Wide Receiver Standard Rankings - Tiers and Analysis

August 19, 2018

RotoBaller's August updated tiered wide receiver rankings for standard leagues in 2018. Justin Carter analyzes the WR tiers to help fantasy football owners in upcoming drafts.

The expert rankers at RotoBaller are committed to providing you with the analysis that you need to formulate a plan as you proceed through your drafts - regardless of whether you are participating in Dynasty, Redraft, or Best-Ball leagues. Our rankings also include tiers, in order to supply a more detailed breakdown on which players you should target for your rosters, along with others that you should avoid. We will also deliver updated rankings and positional analysis as the regular season continues its relentless approach.

This breakdown will focus on the wide receiver position in standard leagues, where you don't have to worry about how many catches a player will get and can instead worry about their raw production. With running filling up most of the first round this year, there's definitely value to be found at the wide receiver position later on in drafts.

Let's look at RotoBaller's standard rankings for WR. The whole top 120 is here, but I promise not to talk about every single one of them! Let's see how the rankings look as we enter the midway point of the NFL preseason.

Wide Receiver Standard Rankings

 
Tier 1

Antonio Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Odell Beckham Jr.

Three names make up our first tier of wide receivers and it's hard to find any quibbles with any of these names. There's going to come a day when Antonio Brown isn't the top overall wide receiver during draft season, but after leading the NFL in receiving yards last season -- the second time he's done so in his career -- Brown is the clear top choice and the only wide receiver who will break up the running back parade that most first rounds that I've seen so far have turned into.

Hopkins and Beckham are very different receivers -- Hopkins doesn't make the kinds of acrobatic, uber-athletic plays that Beckham does -- but both players have incredibly high ceilings. DeAndre Hopkins struggled in 2016 with Brock Osweiler under center, but he made his mark last year with Deshaun Watson and was still productive when Tom Savage was forced to quarterback the team. Beckham has his 2018 season cut short due to injury, but he had 1,300 or more yards in each of his first three seasons and has a strong rapport with quarterback Eli Manning.

Tier 2

Julio Jones, Keenan Allen, Michael Thomas, A.J. Green, Davante Adams

In 2015, Julio Jones led the NFL in receptions (136) and yards (1,871), but the past two seasons have featured a drop in the number of catches for Jones, with 83 in 2016 and 88 last year. He's upped his yards per catch numbers to keep up his raw totals in yardage (though he still fell over 400 yards short of his 2015 total last year). I have mixed feelings about how the addition of Calvin Ridley will affect Jones, but if it results in fewer targets then I'd feel better about most of the other receivers in this tier.

Keenan Allen's numbers from late November to early December were wild and helped Allen reach a career high in yards. Over a four game span, Allen had 39 receptions for 547 yards and four touchdowns. Expecting numbers like that on a consistent basis is unrealistic, but there's no reason to think Allen won't be the focal point of the Chargers offense again this year and put up numbers as good or better than last year.

Michael Thomas is going to get close to 150 targets from Drew Brees this year, which is reason enough to have him this high.

A.J. Green is the other guy in this tier that I'm not a major fan of. A career-low catch rate last season coupled with the fewest receptions that he's had in a season where he played all 16 games has me worried that Green finishes outside of the top 10 wide receivers this year.

I love Davante Adams this year. I was hoping that love would not be shared by the rest of the fantasy football universe, but it was! With Jordy Nelson gone, Adams takes over as the main receiver for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Did you know Rodgers has helped produce five seasons where his WR1 finished in the top five.

Tier 3

Mike Evans, Doug Baldwin, T.Y. Hilton, Tyreek Hill, Larry Fitzgerald, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs

Should you let the quarterback uncertainty in Tampa scare you? Yes. Should you be worried about Mike Evans because of his production last year? Sure. Is the player whose 2016 season was one of the best receiver campaigns in recent memory someone you should consider drafting this year? Yeah.

With Paul Richardson and Jimmy Graham gone, is anyone not named Doug Baldwin going to be able to make a reception this year for the Seahawks? We'll see. Baldwin might have more value in PPR on the back of all the catches he'll get from Russell Wilson that won't go for big yardage, but he's still a good standard play because of his opportunity.

T.Y. Hilton with a healthy Andrew Luck has four 1,000 yard seasons to his name. There's no reason to think that can't happen again and you're bound to see him fall a little in drafts that aren't filled with people who closely follow fantasy football since they'll just glance at last year's numbers. (I hope my home league isn't reading this right now.)

Tyreek Hill's big play ability always makes him a threat and he should find himself in looser coverage with Sammy Watkins across from him.

Fitzgerald is another year older, but I will never not believe in Larry Fitzgerald.

Amari Cooper really, really struggled last season. It was bad. 680 yards on 48 receptions isn't terrible if Cooper had just been some random receiver, but he was a hugely hyped player, expected to take the next step and become one of the NFL's best receivers. What do we think of him after that season? With Michael Crabtree gone, will he step up and have another 1,000-yard season? (Maybe, but I'm not drafting him unless he falls at least a full round below his current ADP.)

Stefon Diggs made that catch in the playoffs and it was so fun and exciting and then I remember that we're three years into Diggs career and he's yet to be fully healthy. He's got elite physical abilities, but I worry about it turning into upper echelon fantasy production.

Tier 4

Golden Tate, Adam Thielen, Demaryius Thomas, Allen Robinson, Alshon Jeffery, Brandin Cooks, Jarvis Landry, Josh Gordon, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marvin Jones, Sammy Watkins

Golden Tate is the main receiving option on an offense that features prolific passer Matthew Stafford. Sure, we can worry that the team's efforts to increase their usage of the run game hurts the passing attack, but I still view Tate as a very safe option. The same mostly goes for Adam Thielen, who might not have as much value as he would in PPR and won't be the guy asked to make the big plays down the field for the Vikings, but he's on a team that will pass the ball efficiently and he should rack up the yards again.

Demaryius Thomas is another year older and the addition of Courtland Sutton provides some intrigue, but I've still got him penciled in as the player I want from that offense.

Robinson is a big question mark for me because so much depends on Mitch Trubisky continuing to improve. He should, but I've been hesitant to grab Robinson in many drafts.

Alshon Jeffery, who is shockingly still just 28 years old, is dealing with a shoulder issue that could be serious enough to cost him regular season game. I'm avoiding that situation.

Brandin Cooks should be the number one option in L.A., but Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp are talented receivers and we saw last year what it looked like when Sammy Watkins was supposed to be the first option

Jarvis Landry and Josh Gordon. Landry should remain a PPR machine, but last year's NFL leader in receptions didn't cross 1,000 yards. How Cleveland uses him will matter, but at this price I think he's worth it in standard. Gordon...look, we know Josh Gordon. We've experienced so much with him. He has the talent to be a top receiver in the league and if he plays the full season, he'll show flashes of that, but Cleveland has a lot of mouths to feed. I think taking him as the 23rd receiver off the board is a fine move, but I don't expect it to be one of those moves that people look back on as a championship winning move.

As for JuJu Smith-Schuster, the WR2 on the Steelers offense in the Mike Tomlin-era has rarely put up the kind of numbers that Smith-Schuster's ADP suggests he should put up, with that player finishing in the top 30 in four of the last 11 seasons. Yes, Smith-Schuster's 2017 campaign was one of those four, but the addition of James Washington and the other pieces on Pittsburgh's offense that need the ball have me worried.

Jones had a really good 2017 season and helped provide a deep threat for the Lions. I don't think one of the young guys -- Kenny Golladay or T.J. Jones -- is going to jump him on the depth chart, but it is worth noting that last year was really Jones only good fantasy season. I'm still drafting him, but you never know.

Sammy Watkins caught just 39 passes last year and moves to an offense where the number two wide receiver last year, Albert Wilson, caught 42 passes. There are a lot of weapons in Kansas City that will need touches and there's no guarantee that Watkins is going to be productive. He's a risk that some are willing to take, but I hesitate any time I hover near his name in a draft.

Tier 5

Corey Davis, Marquise Goodwin, Michael Crabtree, Pierre Garcon, Robby Anderson, Devin Funchess, Jamison Crowder, Will Fuller, Emmanuel Sanders, Chris Hogan, Randall Cobb, Robert Woods

Corey Davis emerged in the playoffs, with nine receptions for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but questions remain. Is he ready to be the team's first option? Will Marcus Mariota fall back on the trust factor with Delanie Walker and Rishard Matthews? Will Mariota bounce back from a disappointing 2017 campaign? Lots of questions with Davis, but if he is the top option in Tennessee he should outperform his ADP.

Ahh, the classic "one of these guys will emerge as the main threat" conundrum between Goodwin and Garcon in San Francisco. My money is on...yeah, I actually keep changing my mind on this. Goodwin brings his speed -- he is the 100th percentile at his position in the 40-yard dash -- and big play ability. Garcon brings a veteran presence and some sure hands. I lean Garcon because Jimmy Garoppolo doesn't have much starting experience and could use a guy like Garcon to help him out.

Michael Crabtree was good in Oakland. He's the top receiving option in Baltimore now and look...we can talk about how Joe Flacco isn't very good, but Crabtree is ranked as the 29th receiver. Flacco's number one target has finished a season lower than that spot just twice.

Anderson, Funchess, and Crowder all can end up as top options on their teams and sneak into the top 20 by the end of the season, but all the guys also are dealing with challenges from other receivers. Of the three, give me Crowder.

Will Fuller should have 40 touchdowns on 40 catches with Deshaun Watson healthy based on last year's usage, but that obviously won't happen. Still, IF Watson plays 16 games, Fuller's ability as a deep threat make him a great pick.

Sanders continues to slide. I think he's got some value left this season, but a lot of that depends on Courtland Sutton's development and Case Keenum looking like 2017 Case Keenum and not like every other year of Case Keenum.

Chris Hogan? Sure. Patriots don't have that clear cut number one guy at receiver this year, but Hogan showed a ton of promise last year and should see a lot of usage.

Cobb and Woods are second options on offenses that should pass the ball a lot. Great picks at this spot.

Tier 6

Cooper Kupp, Sterling Shepard, Allen Hurns, Nelson Agholor, Julian Edelman, DeVante Parker, Marqise Lee, Jordy Nelson, Kelvin Benjamin, Dez Bryant, Keelan Cole

Hurns and Lee are going to be their team's first options when the season starts, but the uncertainty about how the team's rotation shifts over the course of the year is a little scary. Still, good dart throws.

Same for Parker, except I don't think he is actually that good. Give me Kenny Stills or wait until Danny Amendola or Albert Wilson emerges and grab them off waivers.

Dez Bryant is, uhh...look, he's either going to be Cleveland's WR3 or no one will sign him. I am not drafting him either way.

Tier 7 and above

Here are some names from each tier left that intrigue me the most for various reasons. If you've got questions about specific players that I don't address, let me know over on Twitter and I'll give you my thoughts on them.

Tier 7 - Kenny Stills, Cameron Meredith, Calvin Ridley, Quincy Enunwa

Tier 8 - Christian Kirk, Tyrell Williams

Tier 9 - Chris Godwin, Albert Wilson, Geronimo Allison

Tier 10 - Zay Jones, Trent Taylor

Tier 11 - Courtland Sutton, Keke Coutee

Tier 12 - Amara Darboh, Laquon Treadwell

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