring a fall, there is little chance he's on any of my teams in 2017.

Tier Three

8. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
9. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
10. Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders
11. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

The Dez Bryant, T.Y. Hilton, Amari Cooper, and Michael Thomas tier is another one of those "take your pick" scenarios. Now that Brandin Cooks is off to New England, I think Thomas deserves a bump up over Cooper and Hilton. Again, there's no hard and fast rule between any of these guys so it's fair to argue any cases you desire. I will say, though, that Dez Bryant isn't getting a fair shake by getting lumped into that bunch. He has enough talent to compete with the top four but he's had bad luck with injuries the last two seasons. Expect a strong bounce back from him. As for Hilton and Cooper, they face the unfortunate battle of having to compete with other receivers. Still serviceable in their own right.

Tier Four

12. Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks
13. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
14. Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles
15. Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
16. Brandin Cooks, New England Patriots
17. Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers 

Doug Baldwin, DeAndre Hopkins, and Alshon Jeffery are an interesting trio at 12-14. Baldwin is way too high for me. I know he puts up good reception numbers but I just don't trust that passing offense long-term. The line was shaky last year and the addition of Lacy seems like the team wants to go back to being ground and pound. Hopkins and Jeffery are correctly ranked for me. In fact, I'd argue Jeffery might be the biggest top-10-to-12 steal of fantasy drafts now that he's on a better team. Targets may be an issue but there's no doubt in my mind he's primed for an uptick in fantasy points. In the case of Hopkins, the Texans will certainly upgrade at QB, maybe even land Tony Romo. So there's no question he's in line for a bounce back as well.

Now it gets murky. Demaryius Thomas has his own quarterback issues yet Denver is also in the Romo race. No. 15 is a bit high for me but this is a ranking based on talent rather than situation so it's still justifiable. Brandin Cooks may seem low but the fact is his trade to New England is going to be way, way overstated. That's not an upgrade, folks. It's a lateral move for fantasy. The Patriots are better off in real-life NFL football but us fantasy folks are going to have to deal with the usual New England philosophy of spreading the ball around. Cooks won't be as useful in a PPR league as most would have you believe.

If Alshon Jeffery could be a top flight steal, Keenan Allen could be the biggest steal, period. People are going to look at his ACL and think the guy is injury prone. You just need to remember that his 2015 injury of a lacerated kidney was a fluke thing. That's not like a soft tissue injury or a major reconstructive surgery. It sucks but it's not a death sentence. He's going to bounce back in a huge way, especially in PPR where the Chargers aren't loaded at wide receiver. The ranking is fine but the expectations should be upped.

Tier Five

18. Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers
19. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
20. Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills
21. Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins
22. Michael Crabtree, Oakland Raiders

Kelvin Benjamin, Davante Adams, and Sammy Watkins are appropriately ranked as well. These are upside guys who need to be heavily involved in their respective offenses in order to be worth WR2 status. Adams was tied with Brown and Evans at 12 touchdowns and that number could be repeatable in Green Bay. I wouldn't bet on it, though. Watkins has injury woes, Benjamin has...woes in general. I think those two are worth more in dynasty than they are in re-draft leagues but again, these are upside plays at 18-20. Besides, we're talking about PPR here and none of those players are in line for huge targets.

Michael Crabtree needs to be locked in as a WR2 for next year. He's technically a WR2 in 12-team leagues at No. 22 but I'm not comfortable with that. He put up solid numbers last year that translated to high-end WR2 value. His 1,003 yards and eight touchdowns got the job done for a lot of fantasy players. He had more targets and more receptions than Amari Cooper. He gets a bump up in PPR for me, so 22 is too low.

Tier Six

23. Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings
24. Golden Tate, Detroit Lions
25. Rishard Matthews, Tennessee Titans
26. Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos
27. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
28. Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
29. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
30. Jamison Crowder, Washington Redskins

Time for the most overlooked stat in fantasy from last season. Larry Fitzgerald led the league in receptions with 107, two more than Antonio Brown. Facts are facts. The top-15 range is where he should be. I know he's lost a step but he hasn't fallen off a cliff just yet. Carson Palmer is his only weakness. It looks like I'm going to have a ton of shares of Fitz in 2017 due to his low ranking.

Lastly, this is pre-free agency so Sterling Shepard comes in at 28. Brandon Marshall doesn't crack the top-30 since his signing with the Giants came late so I'm guessing he'll jump Shepard post-NFL draft. Either way, both of those WRs should be within the top-30. It's crazy to think that the G-Men now have one of the best receiving corps in football but it is what it is. They need to be viewed as a potent passing offense so all three of their wide receivers deserve top-30 consideration.