X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

2017 Rankings Analysis - Wide Receivers in PPR Leagues

If you caught our earlier pieces on either quarterbackrunning back, or tight end, you're privy to our early fantasy ranking analysis for 2017. I firmly believe in the philosophy that fantasy should be as fun as humanly possible so what better way than to start preparing early? It's time to take a look at RotoBaller's early PPR wide receiver rankings to see who's up, who's down, and who's right where they should be. Keep in mind that these rankings were done prior to NFL free agency so expect some updates coming soon as well as a big one right after the draft.

 

Early 2017 Wide Receiver Rankings - PPR Leagues

Tier One

1. Odell Beckham Jr, New York Giants
2. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaners
3. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
4. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

Welp, Antonio Brown is too low. I know, I know, I'm nitpicking with him being No. 4 but I still think he should be the top wide receiver off the board, especially in PPR. He was second in receptions in 2016 with 106. (More on who beat him by out by ONE later. That's called a tease.) Throw in being tied for second among WR with 12 touchdowns and fourth may be a stingy ranking. That said, the three ahead of him are all studs.

If Brown is low, that would mean Odell Beckham, Mike Evans, and Julio Jones are high right? Not really. Evans was tied with Antonio at 12 touchdowns, OBJ had the most yards out of the bunch with 1,367, and Julio Jones can throw up monster numbers in any given game. They're interchangeable as far as I'm concerned.

 

Tier Two

5. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
6. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
7. Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jordy Nelson and A.J. Green are appropriately ranked for me. Again, you can nitpick, and I'd take Green right after the top four, but it's all preference at that point. What is surprising to me, however, is that Allen Robinson is right on their trail. I understand that he has immense talent but Blake Bortles is crushing his fantasy value. Simply put, Bortles is a bad quarterback. Blake's own fantasy stats get padded in come-from-behind scenarios, sure, but that doesn't mean he's a good real-life QB. Robinson topped out at 883 yards and six touchdowns last year. Barring a fall, there is little chance he's on any of my teams in 2017.

 

Tier Three

8. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
9. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
10. Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders
11. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

The Dez Bryant, T.Y. Hilton, Amari Cooper, and Michael Thomas tier is another one of those "take your pick" scenarios. Now that Brandin Cooks is off to New England, I think Thomas deserves a bump up over Cooper and Hilton. Again, there's no hard and fast rule between any of these guys so it's fair to argue any cases you desire. I will say, though, that Dez Bryant isn't getting a fair shake by getting lumped into that bunch. He has enough talent to compete with the top four but he's had bad luck with injuries the last two seasons. Expect a strong bounce back from him. As for Hilton and Cooper, they face the unfortunate battle of having to compete with other receivers. Still serviceable in their own right.

 

Tier Four

12. Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks
13. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
14. Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles
15. Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
16. Brandin Cooks, New England Patriots
17. Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers 

Doug Baldwin, DeAndre Hopkins, and Alshon Jeffery are an interesting trio at 12-14. Baldwin is way too high for me. I know he puts up good reception numbers but I just don't trust that passing offense long-term. The line was shaky last year and the addition of Lacy seems like the team wants to go back to being ground and pound. Hopkins and Jeffery are correctly ranked for me. In fact, I'd argue Jeffery might be the biggest top-10-to-12 steal of fantasy drafts now that he's on a better team. Targets may be an issue but there's no doubt in my mind he's primed for an uptick in fantasy points. In the case of Hopkins, the Texans will certainly upgrade at QB, maybe even land Tony Romo. So there's no question he's in line for a bounce back as well.

Now it gets murky. Demaryius Thomas has his own quarterback issues yet Denver is also in the Romo race. No. 15 is a bit high for me but this is a ranking based on talent rather than situation so it's still justifiable. Brandin Cooks may seem low but the fact is his trade to New England is going to be way, way overstated. That's not an upgrade, folks. It's a lateral move for fantasy. The Patriots are better off in real-life NFL football but us fantasy folks are going to have to deal with the usual New England philosophy of spreading the ball around. Cooks won't be as useful in a PPR league as most would have you believe.

If Alshon Jeffery could be a top flight steal, Keenan Allen could be the biggest steal, period. People are going to look at his ACL and think the guy is injury prone. You just need to remember that his 2015 injury of a lacerated kidney was a fluke thing. That's not like a soft tissue injury or a major reconstructive surgery. It sucks but it's not a death sentence. He's going to bounce back in a huge way, especially in PPR where the Chargers aren't loaded at wide receiver. The ranking is fine but the expectations should be upped.

 

Tier Five

18. Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers
19. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
20. Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills
21. Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins
22. Michael Crabtree, Oakland Raiders

Kelvin Benjamin, Davante Adams, and Sammy Watkins are appropriately ranked as well. These are upside guys who need to be heavily involved in their respective offenses in order to be worth WR2 status. Adams was tied with Brown and Evans at 12 touchdowns and that number could be repeatable in Green Bay. I wouldn't bet on it, though. Watkins has injury woes, Benjamin has...woes in general. I think those two are worth more in dynasty than they are in re-draft leagues but again, these are upside plays at 18-20. Besides, we're talking about PPR here and none of those players are in line for huge targets.

Michael Crabtree needs to be locked in as a WR2 for next year. He's technically a WR2 in 12-team leagues at No. 22 but I'm not comfortable with that. He put up solid numbers last year that translated to high-end WR2 value. His 1,003 yards and eight touchdowns got the job done for a lot of fantasy players. He had more targets and more receptions than Amari Cooper. He gets a bump up in PPR for me, so 22 is too low.

 

Tier Six

23. Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings
24. Golden Tate, Detroit Lions
25. Rishard Matthews, Tennessee Titans
26. Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos
27. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
28. Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
29. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
30. Jamison Crowder, Washington Redskins

Time for the most overlooked stat in fantasy from last season. Larry Fitzgerald led the league in receptions with 107, two more than Antonio Brown. Facts are facts. The top-15 range is where he should be. I know he's lost a step but he hasn't fallen off a cliff just yet. Carson Palmer is his only weakness. It looks like I'm going to have a ton of shares of Fitz in 2017 due to his low ranking.

Lastly, this is pre-free agency so Sterling Shepard comes in at 28. Brandon Marshall doesn't crack the top-30 since his signing with the Giants came late so I'm guessing he'll jump Shepard post-NFL draft. Either way, both of those WRs should be within the top-30. It's crazy to think that the G-Men now have one of the best receiving corps in football but it is what it is. They need to be viewed as a potent passing offense so all three of their wide receivers deserve top-30 consideration.


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.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

CeeDee Lamb9 mins ago

Practices Friday, Expected To Play Sunday
Tyjae Spears24 mins ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Mike Evans28 mins ago

Will Return In Week 12
Jalen Hurts1 hour ago

"Good To Go" For Week 12, Remains A Must-Start QB
Adam Thielen1 hour ago

Tommy Tremble Will Play On Sunday
Jonathon Brooks1 hour ago

Set To Make NFL Debut In Week 12
DeVonta Smith1 hour ago

Not Seen At Friday's Practice
Cam Thomas1 hour ago

Available Against 76ers
Malik Nabers1 hour ago

Not Practicing On Friday
Shohei Ohtani1 hour ago

In Early Stages Of Recovery From Shoulder Surgery
Joel Embiid2 hours ago

Added To Injury Report On Friday
Tabatha Ricci2 hours ago

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Yan Xiaonan2 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Nicolas Claxton2 hours ago

Now Listed As Probable Against 76ers
Dorian Finney-Smith2 hours ago

Upgraded To Probable On Friday
Muslim Salikhov2 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Chris Sale2 hours ago

To Have Normal Offseason
Garrett Crochet2 hours ago

Drawing Plenty Of Interest
Song Kenan2 hours ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Zhang Mingyang2 hours ago

Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Jones2 hours ago

Giants Release Daniel Jones
Ozzy Diaz3 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Macau
San Francisco 49ers5 hours ago

Nick Bosa "Questionable At Best" For Week 12
MacKenzie Weegar5 hours ago

Notches Three Assists Against Rangers
Macklin Celebrini5 hours ago

Tallies Two Assists In Thursday's Loss
Nikita Kucherov5 hours ago

Comes Up With Three Assists Versus Blue Jackets
Sean Monahan6 hours ago

Finishes Thursday's Win With Four Points
Zach Werenski6 hours ago

Enjoys Career Night With Five Points Against Lightning
Jack Hughes6 hours ago

Posts Three Assists Versus Hurricanes
Joonas Korpisalo6 hours ago

Records 21-Save Shutout Versus Utah
Jerry Jeudy8 hours ago

Leads Browns In Receiving In Week 12 Win
Nick Chubb9 hours ago

Scores Two TDs In Thursday Night Win Over Pittsburgh
Cleveland Browns13 hours ago

Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry Likely Returning To Browns In 2025
Deshaun Watson13 hours ago

Likely To Remain With Browns, Could Face Competition
Cedric Tillman13 hours ago

Enters Concussion Protocol
Cedric Tillman15 hours ago

Suffers Head Injury On Thursday Night
Wendell Carter Jr.16 hours ago

Out Against Lakers
Anthony Davis17 hours ago

Available Versus Magic On Thursday
Rui Hachimura17 hours ago

Unavailable Thursday
Carlos Ulberg17 hours ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir17 hours ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes17 hours ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
MMA17 hours ago

Cong Wang Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo17 hours ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC Macau
Petr Yan17 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Yves Missi18 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
CJ McCollum18 hours ago

Not Likely To Play Friday
Alexander Mattison18 hours ago

Zamir White Miss Practice Again
Brandon Ingram18 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Shohei Ohtani19 hours ago

Named National League MVP In 2024
Aaron Judge19 hours ago

Wins American League MVP Award
Ja'Kobe Walter19 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Donte DiVincenzo19 hours ago

Available Thursday
Mike Conley19 hours ago

Will Not Play Thursday
Jordan Clarkson19 hours ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Ausar Thompson19 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Zach Collins19 hours ago

Cleared To Play Thursday
Domantas Sabonis19 hours ago

Gets Through Full Practice
Chris Paul19 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Brock Purdy19 hours ago

Limited Again On Thursday
Malik Monk19 hours ago

Making Progress
George Kittle20 hours ago

Limited Again On Thursday
Tre Mann20 hours ago

Good To Go On Thursday
Miles Bridges20 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Alex Ovechkin20 hours ago

To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Fractured Fibula
Zach Hyman20 hours ago

Expected To Miss 4-7 Days
Kent Johnson20 hours ago

Back For Blue Jackets Thursday
Yaroslav Askarov20 hours ago

Makes Sharks Debut Thursday
Jalen Hurts20 hours ago

Practices In Full On Thursday
Mikael Granlund21 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Alexandar Georgiev21 hours ago

Returns To Action Versus Capitals
TB21 hours ago

Nicholas Paul Will Miss Thursday's Game
Frederik Andersen21 hours ago

To Miss 8-12 Weeks
Jake Ferguson21 hours ago

Still Not Practicing
Cody Bellinger24 hours ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
1 day ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Chandler Stephenson1 day ago

Registers Three Assists Versus Predators
Jason Robertson1 day ago

Totals Three Points In Wednesday's Win
Nils Lundkvist1 day ago

Exits Early With A Lower-Body Injury
Matthew Knies1 day ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury
Mikael Granlund1 day ago

Exits Late With Injury Wednesday
Patrik Laine1 day ago

Returns To Practice
Chris Sale2 days ago

Wins National League Cy Young Award
Tarik Skubal2 days ago

Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Austin Eckroat2 days ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Ludvig Aberg2 days ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Si Woo Kim2 days ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy2 days ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole2 days ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
3 days ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers3 days ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
3 days ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Jose Siri3 days ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
3 days ago

Phillies To Meet With Juan Soto
3 days ago

Luis Severino Rejects Qualifying Offer From Mets
3 days ago

Willy Adames Declines Brewers Qualifying Offer
3 days ago

Teoscar Hernandez Declines Qualifying Offer From Dodgers
3 days ago

Juan Soto Declines Yankees' Qualifying Offer
Luis Gil4 days ago

Wins AL Rookie Of The Year Award
Paul Skenes4 days ago

Named 2024 NL Rookie Of The Year
Brady Singer4 days ago

Reds, Royals Discussing Jonathan India, Brady Singer
Charles Oliveira4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva4 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy4 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
James Llontop5 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig5 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal5 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic5 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
RotoBaller NFL Betting Picks Stock

2024 NFL Week 12 Betting Picks (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard. To see ALL of Jamie's bets (and others from RotoBaller experts) then head over to the RotoBaller Discord. You'll find every bet and prop in the #NFL-BETTING-PROPS channel there!   Background My name is Jamie Calandro (@jac3600 on X) and I have […]


DeVon Achane - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Injury News

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 12 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 12! There will be a whopping six teams on bye this week (Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets), so that means fantasy managers might need to look deeper on their benches. This Week 12 matchups […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

WR/CB Matchups to Upgrade and Downgrade - Fantasy Football Week 12 (2024)

Welcome back to our WR/CB Matchups for Week 12 of the 2024 fantasy football season. For those unfamiliar, this weekly series looks at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them. The data we access for offensive and defensive players continues to skyrocket. Though we mainly focus on offensive […]


Houston Texans Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Derek Stingley Fantasy Football IDP

D/ST Strength of Schedule: Best Fantasy Football Defense Streamers and Matchups (Weeks 12-17)

Ahh, the good old Defense/Special Teams (DST) position in fantasy football. It is a controversial inclusion in fantasy lineups for some fantasy players, but strategizing around DSTs is one of my favorite aspects of the in-season fantasy football experience. In the article below, I will present the strength of schedule (SOS) for the fantasy Defense/Special […]


NFL DFS: FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Picks for Week 12 - Top Lineup Plays Include Jayden Daniels, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jared Goff, Puka Nacua

It’s already Week 12, although the end of the 2024-25 campaign can’t come soon enough for teams like the Jaguars, Raiders, Giants, and Panthers, to name a few. On the other hand, clubs like the Bills, Chiefs, and Lions are only a few weeks away from officially punching their tickets to the postseason.   In […]


Braelon Allen - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best/Worst Fantasy Football Playoff Schedules: Streamers and Starts To Win A Championship (2024)

Planning too far in advance to align your fantasy football players for an optimal playoff performance comes with many pitfalls. However, positioning yourself for good fortune in Weeks 15 through 17 should be a key piece of your strategy if you're in line to make the bracket. Fantasy players still have time to trade for […]


Bo Nix - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

The King's Week 12 Lineup Rankings and Analysis (Premium Content)

RotoBaller senior writer Scott "The King" Engel shares his Week 12 fantasy football lineup rankings for PPR, half PPR, and standard scoring league participants. He also provides an analysis of the rankings at every skill position. Regular starting options are included to highlight that some of your must-start players have a good chance of supplying […]


Courtland Sutton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 12 DraftKings NFL DFS Picks - Main Slate (2024): Anthony Richardson, Brian Robinson Jr., Courtland Sutton, and more

How's it going, RotoBallers? Welcome back to our DraftKings Main Slate article. Known around the fantasy football world as "Bye-Mageddon," Week 12 certainly offers up some unique challenges from a DFS perspective. Don't worry, we'll work through those difficulties to find the best plays we can on this slate. These DraftKings lineup recommendations are based […]


Brian Robinson Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings Running Backs, Waiver Wire Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football Week 12: Tua Tagovailoa, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ladd McConkey, Will Dissly

Week 12 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Tua Tagovailoa, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ladd McConkey, and Will Dissly. Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely […]


Ladd McConkey - Fantasy Football Rankings, Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 12 Lineups Include Tua Tagovailoa, J.K. Dobbins, Ladd McConkey

Week 11 was pretty kind to us in this space. We correctly labeled Justin Herbert as a boom pick. He threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards on the ground. It culminated with a QB8 finish. We also nailed Kirk Cousins and Tony Pollard as busts. Cousins and the Falcons […]


Chuba Hubbard - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 12 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include D'Andre Swift, JK Dobbins, Tank Dell, Chuba Hubbard, Mark Andrews, Jakobi Meyers

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Week 12 fantasy football busts, or players who may disappoint for fantasy lineups this week. It's a strange week in the NFL with six teams taking their bye week. That could mean lineups are gridlocked and fantasy managers don't have the luxury of analyzing matchups to decide their starters. Potential […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

PrizePicks NFL DFS Prop Picks - Over/Under Props for Week 12 (Sunday Main Slate)

Hello everybody, and welcome to our PrizePicks NFL DFS prop picks for Week 12 - Sunday Main Slate! The 2024 NFL season is now past the midpoint, and our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage of. Our partners at PrizePicks offer some of the […]


Bo Nix - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Fantasy Football Matchups We Love - Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Week 12 Include Bo Nix, De'Von Achane, Quentin Johnston, Calvin Ridley, more

It seems as though fantasy managers were either incredibly disappointed or incredibly excited in Week 11. The output was modest for most players. However, if you had a monopoly on a select few players such as Cooper Kupp, Taysom Hill, or the Detroit Lions, you likely won your week. With the fantasy playoffs roughly three weeks […]