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

Early 2021 PPR Rankings Analysis - Wide Receiver

As we roll into our season draft, it’s time to take a glance at the seasonal rankings to see where players are being valued before things get hot and heavy come draft season. The wide receiver position is deep with talent. Many fantasy gamers will be able to fade the position during the first few rounds of the draft to capitalize on getting talent at other positions and still be able to foster a very talented stable of wide receivers.

The rankings that are being referenced are from RotoBaller’s 2021 Staff Rankings.

 

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

Tier One Analysis

Davante Adams was the most consistent wide receiver in the NFL last year with nine WR1 weeks. He had six top-three performances at the position. There’s a lot of ambiguity with his situation going into the 2021 season. His fantasy value and production are tethered to Aaron Rodgers. If Rodgers decides he is not going to take another snap with the Packers, then Adams might experience a drop in his production. On the contrary, Jordan Love could perform better than expected, allowing Adams to maintain most of his player value.

Tyreek Hill is one of the most explosive wide receivers in the NFL. He finished 2020 as the WR2 with seven WR1 weeks. The Chiefs have a very efficient offense that can easily move the ball down the field. Patrick Mahomes will sling the ball all over the yard and as we know, he pairs perfectly with Hill’s skill set. As long as Hill is healthy and the offense is clicking, we should expect similar production this season.

 

Tier Two Analysis

Tier 2 is the tier where we have three veterans who will provide consistent production combined with A.J. Brown who is a young wide receiver who is blossoming into one of the best alpha wide receivers in the league. He had five WR1 weeks while averaging 17.39 PPR fantasy points per game in 2021. Julio Jones will be adding a little bit of firepower to the offense. The extra competition for targets could impact Brown’s ceiling or it could provide the opposite effect by allowing him to see softer coverages, making it easier for him to rack up yards after the catch on a more consistent basis.

Stefon Diggs, DeAndre Hopkins, and Michael Thomas are veterans who will command a large share of the passing targets in their respective offenses. Diggs and Hopkins played with new quarterbacks last season and still owned a 29 percent target share. Thomas suffered an ankle injury that prevented him from providing his typical WR1 output for fantasy gamers. This was his first non-WR1 season as he ended the 2020 season as the WR93. With Drew Brees out of the picture, it will be interesting to see if Thomas can continue to be one of the top wide receivers in the league with Jameis Winston and/or Taysom Hill at quarterback.

 

Tier Three Analysis

Tier 3 is a large tier and all of the receivers listed have the chance to produce in a big way this year. All of these receivers are key target hogs in their offenses. All of them also have their risks. D.K. Metcalf’s output is dependent on the Seahawks' passing volume. If they decide to go with a run-heavy approach, then we could see a dip in his numbers. Jefferson had a historic rookie season with five WR1 weeks. He was also second in the NFL with 2.66 yards per route run.

Julio Jones just experienced a major change in his situation. With him now playing with the Tennessee Titans, we don’t know how the distribution of targets is going to play out. The team’s overall passing volume is below the league average, which could create a negative impact on his production. He’s still an alpha talent, and there’s a good chance he could deliver top-tier results.

Terry McLaurin and Keenan Allen have some similar characteristics in their player profile. Both players are tremendous route runners. They are often undervalued regarding their potential output. We should see both players deliver steady production throughout the entire season.

With Jones out of the picture, Calvin Ridley is expected to see a major uptick in production. He is a candidate to finish the year as the WR1 for fantasy. The team is still going to have a high-volume passing offense and Ridley is expected to be the team’s main threat in the passing game.

Allen Robinson and Mike Evans are the grizzled veterans in this tier. They are both bigger wide receivers who garner a large share of their team’s passing targets. Robinson will be playing with a mix of Justin Fields and Andy Dalton. Considering he is known for playing with subpar quarterbacks throughout his career, there shouldn’t be much of a drop-off in his production. If anything, we could see an improvement. Evans is paired with the greatest quarterback in NFL history. As long as he is healthy, he will be receiving the deep targets.

Diontae Johnson had 10 games where he owned at least a 20 percent target share. He also has five games where he surpassed the 100-yard-mark in air yards. This led to him producing six WR1 weeks. There’s a lot of mouths to feed in Pittsburgh, but it appears Johnson is going to continue to have a key role within the offense.

Amari Cooper, Cooper Kupp, and Robert Woods are wide receivers who provide consistent production but tend to fail to hit their ceilings. All of these players have the chance to produce low-end WR1 numbers. If everything goes right, we could see them at the top of the rankings at the end of the season.

 

Tier Four Analysis

Tier 4 is a bit smaller, but it has a lot of potential. The WRs are considered relatively safe assets with some risk. Most of the risk associated with these players is coming from the fact that they are sharing the field with other talented pass-catchers. If they were the lone stud receiver in their offense, they would be ranked higher.

Chris Godwin shares the field with Mike Evans and Antonio Brown. When he was on the field, he commanded a 19 percent target share while leading the team with an average of 10 yards per target. That usage equated to one WR1 week and five WR2 weeks. Injuries impacted his production last season, but as long as he’s healthy, he’s a dependable option in fantasy.

Even with Justin Jefferson as the main target in the Vikings' offense, Adam Thielen can still hold value in fantasy football. The 30-year-old veteran is a very crafty route runner. He has produced three WR1 seasons in the last four years while sharing the field with Jefferson and Stefon Diggs. Even with him being one of the older wide receivers in the league, there’s still a chance he provides value for your fantasy team.

The Cowboys spent their first-round pick on CeeDee Lamb in 2020. He has WR1 written all over him. Even with him sharing the field with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, he still managed to own an 18 percent share of the team’s passing targets. He also played 93.2 percent of his snaps in the slot. Dak Prescott will be back this season, which will provide a big boost to the offense. Lamb is a candidate to hit WR1 production in his second year with the Cowboys.

The Carolina Panthers added Sam Darnold this offseason. The change at quarterback could be a good thing for D.J. Moore, who is an under-the-radar fantasy option this season. He commanded a 24 percent target share while averaging 13.1 yards per target. Even with the hefty workload, Moore left a lot of fantasy points on the field as he finished the season as the RB25 with four RB1 weeks.

If you want to take a swing at the pinata with hopes to land a consistent fantasy producer, then JuJu Smith-Schuster is a player you might want to take a look at. It’s been three years since Smith-Schuster was the WR8 in 2018. He’s still a very talented player in a high-volume passing offense. There’s a lot of ambiguity in the Steelers' offense. One of these wide receivers could breakout. Smith-Schuster is generally the cheaper option of the three.

 

Tier Five Analysis

Tier 5 is filled with wide receivers who present plenty of upside but also carry some risk. A lot of these players are sharing the field with another good wide receiver or have experienced a change in the situation, whether it be playing with a new team or a new quarterback.

Kenny Golladay is now with the New York Giants. He will be catching passes from Daniel Jones. Golladay gives the team the true alpha wide receiver they desperately needed. It’s going to be interesting to see how Golladay transitions to his new team.

The Cincinnati connection between Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase is going to be a fun show to watch. There’s plenty of room for more than one of these wide receivers to be fantasy-relevant.

Courtland Sutton’s 2020 season ended early due to a gruesome knee injury. He will be back on the field as the Broncos’ WR1. Sutton was a key component to the offense in 2019, owning a 26 percent share of the passing targets while seeing 1,407 air yards on the year.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!




Win More With RotoBaller

Be sure to also check out all of our other daily fantasy football articles and analysis to help you set those winning lineups, including this new RotoBaller YouTube video:

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.




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

Darcy Kuemper7 mins ago

Continues Point Streak With A Shutout
8 hours ago

Cade Otton Leads Tampa In Receiving In Week 9 Loss On Monday
9 hours ago

Pete Alonso Receives Qualifying Offer From Mets
9 hours ago

Clayton Kershaw Declines 2025 Option
9 hours ago

Titans Hopeful Will Levis Will Return In Week 10
9 hours ago

Titans Looking To Reduce Tony Pollard's Workload?
Dallas Cowboys11 hours ago

Micah Parsons Expected To Play In Week 10
Dereck Lively II11 hours ago

A Late Scratch On Monday
11 hours ago

Amari Cooper Listed As Day-To-Day
11 hours ago

Joe Flacco Named Week 10 Starter
Robert Williams III12 hours ago

Returning On Monday
Jordan Hawkins12 hours ago

Out Versus The Blazers
Zion Williamson12 hours ago

Sidelined Again Versus Portland
Rudy Gobert12 hours ago

Available For Minnesota On Monday
Immanuel Quickley12 hours ago

Still Out On Monday
Jalen Smith12 hours ago

Available Against Jazz
Brandon Miller12 hours ago

Will Play Versus Minnesota
Josh Giddey12 hours ago

Suiting Up Monday
Lauri Markkanen13 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Monday Night
13 hours ago

Browns "Highly Unlikely" To Trade David Njoku
John Konchar13 hours ago

Ruled Out Monday Versus Nets
13 hours ago

Chase Brown Appears To Be OK Despite Suffering Bruised Rib
13 hours ago

Tee Higgins Estimated As DNP On Monday
13 hours ago

Jameson Williams' Suspension Is Lifted
13 hours ago

Alex Bregman Given Qualifying Offer
13 hours ago

Saquon Barkley Will Be Ready For Week 10 Despite Back Soreness
13 hours ago

Juan Soto Receives Qualifying Offer
Anthony Davis13 hours ago

Available Monday Versus Detroit
13 hours ago

A.J. Brown Considered "Day-To-Day"
Austin Reaves13 hours ago

Suiting Up Monday
13 hours ago

Tyler O'Neill Not Given Qualifying Offer, Headed To Free Agency
Ryan Blaney13 hours ago

Wins At Martinsville And Has Chance To Earn Second Straight Championship
14 hours ago

Bucky Irving Officially Active Against Chiefs
Christopher Bell14 hours ago

Penalized At Martinsville, Removed From Championship Four
D'Angelo Russell14 hours ago

Available Monday
14 hours ago

Nick Pivetta Receives Qualifying Offer
14 hours ago

Colin Rea Heading To Free Agency
14 hours ago

Tigers Decline Casey Mize's 2025 Club Option
14 hours ago

Drake London Considered Day-To-Day
Dean Wade14 hours ago

Won’t Play Against The Bucks
Caris LeVert14 hours ago

Remains Out Versus Milwaukee
Noah Clowney14 hours ago

Won’t Suit Up Versus Memphis
Ben Simmons14 hours ago

Out Against The Grizzlies
Kevin Huerter15 hours ago

Still Out On Monday Night
Jake Allen15 hours ago

Faces Oilers On Monday
Stephen Curry15 hours ago

Back For Monday’s Game
BOS15 hours ago

Tyler Johnson Signs One-Year Deal With Bruins
Giannis Antetokounmpo15 hours ago

Won’t Face The Cavs
Zach Benson15 hours ago

Considered "A Possibility" For Tuesday's Game
Artem Zub15 hours ago

Logs Full Practice On Monday
Bryan Rust15 hours ago

Will Join Penguins Road Trip
15 hours ago

Braves Exercise Marcell Ozuna's 2025 Option
Juraj Slafkovsky15 hours ago

Practices On Monday
Macklin Celebrini16 hours ago

Ready To Return On Tuesday
16 hours ago

David Fry To Miss 6-8 Months After Having Elbow Surgery
16 hours ago

Gerrit Cole, Yankees Agree To Stick Together
Samuel Ersson17 hours ago

Misses Monday Practice
Carolina Panthers17 hours ago

Panthers Haven't Decided Starting QB For Week 10
Connor McDavid17 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule In Recovery
17 hours ago

Panthers Optimistic Jonathon Brooks Will Debut In Week 10
Philip Broberg17 hours ago

Will Miss Several Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
17 hours ago

Derek Carr To Start In Week 10 For Saints
Valeri Nichushkin17 hours ago

Will Return When First Eligible
17 hours ago

Texans Non-Committal On Nico Collins For Week 10
18 hours ago

Erick All Jr. Officially Out For The Year With Knee Injury
18 hours ago

Mike Macdonald "Optimistic" DK Metcalf Returns In Week 11
18 hours ago

CeeDee Lamb Tagged As Week-To-Week, Optimism He Can Play In Week 10
Tyler Reddick18 hours ago

Not A Factor At Martinsville And Looks Ahead To Phoenix
Kyle Larson18 hours ago

Misses Advancing Through Playoffs Despite Top-Three Finish
Brad Keselowski18 hours ago

Has A Solid Top-10 Performance At Martinsville
Chase Elliott18 hours ago

Loses Out On Winning At Martinsville
19 hours ago

Nathan Eovaldi Declines His Player Option
19 hours ago

Brewers Decline Option On Devin Williams
20 hours ago

Michael Wacha, Royals Agree To Three-Year Deal
20 hours ago

Braves Sign Reynaldo Lopez To Three-Year Deal
Rose Namajunas23 hours ago

Drops Decision Matchup
Erin Blanchfield23 hours ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Dustin Stoltzfus23 hours ago

Gets First-Round Knockout At UFC Edmonton
Zach Hyman24 hours ago

Records Two Points In Battle Of Alberta Win
Marc-Andre Barriault24 hours ago

Knocked Out At UFC Edmonton
Matt Boldy24 hours ago

Hits Overtime Winner Versus Toronto
Jared Spurgeon1 day ago

Delivers Two Assists In Sunday's Win
Trevin Giles1 day ago

Losses Third Fight In A Row
Alex Ovechkin1 day ago

Extends Goal Streak To Four Games
Dmitry Orlov1 day ago

Nets Two Goals Against Capitals
Jeremy Swayman1 day ago

Collects First Shutout Of The Season
Connor Bedard1 day ago

Records Three Assists In Sunday's Win
Mike Malott1 day ago

Wins Decision At UFC Edmonton
NASCAR1 day ago

Speeding Penalty Foils Martin Truex Jr.'s Last Realistic Shot At Winning
Denny Hamlin1 day ago

Fails To Advance To Championship 4 But Runs Well
Shane Van Gisbergen1 day ago

Shane van Gisbergen Earns Best Oval Finish at Martinsville
William Byron1 day ago

Tentatively In Championship 4 Pending Ruling On Manufacturer Orders
MMA2 days ago

Ariane Lipski Submitted At UFC Edmonton
Jasmine Jasudavicius2 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado2 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
Brendson Ribeiro2 days ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC Edmonton
Amir Albazi2 days ago

Falls Short At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Moreno2 days ago

Dominates At UFC Edmonton
Artturi Lehkonen2 days ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
NJ2 days ago

Nathan Bastian To Miss "Several Weeks"
2 days ago

Austin Barnes Returning To Los Angeles
2 days ago

David Robertson To Test Free Agency
2 days ago

Giants Exercise Club Option On Wilmer Flores
2 days ago

Owen Miller Shipped To Colorado
2 days ago

Merrill Kelly Staying In Arizona
2 days ago

Eloy Jimenez Headed To Free Agency
Daniel Suarez2 days ago

Will Start 20th At Martinsville
Zane Smith2 days ago

Might Be An Underrated Value Play For Martinsville
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Is A Top DFS Recommendation For Martinsville Lineups
Joey Logano2 days ago

Will Be One To Watch At Martinsville
Brad Keselowski2 days ago

Should DFS Players Rely On Brad Keselowski For Martinsville Lineups?
Carson Hocevar2 days ago

Is A Great DFS Option For All Martinsville DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Is Ty Gibbs Worth Rostering At Martinsville This Week For DFS?
Austin Cindric2 days ago

Could Have A Top-20 Performance At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Might Be Usable Only In DFS Tournaments At Martinsville
Chris Buescher2 days ago

Should DFS Players Roster Chris Buescher At Martinsville?
Alex Bowman2 days ago

Expect A Solid Top-10 Performance From Alex Bowman At Martinsville
Rose Namajunas4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
Erin Blanchfield4 days ago

Returns At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault4 days ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Set To Face Marc-Andre Barriault At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Edmonton
Trevin Giles4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mike Malott4 days ago

Opens Up UFC Edmonton Main Card
Brendson Ribeiro5 days ago

Searching For 1st UFC Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado5 days ago

Drops Down To Light Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Jhonata Diniz5 days ago

Gets Big Step-Up At UFC Edmonton

RANKINGS

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

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Los Angeles Chargers Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Khalil Mack Fantasy Football IDP

Week 10 Defense (DEF) Streamers and Starts - 2024 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Week 10 fantasy football defense streamers and D/ST rankings for the 2024 fantasy football season. Every week, I'll go through the best and worst fantasy defenses. With four teams on bye (Browns, Raiders, Packers, and Seahawks) this week, I will be ranking fantasy defenses from No. 1 to No. 28.  It is unfortunate […]


Titans Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Harold Landry Fantasy Football IDP

IDP Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 10 (2024)

We’ve got a big IDP waiver wire column for Week 10. I have highlighted 21 players at linebacker, defensive lineman, and defensive back who will fill holes on your team over the second half of the season and carry you into the playoffs. It’s getting close. There are just four weeks until the playoffs begin […]


Sam Darnold - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL DFS: First Look of Week 10 - Totals, Salaries, Slates, and more

The NFL season is chugging along and we have more action headed our way this Sunday. We're going ahead of the pack by diving into the data and see what direction it will point us in this week. This piece is intended to be a one-stop shop for readers to begin their DFS research for […]


Tyler Allgeier - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 10 Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Football Pickups Include Quentin Johnston, Jalen Tolbert, Ricky Pearsall, Ray Davis, Tyler Allgeier, Mike Gesicki

Week 10 will be here in a few days, and it's time to start bolstering those rosters for the fantasy football playoff push. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with more waiver wire advice to help build those fantasy rosters with our Week 10 fantasy football waiver wire rankings for 2024. There were more crucial […]


Cole Kmet - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

The Cut List - Who to Drop for Fantasy Football Week 10

Each new week of NFL games gives us more information to make better, more informed decisions. That’s crucial when figuring out who to add and who to cut. It can be difficult to admit we were wrong on a particular player. For example, using a high draft pick on someone and cutting them so early […]


Saquon Barkley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Backfield Breakdowns and Target Shares - Fantasy Football Week 10 Outlooks for Lamar Jackson, Saquon Barkley, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and More

It's hard to believe that we are at the halfway point of the 2024 NFL season and already over halfway through the fantasy football season. With only the Steelers and 49ers on a bye, setting lineups was a bit easier, and man, did we get some action! We had a few regular household names crushing […]


Mike Gesicki - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

FAAB Waiver Wire Bidding - Fantasy Football Pickups to Target for Week 10 (2024)

We've now battled through nine weeks of fantasy football and most of you know whether you're cruising for the playoffs, battling hard for each week, or needing a win every week! Regardless of your needs, joining our famous waiver wire pickups list and our weekly fantasy football waiver wire columns by position, this column focuses on […]


D'Andre Swift - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injuries

RB Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Week 10 (2024)

So far this season has been the return of the running back in fantasy football. With that, we are sending Tyrone Tracy Jr., Chuba Hubbard, and Jonathon Brooks to Germany to give our German friends something worth watching if we are going to force them to watch the Giants, Panthers, and Machine Gun Kelly. With […]


Evan McPherson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Kicker Streamers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 10 Kicker Streamers and Starts - 2024 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

It might be that point in the season where you are searching for a better kicker option than the one you have been rolling with. You may need coverage for a bye week. Lucky for you, there is a top kicker available on waivers who is currently ranked K2 in fantasy football, making him a […]


Chris Olave - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Injuries to Watch for Week 10 Lineups - Christian McCaffrey, Dak Prescott, Chris Olave, A.J Brown, more

Just like that, we have arrived at the NFL trade deadline day. Week 9 didn't have many serious injuries, though it was slightly less exciting than the previous week. Still, it featured three games that went to overtime and was a fun week all things considered. Unfortunately, as is the case in every week of […]


Nico Collins - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

WR Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Week 10 (2024)

One of my favourite filmmakers of all time is the great Mel Brooks. His films have been a staple in my life. You’ll never see him win an Oscar, but his films are usually a result of a comedy of errors that you simply can’t help but laugh at. His next film should be titled […]


Ray Davis - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Deeper-League Waiver Wire Adds for Week 10: Tyler Allgeier, Ray Davis, Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette, Quentin Johnston, Mike Gesicki, Drake Maye, Bo Nix

Most people searching for the top fantasy football waiver wire options in deep leagues already know the choices are slim by this point in the season. That said, whether you are leading your league's standings, right in the middle, or need to win out to make the playoffs, you should always be looking to improve […]


T.J. Hockenson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

TE Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Week 10 (2024)

There were a couple of prolific tight ends last week, as Mike Gesicki had a pair of touchdowns, 100 yards receiving, and 27 fantasy points. Taysom Hill, Theo Johnson, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Nick Vannett, and Drew Sample also recorded double-digit fantasy production in Week 9. Even Chris Manhertz and Quintin Morris ended up with touchdown grabs. We […]