Wide Receiver Draft Rankings - Standard Scoring

The first pick in fantasy drafts is always the elite running back. Whether it be in PPR leagues or standard, this is the case and for good reason. It is important to have an elite running back when they are available. But this doesn’t mean you should forget about the wide receiver position.

Sure, it is good to build up your depth at the running back position. They are more likely to get hurt and therefore need to be replaced more often. Don’t forget though, you normally play more wide receivers in your lineup. This is somewhat mitigated in standard leagues as the values are much closer, but the new standard for leagues is three WR and two RB.

One good thing about the receiver position is the depth you can acquire even in later rounds. Whereas running backs may be more of a flier in late rounds, a player like David Moore or Hunter Renfrow has an easier path to be valuable. Especially on bad teams who will need to pass to catch up in games. Let us now take a look at the standard tier rankings at Rotoballer.com and highlight some players to consider, or maybe not in some of those tiers - both early-round studs and late-round prayers.

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Updated Fantasy Football Rankings - Wide Receivers

Below are RotoBaller's consensus staff rankings for the 2019 fantasy football season. These rankings are compiled by Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Scott Engel, Bill Dubiel, Dominick Petrillo and Spencer Aguiar.

In case you missed it, our very own "Big Pick Nick" Mariano was the #11 overall most accurate industry expert ranker for the 2018 season, and #9 overall in 2017. Additionally, industry legend Scott Engel recently joined the RotoBaller team and provides his insights as well. Scott is an FSWA Hall Of Famer and award winner.

Position Rank	Overall Rank	Player Name	Position Tier	Overall Tier
1	5	Davante Adams	1	1
2	7	Julio Jones	1	1
3	8	DeAndre Hopkins	1	1
4	9	Odell Beckham Jr.	1	1
5	11	Tyreek Hill	1	2
6	13	JuJu Smith-Schuster	2	2
7	14	Michael Thomas	2	2
8	18	Mike Evans	2	2
9	23	Antonio Brown	2	3
10	25	Keenan Allen	3	3
11	27	Stefon Diggs	3	3
12	31	Adam Thielen	3	3
13	33	Brandin Cooks	3	3
14	34	Julian Edelman	3	4
15	39	Amari Cooper	3	4
16	41	Robert Woods	3	4
17	45	Chris Godwin	4	4
18	46	T.Y. Hilton	4	4
19	47	Tyler Lockett	4	4
20	50	Cooper Kupp	4	4
21	51	Tyler Boyd	4	4
22	52	Kenny Golladay	4	5
23	54	Allen Robinson	4	5
24	55	D.J. Moore	4	5
25	56	Alshon Jeffery	4	5
26	59	Mike Williams	4	5
27	61	Calvin Ridley	4	5
28	69	A.J. Green	5	5
29	70	Jarvis Landry	5	5
30	71	Josh Gordon	5	6
31	72	Robby Anderson	5	6
32	78	Corey Davis	5	6
33	79	Sammy Watkins	5	6
34	80	Marvin Jones	5	6
35	81	Sterling Shepard	5	6
36	84	Curtis Samuel	5	6
37	89	Dante Pettis	5	6
38	92	Will Fuller	6	7
39	95	Christian Kirk	6	7
40	97	Dede Westbrook	6	7
41	100	Emmanuel Sanders	6	7
42	101	Geronimo Allison	6	7
43	104	Michael Gallup	6	7
44	106	Donte Moncrief	6	7
45	108	Tyrell Williams	6	7
46	111	Larry Fitzgerald	6	8
47	112	Courtland Sutton	6	8
48	114	Marquez Valdes-Scantling	6	8
49	117	Anthony Miller	7	8
50	120	Keke Coutee	7	8
51	123	DeSean Jackson	7	8
52	129	Golden Tate	7	8
53	131	Kenny Stills	7	9
54	136	Daesean Hamilton	7	9
55	137	Albert Wilson	7	9
56	139	D.K. Metcalf	7	9
57	140	John Brown	7	9
58	141	James Washington	7	9
59	144	N'Keal Harry	7	9
60	146	Jamison Crowder	7	9
61	147	Devin Funchess	7	9
62	148	Tre'Quan Smith	7	9
63	151	Robert Foster	7	9
64	156	Adam Humphries	8	10
65	157	Quincy Enunwa	8	10
66	160	Mohamed Sanu	8	10
67	167	Trey Quinn	8	10
68	168	Marquise Goodwin	8	10
69	172	Mecole Hardman	8	10
70	177	Deebo Samuel	8	11
71	178	Rashard Higgins	8	11
72	179	Zay Jones	8	11
73	181	Devante Parker	8	11
74	182	Randall Cobb	8	11
75	185	Ted Ginn	8	11
76	189	Marquise Brown	9	11
77	191	Parris Campbell	9	11
78	195	Terry McLaurin	9	11
79	200	Travis Benjamin	9	11
80	203	Jaron Brown	9	11
81	207	Taylor Gabriel	9	11
82	212	John Ross	9	11
83	213	J.J. Arcega-Whiteside	9	12
84	215	Andy Isabella	9	12
85	217	Cole Beasley	9	12
86	218	Chad Beebe	9	12
87	220	Nelson Agholor	9	12
88	223	D.J. Chark	9	12
89	226	Miles Boykin	10	12
90	228	A.J. Brown	10	12
91	230	David Moore	10	12
92	232	Paul Richardson	10	12
93	233	Marqise Lee	10	12
94	240	Antonio Callaway	10	12
95	241	Danny Amendola	10	12
96	244	Brice Butler	10	13
97	245	Willie Snead	10	13
98	247	Josh Reynolds	10	13
99	249	Demaryius Thomas	10	13
100	251	Deon Cain	10	13
101	256	Equanimeous St. Brown	11	13
102	257	Phillip Dorsett	11	13
103	258	Cordarrelle Patterson	11	13
104	261	Breshad Perriman	11	13
105	263	Emmanuel Butler	11	13
106	268	Michael Crabtree	11	13
107	269	Jakobi Meyers	11	13
108	270	Hunter Renfrow	11	13
109	272	Maurice Harris	11	13
110	278	Jalen Hurd	11	14
111	283	Demarcus Robinson	12	14
112	284	Chris Conley	12	14
113	286	Josh Doctson	12	14
114	290	Keelan Cole	12	14
115	291	Trent Sherfield	12	14
116	292	Justin Watson	12	14
117	295	Chris Hogan	12	14
118	299	Trent Taylor	12	14
119	313	Keesean Johnson	13	15
120	314	Preston Williams	13	15
121	316	Ryan Switzer	13	15
122	320	Bennie Fowler	13	15
123	321	Diontae Johnson	13	15
124	322	Keith Kirkwood	13	15
125	324	Kelvin Harmon	13	15
126	325	Cody Latimer	13	15
127	330	Tavon Austin	13	15
128	332	Hakeem Butler	13	15
129	333	Emanuel Hall	13	15
130	336	Taywan Taylor	13	15
131	341	Jarius Wright	13	15
132	345	Seth Roberts	13	15
133	354	Alex Erickson	13	16
134	356	Chris Moore	13	16
135	367	Russell Shepard	14	16
136	372	Riley Ridley	14	16
137	379	J.J. Nelson	14	16
138	382	Jordan Matthews	14	16
139	385	Tim Patrick	14	17
140	387	Andre Roberts	14	17
141	389	Jakeem Grant	14	17
142	391	Darius Slayton	14	17
143	399	Kendrick Bourne	14	17
144	402	Juwann Winfree	14	17
145	404	Braxton Berrios	14	17
146	406	Jake Kumerow	14	17
147	409	Torrey Smith	14	17
148	416	Auden Tate	14	17
149	417	Chester Rogers	14	17
150	418	Allen Hurns	14	17
151	419	Stanley Morgan Jr.	14	17
152	424	Marcell Ateman	14	18
153	428	Keelan Doss	14	18
154	429	Dontrelle Inman	14	18
155	430	Deandre Carter	14	18
156	431	Aldrick Robinson	14	18
157	440	Ryan Grant	14	18
158	441	Gary Jennings	14	18
159	444	Cameron Meredith	14	18
160	447	Austin Carr	14	18
161	451	Laquon Treadwell	14	18
162	453	J'mon Moore	14	18
163	454	Isaiah McKenzie	14	18
164	458	Richie James	14	18
165	460	Jazz Ferguson	14	18
166	464	Cody Core	14	18
167	466	Scott Miller	14	18
168	467	Greg Dortch	14	18
169	468	Byron Pringle	14	18
170	470	Mack Hollins	14	18
171	481	Josh Malone	14	18
172	482	Justin Hardy	14	18
173	483	Deontay Burnett	14	19
174	484	Josh Bellamy	14	19
175	490	Tajae Sharpe	14	19
176	495	Noah Brown	14	19
177	497	Dylan Cantrell	14	19
178	498	Lil'jordan Humphrey	14	19
179	502	Brandon Powell	14	19
180	503	Eli Rogers	14	19
181	506	Zach Pascal	14	19
182	507	Damion Ratley	14	19
183	508	Chad Williams	14	19
184	513	Charles Johnson	14	19
185	514	Daurice Fountain	14	19
186	515	Marvin Hall	14	19

 

Tier One

There are only two players listed in tier one for the consensus ranks on Rotoballer.com. The first is DeAndre Hopkins and the second is Davante Adams.

Both are incredible players and should be the top two wide receivers in all formats for 2019. You will also be forced to take a mid-first-round pick if you want to get them. And you should be willing to do just this in your draft. With players like Ezekiel Elliott and Melvin Gordon holding out, Adams and Hopkins are both safer options when it is your turn to pick one or the other.

No matter which one you pick you cannot go wrong in this debate. Both are set to get monster workloads in their respective offenses and should be over 1,400 yards with double-digit touchdown receptions.

If you are looking for even the tiniest of tiebreakers the Green Bay offense should be somewhat better, so the slight edge goes to Davante Adams. But really, don’t agonize. Just close your eyes and choose. You will be happy either way.

Julio Jones is a stud and clearly the leader of this group. He will be close to the league lead in yardage and if he can recover some touchdowns with Dirk Koetter, he could easily finish among Adams and Hopkins in a tier above.

Tyrek Hill is another matter. He is a big-play receiver for sure. But if some of those big plays don't hit, he will bust based on rising ADP. Yes, yards are more important than receptions in standard leagues. But only having 75 receptions limits the upside of Hill. Although ranked in the consensus at WR4, there are many players below him who I would be more comfortable in taking at the same range.

 

Tier Two

Juju Smith-Schuster and Mike Evans, in the same tier, have the same potential for yardage and touchdowns and provide higher of a floor. If you are looking in this tier, it is hard to go wrong. But be wary of the man in Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes is set to regress a bit, and this means so are his weapons.

 

Tier Three

Two of the three receivers in the Rams offense reside in this tier. Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks will again have great seasons in Los Angeles. Even with Cooper Kupp back, the offense is explosive enough to have all of them finish in the top 20.

A big player to talk about in this tier is Julian Edelman. Some may think he takes a hit with the addition of Josh Gordon. But their games are totally different. Not only is Gordon a big-bodied downfield receiver but he will also draw coverages away from Edelman making it even easier for Tom Brady to find his favorite target. If he can get some open looks and gain yardage after the catch instead of employing the fire department motto of stop, drop and roll Edelman could find a huge amount of value in standard leagues to go along with his massive value in PPR formats.

The safest players in this tier are probably the teammates in Minnesota. Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen could cannibalize each other a bit. But even so they can still finish top-15 for your fantasy team. Both should have over 1,000 and should also reel in eight to 10 touchdowns. Kirk Cousins was not great last season. But with 30 touchdown passes he wasn’t bad either. In the second season together, all three of these players could take a further step up in production.

 

Tier Four

On the other hand, you have a player like T.Y. Hilton who is going to finish far worse than expected without Andrew Luck around.

There are many receivers to like in this tier but two stand out because of their opportunity.

Tyler Boyd in Cincinnati is going to be the man. A.J. Green is out for who knows how long. Tyler Eiffert can’t stay healthy either. This means whether by hook or by crook, Tyler Boyd will be force-fed the ball. The offensive line is just that. Offensive. This could and should limit the amount of run being given to Joe Mixon until they can figure this out. This means a big season, or at least start to the year should be in the cards for Tyler Boyd.

 

Tier Five

A lot of potential in this tier but not much actual production just yet from several young players. Some could break out, but figuring out who is the tricky part.

Robby Anderson and Sam Darnold had a strong connection during the final month of 2018. Anderson was the WR6 over this time. With a full offseason of work this relationship is only going to grow. Quincy Enunwa and Jamison Crowder are alright as underneath guys. But the big plays are going to go to Robby Anderson, and he should be a solid target in drafts.

With players like Josh Gordon, Corey Davis, Sterling Shepard and Curtis Samuel we have players who have been getting buzz this offseason. Add to this guy like Sammy Watkins and Dante Pettis and this tier is like AA baseball. They all look like the next big thing, but they need some work to pan out. If Josh Gordon is back and has his head on, he may have the highest upside. But he also clearly has the lowest floor for obvious reasons. Sammy Watkins is also intriguing if he remains on the field in the high-powered Chiefs offense.

All of these players could be worth a spot on your roster. But don’t go and overpay for any of them. Let them fall to you and take the one who presents the best value in the middle rounds as your WR3 or WR4.

 

Tier Six

There are two good answers when it comes to who to draft in this tier. The first is Dede Westbrook. The second is, whoever is the number two in Green Bay. My leaning is MVS and this would be my choice. But if you are drafting next week, it would be good to wait for the team reports to make sure.

As for Westbrook, he is the number one receiver in the Jacksonville offense. This may not seem like much, but all teams have to throw. At least they've upgraded their QB position somewhat. Plus, Nick Foles threw 40% of his passes last season to the slot receiver. Westbrook played over 90% of his snaps in the slot in 2018. This will be a match made in heaven. Or Duvall County which is far different than heaven. If there is a receiver this low in the rankings who could jump multiple tiers, it is Westbrook. By this time next season, he could be talked about as a top-30 receiver.

 

The Rest

There are a few guys later to also look at. As stated, the wide receiver position has a lot of talent and this is good as you use more of them on a weekly basis than any other position. Saying this let’s take a look at a couple of names later in drafts to keep an eye on.

David Moore is dealing with a shoulder right now. But when he comes back, he will be the number two receiver in Seattle. Everyone is in love with D.K. Metcalf, but rookie receivers do not usually do a whole lot. David Moore had some big plays with Russell Wilson last season and with Doug Baldwin gone and Tyler Lockett set for some regression, he could take a big step up.

Another player to keep an eye on is the “man” in Baltimore. I know the team is going to run but all teams need to throw some. This could lead to a late-round flier on Willie Snead having a chance to work out for you. Mark Andrews is a good sleeper tight end but the other player who had somewhat of a rapport with Lamar Jackson was Snead. This is more of a play in deeper leagues as none of the wide receivers should be drafted otherwise for the Ravens. But in deep 16-team leagues, or leagues with deep benches. Snead is worth a stash.

More Fantasy Football Analysis

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.