Updated Fantasy Football Rankings: PPR Wide Receivers

September 4, 2021

Craig Rondinone updated fantasy football rankings for wide receivers and PPR scoring formats. Draft with these updated rankings, tiers and fantasy analysis.

Fantasy football rankings change as often as wide receivers change NFL teams the week before the season starts. The wide receiver merry-go-round is spinning quicker than Tyreek Hill does when he is breaking tackles in the secondary.

Some pass catchers are dealing with demotions, injuries or being cut, while others are finding higher spots on their teams’ depth charts, which may translate into higher fantasy values for them during the season. It is training camp madness out there, fantasy folks.

The rankings for wide receivers in PPR leagues have been greatly affected by what has gone on the past couple weeks, that is for sure. And that's why I'm here today, bringing your my take on RotoBaller’s updated fantasy football rankings for wide receivers in PPR leagues as we approach the final days of fantasy drafts before Week 1.

2021 Wide Receiver PPR Rankings

Tier 1

After leading all wideouts with 18 touchdowns receptions and averaging 10.6 targets and 98 receiving yards per game in 2020, Adams should be rated right where he is. Thank goodness Aaron Rodgers is sticking around in Green Bay with him for one more year or else Adams’ fantasy value would have taken a Ronnie Lott-like hit. The only complaint is he has missed at least one game in each of the past four seasons, but that is not enough to knock him out of the catbird seat.

Diggs led the NFL in receptions and targets last season while making Buffalo’s brass look like geniuses for trading for him. The Bills did little in the offseason to upgrade their pass-catching corps (Emmanuel Sanders and Jacob Hollister?), so Diggs should be peppered by Josh Allen passes all season long again. Only reason he is not No. 1 is he does not score the touchdowns Adams does.

Hill is the most explosive receiver in the NFL. He can go catchless for three quarters and then bless fantasy managers with a 78-yard TD in the fourth quarter. But his improved route running is what has helped him the most in PPR leagues. Hill is no longer just a one-dimensional big-play-or-bust receiver, although he was only ranked 17^th in receptions in 2020, which is why he is slotted third despite having Patrick Mahomes as his QB and scoring 37 touchdowns over the past three seasons.

Tier 2

Hopkins is so good that his 115-1,407-6 line in his first year as an Arizona Cardinal might have disappointed some of his fantasy managers since his touchdown total was his lowest since 2016. Offensive mastermind Kliff Kingsbury will get the ball into Hopkins’ hands inside the end zone this year more than he did last year, and Hopkins is a PPR monster considering he has averaged 103 catches per year over his last six seasons.

It will be interesting to see how Ridley does as Atlanta’s No. 1 WR now that Julio Jones has been shipped to Tennessee. While you might assume Ridley will have trouble getting open versus constant double teams, that was not the case last season. In the seven games Jones missed due to injury, Ridley racked up five 100-yard games.

Metcalf could have ended up as a top-3 fantasy WR last season if a bum ankle did not slow his super speed and reduce him to an average receiver down the stretch. No receiver in the league has the natural physical ability that he has. Can Metcalf be a 100-reception receiver like his teammate Tyler Lockett was last season? That is the one question holding this premiere playmaker back a bit in PPR formats.

Jefferson set the NFL rookie record for receiving yards with 1,400 last season, although let’s hope his preseason shoulder injury is not a precursor to a sophomore slump. While Adam Thielen doubled Jefferson’s touchdown total in 2020, Jefferson will not have to worry about tight end Irv Smith Jr. eating up more touchdowns and targets since Minnesota’s top tight end tore his meniscus and will miss most of the season.

Allen has shaken the injury-prone tag he earned earlier in his career (two missed games in last four seasons). He is more valuable in PPR formats thanks to his targets and touches (591 and 403 respectively) over that same sparkling four-year span.

Tier 3

Robinson was able to post 1,000-yard years with the likes of Blake Bortles and Mitchell Trubisky throwing to him, so he can be a fantasy force if Andy Dalton is Chicago’s starting signal caller for the first several games. What will be intriguing is how well Robinson can do if/when phenom Justin Fields takes the reins.

Calvin Ridley had no trouble being a fantasy force with Julio Jones on the opposite of the field, so Jones’ presence should not hurt Brown’s fantasy value this year, either. Brown’s breakaway speed and big body make him a matchup nightmare for cornerbacks. He could have had 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns if his ankles and knees did not hamper him so often.

McLaurin is so good he was able to post 87 catches for 1,114 yards with Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke as his quarterback foursome. Is 95 receptions for 1,350 yards possible with Ryan Fitzpatrick as his new battery mate? Maybe not, but McLaurin’s numbers have a better chance of going up then down.

Woods has Matthew Stafford throwing to him now, has less competition for targets than he has in years, and is coming off three consecutive seasons of at least 86 receptions and 129 targets. His lack of touchdowns and big plays makes him less attractive in other formats, but PPR plays to his strengths.

Tier 4

Lamb and Godwin are in similar boats and might sink or swim depending on how the target totals shake out in their respective receiving corps. I think Lamb has less bodies to overcome and the bigger upside between the two, so I would take him if I had to choose.

Johnson led Pittsburgh’s deep receiving crew with 144 targets in 2020. He is the best fantasy bet of the Steelers pass catchers, but with “Big Ben” Roethlisberger’s passes being divided between Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool, Eric Ebron and Pat Freiermuth, it is hard to envision Johnson having a 1,300-yard year.

Evans has been the picture of consistency during his career --- seven seasons, seven 1,000-yard years. His reception total has gone down due to Tampa Bay being blessed with so many talented pass catchers, but his TD total is still strong since Tom Brady looks for him first inside the red zone.

Tier 5

Cooper has had back-to-back 1,100-yard years in his first two full seasons with Dallas, but his fantasy needle is trending down in the eyes of many who see Lamb and Michael Gallup taking some of his targets. Having Dak Prescott back at the helm of the Cowboys offense definitely helps Cooper’s fantasy worth, though.

Kupp’s fantasy will probably go up slightly thanks to the quarterback upgrade of going from Jared Goff to Matthew Stafford. The jury is out on whether Moore going from Teddy Bridgewater to Sam Darnold as his QB is an upgrade or a downgrade.

The timing of Thomas’ offseason ankle surgery made his fantasy managers in keeper leagues just as angry as it did New Orleans head honcho Sean Peyton. It might cost him a month of games, but if we see the 2019 Thomas that dominated the NFL and not the 2020 incarnation that limped around catching seven-yard passes, it will be worth the wait.

The rest of the tier is split between longtime fantasy stalwarts who still produce great numbers but might be on the downside of their careers (Adam Thielen, Julio Jones) and young upstarts who might be on the verge of superstardom (Higgins, Jeudy, Aiyuk). I think Jones will want to prove naysayers wrong for thinking we have seen his best --- and the Atlanta Falcons wrong for trading him.

Tier 6

This is where fantasy managers can start taking some chances since they probably have their top two or three receivers on their rosters already. Golladay has to contend with a quarterback in Daniel Jones who has not exactly made the fantasy values of his receivers better in his early career, but Golladay could pile up 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns if he stays healthy and Jones can hit him when he is wide open.

Shenault is a sleeper because the injury to Travis Etienne in Jacksonville not opens up targets for him as a receiver, it opens up carries for him as a rusher. Shenault had 18 rushing attempts last season and might be in for double that this season.

I do not trust Beckham coming off another season-ending injury while jammed in a run-first offense with Jarvis Landry and three decent tight ends. I do not trust Davis (11 TD in four seasons) as a No. 1 WR even though the Jets paid him like he is one. Chase and Boyd are going to be in each other’s fantasy ways in Cincinnati, so not sure I trust either of them, either.      

Tier 7

Pittman has the most exciting skills out of Indianapolis’ mediocre receiving corps, and T.Y. Hilton’s neck injury now makes him the legitimate No. 1 WR in Indy. Pittman’s problem is that Carson Wentz rarely remains injury-free, so he might struggle mightily if Wentz is not on the field.

Smith has dynasty keeper/foundation player written all over his after his amazing college career. Let’s hope his fantasy value is not dragged down by Jalen Hurts, who seems to elevate the values of his tight ends more than his receivers.

I do not expect Fuller and Jones Jr. to do as well in their new homes as they did in recent seasons due to the situations both are in. In the latter’s case, I would definitely prefer going with Shenault or Chark over Jones if I had to choose a Jaguars WR.

Callaway clicked with new starting signal caller Jameis Winston during New Orleans’ preseason, so couple that with Michael Thomas missing the first four games and his name has been rising up fantasy draft boards. He was an undrafted rookie last season, though, so do not bank on him being a Thomas clone just yet.

Tier 8

Parker’s numbers were almost cut in half in 2020 compared to 2019 thanks to nagging injuries and inconsistent quarterback play. I expect him to bounce back and deliver No. 3 or 4 WR fantasy stats when he will likely be drafted as a WR5.

Hardman must prove he can be a home run hitter in Kansas City’s high-octane offense and not a slugger who strikes out all the time. Brown must prove he can be a 1,000-yard receiver on a team that throws the ball less than any team in the league. Ruggs must prove he can be Las Vegas’ No. 1 WR or else he will face the wrath of Jon Gruden (and fantasy managers)

Take a flyer on Thomas and pray he is back to his old self by Week 5 and is not the 2020 version where he was limping around the field catching Drew Brees’ seven-yard slants. He is a PPR demigod when his body is 100 percent and he could thrive with Jameis Winston throwing to him rather than Brees.

I love Tyrell Williams as a fantasy sleeper. Many will forget about him since he missed all of 2020 due to injury, but he is slated to be the No. 1 WR on what appears to be a god-awful team that will allow him to rack up meaningless yards and touchdowns when the Lions are nonstop throwing in the second halves of all the games they lose. Detroit releasing Breshad Perriman last week makes Williams even more inviting.

Tier 9 and Lower

You are not looking for steady veteran production here. No reason to settle for a 700-yard guy when you could use a low-round, low-risk draft pick or auction buck on a receiver who could be a boom. And if he is a bust, it is no loss --- just drop him for another WR on the waiver wire later in the season.

My faves in these lower tiers are:

A.J. Green --- He might now be a past-his-prime possession receiver now, but he could still muster 800 yards and eight touchdowns in Arizona's pass-often offense.

Gabriel Davis --- With John Brown no longer around, the door is Davis' to open if he wants to take advantage of the double teams Stefon Diggs gets and become Buffalo's No. 2 WR

Denzel Mims --- Despite having a training camp that would worry fantasy managers, Mims is one to watch since the Jets lack a true No. 1 WR and he showed flashes of brilliance when he finally got on the field last season. No downside to drafting him in the last round or two and praying for 800-1,000 yards.

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