It used to be top-tier running backs that made the safest early-round picks. These days, draft strategies seem to be shifting and that mantle is carried by the wide receivers. Our 2019 fantasy WR rankings give you a look at those top pass-catchers, along with potential sleepers and busts to highlight on your cheat sheets. We’ll also note the players that may gain or lose value depending on whether you play in standard or PPR leagues.
At the front of the board are the seven best WRs in the game. There’s an argument to be made for all seven guys, from DeAndre Hopkins to JuJu Smith-Schuster, to be the top dog. Those best of the best don’t even include last year's No. 1 receiver, Tyreek Hill, who's facing a possible suspension. Just below them are proven veterans like A.J. Green and Keenan Allen, along with a notably high Calvin Ridley. If you’re less risk-inclined, there’s plenty of options around Ridley to make it work.
2019 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running Back | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200 (coming soon)
In the middle tiers, we try to make sense of which Rams receiver to own — Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp or Robert Woods. There are players on their last legs, namely DeSean Jackson and Larry Fitzgerald, along with up-and-coming wideouts like D.J. Moore and Tyler Boyd.
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Even if you swing-and-miss on the secondary WR options, the bottom of this list should prep you for the best waiver wire options to keep an eye out for. Speedy rookie Parris Cambell and bounceback-candidate Marqise Lee find their way into the back half of these rankings. So do plenty of familiar names who are trying for one more season of fantasy relevance.
As always, we'll be updating these rankings throughout the preseason, so check for frequent updates and additional analysis.
2019 Fantasy WR Rankings
Rankings based on standard scoring leagues
| 1. DeAndre Hopkins, Texans. It's tough to whiff with the first seven names on this list. So, why Hopkins at the top? He does it all — reeling in a higher percentage of his targets last season than Antonio Brown, Davante Adams and Julio Jones. He gets up in the red zone for touchdowns, receiving 13 inside-the-10 targets in 2018. He breaks tackles after the catch. It’s hard to go cold and have a bad week when Hopkins can produce in so many ways. |
| 2. Davante Adams, Packers. There’s plenty of benefits to being Aaron Rodgers’ favorite target. Adams racked up 169 targets in 15 games last season, one behind Julio Jones’ league-leading total which he accrued in 16 contests. There’s been some turnover in Green Bay with Mike McCarthy out of town, but Rodgers will still throw to his favorite wideout, and that will keep paying dividends. Adams should put together another double-digit touchdown season after 13 last year. |
| 3. Julio Jones, Falcons. Jones received the most targets in football last year, and he put up 9.9 yards per target, better than any of the other top-nine target-getters in 2018. Somehow, it feels like Jones’s touchdowns are always lower than they should be, but it’s hard to keep scoring single-digit touchdowns while reeling in the most yards in the NLF. If Jones happened to just reach paydirt a few more times, he’ll probably finish as the No. 1 WR. |
| 4. Antonio Brown, Raiders. Now calling Oakland home, Brown has more uncertainty than the three names ahead of him. Whether Derek Carr can feed him the ball as well as Ben Roethlisberger did remains to be seen. But Brown’s talent remains a relative certainty. He caught 15 touchdowns in 2018 despite the end-of-season shenanigans. There’s no reason Brown, as Oakland's unquestioned top option, shouldn’t reel in 100 balls for 10 scores and 1,100-plus yards. |
| 5. Michael Thomas, Saints. Thomas led all qualifying wide receivers on 2018’s catch-percentage leaderboards, reeling in 85 percent of the balls thrown his way. With Drew Brees continuing to complete a historic percentage of passes, Thomas’s prolific receiving won’t slow down. He’s a safe bet to lead the NFL in receptions again. That makes him as good a player as any to plug into your WR1 spot. |
| 6. Odell Beckham, Jr., Browns. Get this: If Beckham had played all 16 games last season at his pace, he would’ve had 102 receptions, as many as Stefon Diggs. But Beckham already out-yarded Diggs in his 12 games of action. And that wasn’t with Baker Mayfield throwing him passes in an offense that should be bolstered by new offensive minds in Cleveland. Beckham might have the highest ceiling of any receiver in football, and he hasn’t reached it yet. His setup in Cleveland may be the shot to do just that, but after missing 16 games the past two seasons, injuries are at least somewhat of a worry. |
| 7. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers. The Steelers rostered the third and fourth-most targeted receivers in the NFL last season in Brown and Smith-Schuster. With Brown out of town, at least a few of those passes will go Smith-Schuster’s way and potentially make him the most-thrown to player in football. The Pittsburgh star managed 1,426 receiving yards in 2018, and that extra target action gives him a chance to put up even bigger numbers. The ninth-best fantasy wideout a year ago should only be moving up. |
| 8. Tyreek Hill, Chiefs. With a potential suspension hanging over his head because of domestic abuse allegations, it's unclear whether Hill will take the field in 2019. But if he plays a full season, he’s firmly inside the top tier of wideouts. With how well he connected with Patrick Mahomes in '18, a repeat of his league-leading standard fantasy points per game (FPPG) is within grasp. He’s hard to draft as if he’s a top-three receiver until we know for sure if he'll miss time, but taking a chance on Hill could reap huge rewards for your fantasy team. |
| 9. Adam Thielen, Vikings. As good as Thielen is, he’s a dropoff in upside from the eight guys above him. He parlayed an 11-target increase from 2017 to '18 into 22 more catches. It will be hard for him to make any type of growth like that again, but he can easily be a top-10 WR by simply repeating last season. |
| 10. Keenan Allen, Chargers. Allen has stayed mostly healthy for two straight seasons now. But if the expectation was an extrapolation of his 2015 half-season stardom, he hasn’t quite reached it. He’s like a better version of Jarvis Landry: Catch about 100 balls but fail to score as many TDs as his owners would like. Allen’s put up six touchdowns in each of the past two seasons, and as a possession receiver without much potential for more, he doesn’t deserve a spot among the best of the best. |
| 11. A.J. Green, Bengals. Green has classically been one of the first couple wide receivers off the board, and frankly, he doesn’t deserve that pedestal anymore. The Bengals’ top option has proven he can’t stay healthy, and when he is, he puts up a lower catch percentage than any of the other top options. Part of that is on Andy Dalton, but there’s no savior walking through the Cincinnati quarterback door. When Green plays, he’ll be a solid, borderline WR1. But he won’t be more than that, and he probably won’t play every game. |
| 12. Calvin Ridley, Falcons. Picking Calvin Ridley is jumping on the risk train pretty early in your draft. He had a better year than most rookie receivers in recent memory, but that still resulted in just 64 catches for 821 yards. There’s only so much an increase that can happen as long as Julio Jones lines up in the same offense. Ridley has enough ability that by the end of the season his numbers should look really good, but it might come much as it did at Alabama, with huge games mixed in with no-shows. |
| 13. Amari Cooper, Cowboys. If we extrapolate Cooper’s numbers in Dallas to full season totals, he would’ve caught 94 balls for 1,288 yards. That would’ve ranked 11th in catches and 10th in yards for the season. So, this spot feels about right. An offense that relies on Ezekiel Elliot so much probably doesn’t leave Cooper room to reach higher than this, but that’s just fine. He’ll be Dallas’s unquestioned top receiver, and his high-end talent should continue to shine through. |
| 14. Mike Evans, Buccaneers. Bruce Arians has taken over as the Tampa Bay head coach for 2019. Let’s compare Evans to Larry Fitzgerald, who Arians was in charge of in Arizona. With Arians at the helm, 2015 Fitzgerald put up 109 catches for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns. That’s probably a fair bar for Evans to try and reach, and would place him into the top-10 receivers. At this spot, that’s a good get, but QB questions will continue to plague the Bucs. |
| 15. Sammy Watkins, Chiefs. If there was a Tyreek Hill-friendly breakthrough, Watkins could fall in the ranks. But we’ll operate under the assumption that won’t happen. Somebody has to take over the Patrick Mahomes-led offense, and Watkins is the best bet. He isn’t as dynamic as Hill, but Watkins doesn’t have to equal Hill’s 1,479 yards from 2018. Between 1,100 and 1,200 would make this ranking more than worth it. |
| 16. T.Y. Hilton, Colts. Andrew Luck has realized his potential, and he has a No. 1 wideout in T.Y. Hilton to enjoy the good years with him. Hilton provides a consistent presence in the slot, and he actually caught four TDs inside the 10-yard-line last year, more than DeAndre Hopkins. So, the Colts will turn to him at any level of the field. The top receiver for a QB as good as Luck is a safe bet for production. That’s Hilton. |
| 17. Brandin Cooks, Rams. Because of the variety of weapons on the Rams, Cooks might lack the season-long upside of the guys above him. But he’s been Mr. Consistent for most of his career, averaging between 9.8 and 10.6 standard FPPG in each of the past four seasons. With a maturing quarterback, there’s no reason Cooks shouldn’t at least reach that range again. |
| 18. Stefon Diggs, Vikings. Adam Thielan should get more targets than Diggs, but that didn’t stop Diggs from snagging 102 catches last year. His route tree tends to send him on short and intermediate routes, the kind that Kirk Cousins can trust to move the chains. As long as Diggs continues to reliably get open, his nature as the Vikings’ secondary receiver shouldn’t limit his fantasy output. |
| 19. Kenny Golladay, Lions. Golladay showed his upside last season with 13.8 standard points in Week 9, followed by 17.3 in Week 10 and 14.6 in Week 14. The problem was the single-digit outputs the rest of the second half. With Matthew Stafford reportedly having a relatively healthy back for this season, maybe a few of his passes will more easily find Golladay. Given his strong red-zone presence, there’s plenty of room for growth here. |
| 20. Alshon Jeffery, Eagles. At this point, Jeffery is what he is: A reliable target for his QB, especially in the red zone. But he’s simply not the downfield threat he was in his early Chicago years, with his yards per touch falling in both 2017 and '18. There’s more upside below him, but picking Jeffery gives you one roster spot where you know what you’re getting. |
| 21. Jarvis Landry, Browns. Landry might be the most hurt in Cleveland by Odell Beckham Jr.’s acquisition. Instead of being the guy the Browns’ quarterbacks force-fed a year ago, Landry will be a secondary option. He still should turn that into a decent season — as the second-most targeted Dolphins wideout in 2012, he caught 84 balls. But his underneath routes won’t provide as much upside in standard leagues. |
| 22. Will Fuller V, Texans. Fuller was averaging 10.6 standard FPPG in 2018 before tearing his ACL. That’s higher than Brandin Cooks’ season average. He hasn’t put it together for a full season yet, but this might be the year. DeAndre Hopkins attracts plenty of attention on the opposite side, which should give Fuller the requisite room to operate. |
| 23. Cooper Kupp, Rams. Guess who tied Michael Thomas for ninth in standard-league fantasy points per game in 2018. That’s right, Kupp. But he tore his ACL midseason and couldn’t complete his breakout campaign. As long as the knee looks OK in the preseason, Kupp has a chance to be a borderline top-10 receiver this season. Take a shot on his upside. |
| 24. Mike Williams, Chargers. Williams provides the deep threat that Philip Rivers has always loved. In spurts, Williams made big plays in 2018, averaging more than 15 yards per catch. But he hovered below 70 percent of the offensive snaps for all but three weeks. The Chargers should begin to let Williams be their clear No. 2 option, so his performance should only improve. |
| 25. Tyler Lockett, Seahawks. Russell Wilson has to throw to someone after Doug Baldwin’s retirement. Lockett runs a lot of deep routes that the Seattle line doesn't always give Wilson time to complete, but Lockett's looks will increase. He averaged 13.8 yards per target in 2018, so do the math on even 20 extra targets: That’d give him 276 more yards, on top of his 965 last year. |
| 26. Robert Woods, Rams. Woods joined Cooper Kupp in out-pointing Brandin Cooks in per-game standard-league scoring. Maybe Kupp’s return to health makes Woods a regression candidate. But the former USC star actually put up more standard fantasy points in the eight weeks Kupp was healthy than the eight that followed. Give him a boost in PPR leagues, too, as his short routes out of the slot lead to plenty of simple catches. |
| 27. Corey Davis, Titans. Davis is limited by the low-volume passing offense the Titans run. But he’s the unquestioned top option, and that meant 112 targets last season. He only caught 65, so there’s conceptual room for improvement there. This will be Davis’s third season in the league, a classic time for a breakout, although it might be stunted unless Tennessee throws more. |
| 28. Julian Edelman, Patriots. It’s hard to bet against the connection Tom Brady has with Edelman, the reigning Super Bowl MVP. The Patriots brought in a couple intriguing names this offseason in N’Keal Harry and Demaryius Thomas. But you’ve got to think that when it counts, Brady will be turning to No. 11 out of the slot. As long as Edelman stays healthy, that’ll work just fine. |
| 29. Golden Tate, Giants. Tate finds himself in an uncertain situation entering the 2019 season as a new member of the Giants. It’s hard to know how he’ll fit next to Sterling Shepard or gel with Eli Manning or Daniel Jones. But especially in PPR leagues, Tate should maintain value, as he’s averaged 5.4 catches per game across the past six seasons. |
| 30. Allen Robinson, Bears. Robinson’s a hard guy to trust week-to-week, but he’s also hard to leave out of a lineup. He had only two double-digit standard scoring games in 2018, but one was his six-catch, 133-yard, two-touchdown day in Week 7. Robinson fits as exactly the type of deep threat that works as a No. 3 fantasy wideout, one who can occasionally win you a week. Just be prepared to deal with the weeks the long-ball connection isn’t there. |
| 31. D.J. Moore, Panthers. Moore had an encouraging rookie season. He enters year two with no real threat for the majority of Carolina’s targets. The biggest question mark here might actually be Cam Newton’s shoulder. If the former MVP is healthy, Moore should naturally form a connection with Newton and have a big year. But the backup options under center for the Panthers don’t inspire a lot of confidence. |
| 32. Devin Funchess, Colts. Andrew Luck hasn’t really had a target like Funchess, a strong 6-4 wideout. Funchess has put up double-digit red zone targets in each of his four NFL seasons. If T.Y. Hilton can work the middle of the field to get the Colts down there, Funchess can be Luck’s choice to finish the job. But if the touchdowns don’t come, there’s not a lot of excitement to be had here. |
| 33. James Washington, Steelers. If you were picking one player that the majority of Antonio Brown’s 2018 targets would go to, it’d be Washington. Considering Brown had 168 throws his way, that’s a lot of potential upside for Washington. Of course they won’t all go to him. The Steelers picked him in the 2018 second round for a reason, though. Washington will get the opportunity; it might be worth owning him to see if he seizes it. |
| 34. Marvin Jones, Lions. In his two mostly healthy Detroit seasons of 2016 and '17, Jones averaged 105 targets. As the player opposite Kenny Golladay, he’ll probably fall in that ballpark again in 2019. He’s not exciting, but he’ll fit as a deeper league starting WR. |
| 35. Tyler Boyd, Bengals. Boyd had his breakout in 2018, benefiting in part from A.J. Green’s lack of health. At least to start the 2019 season, Green should force Boyd back into a secondary role. But the changing of the guard might’ve begun. Boyd had already out-targeted Green twice in last season’s first eight weeks, so he’s more than just the clear-cut No. 2 in Cincinnati. |
| 36. Sterling Shepard, Giants. Shepard can only be so good with an over-the-hill Eli Manning throwing him the ball. If the Giants move on from Manning, it’ll be for a rookie Daniel Jones. That doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in Shepard’s growth from 2018, when he averaged a pedestrian 7.3 standard-league fantasy points per game. He’s a fringe flex option in 10-team leagues. |
| 37. Courtland Sutton, Broncos. Sutton gets to catch passes from an uninspiring QB situation. Neither Joe Flacco nor Drew Lock will be lighting up any scoreboards in 2019. But Sutton showed promise late in 2018 with strong Weeks 13, 15 and 16. If you’re drafting him, you’re hoping he carries that late-season run over with a new quarterback. |
| 38. DeSean Jackson, Eagles. Jackson gets to enjoy a homecoming of sorts in Philadelphia for 2019. He’ll remain a hit-or-miss deep threat even as he reaches his mid-30s. That makes him an intriguing flex option some weeks, but counting on him for anything more would be foolish. |
| 39. Tyrell Williams, Raiders. Williams joins Antonio Brown as the new top-two threats in Oakland. Williams should offer a good complement, too, as his 16.3 yards per catch in his career extend the field beyond Brown’s normal operating space. It’s hard to know how all the new pieces will fit with the Raiders, but Williams is another guy who provides week-to-week upside via the deep ball. |
| 40. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals. Fitzgerald will turn 36 a few days before the NFL regular season kicks off. In his 15-year NFL career, Larry Fitz has never been targeted fewer than 103 times. He’ll be the safety valve for rookie QB Kyler Murray, and Fitzgerald never seems to get hurt. He’s as safe a bet as any you could get this far down in the rankings. Fitzgerald will get targets, and almost by default that’ll turn into production. |
| 41. Geronimo Allison, Packers. Behind Davante Adams, there are a lot of names without a whole lot of separation in Green Bay’s wide receiver room. Allison, entering his fourth year in the NFL, is the relatively most experienced of those secondary options. In four weeks before injury in 2018, Allison averaged 4.8 catches and 72.3 yards per game. If he can hold on to the No. 2 job and extend that over a full season, that’s useful for a fantasy roster. |
| 42. Anthony Miller, Bears. Miller was a mightily productive receiver in his final two seasons at Memphis, which made him a solid second round choice by the Bears two drafts ago. As a rookie, Miller showed flashes, like his Week 7 and 8 stretch of 10 catches for 171 yards. He’ll need to increase consistency to deliver a positive return on investment. But he’s in the right situation, with a maturing quarterback and no dominant wideouts siphoning away too many potential targets. |
| 43. John Brown, Bills. Welcome to the first Buffalo receiver on the board, the former Arizona and Baltimore wideout Brown. The good thing about the Bills’ situation is that big-armed Josh Allen showed promise as a rookie. When Arizona put its full trust in Brown in 2015, he averaged 9.5 standard FPPG. If Allen improves as he should, Brown might be the biggest beneficiary as a speedster who can stretch the field. |
| 44. Dede Westbrook, Jaguars. Westbrook might be destined to an underwhelming carousel of QBs as long as he’s in Jacksonville. But he made the situation work last season, totaling 107.5 standard fantasy points catching passes from Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler. Nick Foles isn’t known for throwing downfield, one of Westbrook’s strengths, but he made due with similar arms in 2018. There might not be much room for growth without a better signal-caller, though. |
| 45. Robby Anderson, Jets. Anderson was one of everyone’s favorite breakout targets for 2018 after he’d put up a big sophomore season. But he disappointed, regressing across the board. The Jets are devoid of superior receiving talent, though, so 2019 could be a bounce back. If Sam Darnold begins to reach his potential, it’ll boost Anderson, too. |
| 46. DaeSean Hamilton, Broncos. From Weeks 14 through 17 last season, Hamilton averaged 6.3 catches per game. He never topped 50 yards in a game, but he did grab two touchdowns. That makes him an interesting PPR option, as that final stretch amounted to 13.8 PPR FPPG. Especially with Emmanuel Sanders’ return from an Achilles' injury raising questions, Hamilton could provide early-season value. |
| 47. Chris Godwin, Buccaneers. Bruce Arians takes over the head coaching gig in Tampa Bay for 2019, and that should provide more targets than just those for Mike Evans. Godwin’s 14.7 career yards per catch provide upside. He showed his worth by starting the Bucs’ final five games in 2018, and should be a day one starter for the new season. |
| 48. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Packers. Valdes-Scantling told NFL Network of a good mentor he’s trained with this offseason: Randy Moss. There are few better tutors at the WR spot than Moss, a former Packers killer. If someone’s going to bump Geronimo Allison out of the way in Green Bay, it might be Valdes-Scantling. He’ll certainly bring a few good pieces of advice with him into camp, along with two 100-yard games in his rookie season. |
| 49. Willie Snead, Ravens. Being the No. 1 receiver in a Lamar Jackson-led offense holds parallels to the top options when Tim Tebow quarterbacked Denver. The thing is, Tebow had real threats. Snead is a career third option being pressed into a higher level of duty. He might be a consistent option for five catches and 50 yards each week, meaning there are worse PPR backups. But it’d be shocking to see Snead even occasionally beat those marks. |
| 50. David Moore, Seahawks. Doug Baldwin’s retirement has made players like Moore into intriguing possibilities as backup fantasy WRs. It’s tough to see how Moore will provide a different threat from Tyler Lockett, as both are at their best running straight down the field. But if you want a player with speed that could latch onto a bigger role and reach his potential, Moore’s your guy. |
| 51. Michael Gallup, Cowboys. Unlike some of the NFL’s other offenses, Dallas still relies too much on its running game for Gallup to have huge upside as a secondary receiver. He never topped five catches or 81 yards in a 2018 game, and he caught just two touchdowns. More than 15 yards a catch shows his occasional value, though. Just don’t expect it to be reached very often. |
| 52. Marquise Goodwin, 49ers. There’s a lot of different ways the San Francisco receiver situation could break. In one scenario, Goodwin maintains his DeSean Jackson-lite deep threat role for a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo. That would make this ranking a win. Goodwin also played 10 games last year in which he put up three or fewer standard-league fantasy points. So, he might be boom-or-bust to the extreme. |
| 53. Tre'Quan Smith, Saints. If you want to feel good about drafting Smith, just point to 2018’s Week 11 — Smith had 10 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown. He only topped 50 yards one other time — 111 yards in Week 5 — but he showed a rapport with Drew Brees in that massive performance. Michael Thomas will always swallow up the most targets. But maybe Smith put himself into position to be the No. 2 WR, always a valuable role in New Orleans. |
| 54. Dante Pettis, 49ers. Pettis caught a 22-yard TD from Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 1 last season. That’s the type of connection that should happen more frequently with the 49ers’ QB back to full health. Pettis makes plays down the field, so as with many of the guys in this range, he’s hit-or-miss. But if you believe in Garoppolo, you ought to believe in Pettis. |
| 55. Christian Kirk, Cardinals. Kirk is the future No. 1 wideout in Arizona. He might have one more year behind Larry Fitzgerald, and the QB situation is a bit murky. Kirk won’t provide a red-zone threat, as the 5-11 WR received just four targets inside the 20 in 2018. But he should start to fit into the deep-threat option that Kyler Murray needs. |
| 56. Keke Coutee, Texans. Coutee is a good insurance option for anyone who drafts DeAndre Hopkins. With Hopkins and Will Fuller V healthy, it’d appear Coutee has limited value. But in Week 4, with all three on the field, Coutee caught 11 passes for 109 yards, a huge PPR day without even needing a touchdown. So, the ability is there; even occasional opportunity could pay dividends. |
| 57. Dontrelle Inman, Patriots. Inman has reached the journeyman stage of his NFL career, but he’s gone where journeymen go to survive: New England. He provides an intermediate threat along with Julian Edelman, a place where Rob Gronkowksi often roamed. No, he won’t have seasons on their level, but could he repeat his 58-catch, 810-yard 2015 campaign? Sure. |
| 58. Jamison Crowder, Jets. The Jets brought in Crowder with the hope of him becoming Sam Darnold’s security blanket. If that role comes to light, Crowder should provide solid PPR value as he did from 2015 to '17, when he averaged 64 catches per season. The downside is a look at the New York offense in 2018, when no one really filled the Crowder spot. He’ll have to make room for himself to be useful. |
| 59. Zay Jones, Bills. As Josh Allen started to figure out the NFL, so did Jones. He didn’t score double-digit standard-league points once through Week 9. Jones reached that mark four out of the final seven weeks, though. There’s a chance he maintains that prominent a role for Buffalo and extrapolates that stretch over a full season. But new acquisitions John Brown and Cole Beasley could push Jones to the side. |
| 60. Chris Hogan, Panthers. Chris Hogan has long been followed in his football career by the nickname “7-Eleven,” because he’s “always open.” He takes that reputation to a Carolina roster with targets open for the taking at the No. 2 receiver spot. That doesn’t account for the touches of Christian McCaffrey and Greg Olsen, but there’ll still be opportunity for Hogan to seize Cam Newton’s favor. Around 40-50 catches should be within reach. |
| 61. Equanimeous St. Brown, Packers. St. Brown is yet another Green Bay receiver who’d be very interesting if his role was more defined. He never seemed to break past the players in front of him in 2018, though, failing to surpass five targets in a game all season. Without an unforeseen development, St. Brown is intriguing because of the possibility that he’ll catch a bunch of passes from Aaron Rodgers, but not for the likelihood. |
| 62. Kenny Stills, Dolphins. Stills fits the wild-card bill of most deep threats. It doesn’t help that the Dolphins’ QB situation is ugly. You might get lucky on a given week if you’re forced to put Stills in your lineup, and maybe later on in the season he’ll have formed a connection with a quarterback in Miami. But it’s hard to picture a path to huge fantasy relevance for Stills, whose underwhelming 37 catches last year seem unlikely to be surpassed. |
| 63. Eli Rogers, Steelers. James Washington is the obvious candidate to seize on the Antonio Brown-production loss. But Rogers is the player more like Brown in terms of usage. He’ll fill the same underneath holes that Brown did. He’s nowhere near as good as Brown, but if you’re betting on a like-for-like fill-in for Brown, Rogers could be that guy. Rogers’ 48 catches for 594 yards in 2016 might provide the blueprint for what his 2019 season could look like. |
| 64. Marqise Lee, Jaguars. As long as Lee is fully recovered from a torn ACL, he’s the type of guy who can thrive with Nick Foles at quarterback. Foles may be unable to consistently hit Dede Westbrook down the field, but he’ll be more efficient on the underneath routes Lee runs. The 63 catches for 851 yards that Lee put up in 2016, 10.8 PPR FPPG, could be within reach assuming health. |
| 65. DeVante Parker, Dolphins. There’s just not a ton to be excited about in Miami. Parker’s a fine player who put together solid 2016 and '17 seasons as an important offensive option. But even if he could seize the bulk of the Dolphins’ targets, and that’s not a given, they just wouldn’t be appealing enough with the offense around him. |
| 66. Emmanuel Sanders, Broncos. Sanders tore his Achilles' in early December. In June, he told the Denver Post, “When I’m ready, I’m ready.” So no one really knows for sure when Sanders will be available at all, let alone ready for a full-slate of snaps. He’s a decent flier to take as a backup; he still provides good PPR value per game. But a receiver that depends on frequent cuts to make his living could struggle coming off an Achilles' injury. |
| 67. Adam Humphries, Titans. Humphries moved in the offseason from a pass-happy Tampa Bay offense to the antithesis in Tennessee. He’s been a PPR option in the past — Humphries put up 11.8 points per game in that scoring in 2018. But with a probable decline in opportunity because of many fewer passes, making him more of a bit piece in real life and fantasy. |
| 68. Tedd Ginn, Jr., Saints. If Ginn finds his way to the end of your bench, that’s fine. He still gets behind the defense occasionally, and Drew Brees can still deliver the optimal ball in that situation. Ginn has recorded between 6.6 and 7.1 standard FPPG in three-straight seasons. That’d work fine for the last receiver on a standard roster. |
| 69. DK Metcalf, Seahawks. Metcalf flashed at the NFL Combine, reaching 27 reps on the bench press and running a 4.33 40-yard dash. But his lateral movement drills weren’t nearly that impressive, so his usage as an NFL wideout remains unsure. Somebody’s gotta make up for the lack of Doug Baldwin. Metcalf might not be the favorite to do that, but he might make a few big plays while trying. |
| 70. Demarcus Robinson, Chiefs. Robinson fits the speedy wideout mold that Tyreek Hill rode to massive success in 2018 with Patrick Mahomes flinging him the ball. When Mahomes occasionally threw to Robinson last season, the young WR averaged 13.1 yards per catch, more than Sammy Watkins. With Hill’s status in doubt, Robinson has an open door to try and benefit from Mahomes’ prolific arm. |
| 71. Paul Richardson, Redskins. Richardson brings a field-stretcher to Washington after filling that role in Seattle since his drafting in 2014. He’ll get a boost if Dwayne Haskins wins the Redskins’ job because he’s the best deep thrower they have. If things break right, the season could look a lot like 2017 for Richardson, when he had 44 catches for 703 yards with the Seahawks. |
| 72. Mohamed Sanu, Falcons. Sanu had his best season with the Falcons in 2018, despite the presence of Calvin Ridley. So, even if Ridley’s numbers go up, Sanu might stay in rosterable territory. He had 10 weeks a season ago with between four and six catches. He’ll at least give you something in a week where your options are thin, which gives Sanu non-zero value. |
| 73. Curtis Samuel, Panthers. Samuel became an effective gadget player for the Panthers in 2018, managing 39 catches in 13 games. He also broke off a few big runs. It amounted to a point-higher per-game PPR scoring average than John Brown. There’s a lot of touches accounted for in Carolina by Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey, but Samuel could at the very least repeat his second season. |
| 74. Antonio Callaway, Browns. If the Browns hadn’t bumped everyone down the depth chart by adding Odell Beckham, Jr., there’d be reason to be bullish on Callaway. He had an up-and-down rookie year, but that included five games of at least 9.5 standard-league fantasy points, showing his upside. He probably won’t get a chance to realize it much this season, but if you hear news of any Cleveland wideout injuries, Callaway may be the guy to scoop up. |
| 75. Nelson Agholor, Eagles. For two-straight years, Agholor has been targeted at least 95 times. He’s not one to turn tons of catches into huge plays, but he brings low-end PPR value. Agholor’s averaged in double-digit scoring in the last two seasons in PPR leagues. Not much has changed about his situation besides more certainty in Carson Wentz’s health, so he’s a consideration late in PPR drafts. |
| 76. Cole Beasley, Bills. Beasley was a relatively safe PPR bench option during his time with the Cowboys. It’s just hard to know how his role will develop in Buffalo. Zay Jones was the closest to a short-route receiver that the Bills had in 2018, but Beasley plays more out of the slot than Jones. Beasley’s only reached a double-digit PPR scoring average in one season, and it’s not obvious how he’d find a path to that level of production in Buffalo. |
| 77. Quincy Enunwa, Jets. Enunwa’s promise stretches back further than Robby Anderson’s, to his seven standard FPPG in 2016. But since then he’s missed a year-plus with injury, and when healthy, he averaged three fewer yards per catch than in that 2016 season. Whether Enunwa’s a down-the-field guy or not, Anderson and Jamison Crowder might have both levels of the field covered already. |
| 78. N'Keal Harry, Patriots. There’s gotta be some belief in Harry, considering he’s the only wide receiver Bill Belichick has drafted in the first round during his New England tenure. He also has one of the best catches in recent memory on his resume. So, when you’re delving into the realm of the unknown, those are two good reasons to bet on Harry. Besides Julian Edelman, Harry could turn out to be the receiver to own on the Pats. |
| 79. Josh Doctson, Redskins. Docston’s another Washington wideout who’d benefit from Dwayne Haskins earning the Week 1 job. It’d just be hard for any speedster to contribute with Case Keenum or Colt McCoy under center. Doctson was a 2016 first rounder, so if things break his way, the talent is there. |
| 80. Chad Williams, Cardinals. Hope springs eternal with Kyler Murray in town, even for guys down the depth chart like Williams. Of the passes thrown his way last season, Williams caught just 37 percent, and that’s not all his fault. Improved quarterback play should be a boon for everyone in Arizona. It’s just a question of how much do 17 catches for 171 yards (Williams’ 2018 numbers) have to extrapolate for them to be appealing. |
| 81. A.J. Brown, Titans. Brown isn’t exceptionally big or fast, measuring at 6-0 and running a 4.49 40 at the 2019 NFL Combine. He’s in a Titans offense that doesn’t prioritize the pass. He’s got at least Corey Davis and Adam Humphries ahead of him on the depth chart. The only thing that makes Brown an intriguing redraft league target is his high level of production at Ole Miss. But in his current situation, it doesn’t seem likely to transfer in year one. |
| 82. Mecole Hardman, Chiefs. If you want a sleeper name to take advantage of the Tyreek Hill question mark, go with Hardman. The Chiefs picked him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, seemingly insurance for Hill’s potential absence. Hardman ran a 4.33 at the Combine and stands 5-10. In a lot of physical ways, he could literally fit in Hill’s shoes. The question marks stem from a lack of production at Georgia, not averaging even three catches per game in his final year there. But at this point in the list, it’s all about upside. |
| 83. Deebo Samuel, 49ers. Another rookie receiver with opportunity is Samuel. He steps into a 49ers offense which knows its quarterback of the future but not necessarily who he’ll throw to. Samuel put up a 39-inch vertical at the NFL Combine but measures only 5-11, so he’s a mixed bag from a target receiver standpoint. That didn’t stop him from grabbing 11 touchdowns in his final season at South Carolina, showing a nose for the end zone to keep an eye out for on the wire. |
| 84. Parris Campbell, Colts. There are few faster players on this list than former Ohio State star Campbell, who ran a 4.31 40 at the NFL Combine. He’d been more style than substance for three years at OSU, but then he caught 90 balls for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior. With a pro quarterback in Dwayne Haskins throwing to him, Campbell looked like a star. Joining Andrew Luck has a chance of producing similar results, eventually. |
| 85. Chris Conley, Jaguars. Conley never grew into more than a part-time slot receiver in Kansas City, and he moved on to Jacksonville in the offseason. He probably won’t hold much value there, either, unless Marqise Lee hasn’t fully recovered from his ACL injury. In that case, Conley could become Nick Foles’ preferred slot target. In his best games, he’s efficient turning targets into catches, like 2018 Week 11’s seven catches for 74 yards (and two scores) on eight targets. |
| 86. Marquise Brown, Ravens. Brown goes by Hollywood, which is as good a reason to roster him as any. He put up two monster seasons at Oklahoma catching passes from consecutive Heisman Trophy winners. But he landed with the Ravens in the first round of this spring’s draft, meaning he’ll have to catch passes from Lamar Jackson. That’s not a great situation for any receiver, let alone a rookie. |
| 87. Taylor Gabriel, Bears. Gabriel showed the player he can be with a career year in 2018, putting up 9.5 PPR FPPG. That’s where he’ll provide his best value because touchdowns come at a premium for Gabriel. He should have a slightly reduced role in 2019 with Anthony Miller taking on more targets, so expect slightly reduced production. |
| 88. Randall Cobb, Cowboys. It’s been quite the dropoff for Cobb since he was one of Green Bay’s cornerstones. He leaves the Packers for the first time heading into 2019, moving on to Dallas. And while the Cowboys aren’t a prolific passing team, Cobb will be worth watching early. In an injury-shorted 2018, Cobb averaged 9.6 PPR FPPG. |
| 89. Corey Coleman, Giants. When the Giants went three-wide during OTAs, Coleman played alongside Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard with the first unit. He made a mess of his time in Cleveland and didn’t really contribute after New York acquired him midway through 2018. But the former 15th overall pick looks to be getting a fair shake with the Giants, and might be just an injury away from serious fantasy relevance. |
| 90. Terry McLaurin, Redskins. McLaurin joined Parris Campbell as receivers drafted out of Ohio State in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he doesn’t bring the same on-field resume. McLaurin is nearly as fast, a 4.35 runner, but didn’t turn that into production with the Buckeyes. He caught 35 passes as a senior for OSU, albeit for 20 yards per catch. If he makes an NFL impact early for Washington, it’s as a deep threat catching balls from his college buddy Haskins. |
| 91. Allen Hurns, Cowboys. There’s a lot of muck at the back half of the Dallas WR depth chart, but Hurns is one of the more proven NFL pieces. His 64-catch, 1,031-yard 2015 feels like a long time ago, and Hurns probably won’t get that level of opportunity again. But he could step in as a veteran presence out wide and make plays, if the chance arises. |
| 92. Robert Foster, Bills. Foster had gone to Alabama as a highly sought-after recruit but never reached his potential there. Buffalo signed him as an undrafted free agent and he turned into a favored deep threat for Josh Allen in the second half. He had four games of 94-plus yards and averaged 20 yards per catch. If he’s still in Buffalo’s plans, he could be a post-Week 1 waiver target. |
| 93. Donte Moncrief, Steelers. Moncrief had 48 catches in a bad Jacksonville situation in 2018. He enters a wide-open Steelers’ receiver battle, and if he won a job, he’d be a solid No. 2 for Pittsburgh. With a similar role in 2015, Moncrief caught 64 balls for 733 yards, so monitor the wideout battle in Pittsburgh. |
| 94. JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Eagles. The 6-2 Arcega-Whiteside showed an ability to find paydirt during his senior season at Stanford, reeling in 14 touchdowns. He also averaged more than 16 yards per catch for his college career. The Eagles thought he was worthy of a second-round selection, and while he’ll go undrafted in standard leagues, he’s another guy who could turn a job into numbers. |