Dynasty Tiered Rankings and Analysis - Wide Receivers

July 1, 2021

Tiered rankings and analysis for dynasty league wide receivers. Pierre Camus breaks down RotoBaller's WR ranks for 2021 dynasty and keeper fantasy football leagues.

Wide receivers are the staple of any good dynasty team. Attrition keeps attacking the running back position more and more each year. Those in non-Superflex leagues can get by with one good quarterback. At wide receiver, you'll need at least three solid players to form the core of your squad for years to come.

Below you'll find RotoBaller's consensus dynasty WR rankings for fantasy football following the 2021 NFL Draft along with detailed analysis on key players. These will be updated throughout the preseason so bookmark our NFL rankings page for the latest moves.

When you're done here, check out our tiered RB Rankings Analysis.

Dynasty WR Rankings

Tier One

Is Davante Adams still the WR1 in dynasty? Not in my eyes. The Aaron Rodgers drama is only part of the issue. An almost assured regression in TD rate is another. He's still a top-10 dynasty startup pick for me as of now so it's more about the fact I have someone else higher...

DK Metcalf is only 23 years old, coming off a 1,303-yard sophomore season, and is only getting better. He has elite size and speed, is tied to an elite quarterback, and has little competition for targets. Looking ahead, it's easy to see a path to 1,500 yards and double-digit touchdowns for the next decade.

I wasn't quite as high as my fellow dynasty rankers on A.J. Brown before the Julio Jones trade and now my WR7 stance on him is reaffirmed. Brown is a superb talent and YAC monster, although his YAC/R dropped from 8.9 to 6.2 in his second season. The problem is that he simply isn't part of a high-volume pass attack and I believe what we've seen from Ryan Tannehill so far is his ceiling. This isn't a diss to anyone on the Titans offense in any way, including Brown. I simply view Brown as a more volatile receiver than players like Hopkins or Diggs.

Wide Receivers Who Are Trending Down

Chris Godwin falls to WR15 after jumping into the top-five during the 2020 preseason. The hype on Godwin may have been too much but don't get too down on him. Despite suffering a broken pinky and missing four games for various injuries, Godwin ranked as the WR15 in fantasy points per game. That makes his ranking seem spot-on but consider that he's younger than the three receivers ranked just ahead of him and has the GOAT as his quarterback for another five years. Godwin won't join the ranks of the top-tier receivers again but he also shouldn't be discounted too much.

Kenny Golladay can no longer be justified as a top-20 dynasty receiver after moving to the Giants. No matter what you think about Daniel Jones, there's no way to convince yourself it's anything but a downgrade from Matthew Stafford. Youth is no longer on his side either, as he'll turn 28 by midseason.

There are a lot of moving factors when assessing Golladay in dynasty but the bottom line is he is a sell. @DynastyZoltanFF recently posted a great informational thread on this topic worth reading:

Quick Kenny Golladay thread...

Golladay has had one great season in his career. 65 catches, 1,190 yards, 11 touchdowns in 2019.

However, this was really a tale of two seasons - 8 games with Stafford, and 8 games without.

— Dynasty Zoltan (@DynastyZoltanFF) June 28, 2021

The selection of CeeDee Lamb halted Michael Gallup's ascent to WR2 status in Dallas and in fantasy. His ranking falls to 45 among wide receivers but this is a situation to monitor closely. Gallup has been used as a one-trick pony thus far, posting an 11.8 aDoT because of mostly mid-range and long routes. His most productive games with Dak Prescott at QB came via the fly routes where defenses left him alone.

As long as he's the third of the trio in Big D, this can work. But he will be an unrestricted free agent after 2021 and it's unlikely the team pays to keep him around with the hefty contracts given to their current big three of Dak, Zeke, and Coop. It's possible he earns a bigger role elsewhere but that could also result in a worse offensive context.

Just when DeVante Parker finally joined the ranks of the fantasy-relevant with a breakthrough 2019 season with 1,202 yards, he turned back to a pumpkin, or at least the old version of himself. Many are quick to blame Tua Tagovailoa for all the Dolphins' woes but even with Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB, Parker wasn't as productive as the previous year. If anything, he should have feasted with no competition for targets. He now has Jaylen Waddle and Will Fuller ready to leap him on the pecking order. Parker belongs at the WR4 level.

The concept of a third-year breakout for wide receivers is antiquated now that rookies keep coming in to make an instant impact. Patience is running out for Mecole Hardman owners, however, as he did nothing in his second season to improve on his debut. He totaled 560 receiving yards despite not missing any games due to injury and saw his yards per reception plummet from 20.7 to 13.7 in 2020.

He's got elite speed and the perfect team context in Kansas City. The expected reports about how great he looks running in shorts throughout minicamp are out there. He just hasn't done enough to distinguish himself and he'll have to prove it on the field. Maybe Sammy Watkins leaving will free him up to take a leap forward. Or maybe he'll lose snaps to Cornell Powell.

Where The Top Rookies Rank

Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals - WR10

I'm not one to buy too deeply into rookies before they've taken an NFL snap. Chase was the clearcut top WR prospect but placing him immediately in the top-10 is extremely optimistic. The Burrow-Chase connection is a bit overblown, especially since there are already two excellent targets in Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.

DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles - WR24

The Heisman winner has a great chance to stand out immediately as Philly's top target. This offense will have a different look altogether with a full season of Jalen Hurts under center and a new coaching staff. Concerns about his measurement on the scale are a terrible reason to fade him in dynasty. It's also being underreported that Hurts and Smith were teammates at Bama in 2018, so that should count for something if it does for the other top wideouts in this class, right?

Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins - WR37

The gap between Alabama teammates Smith and Waddle is noticeable, especially considering Waddle was selected before Smith in the NFL Draft. Whereas Smith will be the top target from day one in all likelihood, Waddle joins a team with Will Fuller and DeVante Parker already in tow. He does have the previous chemistry with QB Tua Tagovailoa going for him.

His situation sounds awfully similar to Ja'Marr Chase if you think about it. The difference is that the Bengals have a leaky defense and will be a pass-first offense while the Dolphins have a stout defense and will be more conservative on offense. This makes Chase a lot more desirable in redraft but the difference shouldn't be nearly as big in dynasty.

Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens - WR46

How much higher could Bateman rank if he were on any other NFL team? His hands, fluid route-running, and YAC production placed him as my No. 2 rookie receiving prospect. I can't rank him above Smith or Waddle, however, given his landing spot. Our ranks aren't fading him as much as other sites and neither should you.

Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals - WR51

Opinions differ on whether Moore will step in as the WR2 for the Cards or simply become another decoy for DeAndre Hopkins. Dynasty owners don't seem to have learned after the letdowns of Christian Kirk and Andy Isabella, seeing as how Rondale Moore is going in the late-first or early-second round of rookie drafts. There is tangible upside but not the same type of ceiling as several other rookie receivers.

Elijah Moore, New York Jets - WR53

In a similar boat to Bateman, I'd be higher on Moore if he were in a better offense. His value is tied to Zach Wilson for the next few years so proceed accordingly based on how optimistic you are about that connection. Moore appears to be the type of pass-catcher that can thrive in any situation and I'll stand behind my projection of him pre-draft despite a personal disdain for the Jets. M-O-O-R-E!!!

I almost feel bad for the DBs in the AFC East who will be tasked with trying to stop Elijah Moore.

Almost.#Jets pic.twitter.com/XbmAT10q2H

— Play Like A Jet (@Playlikeajet1) June 26, 2021

Value Alert

Jerry Jeudy was hailed as the best route runner in the 2020 draft class. So why did he only catch 46% of the passes thrown his way? Drew Lock.

Jerry Jeudy in 2020:
? 26 uncatchable targets (Most)
? 24% of targets incomplete b/c of the QB (Highest % in the NFL)@Ihartitz on the unluckiest WRs of 2020 ⬇️ https://t.co/L37twPNWQJ

— PFF (@PFF) April 16, 2021

He technically wasn't the only QB to throw passes Jeudy's way but he was the primary one and actually the best. Teddy Bridgewater isn't getting anyone too juiced up these days but his accuracy is a clear step up from Lock. There's also the off chance Denver acquires Deshaun Watson or Aaron Rodgers, in which case you'll really wish you had Jeudy on your team.

If Trevor Lawrence is the real deal, then DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault are both being severely undervalued in the preseason. Ranked 34 and 42 respectively in our consensus, both are players to target in the trade market. Although I expect Chark to post slightly better numbers off the bat, Shenault has the better long-term outlook and is a player I recommend buying in all dynasty formats.

Henry Ruggs shouldn't have been the first wideout picked in the 2020 NFL Draft. Not many will argue against that point but that doesn't mean his career is destined for failure either. The Raiders just sent Ruggs deep much of the time, registering a 33% rate of targets on 'bomb' routes according to FootballOutsiders. Early word is that Jon Gruden will try to get the ball in his hands more often and let him use his speed in the open field. If that's the case, he could be an intriguing option available at a deep discount in dynasty given the draft stock Vegas invested in him and their deep desire to see him pan out.

More Dynasty League Strategy